"INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS" working document from Rome

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Fergal

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I have had a wonderful and hope filled afternoon reading the working document that has come from the curia in Rome following the recent synod on the Eucharist. They have released a working document called “INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS” which sets down the vision of the synod in relation to the wonderful sacrament of the Eucharist.

If the proposals are established by each Bishop in every Diocese then we are in for a wonderful springtime in the Church.

The link for the summary of the document is: proecclesia.com/page_pronews.htm

The full document can be found here: vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20050707_instrlabor-xi-assembly_en.html

Let all know about it. Print out the summary and study it well. Make copies of it and make sure that each and every sincere Catholic knows about this document as it has wonderful promise.

God Bless.
 
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Fergal:
I have had a wonderful and hope filled afternoon reading the working document that has come from the curia in Rome following the recent synod on the Eucharist. They have released a working document called “INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS” which sets down the vision of the synod in relation to the wonderful sacrament of the Eucharist.

If the proposals are established by each Bishop in every Diocese then we are in for a wonderful springtime in the Church.

The link for the summary of the document is: proecclesia.com/page_pronews.htm

The full document can be found here: vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20050707_instrlabor-xi-assembly_en.html

Let all know about it. Print out the summary and study it well. Make copies of it and make sure that each and every sincere Catholic knows about this document as it has wonderful promise.

God Bless.
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I’ve had a look at the summary but I think I’ll print off the full version to read carefully.
I’m not clear if this is still only a working document for discussion and then will later be put forward for approval or changes or if this is a final approved document. Can you tell me please which it is?
Thanks.
 
The document that appears on the Vatican website states the following:

The prime purpose of the* Instrumentum laboris* is to provide the synod fathers with their “working document” and reference point in further discussion on the Eucharist, which, as the heart of the Church, spurs her on in communion to a renewed missionary dynamism. There is no doubt that reflection will be fruitful, because the spirit of collegiality, characteristic of the synod, will foster consensus on the propositions which are destined for the Holy Father. In the process, further benefit will also result in liturgical renewal, exegetical research and theological study which has taken place since the Second Vatican Council.

The submissions, summarized in the* Instrumentum laboris*, demonstrate the desire of the People of God that the work of the synod fathers, gathered around the Bishop of Rome, the Head of the Episcopal College and President of the Synod, together with others coming from the Church community, contribute towards a rediscovery of the beauty of the Eucharist as the Sacrifice, Memorial and Banquet of Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. The faithful are awaiting appropriate guidance so that the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Bread-Come-Down-from-Heaven (cf. Jn 6:58), offered by God the Father in his only-begotten Son, might be celebrated with more dignity; that the Lord might be adored with greater devotion under the species of bread and wine; and that the bond of unity and communion might be strengthened among those who are nourished by the Lord’s Body and Blood. Such an idea is to be expected, since Christians, who participate in the Table of the Lord and are enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, are a living part of the Church, the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. They are his witnesses in everyday life and in the workplace, always attentive to the spiritual and material needs of others and active in constructing a more just world, where every one will have a share in our daily bread.

This “working document” for the future assembly, *provides general information *on the situation of faith, worship and Eucharistic life in the particular Churches throughout the world and *evaluates *that situation in light of the faith of the Universal Church.
 
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Fergal:
The document that appears on the Vatican website states the following:

The prime purpose of the* Instrumentum laboris* is to provide the synod fathers with their “working document” and reference point in further discussion on the Eucharist, which, as the heart of the Church, spurs her on in communion to a renewed missionary dynamism. There is no doubt that reflection will be fruitful, because the spirit of collegiality, characteristic of the synod, will foster consensus on the propositions which are destined for the Holy Father. In the process, further benefit will also result in liturgical renewal, exegetical research and theological study which has taken place since the Second Vatican Council.

The submissions, summarized in the* Instrumentum laboris*, demonstrate the desire of the People of God that the work of the synod fathers, gathered around the Bishop of Rome, the Head of the Episcopal College and President of the Synod, together with others coming from the Church community, contribute towards a rediscovery of the beauty of the Eucharist as the Sacrifice, Memorial and Banquet of Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. The faithful are awaiting appropriate guidance so that the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Bread-Come-Down-from-Heaven (cf. Jn 6:58), offered by God the Father in his only-begotten Son, might be celebrated with more dignity; that the Lord might be adored with greater devotion under the species of bread and wine; and that the bond of unity and communion might be strengthened among those who are nourished by the Lord’s Body and Blood. Such an idea is to be expected, since Christians, who participate in the Table of the Lord and are enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, are a living part of the Church, the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. They are his witnesses in everyday life and in the workplace, always attentive to the spiritual and material needs of others and active in constructing a more just world, where every one will have a share in our daily bread.

This “working document” for the future assembly, *provides general information *on the situation of faith, worship and Eucharistic life in the particular Churches throughout the world and *evaluates *that situation in light of the faith of the Universal Church.
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Thanks.
 
Dear Fergal,

On weekends, I have good opportunity to catch up with things that are not ordinary chores, so I had the time to spend reading, not only your first link, but parts of the second.

