Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM in the former Hennessy’s Pub
While it is well known that the Church calls all the faithful to “fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations,” a typical emphasis on outward methods of participation (singing, responding, kneeling) risks falling short of the reality in which we participate. If, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, every liturgy is “an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ” “through which the work of our redemption is accomplished,” any true participation in Mass cooperates in the salvation of the world. In determining how best to join in this eternal work, we should be less concerned with what we get out of Mass than with what we can contribute to the Sacrifice.
Aaron Sanders is Director of the Office for Worship in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame and lives in Grand Rapids with his wife and nine children.
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