Editing Second Vatican Council (section)

=== Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ===
{{Main|Sacrosanctum Concilium}}
[[File:SemanaSantaSevillaAguas2.jpg|thumb|The abolition of [[Friday of Sorrows]] of the Virgin Mary is an example of changes in the [[Liturgical Calendar]] after the council. The [[Virgin of Hope of Macarena]], Spain.]]

''[[Sacrosanctum Concilium]]'', the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, was the blueprint for an extensive reform of the Western liturgy.

Chapter 1 of the Constitution set out principles to guide this reform:{{sfn|Hahnenberg|2007|pages=17-19}}
* The Paschal mystery of Christ's death and resurrection is made present to us through the liturgy, which is a communal celebration and not just the action of the priest (SC 7). Each person present participates in it according to his/her role (SC 28, 29).
* Christ is present to us not only under the appearance of bread and wine, but also in the Word of God, in the person of the priest and in the gathered assembly (SC 7).
* "The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows" (SC 10).
* "In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, [...] full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else" (SC 14).
* In order to be better understood, the rites should be simplified and a limited use of the vernacular is permitted, but the use of Latin is to be preserved (SC 36).
* There needs to be more reading from holy scripture, and it is to be more varied and suitable (SC 35).
* A certain degree of local adaptation is permissible (SC 37-40).

Chapter 2: Mass.{{sfn|Hahnenberg|2007|pages=19-20}} The [[Eucharist]] is both the sacrifice of Christ's body and blood and a paschal banquet (SC 47). In addition to repeating the need for active participation (SC 47), simplification of the rites (SC 50) and a greater variety of Scripture readings (SC 51), the chapter decrees that certain practices that had disappeared, such as the [[general intercessions|prayer of the faithful]] (SC 53), [[concelebration]] (SC 57), and [[communion under both kinds]] for the laity (SC 55), are to be restored under certain conditions, and that the homily should be a commentary on the Scripture readings (SC 52).

Chapter 3: Sacraments.{{sfn|Hahnenberg|2007|pages=20}} The rite of each [[sacrament]] is to be simplified in order to make its meaning clear (SC 62); the [[catechumenate]] is to be restored for adult [[baptism]] (SC 64); the link between [[confirmation]] and baptism is to be made clear (SC 71); the sacrament then called [[extreme unction]] is to become a sacrament for those who are seriously ill ([[anointing of the sick]]) and not just of those who are on the point of death (SC 73-5); funerals are to focus on the hope of the resurrection and not on mourning (SC 81), and local cultural practices may be included in the celebration of some sacraments such as weddings (SC 63).

Chapters 4 to 7{{sfn|Hahnenberg|2007|pages=20–21}} provide that the [[Liturgy of the Hours|divine office]] (now called [[Liturgy of the Hours]]) is to be adapted to modern conditions by reducing its length for those in active ministry (SC 97), that the calendar is to be revised to give Sunday and the mysteries of Christ priority over saints' days (SC 108), and that, while traditional music forms such as [[Gregorian chant]] (SC 116) and organ music (SC 120) are to be preserved, congregational singing is to be encouraged (SC 114) and the use of other instruments is permissible (SC 120).

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy launched the most extensive revision of the liturgy in the history of the Church.<ref name="Kennedy2011">{{cite book|last=Kennedy|first=Philip|url=https://archive.org/details/christianityintr00kenn_0/page/247|title=Christianity: An Introduction|date=2011|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-84885-383-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/christianityintr00kenn_0/page/247 247–]|quote=Four hundred years after the Reformation, Vatican II reversed all this and decreed that the assembled people of God celebrate the liturgy; that the texts of worship may be translated into vernacular languages; that the assembled people could drink from the communion cup; that the reading of scripture was to be an essential element of all worship; and that the Eucharist was to be regarded as the source and summit of the Church's life: ''Ubi Eucharistia, ibi Ecclesia'' – wherever the Eucharist is, there too is the Church. Such a view was entirely alien to pre-conciliar Roman theology which was more comfortable with the idea: 'Wherever the Pope is, there too is the Church.' Much of this was entirely consonant with Protestant sensibilities and explains why Vatican II was a milestone for Catholic, Protestants, the Orthodox, and all religions.}}</ref>

The invitation for more active, conscious participation of the laity through Mass in the vernacular did not stop with the constitution on the liturgy. It was taken up by the later documents of the council that called for a more active participation of the laity in the life of the Church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earlham.edu/media/2544046/second-vatican-council-aaron-falsetto-spring-2015.pdf|title=Implementation of the Second Vatican Council|access-date=25 September 2019|archive-date=21 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121055248/https://earlham.edu/media/2544046/second-vatican-council-aaron-falsetto-spring-2015.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Pope Francis]] referred to a turn away from clericalism toward a new age of the laity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/04/27/pope-blasts-clericalism-says-clock-has-stopped-on-hour-of-laity/|title=Pope blasts clericalism, says clock has stopped on 'hour of laity'|date=27 April 2016|website=Crux|language=en-CA|access-date=25 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925182624/https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/04/27/pope-blasts-clericalism-says-clock-has-stopped-on-hour-of-laity/|archive-date=25 September 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>