Salvation, Psalms 118, Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-9, Pope Frances Daily Activity, The Mystical City of God The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God - Book 6:11 CHRISTS RESURRECTION, Catholic Catechism Part Two Section Chapter 2:1:3&4 THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF THE PASCHAL MYSTERY - CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Easter!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Sunday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY POPE DURING HOLY WEEK
Vatican City, 25 March 2013 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has made public the calendar of celebrations that are due to be presided by Pope Francis during Holy Week: (Posted at Rome Time which six hours ahead of USA Central Time). View via Video on Vatican TV Live Stream or Audio Vatican Radio.
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
Pope Francis:
Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter, 2013
Vatican Radio Urbi et Orbi Message, Easter 2013.
Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter!
What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons …
Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious!
We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom.
This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus and transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.
This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and his glory is the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14).
So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ’s Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.
And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world.
Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?
Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear.
Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow.
Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century. Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.
Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever’” (Ps 117:1-2).
Dear brothers and sisters, who have come from all over the world to this Square, the heart of Christianity, and all of you joining us via communications media, I renew my wishes for a Happy Easter! Bring to your families and your nations the message of joy of hope and peace that each year is powerfully renewed on this day. May the Risen Lord, who defeated sin and death, support us all especially the weakest and those most in need. Thank you for your presence and the witness of your faith. A thought and a particular thanks for the gift of these beautiful flowers from the Netherlands. I affectionately repeat to all of you: May the Risen Christ guide you and all humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace!
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 3/31/2013.
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Message, 25. March 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:
“Dear children! In this time of grace I call you to take the cross of my beloved Son Jesus in your hands and to meditate on His passion and death. May your suffering be united in His suffering and love will win, because He who is love gave Himself out of love to save each of you. Pray, pray, pray until love and peace begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
March 18 2013 Message to the World via Annual Apparition to Mirjana:
"Dear children! I call you to, with complete trust and joy, bless the name of the Lord and, day by day, to give Him thanks from the heart for His great love. My Son, through that love which He showed by the Cross, gave you the possibility to be forgiven for everything; so that you do not have to be ashamed or to hide, and out of fear not to open the door of your heart to my Son. To the contrary, my children, reconcile with the Heavenly Father so that you may be able to come to love yourselves as my Son loves you. When you come to love yourselves, you will also love others; in them you will see my Son and recognize the greatness of His love. Live in faith! Through me, my Son is preparing you for the works which He desires to do through you – works through which He desires to be glorified. Give Him thanks. Especially thank Him for the shepherds - for your intercessors in the reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. I am thanking you, my children. Thank you."
March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
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Today's Word: salvation sal·va·tion [sal-vey-shuh
n]
Origin: 1175–1225; Middle English salvatio ( u ) n < Late Latin salvātiōn- (stem of salvātiō ), equivalent to salvāt ( us ) (past participle of salvāre to save1 ; see -ate1 ) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English sa ( u ) vaciun, sauvacion < Old French sauvacion < Late Latin, as above
noun
1. the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.
2. the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.
3. a source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.
4.Theology . deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 118:1-2, 16-23
1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.
2 Let the House of Israel say, 'His faithful love endures for ever.'
16 Yahweh's right hand is victorious, Yahweh's right hand is triumphant!'
17 I shall not die, I shall live to recount the great deeds of Yahweh.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
23 This is Yahweh's doing, and we marvel at it.
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Today's Epistle - Acts 10:34, 37-43
34 Then Peter addressed them, 'I now really understand', he said, 'that God has no favourites,
37 You know what happened all over Judaea, how Jesus of Nazareth began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism.
38 God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.
39 Now we are witnesses to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judaea and in Jerusalem itself: and they killed him by hanging him on a tree,
40 yet on the third day God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen,
41 not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses that God had chosen beforehand. Now we are those witnesses -- we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead-
42 and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to bear witness that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead.
43 It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name.'
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 20: 1-9
To see in the night and believe for love
John 20, 1-9
John 20, 1-9
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| Noli me tangere John 20:17 |
1. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit
Lord Jesus Christ, today your light
shines in us, source of life and joy. Send the Spirit of love and
truth, so that, like Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, we too may
discover and interpret in the light of the Word, the signs of your
divine presence in our world. May we welcome these signs in faith that
we may always live in the joy of your presence among us, even when all
seems to be shrouded in the darkness of sadness and evil.
2. The Gospel - John 20: 1-9
a) A key to the reading:
For John, the Evangelist, the
resurrection of Jesus is the decisive moment in the process of his
glorification, indissolubly linked with the first phase of this
glorification, namely his passion and death. The event of the
resurrection is not described in the spectacular and apocalyptic
details of the synoptic Gospels. For John, the life of the Risen One is
a reality that asserts itself silently, in the discreet and
irresistible power of the Spirit. The fact of the faith of the
disciples is announced, "While it was still dark" and begins through
the vision of the material signs that recall the Word of God. Jesus is
the great protagonist of the story, but he does not appear personally.
b) The text:
1
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb.
2 So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
3 Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; 5 and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the napkin, which had been on his head , not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
2 So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
3 Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; 5 and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the napkin, which had been on his head , not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
c) A subdivision of the text for a better understanding:
Verse 1: introduction and events prior to the description of the situation;
Verse 2: Mary’s reaction and the first announcement of the newly discovered fact;
Verses 3-5: the immediate reaction of the disciples and the interaction among them.
Verses 6-7: verification of the event announced by Mary;
Verses 8-9: the faith of the other disciple and its relationship with the Sacred Scriptures.
Verse 2: Mary’s reaction and the first announcement of the newly discovered fact;
Verses 3-5: the immediate reaction of the disciples and the interaction among them.
