"Do Not Quench the Spirit"

From a speech by Bishop Donald Trautman's at the annual Frederick A. McManus Award from the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) with commentary by Adoramus.

"Do not quench the Spirit", the bishop repeatedly exclaimed as he urged the FDLC members to resist what he termed "pullbacks" and "liturgical backsliding".

"When we encounter those who advocate a 'reform of the reform', we must say, 'Do not quench the Spirit'. The Holy Spirit was present at Vatican II and gave us new liturgical direction. When we encounter people who harken back to rigidity in rubrics, we must say. 'Do not quench the Spirit'. When inculturation is denied and one liturgical form is forced on all, we must say, 'Do not quench the Spirit'. When the Scripture translations in our Lectionary are flawed and not proclaimable, we must say, 'Give us the richness of God's Word: Do not quench the Spirit'. The Holy Spirit prompted the renewal and reform of the liturgy. Now, more than ever, we must say, 'Do not quench the Spirit'".

Who's Quenching? In the 1990s, Bishop Trautman led opposition to the Holy See's intervention in translation both of Scripture (Lectionary) and other liturgical translations (International Commission on English in the Liturgy's "Sacramentary" revision). The bishop, as head of the BCL and member of the Lectionary committee, was a strong proponent of so-called "inclusive language", and a free approach to translation. Recently he has published articles critical of the Instruction on translation, Liturgiam authenticam, issued in 2001.

Although Bishop Trautman did not directly accuse Pope John Paul II of "devotionalism" for strongly encouraging the revival of Eucharistic devotions, nor did he mention by name the Vatican cardinals he believes are responsible for impeding "progress" in translation and other aspects of the Liturgy, Bishop Trautman called for strong resistance to any perceived "pullback".

He singled out for particular concern the forthcoming "prescriptive" directives that the Holy Father called for in Ecclesia de Eucharistia, released in March 2003.

"A recent draft of a forthcoming Vatican instruction included several problematic elements -- elements which were neither pastorally sensitive nor liturgically correct" Bishop Trautman told the liturgists. "While we are thankfully reassured that more competent and more sensible judgments have prevailed, we need to ask how could such proposals be drafted and approved for submission in the first place?
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