Mediator dei With this encyclical a decisive moment in the history of the Church opens. It was promulgated by Pope Pius XII and became the first papal encyclical dedicated specifically and entirely to the liturgy. Its relevance is still felt to this day, and this is evident in the chain of events that followed; since Mediator Dei constitutes the foundation of the movement towards liturgical reform which culminated in the Second Vatican Council. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Pope Pius XII was faced with a congregation that lacked interest in the liturgy and played a passive role in the liturgy. This pushed him to provide the faithful with tools to foster a greater understanding of the Mass, of the liturgical year and a more tender devotion to the Holy Eucharist, since he himself had a fervent devotion to the Sacrament and many of his allocutions are centered on this. Pius XII saw "active participation" in the liturgy, in the divine life, as the solution to the passive role of the congregation; «Through this active and individual participation, the members of the mystical Body not only become more similar to their divine Head every day, but the life that flows from the head is transmitted to the members» for the work of sanctification of the world (MD, 78) . The encyclical can be divided into four aspects: The first aspect concerns the explanation of the nature and development of the liturgy. The liturgy as a result of the incarnation of the Lord and a means by which the Lord continues and prolongs his presence in the Church in the world. It is also defined as public worship of the Church. The second aspect concerns the explanation of the nature of the Eucharist and our worship in the Mass. Summarizes the Church's teaching on the Eucharist. The third aspect of the encyclical is dedicated to the Divine Office and the Liturgical Year. Through the Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours, the worship of God rendered by the Church, which has its source and origin in the Eucharist, is “ordered and arranged in such a way as to embrace… the hours of the day” ( MD, 138). The final section of the encyclical deals with practical pastoral directions. Here Pope Pius encourages the multiplicity of legitimate devotions and reiterates his teaching that there cannot be "a true opposition between the sacred liturgy and other religious practices, provided they are kept within legitimate limits and carried out for a legitimate purpose" (MD, 173 ). It was Pope Pius XII's intention to curb the excesses of some liturgists and to encourage the lukewarm and lukewarm to greater effort. Furthermore, the encyclical sought to affirm and clarify the authority of the Holy See in liturgical matters. Furthermore, Pope Pius XII deplored efforts “to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible means” (MD, 62). This attitude ignores the capacity and relevance of the development of liturgical doctrine and practice. It is one of the four constitutions contained in the documents of the Second Vatican Council focused on the Sacred Liturgy. And as a dogmatic constitution, it contains within it the principles on which the teaching and liturgical practice of the Church will be oriented in its renewal of the sacred Liturgy. It is not out of place to state that Mediator Dei anticipated and contributed to the foundation of Sacrosanctum Concilium, even if this is not immediately apparent from the notes to the Constitution. The seven chapters cover every aspect of the liturgy, including the Eucharist, Prayer, Church Furnishings, the Liturgical Calendar and Music. One could almost feel the progression from Mediator Dei to Sacrosanctum Concillium. The Constitution, however, is indebted to Mediator Dei not only for its ideas, but sometimes also for its own words. Among the ideas that Sacrosanctum Concilium derives from Mediator Dei vi.