Verses 6-7: verification of the event announced by Mary;
Verses 8-9: the faith of the other disciple and its relationship with the Sacred Scriptures.
3. A moment of interior and exterior silence to open our hearts and make room within for the Word of God:
- A slow re-reading the whole passage;
- I too am in the garden: the empty sepulchre is before my eyes;
- I allow Mary Magdalene’s words to echo within me;
- I too run with her, Peter and the other disciple;
- I allow myself to be immersed in the joyful wonder of the faith in Jesus Christ, even though, like them, I do not see him with my bodily eyes.
- I too am in the garden: the empty sepulchre is before my eyes;
- I allow Mary Magdalene’s words to echo within me;
- I too run with her, Peter and the other disciple;
- I allow myself to be immersed in the joyful wonder of the faith in Jesus Christ, even though, like them, I do not see him with my bodily eyes.
4. The gift of the Word to us
* Chapter 20 in John: this is
quite a fragmented text where it is clear that the editor has
intervened several times to put the stress on some themes and to unify
the various texts received previously from preceding sources, at least
three sources.
* The day after the Sabbath: it
is "the first day of the week" and, in Christian circles, inherits the
sacredness of the Jewish Sabbath. For Christians it is the first day
of the new week, the beginning of the new time, the memorial day of the
resurrection called "the day of the Lord" (dies Domini).
Here and in verse 19, the Evangelist adopts an expression that is already traditional for Christians (e.g.: Mk 16: 2 e 9; Acts 20: 7) and is older that the expression that later became characteristic of the first evangelisation: "the third day" (e.g.: Lk 24: 7 e 46; Acts 10: 40; 1Cor 15: 4).
* Mary Magdalene: This is the
same woman as the one present at the foot of the cross with other women
(19: 25). Here she seems to be alone, but the words in verse 2 ("we do not know") show that the original story, worked on by the Evangelist, told of more women, as is true of the other Gospels (cfr Mk 16: 1-3; Mt 28: 1; Lk 23: 55-24, 1).
However the synoptics (cfr Mk 16: 1; Lk 24: 1), do not specify the reason for her visit to the sepulchre, seeing that it inferred that the rite of burial had already been carried out (19: 40); perhaps, the only thing missing is the funereal lamentation (cfr Mk 5: 38). In any case, the fourth Evangelist reduces to a minimum the story of the discovery of the empty sepulchre so as to focus the attention of the reader on what comes after.
* Early, while it was still dark: Mark (16:
2) says something different, but from both we understand that it was
the very early hours of the morning, when the light is very weak and
still pale. Perhaps John stresses the lack of light in order to contrast
symbolically the darkness-lack of faith and light-welcoming of the Gospel of the resurrection.
* The stone had been taken away from the tomb: the Greek work is generic: the stone had been "taken away" or "removed" (different from: Mk 16: 3-4). The verb to "take away" recalls Jn 1:
29: the Baptist points Jesus out as " Lamb who takes away the sin of
the world". Perhaps the Evangelist wishes to recall the fact that this
stone "taken away", flung away from the sepulchre is the material sign
that death and sin have been "taken away" by the resurrection of Jesus?
* So she ran and went to Peter and the other disciple: Mary
Magdalene runs to those who share her love for Jesus and her suffering
for his atrocious death, now made worse by this new discovery. She
turns to them, perhaps because they were the only ones who had not run
away with the others and remained in contact with each other ( cfr 19:
15 e 26 - 27 ). She wants to share at least with them this final pain
of the outrage committed against the body. We see how Peter and
the "beloved disciple" and Magdalene are characterised by a special
love that unites them with Jesus: it is indeed reciprocal love that
makes them capable of sensing the presence of the loved person.
* The other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved:
is someone who appears only in this Gospel and only beginning with
chapter 13, when he exhibits great intimacy with Jesus and deep
understanding with Peter (13: 23-25). He appears at every
decisive moment of the passion and of the resurrection of Jesus, but
remains anonymous and many theories have been advanced on his identity.
He is probably the anonymous disciple of the Baptist who follows Jesus
together with Andrew (1: 35.40). Since the fourth Gospel never speaks
of John the apostle and keeping in mind that this Gospel of recounts
details clearly known to an eyewitness, the "disciple" has been
identified with John the apostle. The fourth Gospel has always been
attributed to him even though he may not have materially written it, yet
the origin of this particular tradition is that this Gospel and other
writings are attributed to John. This also explains why he is someone
who is somewhat idealised.
"The one whom Jesus loved": It is clear that this is an addition not from the apostle, who would not have dared boast of having such a close relationship with the Lord, but from his disciples who wrote most of the Gospel and who coined this expression after reflection on the clearly privileged love between Jesus and this (cfr 13: 25; 21: 4. 7). Where we read the simpler expression "the other disciple" or "the disciple", obviously the editors did not make the addition.
* They have taken the Lord out of the tomb:
these words, which recur in verses 13 e 15, show that Mary was afraid
that body-snatchers had taken the body, a thing common then, so much so
that the Roman Emperor had to promulgate severe decrees to check this
phenomenon. In Matthew (28:11—15), the chief priests use this
possibility to discredit the fact of the resurrection of Jesus and,
eventually, to justify the lack of intervention on the part of the
soldiers who guarded the tomb.
* The Lord: the title "Lord"
implies an acknowledgement of divinity and evokes divine omnipotence.
That is why this term was used by Christians for the risen Jesus.
Indeed, the fourth Evangelist uses this term only in Paschal stories
(see also 20: 13).
* We do not know where they have laid him: these words recall what happened to Moses, whose place of burial was unknown (Dt
34: 10). Another implicit reference is to the words of Jesus himself
when he says that it is impossible to know where he was going (7: 11.