We really have good cause to rejoice, don’t we?!! Praise God!

What surprised me is that, although your first link mentioned that feedback was submitted from the grassroots faithful for the Bishops’ consideration, the issues that were addressed did not focus upon or mention a number of the so-called lesser abuses being discussed in certain threads. It suggests to me that some of these occasional points of contention haven’t sufficient foundation to be addressed or considered in the document. Rather, the essentials of Catholic worship were once again brought the foreground and made rather imperative for implementation.

I rejoiced particularly to see that the tabernacle is to be kept on the main altar! If there was ever an issue that disturbed me, it was this one. In a former parish that I belonged to, the faithful had so many heated arguments with an architect who was hired to relocate it, that the pastor finally announced in the pulpit and the bulletin, that the project was terminated - period! No further discussion. http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/ani/ani_clapping.gif

Good job, Fergal - thanks for bring us this wonderful news!

Carole
 
Does this document say tabernacles have to be returned to a central position behind the altar?
 
Dear Mgy:

This is from Fergal’s first link, and in my excitement, I formed a conclusion that is not yet etched in stone, but is under consideration for a remedy. My apology for the wording in my last post.
In S.40 the place of Eucharistic adoration and of positioning the tabernacle in an easily seen place,
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in underlining faith in the Real Presence, is explained. The Document even suggests that removing the Blessed Sacrament from the centre of the sanctuary has contributed in some way to a decrease in faith in the Real Presence.

This is what Sect. 41 says in the actual document:
Likewise, the positioning of the tabernacle in an easily seen place is another way of attesting to faith in Christ’s Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. In this regard, the responses to the Lineamenta
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request that significant thought be given to the proper location of the tabernacle in Churches, with due attention to canonical norms.** It is worth considering whether the removal of the tabernacle from the centre of the sanctuary to an obscure, undignified corner or to a separate chapel**, or whether to have placed the celebrant’s chair in the centre of the sanctuary or in front of the tabernacle—as was done in many renovations of older churches and in new constructions—has contributed in some way to a decrease in faith in the Real Presence.

The responses also note that instructions in the construction and re-structuring of Churches often insist in a particular way on the positioning of the tabernacle to express an awareness of the Real Presence. When this is done, it results in an increase in faith and adoration. Churches ought to remain places of prayer and adoration and not be transformed into museums. This is also the case for cathedrals and basilicas of great historic and artistic value.

Carole
 
I can’t see churches running out and returning the tabernacle back to the centre of the altar… behind it. I even know a parish where the altar is positioned off to the side. I think the tabernacle is in another room. When they “updated” the local Roman Catholic parish they put the tabernacle off to the side.
 
. . . Nor can I foresee this either, Mgy,

But I can hope that churches under new construction will keep the more traditional setting. I attended Mass with an Aunt when I visited her town, and to my dismay, the Blessed Sacrament was not reserved in the tabernacle in the main church building whatsoever. The door was wide open to alert the people to the fact that it was empty. It was rather strange to see people doing their customary genuflections, when there was no Blessed Sacrament in reserve there. Genuflect to whom?

It also promoted a lot of chatter before mass, since the people did not have to observe reverence, under the circumstances. There was a private chapel annexed to the Church in which the Blessed Sacrament was reserved.

This is not the place to interrupt the original topic, but I would love to begin a thread about the correlation between the Old Testament design of the meeting tent, commissioned by God specifically to prefigure our paschal sacrifice in the New Testament. The “Holy of Holies” was *always *behind the altar of sacrifice. But that is another topic requiring a lot of forethought before beginning it.

http://forum.catholic.com/images/smilies/smile.gif Carole
 
I have a very hard time believing that moving the tabernacle leads to lack of belief in the True Presence.
 
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cheese_sdc:
I have a very hard time believing that moving the tabernacle leads to lack of belief in the True Presence.
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I tend to think differently. Our faith needs nurturing and maturing. This happens many ways - through prayer - but also through what we see, hear, and smell (incense, for example). What has always made a Catholic Church different from the ‘gathering places’ of other religions is the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. His presence is why we genuflect, why we are respectfully silent when we visit a Church, and it is one reason why we are silent before Mass. The visible presence of the tabernacle and the red candle is an instant reminder that we are now in the actual, real presence of God. Our faith typically grows a little at a time. I think seeing the tabernacle of Jesus each time we enter a Catholic Church is one way our faith - and our belief in the Real Presence - is nourished. Likewise, not seeing it gives us one less reminder of the Real Presence (especially our children), which I think can contribute to a lesser faith over time.
 
Bravo, Elzee!

When you walk into some of these churhces, you have to look around and try to see where they might have hidden Him. Ridiculous. And at our church for some reason, the candle isn’t red. 😦

Steve
 
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slewi:
Bravo, Elzee!

When you walk into some of these churhces, you have to look around and try to see where they might have hidden Him. Ridiculous. And at our church for some reason, the candle isn’t red. 😦

Steve
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Wow! That’s my first bravo on these forums! You made my day!
Thank you!! :blessyou:
 
Just keep up the intelligent posts, and I’m sure more will follow!

Steve
 
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