Propositions 26-30

HERE ARE THE NEXT FIVE PROPOSITIONS FROM THE SYNOD ON THE EUCHARIST.

Proposition 26 encourages inculturation of the liturgy but basically says nothing new since it just reiterates the responsibility of the bishops’ conferences to work the established process for obtaining permission from Rome for an adaptation they want to make in the liturgy for their territory.

Proposition 27 deals with the role of sacred art. While it doesn’t say much, it does offer a pointer in the direction of more historical art and architecture, saying: "a profound knowledge of the forms that sacred art has been able to
produce through the centuries, can help those who are called to
collaborate with the architects and artists to design appropriately, at
the service of Eucharistic life and of the present communities, both
the areas of celebration as well as the iconography."

It also stresses that the liturgical needs of the celebration according to the rite approved by the Church take priority over what amounts to new-fangled artistic impulses that might conflict with this.

Proposition 28 reiterates what the current GIRM says about the placement of the Tabernacle but does not call for always having a Tabernacle in the sanctuary–a possibility that was raised in the working document for the Synod.

Proposition 29 says that when Masses are broadcast by TV, radio, or the Internet that they must be celebrated in a dignified and proper manner, in keeping with liturgical law. It also says that this normally does not satisfy for the Sunday obligation. (This is a bit of legal imprecision on the bishops’ part: Televised Masses NEVER satisfy for the Sunday obligation. Those who cannot go for reasons of age or health or any other reason may profit from watching broadcast Masses on Sunday, but the law does not require them to do so. For people in those situations the Sunday obligation is simply not binding the way the law is presently written.)

Proposition 30 recommends greater emphasis on the observance of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, including "friendly get-togethers; formation of children, young people and adults
in the faith; pilgrimages; works of charity; and different moments of
prayer." It also notes that, although you can fulfill your Mass obligation on Saturday evening, this doesn’t let you treat Sunday like any other day.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

4 thoughts on “Propositions 26-30”

  1. Prop 29 might be addressing closed circuit TV masses i.e. go to Church on Sunday and Mass is “beamed-in” from the local Cathedral??? Sounds good to me!! Sure would eliminate the need for a lot of priests!!!! And the homilies should be much better!!!!!

  2. We badly need a renaissance of truly CATHOLIC art and architecture.
    Why would a faith that holds the world’s richest archive of great artwork want to take it’s cues from trite and banal modernists?

  3. No, I think 29 is addressing closed-circuit TV used in the same building at the same time (as in cry rooms or the vestibule), or just outside it (for festival masses that go beyond SRO). Just because you’re not in the sanctuary, you can still be attending Mass through the boober tuber, although I’m sure that there’s some kind of arcane distance / roof / intention rule that separates church-internal closed-circuit TV from, say, watching Mass in your church office, on closed-circuit TV going out to every room in a nursing home, or an EWTN broadcast.
    It probably would count also for broadcast engineers in a control room somewhere inside the church but not actually inside the sanctuary. It would be kinda lame if they didn’t count as attending Mass in such situations. Hard enough to have to work on Sunday!

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