Speaker: Monsignor Murray Kroetsch, PH, VG

Reflection Guide

1. Msgr. Kroetsch told us that one principle that emerged from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy is that the liturgy is the work of Christ which is accomplished

By the paschal mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead and glorious ascension, whereby “dying, he destroyed our death and, rising, he restored our life.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 5)

How does this principle inform my participation in liturgical celebrations? How can I better actively participate in liturgical celebrations?

2. What impact did the Liturgical Movement, which began in the 19^th Century, have on the liturgical reforms prescribed by Sacrosanctum Concilium?
3. Msgr. Kroetsch said that the Council Fathers taught us that Christ is present in the Mass in four ways:

• In the Minister,
• In the Eucharistic Species,
• In the Word of God Proclaimed and
• In the Words and Deeds of the Assembly. (Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7)

How can I deepen my relationship with Jesus at Mass by reflecting on his presence in the Eucharist, in the priest, in the readings and in the actions of the people? In what ways does my ministry reflect the truth of Christ’s presence in these four ways?

4. Msgr. Kroetsch said that “the Liturgy is the summit and source of the Christian life”. Further, Msgr. Kroetsch quoted the Sacred Constitution on the Liturgy,

The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows. For the aim of apostolic works is that all who are made sons [sic] of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of his Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord’s Supper. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10)

How do I prepare myself for Mass? In the context of my ministry, how might I help and encourage others to prepare for full, conscious and active participation (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14) in the Liturgy of the Church?

5. On the place of scripture in the Liturgy, Msgr. Kroetsch quoted the Council,

Sacred Scripture is of the greatest importance in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is from scripture that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung; the prayers, collects and liturgical songs are scriptural in their inspiration and their force, and it is from the scriptures that actions and signs derive their meaning. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 24)

How can I use scripture to prepare for Mass? What role does scripture play in my life and in my ministry? What opportunities exist in my community to engage in Lectio Divina or bible study?

6. Msgr. Kroetsch said that “all the baptized are called to celebrate the Liturgy”. The Liturgy, as the prayer of the Church, includes not only the Mass but also Morning/Evening Prayer and the Liturgy of the Hours, Reconciliation and the other Sacraments, liturgical blessings, etc.

How could I more fully answer my call to participate actively in the Liturgy? In the context of my ministry, how might I encourage the active participation in the Liturgy in all its forms?

7. In his conclusion, Msgr. Kroetsch suggested that the future agenda of the Church should include “restoring Sunday to its place of primacy, not only in our liturgical calendar but in the lives of the Catholic people.”

How do I keep Sunday as a day set aside for God, my family, my church community and also for rest? Are there ways I could better observe Sunday as a holy day?

Read Sacrosanctum Concillium online.

Speaker: Bishop Yvan Mathieu, SM

Reflection Guide

1. Bishop Mathieu reflected on the opening words of the Constitution:

“We announce to you the eternal life which dwelt with the Father and was made visible to us. What we have seen and heard we announce to you, so that you may have fellowship with us and our common fellowship be with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:2-3). (Dei Verbum, 1)

The fullness of God’s revelation to us comes in the person of Jesus Christ, not in the form of a bank of information. In this model of divine revelation, God is the only “source” of revelation which is meant for all ages and all peoples. It is for this reason that Jesus created a missionary Church. How might I better actively participate in the Church as a missionary disciple?

2. Bishop Mathieu quoted the Constitution:

Sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls. (Dei Verbum, 10)

What are some instances of my engagement with Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium? How might I better emphasize the connectedness of these realities?

3. Bishop Mathieu reflected on the Constitution which says that

The books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation. (Dei Verbum, 11)

There are many different ways to engage in scripture study, from a formal course or degree to bible studies at a parish or among friends. What opportunities do I have to engage in scripture study so that I might better understand the Word of God?

4. Bishop Mathieu reminded us that the effect of scripture on the faithful is an important part of Divine Revelation.

How can I more deeply reflect on the scripture as read at Mass? What opportunities do I have to engage in Lectio Divina and other kinds of reflections on scripture?

Read Dei Verbum online.

