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In the Symbol of the faith the Church confesses the mystery of the Holy Trinity
and of the plan of God's "good pleasure" for all creation: the Father
accomplishes the "mystery of his will" by giving his beloved Son and
his Holy Spirit for the salvation of the world and for the glory of his name.1
Such
is the mystery of Christ, revealed and fulfilled in history according to the
wisely ordered plan that St. Paul calls the "plan of the mystery"2 (Eph 3:9; cf. ⇒ 3:4.) and the patristic tradition will call the "economy of the Word
incarnate" or the "economy of salvation."
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"The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but
a prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving
perfect glory to God. He accomplished this work principally by the Paschal
mystery of his blessed Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and glorious
Ascension, whereby 'dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.'
For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the
cross that there came forth 'the wondrous sacrament of the whole
Church."'3
For
this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery
by which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation.
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It is this mystery of Christ that the Church proclaims and celebrates in her
liturgy so that the faithful may live from it and bear witness to it in the
world:
For
it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that
"the work of our redemption is accomplished," and it is through the
liturgy especially that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and
manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true
Church.4
What
does the word liturgy mean?
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The word "liturgy" originally meant a "public work" or a
"service in the name of/on behalf of the people."
In
Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in
"the work of God."5 (Cf. ⇒ Jn 17:4.) Through
the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our
redemption in, with, and through his Church.
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In the New Testament, the word "liturgy" refers not only to the
celebration of divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to
active charity.6 (Cf. ⇒ Lk 1:23; ⇒ Acts 13:2; ⇒ Rom 15:16, ⇒ 27; ⇒ 2 Cor 9:12; ⇒ Phil 2:14-17, ⇒ 25, ⇒ 30.) In all of these situations, it is a question of the service of
God and neighbor.
In
a liturgical celebration the Church is a servant in the image of her Lord, the
one "leitourgos";7 (Cf. ⇒ Heb 8:2, 6.) she shares in Christ's priesthood (worship), which
is both prophetic (proclamation) and kingly (service of charity):
The
liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus
Christ. It
involves the presentation of man's sanctification under the guise of signs
perceptible by the senses and its accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of
these signs. In
it full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that
is, by the Head and his members.
From
this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of
Christ the priest and of his Body which is the Church, is a sacred action
surpassing all others. No
other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the
same degree.8 (SC 7 # 2-3.)
Liturgy
as a source of life
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As the work of Christ liturgy is also an action of his Church. It makes the
Church present and manifests her as the visible sign of the communion in Christ
between God and men. It engages the faithful in the new life of the community
and involves the "conscious, active, and fruitful participation" of
everyone.9
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"The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the
Church":10 (SC 9.)it must be preceded by evangelization, faith, and conversion.
It can then produce its fruits in the lives of the faithful: new life in the
Spirit, involvement in the mission of the Church, and service to her unity.
Prayer
and liturgy
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The liturgy is also a participation in Christ's own prayer addressed to the
Father in the Holy Spirit. In the liturgy, all Christian prayer finds its
source and goal. Through the liturgy the inner man is rooted and grounded in
"the great love with which [the Father] loved us" in his beloved
Son.11 (Eph 2:4; ⇒ 3:16-17. ) It is the same "marvelous work of God" that is lived and
internalized by all prayer, "at all times in the Spirit."12
Catechesis
and liturgy
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"The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is
directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows."13
It
is, therefore, the privileged place for catechizing the People of God.
"Catechesis
is intrinsically linked with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity,
for it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus
works in fullness for the transformation of men."14
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Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ (It is
"mystagogy." ) by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from
the sign to the thing signified, from the "sacraments" to the
"mysteries."
Such
catechesis is to be presented by local and regional catechisms. This
Catechism, which aims to serve the whole Church in all the diversity of her
rites and cultures,15 (Cf. SC 3-4.) will present what is fundamental and common to the whole
Church in the liturgy as mystery and as a celebration, and then the seven
sacraments and the sacramentals.
GO TO:
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST
PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (Acts 9:31)
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