Your first two issues dealt with rubrics, i

Your first two issues dealt with rubrics, i.e., the rules for external

worship in the Catholic Church. Does the Church really care about these

things? Does it really matter if people pray with their hands extended

like the priest does or if they hold hands during the Our Father? Are these

just "old rules" sitting in some book or do the Church and the Holy Father

think that these sorts of things are important today? Why are rubrics

important?

We know the Lord wants His Church to be united. Jesus prayed "that they

May all be one" (John 17:21). The pope and bishops strive mightily to

Preserve church unity. The fact that the Church is an international organization

Of hundreds of millions of members under one head is in itself a moral

miracle.  Catholics speak hundreds of different languages and dialects. How do we

stay together? Through a spirit of love and obedience.

The word obedience is used often by popes and bishops, not because they

Want to dominate, but because the spirit of humility is essential to the

life of the Church. Obedience and humility are like the cohesiveness produced

by certain combinations of molecules. Without this cohesion, the Church

unity breaks down.

There are 25,000 Protestant denominations now in existence. Instead of

becoming more unified, they grow in number every year by more than 100

new churches. Dividing and subdividing, they seem to lack genuine cohesion.

Some would call this a kind of anarchy, but they maintain it's normal since

Scripture is their sole authority. Unfortunately, they all interpret

The same texts differently, so in reality they obey whatever version of

Scriptures they choose to believe. God's will becomes very vague in the

process.

How does any church create harmony out of dissonance? Through the

inspiration of the Holy Spirit who creates the miracle of one

international Church, one faith, and one people. Catholics may all differ,

culturally, racially, nationally and psychologically, but they are all part of the

One Body of Christ. Jesus said, "Learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble

In heart." (Matthew 11:29)

This Lent, we must all try to understand the importance of obedience in

Our lives and in the life of the Church. There is one Lord, one faith and

One Vicar of Christ. All of us are challenged to be obedient servants. What

should we obey when it comes to liturgy? All of the following have been

approved or created during the reign of Pope John Paul II. This is a

good indication that the Pope and the Church place great importance on these

matters.

A document of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the

Discipline of the Sacraments called "The Roman Liturgy and Inculturation: IVth

Instruction for the Right Application of the Conciliar Constitution on

The Liturgy" was made public on March 29, 1994. The 30-page instruction,

Dated January 25, 1994, aims at clarifying and defining numbers 37-40 of

Sacrosanctum Concilium, namely, the norms for the adaptation of liturgy

To the types and traditions of different peoples.

The instruction makes it clear that "Liturgy is not a private activity

Which can be modified to one's own likings, but is always a celebration of

The Church, the sacrament of unity. The Church has the duty of safeguarding

And transmitting what it has received from Tradition as coming from the

Lord Himself." It notes these principles: 1) Change should not be made for

The sake of change, but to better express the content of rites so as to

allow a better understanding and a more fruitful participation for the

faithful; 2) There must be respect for the substantial unity of the Roman Rite. A

legitimate liturgical modification may be a source of wealth for the

unity of the Church and for the integrity of the faith, it declares.

As recently as November 2000, just four months ago, Pope John Paul II

reminded us of our obligation to obedience and the importance of the

liturgy: "Dear friends, do not be afraid to take up this challenge: be

holy men and women! Do not forget that the fruits of the apostolate depend

on the depth of spiritual life, on the intensity of prayer, on continual

formation and sincere adherence to the Church's directives."  - Pope John Paul

II, L'Osservatore Romano, November 29, 2000.

Furthermore, the 1983 Code of Canon Law states:  "The lay Christian

Faithful have the right to have recognized that freedom which all citizens have

In the affairs of the earthly city. When using that same freedom, however,

They are to take care that their actions are imbued with the spirit of the

Gospel and are to heed to the doctrine set forth by the magisterium of the

Church. In matters of opinion, moreover, they are to avoid setting forth their

Own opinion as the doctrine of the Church." (can. 227).

"Since he must protect the unity of the Universal Church, the bishop is

bound to promote the common discipline of the whole Church and

therefore to urge the observance of all ecclesiastical laws (can. 292:1). "He is to

be watchful lest abuses creep into ecclesiastical discipline, especially

concerning the ministry of the word, the celebration of the sacraments,

the worship of God and devotion to the saints, and also the administration

of property" (can. 292:2).

These statements provide a basis for protecting the liturgy from

Innovations such as praying with hands extended like the priest does or holding

Hands during the Our Father.