Cathal BarryThe Church teaches that music forms an integral part of solemn liturgy, writes Cathal Barry
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states that the musical tradition of the Church is a “treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art”.
The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy, according to Sacrosanctum Concilium.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that composition and singing of inspired psalms, often accompanied by musical instruments, “were already closely linked to the liturgical celebrations of the Old Covenant”. The Church continues this tradition “making melody to the Lord with all your heart” (Eph 5:19). As St Augustine of Hippo stated: “He who sings prays twice.”
The Church teaches that song and music fulfil their function as signs in a manner all the more significant when they are “more closely connected… with the liturgical action”.
These signs should fulfil three criteria:
- A beauty expressive of prayer.
- The unanimous participation of the assembly.
- The solemn character of the celebration.
“How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs, and the voices that echoed through your Church! What emotion I experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my ears distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my face – tears that did me good (St Augustine).
The Church teaches that the harmony of signs (song, music, words and actions) is all the more expressive and fruitful “when expressed in the cultural richness of the People of God who celebrate”.
Hence, religious singing by the faithful, according to Sacrosanctum Concilium, “is to be intelligently fostered so that in devotions and sacred exercises as well as in liturgical services”, in conformity with the Church’s norms, “the voices of the faithful may be heard”.
However, “the texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine”.
“Indeed they should be drawn chiefly from the Sacred Scripture and from liturgical sources,” the document states.
Holy images
The Church teaches that the sacred image, the liturgical icon, principally represents Christ. “Previously God, who has neither a body nor a face, absolutely could not be represented by an image. But now that he has made himself visible in the flesh and has lived with men, I can make an image of what I have seen of God… and contemplate the glory of the Lord, his face unveiled” (St John Damascene).
Christian icons express the Gospel message in images.
“We declare that we preserve intact all the written and unwritten traditions of the Church which have been entrusted to us. One of these traditions consists in the production of representational artwork, which accords with the history of the preaching of the Gospel. For it confirms that the incarnation of the Word of God was real and not imaginary, and to our benefit as well, for realities that illustrate each other undoubtedly reflect each other’s meaning” (Second Council of Nicaea).