22; 8: 14. 28. 42; 13: 33; 14: 1-5; 16: 5).
* They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter…but he did not go in: This passage shows the anxiety that these disciples were living through. The fact that the "other disciple" stopped, is more than just a
gesture of politeness or respect towards someone older, it is the tacit
acknowledgement that Peter, within the apostolic group, held a place of
pre-eminence, even though this is not stressed. It is, therefore, a
sign of communion. This gesture could also be a literary device to move
from the event in terms of faith in the resurrection to the following
and peak moment in the story.
* The linen cloths lying and the napkin…rolled up in a place by itself:
although the other disciple did not go in, he had already seen
something. Peter, crossing the entrance of the sepulchre, discovers the
proof that no theft of the body took place: no thief would have wasted
time to unfold the body, spread the cloths in an orderly fashion (on the ground would
be translated better by "spread out" or "laid carefully on the floor")
and then to roll up the napkin in a place by itself. Such an operation
would have been complicated also because the oils with which the body
had been anointed (especially myrrh) acted like glue, causing the
cloths to stick perfectly and solidly to the body, almost as what
happened to mummies. Besides, the napkin is folded; the Greek verb can
also mean "rolled", or it could indicate that that piece of light cloth
had, in large part, preserved the form of the face over which it had
been placed, almost like a mortuary mask. The cloths are the same as
those cited in Jn 19:40. Everything is in order in the sepulchre,
even though the body of Jesus is not there, and Peter was well able to
see inside the sepulchre because the day was breaking. Different from
Lazarus (11: 44), then, Christ rises abandoning completely his funerary
trappings. Ancient commentators note that, in fact, Lazarus had to use
the cloths again for his definitive burial, while Christ had no
further use of them because he was not to die again (cfr Rm 6, 9).
* Peter…saw…the other disciple…saw and believed:
at the beginning of the story, Mary also "saw". Although some
translations use the same verb, the original text uses three different
verbs (theorein for Peter; blepein for the other disciple and Mary Magdalene; idein,
here, for the other disciple), allowing us to understand that there is
a growth in the spiritual depth of this "seeing" that, in fact,
culminates in the faith of the other disciple. The anonymous
disciple had certainly not seen anything other than that which Peter
had observed. Perhaps he interprets what he sees differently from
others because of the special relationship of love he had with Jesus
(Thomas’ experience is emblematic, 29: 24-29). In any case, as
indicated by the tense of the Greek verb, his is still an initial
faith, so much so that he cannot find ways of sharing this experience
with Mary or Peter or any of the other disciples (there is no further
reference to this). However, for the fourth Evangelist the double
"see and believe" is quite meaningful and refers exclusively to faith
in the resurrection of the (cfr 20: 29), Because it was impossible to
believe truly before the Lord had died and rose (cfr 14: 25-26; 16:
12-15). The double vision-faith, then, characterises the whole of this
chapter and "the beloved disciple" is presented as a model of faith who
succeeds in understanding the truth about God through material (cfr
also 21: 7).
* As yet they did not know the Scripture:
this obviously refers to all the other disciples. Even for those who
had lived close to Jesus, then, it was difficult to believe in Him, and
for them, as for us also, the only gateway that allows us to cross the
threshold of authentic faith is knowledge of the Scriptures (cfr Lk 24: 26-27; 1Cor 15: 34; Acts 2: 27-31) in the light of the events of the resurrection.
5. A few questions to direct our reflection and its practice
a) What, in the concrete, does it mean
for us "to believe in Jesus the Risen One"? What difficulties do we
encounter? Does the resurrection solely concern Jesus or is it really
the foundation of our faith?
b) The relationship that we see between Peter, the other disciple and Mary Magdalene is clearly one of great communion in Jesus. In what persons, realities, institutions do we today find this same understanding of love and the same "common union" founded on Jesus? Where can we read the concrete signs of the great love for the Lord and "his own" that inspired all the disciples?
c) When we look at our lives and the reality that surrounds them, both near and far, do we see as Peter saw (he saw reality, but holds on to them, that is, to the death and burial of Jesus) or do we see as the other disciple saw (he sees facts and discovers in them signs of new life)?
b) The relationship that we see between Peter, the other disciple and Mary Magdalene is clearly one of great communion in Jesus. In what persons, realities, institutions do we today find this same understanding of love and the same "common union" founded on Jesus? Where can we read the concrete signs of the great love for the Lord and "his own" that inspired all the disciples?
c) When we look at our lives and the reality that surrounds them, both near and far, do we see as Peter saw (he saw reality, but holds on to them, that is, to the death and burial of Jesus) or do we see as the other disciple saw (he sees facts and discovers in them signs of new life)?
6. Let us pray asking for grace and praising God
with a hymn taken from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians (paraphrase of 1: 17-23).
The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of him,
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power
in us who believe, according to the working of his great might
which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in that which is to come;
and he has put all things under his feet
and has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills all in all.
may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of him,
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power
in us who believe, according to the working of his great might
which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in that which is to come;
and he has put all things under his feet
and has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills all in all.
7. Closing prayer
The liturgical context is of great
importance in praying this Gospel and the event of the resurrection of
Jesus, which is the hub of our faith and of our Christian life. The
sequence that characterises the Eucharistic liturgy of today and of the
whole week leads us to praise the Father and the Lord Jesus.
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled
has sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
Combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
Yet lives to reign.
Tell us Mary:
say what you see upon the way.
The tomb the living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
Shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
He goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen from the dead
we know.
Victorious king,
your mercy show.
Offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled
has sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
Combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
Yet lives to reign.
Tell us Mary:
say what you see upon the way.
