2. What is a General Instruction?
An innovation of the Liturgical revision following Vatican II
An introduction…
theological
practical
concerned with local implementation
A relatively new thing.
Introduced to our liturgical books, because mere rubric was no longer adequate to what the Church had reminded herself the Liturgy was.
So there was need for an introduction, a user’s manual…
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3. …A theological introduction
GIRM 1-15
Sacrifice
Real presence
Ministerial Priesthood
Royal Priesthood
Tradition and adaptation
The first paragraphs of GI’s usually give a very simple, often very profound, summary of Catholic theology concerning a particular rite or sacrament.
So here, in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, a brief exposition on some of the key Catholic theological understandings of the Eucharist and its celebration.

4. …A practical introduction
Importance and Dignity of the celebration (1)
Structure of Mass: Elements and Parts (2)
Ministries (3)
Different forms of celebration (4)
Arrangement and furnishing of churches (5)
Requisites for Celebration (6)
Choice of Mass texts (7 & 8)
GI’s chapters on practical usage – the most obvious expression of GI as ‘users manual’
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5. …An Introduction of the Roman Rite to the local Church
Adaptations within competence of Bishops and Bishops’ Conferences. (9)
This section is already a feature of all the other GIs, but only now introduced to the Missal.
It is an acknowledgement that the publication of the Latin editio typica is only the start, what is important is the celebration of the rite, and that celebration needs to be adapted to local circumstance.
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