(Class 3) Liturgy: Action
of Christ
Why Consider Liturgy before
the Sacraments? Because the sacraments are the power source for the action of identity
with Christ: self-gift. But they have historically and existentially been cut
off from the ascetical dynamics of personal holiness that is the liturgy.
History of the separation of sacramental theology and the life of the
Church (and its liturgy).
The CCC teaches “The New Evangelization” by presenting
Liturgy before the Sacraments. Background:. Ratzinger writes: “Alberigo
[‘Sviluppo e caratteri della teologia come scienza,’ in Cristianesimo nella
storia (Zurich, 1992, 25, 81, 130] demonstrates how at the close of the 12th and
13th centuries theology rushed as impetuously as a flash flood from
its traditional centers – the bishop’s residence, the monastery and the chapter
of the canons regular – to a new, ecclesiastically neutral center, the
university, and in so doing radically altered its spiritual and scientific
complexion. Alberigo also shows clearly the inevitability of this process,
considering the exhaustion of patristic and monastic theology. He draws out the
gain which accrued to theology thanks to this shift, a gain which consisted not
least of all in ‘greater freedom for theological research.’ But this well-known
historian also brings to light the reverse side of this ‘dislocation,’ of
teaching… which led away from ‘the most vital centers of the Church,’ the
diocese and the monastery, and thus signified a removal from the pastoral and
spiritual context of local church realities. The orientation of theology toward
a scientific status initiated a movement tending to divorce theology from the
life of the Church: an ever more pronounced ‘hiatus develops between the
Christian community and the institutional Church herself, herself, on the one
hand, and the guild of theologians , on the other….(It) severed theology from
vital contact with spiritual experiences….(It) distanced Christian thought
drastically from the pattern of the first millennium and from Oriental and Greek culture. ‘Scientific theology soon
found itself Western and Latin, far beyond its conscious choice.’ [1]
Louis Boyer: Result of
the Separation 15th to the 18th century: Opera.
“Liturgy during the Renaissance Baroque and
Romantic period of the 15th – 18th centuries in the West
had become pure externalism. “for there was a time, - not so far from our own
(1958), and not yet entirely past, - when it was taken for granted by many
Catholics that the liturgy was sometimes to be performed, but that to
understand it was, at best, optional, never necessary or highly desirable, and,
occasionally, considered even objectionable. That the liturgy was not anything
in which the common people were to participate, of course went without saying….
Now it is from the sixteenth and seventeenth century idea of court life that
Catholics of this kind derived their false notions of public worship. An
earthly king must be honored daily by the pageant of court ceremonial, and so
also the heavenly King. The courtly atmosphere around Him was to be provided by
the liturgy. The liturgy, as many handbooks of the period actually say, was
considered to be `the etiquette of the great King.’ … The lack of any
intelligible meaning in so many rites and even in the sacred words themselves,
was, therefore, praised as enhancing the impression of awe to be given to the
dazzled multitude;” Louis Bouyer, Liturgical Piety, UNDP (1954) 3-4.
J. Ratzinger: Recovery
of the union of liturgy and sacraments: “Current Doctrinal Relevance of
the CCC,” October 9, 2000”:
“Since it is completely determined by
Vatican II, the newness of the second part [of the CCC] which deals with the
Sacraments is immediately visible in its title: "The Celebration of the
Christian Mystery". This means that the sacraments are envisaged entirely
in terms of salvation history, based upon the Paschal mystery—the Paschal center of the life and work of Christ—as a re-presentation of the Paschal mystery, in which we are
included. This also means that the sacraments are understood entirely as
liturgy, in terms of the concrete liturgical celebration. In this the Catechism has accomplished
an important step beyond the traditional neo-scholastic teaching on the
sacraments. Already medieval theology to a large extent had separated the
theological consideration of the sacraments from their liturgical realization
and, prescinding from this, treated the categories of institution, sign,
efficacy, minister, and recipient, such that only what referred to the sign
kept a connection with the liturgical celebration. Certainly, the sign was not
considered so much in the living and concrete liturgical form, as it was
analyzed according to the philosophical categories of matter and form.
Increasingly, liturgy and theology were ever more separated from one another;
dogmatics did not interpret the liturgy, rather its abstract
theological content, so that the liturgy appeared almost to be a collection of
ceremonies, which clothed the essential—the
matter and the form—and for this reason could also be
replaceable. In its turn, the "liturgical science" (to the extent to
which one can call this a science) became a teaching of the liturgical norms in force and thus came closer to
becoming a sort of juridical positivism. The liturgical movement of the 1920's
tried to overcome this dangerous separation and sought to understand the nature
of the sacraments based upon their liturgical form; to understand the liturgy
not simply as a more or less casual collection of ceremonies, but as the
development of what came from within the sacrament to have its consistent
expression in the liturgical celebration.
Mandate of
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council's
Constitution on the Liturgy highlighted this synthesis in an excellent, if very
modest, way and so, based upon this connection, offered to theology and to
catechesis the mandate of understanding in a new and deeper way the liturgy of
the Church and her sacraments.”
John Paul II:
“What did the renewal envisioned by Sacrosanctum Concilium bring to
the Church? It brought her, above all, a new concept of liturgy.
Previously, people had an idea of liturgy that regularly did not go beyond
external aspects: ceremonies, rubrics and norms for properly carrying out
liturgical actions. While those aspects are also worthy of respect, the
constitution told us that the liturgy is something more. In it we find the
very action of Christ the Priest, in which he associates his very self
with the Church. It is the action of the Head and the members (cf.