Speaker: Sr. Donna Geernaert, SC

Reflection Guide

1. Sr. Geernaert quoted the opening paragraph of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men [sic] of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men…. [sic] (Gaudium et Spes, 1)

How does my heart echo the joys, hopes, griefs and anxieties of the baptized? How can I, in the context of my life or ministry, respond to the call to accompany others, especially those in spiritual or material need, in a journey led by the Holy Spirit?

2. While speaking about discerning the signs of the times, Sr. Geernaert quoted the Pastoral Constitution:

The Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men [sic] ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other. We must therefore recognize and understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic characteristics. (Gaudium et Spes, 4)

What does it mean to respond to deep questions about life and the afterlife in language intelligible to this generation? In the context of my life or ministry, how can I better recognize and understand the world so that I can proclaim the Gospel message?

3. Sr. Geernaert, while speaking on the relationship between the Church and the world, quoted the Pastoral Constitution,

While helping the world and receiving many benefits from it, the Church has a single intention: that God’s kingdom may come, and that the salvation of the whole human race may come to pass. For every benefit which the People of God during its earthly pilgrimage can offer to the human family stems from the fact that the Church is “the universal sacrament of salvation”, simultaneously manifesting and exercising the mystery of God’s love. (Gaudium et Spes, 45)

4. All vocations and ministries in the Church prepare for the coming of God’s kingdom. What role do I play in this reality in the context of my life or ministry?
5. While speaking on Christian involvement in the world, Sr. Geernaert explained that Vatican II taught that the Christian call to holiness is universal.

How can I better respond to the universal call to holiness in a way that allows the Gospel message to shine through my life?

6. Sr. Geernaert highlighted the importance of Gaudium et Spes for Pope Francis by explaining connections to it across his Pontificate, from his Apostolic Letter Evangelii Gaudium issued in the first year of his pontificate to the current Synod on Synodality. She quoted from that Apostolic Letter:

The People of God is incarnate in the peoples of the earth, each of which has its own culture. The concept of culture is valuable for grasping the various expressions of the Christian life present in God’s people.… This is due to the fact that the human person, “by nature stands completely in need of life in society” and always exists in reference to society, finding there a concrete way of relating to reality …. Grace supposes culture, and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who receive it. (Evangelii Gaudium, 115)

In what unique ways does the culture of the people in my particular church express the Christian life? How can I make use of these unique expressions?

Read Gaudium et Spes online.

Speaker: Dr. Catherine Clifford

Reflection Guide

1. Dr. Clifford spoke about aggiornamento (“updating”) as a focus of the Second Vatican Council.

In the context of my life or ministry, how can I make better use of a teaching style that speaks to people today?

2. Dr. Clifford quoted from Lumen Gentium, which said that “Christ is the light of the nations … a light brightly visible on the countenance of the Church,” “the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race”, and “that all men [sic] … might also attain fuller unity in Christ,” which is the mission of the Church (Lumen Gentium, 1).

How do I engage in the Church’s mission and my mission, as a member of that Church, to bring everyone to Christ?

3. Dr. Clifford referred to Lumen Gentium, which said that

Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. (Lumen Gentium, 10)

What does a Christian life look like when participating in the offices of Christ the Priest, Prophet, and King? How might I participate in these offices more fully according to my vocation? How might I encourage others to do so in the context of my vocation?

4. Dr. Clifford told us that the laity are, by baptism, co-responsible for the mission of the church. Lumen Gentium told us that

The laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations. They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity. Therefore, since they are tightly bound up in all types of temporal affairs it is their special task to order and to throw light upon these affairs in such a way that they may come into being and then continually increase according to Christ to the praise of the Creator and the Redeemer. (Lumen Gentium, 31)

How do I, in my daily activities, participate in the mission of the Church? How does this look in the different contexts of family, friends, school, work, in my visible ministries, etc.?

5. Dr. Clifford spoke of the universal call to holiness in Lumen Gentium, which said that “in the Church, everyone whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness” (LG, 39). Further,

The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, because in the baptism of faith they truly become sons [sic] of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. (Lumen Gentium, 40)

What are some examples of extraordinary holiness? What are some examples of ordinary holiness in the people whom I know or have known? What are the characteristics of holiness in the life of someone who is in a similar stage and situation in life as me?

Read Lumen Gentium online.