BILINGUAL LITURGY
as personal reflections for anyone involved in the liturgy. Learning about bilingual liturgy is one of the best ways to learn about our own traditions, about what is basic to our lives of faith. I hope that this book will help us all to grow.
Reciprocity & Exchanging Gifts
In Sing to the Lord, our US bishops clearly set the tone and establish a solid foundation for us in terms of sharing the diversity of our gifts: “With an attitude of mutual reciprocity” we can truly celebrate “the intercultural relationships of the assembly and the unity that is shared in Christ” (59). But what does it mean to have an attitude of mutual reciprocity? It means that we need one another and benefit greatly from the gifts that other cultural groups bring to the table of the Lord during the celebration of the Eucharist. In a multicultural setting, the differences we perceive strengthen our faith and bring a deeper spirituality to our prayer life. To me, this is only achieved when we go to Mass with a humble and open heart. If hospitality becomes too, shall we say, comfortable, as when other ethnic groups in our parish family have to “wait their turn” during Mass, it is necessary to explore the concept of true hospitality. Brothers and sisters, let us instill in all the faithful the notion that we are one liturgical assembly in which:
• we all become part of the various traditions, songs, and rituals brought forth by other language groups during multicultural celebrations of the Holy Eucharist
• we all grow as a parish family when we have the opportunity and privilege of experiencing the fullness of the liturgy, seeing it and living it from the perspective of our neighbor
As leaders and ministry coordinators, let us create more opportunities for our parish family to learn and exchange our diverse gifts, rejoicing in the presence of others. In this way, we can all discover the face of Christ in the person next to us and come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be members of His body.
A Wonderful Opportunity to Learn Something New
Every time we gather as a multicultural parish and community of faith, we are presented with a wonderful opportunity to learn something new, to step away from our comfort zone and routine for the sake of nurturing our spirits with some new form of musical expression, a new ritual, a new visual element, or even the intriguing sound of a prayer or proclamation in another language. It is my belief that, although we may think otherwise sometimes, the assembly is already gathered with the expectation that something during Mass is going to be different and worth experiencing. Furthermore, I strongly believe that people are ready to be transformed by the liturgy—to be uplifted and renewed as they gather around the table of the Lord. We pastoral musicians have the privilege of contributing to this process of renewal and transformation by exposing the gathered assembly to the musical gifts and traditions of other ethnic groups, which they may never otherwise have an opportunity to discover, embrace, and celebrate. Our US bishops clearly acknowledge this mission to which all Catholic Church musicians are called and exhort us directly and unambiguously to remain proactive in this area of our ministry: “Te valuable musical gifts of the diverse cultural and ethnic communities should enrich the whole Church in the United States by contributing to the repertory of liturgical song and to the growing richness of Christian faith” (Sing to the Lord 59). Brothers and sisters, it is our responsibility to ensure that the assembly experiences new forms of musical expression and, therefore, we should prioritize the incorporation of multilingual music into our existing parish repertory. I wholeheartedly encourage you to give this a try and put it out there, not only for the benefit of the gathered assembly, but for your own spiritual and musical growth as well.
An Enriching Experience
When celebrating bilingual liturgies, let’s always keep in mind that it is our oneness in Christ that we’re celebrating—everyone is welcome at the banquet. Our pastoral and ministerial duty is to make this a reality and ensure that everyone feels welcome.
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