PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERYWhy the liturgy?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] 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] and the patristic tradition will call the "economy of the Word incarnate" or the "economy of salvation." 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.
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:
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."
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.
Liturgy as source of life1071 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. Prayer and liturgy1073 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]
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."
ENDNOTES 1 Eph 1:9. 2 Eph 3:9; cf. 3:4. 3 SC 5 # 2; cf. St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 138, 2: PL 37, 1784-1785. 4 SC 2. 5 Cf. Jn 17:4. 6 Cf. Lk 1:23; Acts 13:2; Rom 15:16, 27; 2 Cor 9:12; Phil 2:14-17, 25, 30. 7 Cf. Heb 8:2, 6. 8 SC 7 # 2-3. 9 SC 11. 10 SC 9. 11 Eph 2:4; 3:16-17. 12 Eph 6:18. 13 SC 10. 14 John Paul II, CT 23. 15 Cf. SC 3-4. |
|
Signposts
is a Painsley Small World |