The tomb the living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
Shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
He goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen from the dead
we know.
Victorious king,
your mercy show.
We may conclude our prayer also with this lively invocation by a contemporary poet, Marco Guzzi:
Love, Love, Love!
I wish to feel, live and express all this Love,
Which is a joyful commitment in the world
and a happy contact with the others.
Only you free me, only you release me.
And the snows fall to water
the greenest of valleys in creation.
Love, Love, Love!
I wish to feel, live and express all this Love,
Which is a joyful commitment in the world
and a happy contact with the others.
Only you free me, only you release me.
And the snows fall to water
the greenest of valleys in creation.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Easter Sunday
Feast Day: March 31
Patron Saint:
Attributes:
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Today's Snippet I: Book 6, Chapter 11,
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE RESURRECTION.
The fullness of wisdom in the soul of our great Queen and
Lady amid all her sorrows permitted no defect or remissness in noticing and
attending to all the duties of each occasion and at all times. By this heavenly
foresight She met her obligations and practiced the highest and most eminent of
all the virtues. As I have said, the Queen retired, after the burial of Christ,
to the house of the Cenacle. Remaining in the hall of the last Supper in the
company of saint John, the Marys, and the other women who had followed Christ
from Galilee, She spoke to them and the Apostle, thanking them in profound
humility and abundant tears for persevering with Her up to this time throughout
the Passion of her beloved Son and promising them in his name the reward of
having followed Him with so much constancy and devotion. At the same time She
offered Herself as a servant and as a friend to those holy women. All of them
with Saint John acknowledged this great favor, kissed her hands and asked for
her blessing. They also begged her to take some rest and some bodily
refreshment. But the Queen answered: "My rest and my consolation shall be
to see my Son and Lord arisen from the dead. Do you, my dearest friends, satisfy
our wants according to your necessities, while I retire alone with my Son."
In her retirement during this evening the great Lady contemplated the doings of the most holy soul of her Son after it left the sacred body. For from the first the blessed Mother knew that the soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to limbo in order to release the holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where they had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the advent of the Redeemer of the whole human race. By the presence of the most holy Soul this obscure cavern was converted into a heaven and was filled with a wonderful splendor; and to the souls therein contained was imparted the clear vision of the Divinity. In one instant they passed from the state of long-deferred hope to the possession of glory, and from darkness to the inaccessible light, which they now began to enjoy. All of them recognized their true God and Redeemer, and gave him thanks and glory, breaking forth in canticles of praise saying: "The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and Divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and benediction. Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth (Apoc. 59, 12). Thine is, O Lord, the power, thine the reign, and thine is the glory of thy works." Then the Lord commanded the angels to bring all the souls in purgatory, and this was immediately done. As if in earnest of the human Redemption they were absolved then and there by the Redeemer from the punishments still due to them, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the beatific vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prisonhouses of both limbo and purgatory.
In her retirement during this evening the great Lady contemplated the doings of the most holy soul of her Son after it left the sacred body. For from the first the blessed Mother knew that the soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to limbo in order to release the holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where they had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the advent of the Redeemer of the whole human race. By the presence of the most holy Soul this obscure cavern was converted into a heaven and was filled with a wonderful splendor; and to the souls therein contained was imparted the clear vision of the Divinity. In one instant they passed from the state of long-deferred hope to the possession of glory, and from darkness to the inaccessible light, which they now began to enjoy. All of them recognized their true God and Redeemer, and gave him thanks and glory, breaking forth in canticles of praise saying: "The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and Divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and benediction. Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth (Apoc. 59, 12). Thine is, O Lord, the power, thine the reign, and thine is the glory of thy works." Then the Lord commanded the angels to bring all the souls in purgatory, and this was immediately done. As if in earnest of the human Redemption they were absolved then and there by the Redeemer from the punishments still due to them, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the beatific vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prisonhouses of both limbo and purgatory.
The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from
half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning
following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious
Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom had delivered from those nether
prisons as Spoils of His victory and as an earnest of His glorious triumph over
the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell. In the sepulchre were many angels as
its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity. Some of them,
obeying the command of their Queen and Mistress, had gathered the relics of the
sacred blood shed by her divine Son, the particles of flesh scattered about, the
hair torn from his divine face and head, and all else that belonged to the
perfection and integrity of his most sacred humanity. On these the Mother of
prudence lavished her solicitous care. The angels took charge of these
relics, each one filled with joy at being privileged to hold the
particles, which he was able to secure. Before any change was made, the body of
the Redeemer was shown to the holy Fathers, in the same wounded, lacerated and
disfigured state in which it was left by the cruelty of the Jews. Beholding Him
thus disfigured in death, the Patriarchs and Prophets and other saints adored
Him and again confessed Him as the incarnate Word, who had truly taken upon
Himself our infirmities and sorrows (Is. 53, 4) and paid abundantly our debts,
satisfying in his innocence and guiltlessness for what we ourselves owed to the
justice of the eternal Father. There did our first parents Adam and Eve see the
havoc wrought by their disobedience, the priceless remedy it necessitated, the
immense goodness and mercy of the Redeemer. As they felt the effects of his
copious Redemption in the glory of their souls, they praised anew the Omnipotent
and Saints of saints, who had with such marvelous wisdom wrought such a
salvation.
Then, in the presence of all those saints, through the
ministry of those angels, were united to the sacred body all the relics, which
they had gathered, restoring it to its natural perfection and integrity. In the
same moment the most holy soul reunited with the body, giving it immortal life
and glory. Instead of the winding-sheets and the ointments, in which it had been
buried, it was clothed with the four gifts of glory, namely: with clearness,
impassibility, agility and subtility (John 19, 40). These gifts
overflowed from the immense glory of the soul of Christ into the sacred body.
