Liturgy and the Eucharist: Pope invites study of Sacrosanctum Concilium

Update: Zenit has posted his complete homily.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium. This will fall within the Pauline year (celebrating the 2000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul the Apostle).

At the just-concluded International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec, the Holy Father gave a homily from Rome. Here is what Zenit is reporting (emphasis added):

In his address, given in French and English, the Holy Father said, "'The Mystery of Faith': this we proclaim at every Mass. I would like everyone to make a commitment to study this great mystery, especially by revisiting and exploring, individually and in groups, the Council's text on the liturgy, 'Sacrosanctum Concilium,' so as to bear witness courageously to the mystery."

The Pontiff affirmed that such study would help each person "arrive at a better grasp of the meaning of every aspect of the Eucharist, understanding its depth and living it with greater intensity."

"Every sentence, every gesture has its own meaning and conceals a mystery," Benedict XVI continued. "I sincerely hope that this Congress will serve as an appeal to all the faithful to make a similar commitment to a renewal of Eucharistic catechesis, so that they themselves will gain a genuine Eucharistic awareness and will in turn teach children and young people to recognize the central mystery of faith and build their lives around it.

"I urge priests especially to give due honor to the Eucharistic rite, and I ask all the faithful to respect the role of each individual, both priest and lay, in the Eucharistic action. The liturgy does not belong to us: It is the Church's treasure."

I'll find a complete text of his homily soon. In the mean time, he has given us plenty of food for thought. He is inviting all the faithful to revisit and explore Sacrosanctum Concilium to better understand and witness to the Eucharistic mystery. I'm going to see (through the proper channels, of course) if there's any interest at my parish in organizing a study group (akin to a Bible study group) for this document for the Fall. (It might have to complete with the Pauline year...)

I think I'll do a blog study of Sacrosanctum Concilium sometime in the near future.