We Catholics care very much about the liturgy and always have done. On the Lord’s Day, we gather in our parishes and communities to celebrate the Mass. Of course, it is the sacred encounter which is at the heart of who we are as Catholics.

It is only to be expected that across the centuries, changes great and small have been made in the Mass, and will continue to be made. Perhaps the most obvious is language. For some years now, work has been going on throughout the English-speaking world to improve the English translation of the Mass.

More recently Rome has also called for some changes in the way we celebrate the Mass. So a New Zealand edition of the revised Roman Missal is being prepared by the National Liturgy Commission.

So that we may be well prepared when the new Missal arrives, well in advance of the changes it will introduce, we are having a nationwide catechesis over the next couple of years.

This catechesis is entitled “Worshipping under Southern Skies: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Mass”.  It is designed to help us to value afresh something very familiar, to:

Rediscover the beauty of the Mass;
Participate more deeply in this act of worship which is the greatest treasure of all time; and
Be transformed in our lives and in our liturgy into ever more faithful reflections of God’s Word and Eucharist.

Above all, we will be invited us to experience ourselves as the grace-filled people of God, whose worship forms us into a communion of love — in Christ.

“Our Beginnings”, is the first of four parts of the programme. In the next few weeks we will be looking at the celebration of the Mass in Aotearoa New Zealand. It begins with our “Unfolding Life”, the work of God’s grace within and among us. The koru, a uniquely New Zealand image, evokes our unfolding awareness of the reality of “God with us” in the Mass. The liturgy enables and celebrates the work of God’s grace within and among us.

We do not worship alone. Just as liturgy is a communal experience, “Worshipping Under Southern Skies: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Mass” invites you to discuss the materials in a group, formally or informally, as well as reading on your own. To reflect upon what is being offered; take it to your prayer, and to the life of prayer that enfolds your parishes, schools and communities; and embrace wholeheartedly this new opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the Mass.