Although these gifts were due to it as a natural inheritance and participation
from the instant of its conception, because from that very moment his soul was
glorified and his whole humanity was united to the Divinity; yet they had been
suspended in their effects upon the purest body, in order to permit it to remain
passable and capable of meriting for us our own glory. In the Resurrection these
gifts were justly called into activity in the proper degree corresponding to the
glory of his soul and to his union with the Divinity. As the glory of the most
holy soul of Christ our Savior is incomprehensible and ineffable to man, it is
also impossible entirely to describe in our words or by our examples the
glorious gifts of his deified body; for in comparison to its purity, crystal
would be obscure. The light inherent and shining forth from his body so far
exceeds that of the others, as the day does the night, or as many suns the light
of one star; and all the beauty of creatures, if it were joined, would
appear ugliness in comparison with his, nothing else being comparable to
It in all creation.
The excellence of these gifts in the Resurrection were far
beyond the glory of his Transfiguration or that manifested on other occasions of
the kind men mentioned in this history. For on these occasions He received it
transitorily and for special purposes, while now He received it in plenitude and
forever. Through impassibility his body became invincible to all created power,
since no power can ever move or change Him. By subtility the gross and earthly
matter was so purified, that it could now penetrate other matter like a pure
spirit. Accordingly He penetrated through the rocks of the sepulchre
without removing or displacing them, as He had issued forth from the womb of his
most blessed Mother. Agility so freed Him from the weight and slowness of
matter, that it exceeded the agility of the immaterial angels, while He himself
could move about more quickly than they, as shown in his apparitions to the
Apostles and on other occasions. The sacred wounds, which had disfigured his
body, now shone forth from his hands and feet and side so refulgent and
brilliant, that they added a most entrancing beauty and charm. In all this glory
and heavenly adornment the Savior now arose from the grave; and in the
presence of the saints and Patriarchs He promised universal resurrection
in their own flesh and body to all men, and that they moreover, as an effect of
his own Resurrection, should be similarly glorified. As an earnest and as a
pledge of the universal resurrection, the Lord commanded the souls of many
saints there present to reunite with their bodies and rise up to immortal life.
Immediately this divine command was executed, and their bodies arose, as is
mentioned by saint Matthew, in anticipation of this mystery (Matthew 27, 52).
Among them were saint Anne, saint Joseph and saint Joachim, and others of the
ancient Fathers and Patriarchs, who had distinguished themselves in the faith
and hope of the Incarnation, and had desired and prayed for it with greater
earnestness to the Lord. As a reward for their zeal, the resurrection and glory
of their bodies was now anticipated.
Of all these mysteries the great Queen of heaven was aware
and She participated in them from her retreat in the Cenacle. In the same
instant in which the most holy soul of Christ entered and gave life to his body
the joy of her immaculate soul, which I mentioned in the foregoing chapter as
being restrained and, as it were, withheld, overflowed into her immaculate body.
And this overflow was so exquisite in its effects, that She was transformed from
sorrow to joy, from pain to delight from grief to ineffable jubilation and rest.
It happened that just at this time the Evangelist John, as he had done on
the previous morning, stepped in to visit and console Her in her bitter
solitude, and thus unexpectedly, in the midst of splendor and glory, met Her
whom he had before scarcely recognized on account of her overwhelming sorrow.
The Apostle now beheld Her with wonder and deepest reverence and concluded that
the Lord had risen, since his blessed Mother was thus transfigured with joy.
In this new joy and under the divine influences of her
supernatural vision the great Lady began to prepare herself for the visit of the
Lord, which was near at hand. While eliciting acts of praise, and in her
canticles and prayers, She immediately felt within Her a new kind of jubilation
and celestial delight, reaching far beyond the first joy, and corresponding in a
wonderful manner to the sorrows and tribulations She had undergone in the
Passion; and this new favor was different and much more exalted than the joys
overflowing naturally from her soul into her body. Moreover She perceived within
Herself another third and still more different effect, implying new divine
favors.
The blessed Mary being thus prepared, Christ our Savior,
arisen and glorious, in the company of all Saints and Patriarchs, made his
appearance. The ever humble Queen prostrated Herself upon the ground and adored
her divine Son; and the Lord raised Her and drew Her to Himself. In this
contact, which was more intimate than the contact with the humanity and the
wounds of the Savior sought by Magdalen, the Virgin Mother participated in an
extraordinary favor, which She alone, as exempt from sin, could merit. Although
it was not the greatest of the favors She attained on this occasion, yet She
could not have received it without failing of her faculties, if She had not been
previously strengthened by the angels and by the Lord himself. This favor was,
that the glorious body of the Son so closely united itself to that of his purest
Mother, that He penetrated into it or She into his, as when, for instance, a
crystal globe takes up within itself the light of the sun and is saturated with
the splendor and beauty of its light. In the same way the body of the most holy
Mary entered into that of her divine Son by this heavenly embrace; it was, as it
were, the portal of her intimate knowledge concerning the glory of the holy soul
and body of her Lord. As a consequence of these favors, constituting higher and
higher degrees of ineffable gifts, the spirit of the Virgin Mother rose to the
knowledge of the most hidden sacraments. In the midst of them She heard a voice
saying to Her: "My beloved, ascend higher!" (Luke 18, 10). By the
power of these words She was entirely transformed and saw the Divinity clearly
and intuitively, wherein She found complete, though only temporary, rest and
reward for all her sorrows and labors. Silence alone here is proper, since
reason and language are entirely inadequate to comprehend or express what
passed in the blessed Mary during this beatific vision, the highest She had
until then enjoyed. Let us celebrate this day in wonder and praise, with
congratulations and loving and humble thanks for what She then merited for us,
and for her exaltation and joy.