Sacrosanctum Concilium n. 7). Thus, the liturgy becomes the privileged
`place’ of meeting between Christians and God and with him whom God sent, Jesus
Christ.[2]
“Throughout the entire Constitution, the leitmotif is
participation. Liturgy is not assisting at an action that others carry out;
it is celebrating something, or better, Someone. And in that celebration, all
are and must be involved.
“This new concept of liturgy brought many fruits to the
life of the postconciliar Church. It led to a deeper theological consideration
of Christian worship. It helped to overcome formalism and reduced the distance
between clergy and people during the celebrations. This encouraged initiatives
in favor of active and personal participation, freeing the Christian from the
role of mere `spectator’ and leading the Christian forward towards unity with
God and his brothers and sisters….
“It is clear that the Mass is something more than a feast
of fraternal unity. It is much more than a meal among friends or a free supper
for the poor. Nor is it a time for `celebrating’ human dignity and purely
earthly accomplishments and hopes. It is the Sacrifice that makes Christ
really present in the Sacrament….
“The primary function of all liturgy lies in this: `To
lead us untiringly back to the Easter pilgrimage initiated by Christ, in which
we accept death in order to enter into life” (Vicesimus Quintus Annus, 6.
Origins, May 25, 1989, Vol. 19, No. 2).
“The liturgy is the authentic expression of the universal
Church’s faith…” (faith as the moral act of the whole person making the gift of
self in obedience to God’s Revelation of Himself).
CCC
THE CELEBRATION OF THE
CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
1066 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
1067 "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. [Me: therefore the sacrament of the Eucharist is
introduced as the liturgy of the sacrifice of Christ’s death]
1068 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?
1069 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 Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church.
In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in "the work of God."5 Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church.
Notice the meaning of liturgy is “opus Dei” which is the Mass.
1070 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 In all of these situations it is a
question of the service of God and neighbor.
In a liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one "leitourgos";7 she shares in Christ's priesthood (worship), which is both prophetic (proclamation) and kingly (service of charity):
In a liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one "leitourgos";7 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
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
Liturgy as source of life:
1071 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
1072 "The sacred
liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church":10 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.
St, Josemaria Escriva N.B. Our Father called the Mass “the center and
root” of our lives interior and exterior.
Prayer and liturgy: 1073 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 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
1074 "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. [That is, they know [consciously] Christ
only by doing Christ (= self-gift). Again, it is GS #24.
"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
1075
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 will present what is fundamental and common to the whole Church in the liturgy as mystery and as celebration, and then the seven sacraments and the sacramentals.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
II. Christ's Work in the
Liturgy
Christ glorified . . .
1084 "Seated at the right hand of the
Father" and pouring out the Holy Spirit on his Body which is the
Church, Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace.
The sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions)
accessible to our human nature. By the action of Christ and the power of the
Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify.
1085 In the liturgy of
the Church, it is principally his own Paschal mystery that Christ signifies and
makes present. During his earthly life Jesus announced his Paschal mystery by
his teaching and anticipated it by his actions. When his Hour comes, he lives
out the unique event of history which
does not pass away: Jesus dies, is buried, rises from the dead, and is seated
at the right hand of the Father "once for all."8 His Paschal mystery is a real event that
occurred in our history, but it is unique: all other historical events happen
once, and then they pass away, swallowed up in the past. The Paschal mystery of
Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he
destroyed death, and all that Christ is - all that he did and suffered for all men
- participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being
made present in them all. The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and
draws everything toward life.
Explanation (me):
The “I” of the Son continues to be the Son of the Father outside of time while
He dies on the Cross in time and place. Since the cosmic death on the Cross in
time is the action of the eternal Son, that action of the divine “I” – that
took place in time and place - is “instantiated” wherever and whenever bread
and wine are trans-substantiated into His Body and Blood. The Paschal mystery
perdures because the divine “I” of Christ perdures.
. . . from the time of
the Church of the Apostles . . .
1086 "Accordingly,
just as Christ was sent by the Father so also he sent the apostles, filled with
the Holy Spirit. This he did so that they might preach the Gospel to every
creature and proclaim that the Son of God by his death and resurrection had
freed us from the power of Satan and from death and brought us into the Kingdom
of his Father. But he also willed that the work of salvation which they
preached should be set in train through the sacrifice and sacraments, around
which the entire liturgical life revolves."9
1087 Thus the risen
Christ, by giving the Holy Spirit to the apostles, entrusted to them his power
of sanctifying:10 they became sacramental signs of Christ.
By the power of the same Holy Spirit they entrusted this power to their
successors. This
"apostolic
succession" structures the whole liturgical life of the Church and is
itself sacramental, handed on by the sacrament of Holy Orders.
. . . is present in the
earthly liturgy . . .
1088 "To accomplish
so great a work" - the dispensation or communication of his work of
salvation - "Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her
liturgical celebrations. He is present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in
the person of his minister, 'the same now offering, through the ministry of
priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross,' but especially in the
Eucharistic species. By his power he is present in the sacraments so that when
anybody baptizes, it is really Christ himself who baptizes. He is present in
his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in
the Church. Lastly, he is present when the Church prays and sings, for he has
promised 'where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the
midst of them."'11
1089
"Christ, indeed, always associates the Church with himself in this great
work in which God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is
his beloved Bride who calls to her Lord and through him offers worship to the
eternal Father."12
[1]
J. Ratzinger in his “The Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian” in The Nature and Mission of Theology,
Ignatius (1995) 115-116.
[2]
Consider that the way Simon experienced and became conscious of the divine
Person of Christ was to pray (Lk. 9, 18: “And it came to pass as he was praying in
private, that his disciples also were with him, and he asked them…But who do
you say that I am?’… Simon Peter answered and said, ‘The Christ of God.”)