For some hours the heavenly Princess continued to enjoy the
essence of God with her divine Son, participating now in his triumph as She had
in his torments. Then by similar degrees She again descended from this vision
and found Herself in the end reclining on the right arm of the most sacred
humanity and regaled in other ways by the right hand of his Divinity
(Cant. 2, 6). She held sweetest converse with her Son concerning the mysteries
of his Passion and of his glory. In these conferences She was again inebriated
with the wine of love and charity, which now She drank unmeasured from
the original fount. All that a mere creature can receive was conferred upon the
blessed Mary on this occasion; for, according to our way of conceiving such
things, the divine equity wished to compensate the injury (thus I must call it,
because I cannot find a more proper word), which a Creature so pure and
immaculate had undergone in suffering the sorrows and torments of the Passion.
For, as I have mentioned many times before, She suffered the same pains as her
Son, and now in this mystery She was inundated with a proportionate joy and
delight.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
Each of these gifts are correspondingly augmented in him who
in the state of grace performs the least meritorious work, even if it be no more
than removing a straw or giving a cup of water for the love of God (Matth. 10,
42).
For each of the most insignificant works the creature gains an increase of these gifts; an increase of clearness exceeding many times the sunlight and added to its state of blessedness an increase of impassibility, by which man recedes from human and earthly corruption farther than what all created efforts and strength could ever effect in resistance separating itself from such infirmity or changefulness; an increase of subtility, by which he advances beyond all that could offer it resistance and gains new power of penetration; an increase of agility, surpassing all the activity of birds, of winds, and all other active creatures, such as fire and the elements tending to their centre.
From this increase of the gifts of the body merited by good works, thou wilt understand the augmentation of the gifts of the soul; for those of the body are derived from those of the soul and correspond with them. In the beatific vision each merit secures greater clearness and insight into the divine attributes and perfections than that acquired by all the doctors and enlightened members of the Church.
Likewise the gift of apprehension, or possession of the divine Object, is augmented; for the security of the possession of the highest and infinite Good makes the tranquility and rest of its enjoyment more estimable than if the soul possessed all that is precious and rich, desirable and worthy of attainment in all creation, even if possessed all at one time.
Fruition, the third gift of the soul, on account of the love with which man performs the smallest acts, so exalts the degrees of functional love, that the greatest love of men here on earth can never be compared thereto; nor can the delight resulting therefrom ever be compared with all the delights of this mortal life.
For each of the most insignificant works the creature gains an increase of these gifts; an increase of clearness exceeding many times the sunlight and added to its state of blessedness an increase of impassibility, by which man recedes from human and earthly corruption farther than what all created efforts and strength could ever effect in resistance separating itself from such infirmity or changefulness; an increase of subtility, by which he advances beyond all that could offer it resistance and gains new power of penetration; an increase of agility, surpassing all the activity of birds, of winds, and all other active creatures, such as fire and the elements tending to their centre.
From this increase of the gifts of the body merited by good works, thou wilt understand the augmentation of the gifts of the soul; for those of the body are derived from those of the soul and correspond with them. In the beatific vision each merit secures greater clearness and insight into the divine attributes and perfections than that acquired by all the doctors and enlightened members of the Church.
Likewise the gift of apprehension, or possession of the divine Object, is augmented; for the security of the possession of the highest and infinite Good makes the tranquility and rest of its enjoyment more estimable than if the soul possessed all that is precious and rich, desirable and worthy of attainment in all creation, even if possessed all at one time.
Fruition, the third gift of the soul, on account of the love with which man performs the smallest acts, so exalts the degrees of functional love, that the greatest love of men here on earth can never be compared thereto; nor can the delight resulting therefrom ever be compared with all the delights of this mortal life.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery,
Ch 2:1:3&4
CHAPTER TWO
THE SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATION OF THE PASCHAL
MYSTERY
1135
The catechesis of the liturgy entails first of all an understanding of the
sacramental economy (Chapter One). In this light, the innovation of its
celebration is revealed. This chapter will therefore treat of the celebration
of the sacraments of the Church. It will consider that which, through the
diversity of liturgical traditions, is common to the celebration of the seven
sacraments. What is proper to each will be treated later. This fundamental
catechesis on the sacramental celebrations responds to the first questions
posed by the faithful regarding this subject:
- Who celebrates the liturgy?
- How is the liturgy celebrated?
- When is the liturgy celebrated?
- Where is the liturgy celebrated?
- Who celebrates the liturgy?
- How is the liturgy celebrated?
- When is the liturgy celebrated?
- Where is the liturgy celebrated?
Article 1
CELEBRATING THE CHURCH'S LITURGY
III. When is the Liturgy Celebrated?
Liturgical
seasons
1163
"Holy Mother Church believes that she should celebrate the saving work of
her divine Spouse in a sacred commemoration on certain days throughout the
course of the year. Once each week, on the day which she has called the Lord's
Day, she keeps the memory of the Lord's resurrection. She also celebrates it
once every year, together with his blessed Passion, at Easter, that most solemn
of all feasts. In the course of the year, moreover, she unfolds the whole
mystery of Christ .... Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she
opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that
these are in some way made present in every age; the faithful lay hold of them
and are filled with saving grace."SC 102
1164
From the time of the Mosaic law, the People of God have observed fixed feasts,
beginning with Passover, to commemorate the astonishing actions of the Savior
God, to give him thanks for them, to perpetuate their remembrance, and to teach
new generations to conform their conduct to them. In the age of the Church,
between the Passover of Christ already accomplished once for all, and its
consummation in the kingdom of God, the liturgy celebrated on fixed days bears
the imprint of the newness of the mystery of Christ.
1165
When the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ, there is a word that marks
her prayer: "Today!" - a word echoing the prayer her Lord taught her
and the call of the Holy Spirit.Mt 6:11 This "today" of the living
God which man is called to enter is "the hour" of Jesus' Passover,
which reaches across and underlies all history:
Life extends over all beings
and fills them with unlimited light; the Orient of orients pervades the
universe, and he who was "before the daystar" and before the heavenly
bodies, immortal and vast, the great Christ, shines over all beings more
brightly than the sun. Therefore a day of long, eternal light is ushered in for
us who believe in him, a day which is never blotted out: the mystical
Passover.St. Hippolytus, De pasch. 1-2 SCh 27, 117
The Lord's
day
1166
"By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from
the very day of Christ's Resurrection, the Church celebrates the Paschal
mystery every seventh day, which day is appropriately called the Lord's Day or
Sunday."SC 106 The day of Christ's Resurrection is both the first day
of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the "eighth
day," on which Christ after his "rest" on the great sabbath
inaugurates the "day that the Lord has made," the "day that
knows no evening."Byzantine liturgy The Lord's Supper is its center, for there
the whole community of the faithful encounters the risen Lord who invites them
to his banquet:Jn 21:12;
⇒ Lk 24:30
The Lord's day, the day of
Resurrection, the day of Christians, is our day. It is called the Lord's day
because on it the Lord rose victorious to the Father. If pagans call it the
"day of the sun," we willingly agree, for today the light of the
world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his
rays.St. Jerome, Pasch.: CCL 78, 550
1167
Sunday is the pre-eminent day for the liturgical assembly, when the faithful
gather "to listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus
calling to mind the Passion, Resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus, and
giving thanks to God who 'has begotten them again, by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead' unto a living hope":SC 106
When we ponder, O Christ, the
marvels accomplished on this day, the Sunday of your holy resurrection, we say:
"Blessed is Sunday, for on it began creation . . . the world's salvation
... the renewal of the human race .... On Sunday heaven and earth rejoiced and
the whole universe was filled with light. Blessed is Sunday, for on it were
opened the gates of paradise so that Adam and all the exiles might enter it
without fear.Fanqith,
the Syriac Office of Antioch, vol. VI, first part of Summer, 193 B
The
liturgical year
1168
Beginning with the Easter Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the
Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually, on
either side of this source, the year is transfigured by the liturgy. It really
is a "year of the Lord's favor." Lk 4:19 The economy of salvation
is at work within the framework of time, but since its fulfillment in the
Passover of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the culmination of
history is anticipated "as a foretaste," and the kingdom of God
enters into our time.
1169
Therefore Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the "Feast of
feasts," the "Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist
is the "Sacrament of sacraments" (the Great Sacrament). St.
Athanasius calls Easter "the Great Sunday"St. Athanasius (ad 329) ep. fest. 1: PG 24, 1366 and the Eastern
Churches call Holy Week "the Great Week." the mystery of the
Resurrection, in which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy
our old time, until all is subjected to him.
1170
At the
Council of Nicaea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian
Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14
Nisan) after the vernal equinox. the reform of the Western calendar, called
"Gregorian" after Pope Gregory XIII (1582), caused a discrepancy of
several days with the Eastern calendar. Today, the Western and Eastern Churches
are seeking an agreement in order once again to celebrate the day of the Lord's
Resurrection on a common date.
1171
In the liturgical year the various aspects of the one Paschal mystery unfold.
This is also the case with the cycle of feasts surrounding the mystery of the
incarnation (Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany). They commemorate the beginning
of our salvation and communicate to us the first fruits of the Paschal mystery.
The
sanctoral in the liturgical year
1172
"In celebrating this annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, Holy Church
honors the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably
linked with the saving work of her Son. In her the Church admires and exalts
the most excellent fruit of redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a
faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to
be."SC 103
1173
When the Church keeps the memorials of martyrs and other saints during the
annual cycle, she proclaims the Paschal mystery in those "who have
suffered and have been glorified with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful
as examples who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their
merits she begs for God's favors."SC 104; cf. SC
108, 111
The Liturgy
of the Hours
1174
The mystery of Christ, his Incarnation and Passover, which we celebrate in the
Eucharist especially at the Sunday assembly, permeates and transfigures the
time of each day, through the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours,
"the divine office."Cf. SC, Ch. IV, 83-101 This celebration, faithful to the
apostolic exhortations to "pray constantly," is "so devised that
the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of
God."SC 84; ⇒ 1 Thess 5:17;
⇒ Eph 6:18 In this "public prayer of the Church,"SC 98
The faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people) exercise the royal priesthood
of the baptized. Celebrated in "the form approved" by the Church, the
Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to
her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his
Body addresses to the Father.SC 84
1175
The
Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of
God. In it Christ himself "continues his priestly work through his
Church."SC 83 His members participate according to their own place in
the Church and the circumstances of their lives: priests devoted to the
pastoral ministry, because they are called to remain diligent in prayer and the
service of the word; religious, by the charism of their consecrated lives; all
the faithful as much as possible: "Pastors of souls should see to it that
the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on
Sundays and on the more solemn feasts. the laity, too, are encouraged to recite
the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even
individually."SC 100; Cf. 86; 96; 98; PO 5
1176
The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the
voice with the praying heart, but also a deeper "understanding of the
liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the Psalms."SC 90
1177
The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the
psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day,
the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated. Moreover, the reading
from the Word of God at each Hour (with the subsequent responses or troparia)
and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal
more deeply the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, assist in
understanding the psalms, and prepare for silent prayer. the lectio divina,
where the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus
rooted in the liturgical celebration.
1178
The Liturgy of the Hours, which is like an extension of the Eucharistic
celebration, does not exclude but rather in a complementary way calls forth the
various devotions of the People of God, especially adoration and worship of the
Blessed Sacrament.
IV. Where is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
1179
The worship "in Spirit and in truth"Jn 4:24 of the New Covenant is
not tied exclusively to any one place. the whole earth is sacred and entrusted
to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful
assemble in the same place, they are the "living stones," gathered to
be "built into a spiritual house."1
Pet 2:4-5 For the Body of the
risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water
springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, "we are the
temple of the living God."2 Cor 6:16
1180
When the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted,Cf. DH 4 Christians
construct buildings for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply
gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place,
the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ.
1181
A church, "a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and
reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of
the Son of God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help
and consolation of the faithful - this house ought to be in good taste and a
worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial."PO 5; Cf. SC 122-127 In this
"house of God" the truth and the harmony of the signs that make it up
should show Christ to be present and active in this place.Cf. SC 7
1182
The
altar of the New Covenant is the Lord's Cross,Heb 13:10 from which the
sacraments of the Paschal mystery flow. On the altar, which is the center of
the church, the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs.
the altar is also the table of the Lord, to which the People of God are
invited.Cf. GIRM 259 In certain Eastern liturgies, the altar is also the symbol
of the tomb (Christ truly died and is truly risen).
1183
The
tabernacle is to be situated "in churches in a most worthy place with the
greatest honor."Paul VI,
Mysterium Fidei: AAS (1965) 771 The dignity, placing, and security of the
Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.Cf. SC 128 The sacred chrism (myron), used in anointings as the sacramental sign of the
seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in
a secure place in the sanctuary. the oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick
may also be placed there.
1184
The
chair (cathedra) of the bishop or the priest "should express his office of
presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer."GIRM 271 The lectern (ambo): "The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to
have a suitable place for announcing his message so that the attention of the
people may be easily directed to that place during the liturgy of the
Word."GIRM 272
1185
The
gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place
for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the
baptismal promises (holy water font). The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. A church, then, must lend
itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which
requires an appropriate place to receive penitents. A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent
prayer that extend and internalize the great prayer of the Eucharist.
1186
Finally, the church has an eschatological significance. To enter into the house
of God, we must cross a threshold, which symbolizes passing from the world
wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called. the
visible church is a symbol of the Father's house toward which the People of God
is journeying and where the Father "will wipe every tear from their
eyes."Rev 21:4 Also for this reason, the Church is the house of all
God's children, open and welcoming.
IN BRIEF
1187 The liturgy is the work
of the whole Christ, head and body. Our high priest celebrates it unceasingly
in the heavenly liturgy, with the holy Mother of God, the apostles, all the
saints, and the multitude of those who have already entered the kingdom.
1188 In a liturgical
celebration, the whole assembly is leitourgos, each member according to his own
function. the baptismal priesthood is that of the whole Body of Christ. But
some of the faithful are ordained through the sacrament of Holy Orders to
represent Christ as head of the Body.
1189 The liturgical
celebration involves signs and symbols relating to creation (candles, water,
fire), human life (washing, anointing, breaking bread) and the history of
salvation (the rites of the Passover). Integrated into the world of faith and
taken up by the power of the Holy Spirit, these cosmic elements, human rituals,
and gestures of remembrance of God become bearers of the saving and sanctifying
action of Christ.
1190 The Liturgy of the Word
is an integral part of the celebration. the meaning of the celebration is
expressed by the Word of God which is proclaimed and by the response of faith
to it.
1191 Song and music are
closely connected with the liturgical action. the criteria for their proper use
are the beauty expressive of prayer, the unanimous participation of the
assembly, and the sacred character of the celebration.
1192 Sacred images in our
churches and homes are intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery
of Christ. Through the icon of Christ and his works of salvation, it is he whom
we adore. Through sacred images of the holy Mother of God, of the angels and of
the saints, we venerate the persons represented.
1193 Sunday, the "Lord's
Day," is the principal day for the celebration of the Eucharist because it
is the day of the Resurrection. It is the pre-eminent day of the liturgical
assembly, the day of the Christian family, and the day of joy and rest from
work. Sunday is "the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical
year" (SC 106).
1194 The Church, "in the
course of the year, . . . unfolds the whole mystery of Christ from his
Incarnation and Nativity through his Ascension, to Pentecost and the
expectation of the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord" (SC 102 # 2).
1195 By keeping the memorials
of the saints - first of all the holy Mother of God, then the apostles, the
martyrs, and other saints - on fixed days of the liturgical year, the Church on
earth shows that she is united with the liturgy of heaven. She gives glory to
Christ for having accomplished his salvation in his glorified members; their
example encourages her on her way to the Father.
1196 The faithful who
celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours are united to Christ our high priest, by the
prayer of the Psalms, meditation on the Word of God, and canticles and
blessings, in order to be joined with his unceasing and universal prayer that
gives glory to the Father and implores the gift of the Holy Spirit on the whole
world.
1197
Christ is the true temple of God, "the place where his glory dwells";
by the grace of God, Christians also become the temples of the Holy Spirit,
living stones out of which the Church is built.
1198 In its earthly state the
Church needs places where the community can gather together. Our visible churches,
holy places, are images of the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, toward which
we are making our way on pilgrimage.
1199 It is in these churches
that the Church celebrates public worship to the glory of the Holy Trinity,
hears the word of God and sings his praise, lifts up her prayer, and offers the
sacrifice of Christ sacramentally present in the midst of the assembly. These
churches are also places of recollection and personal prayer.
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