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Introduction to the Liturgy

Introduction to the Liturgy. CCC : 1066-1075. Liturgy Accomplishes God’s Plan (1066-1067). The Creed describes the Trinity's work. The Father gives mankind his Son and his Spirit to accomplish his "plan of mystery". This is essentially salvation of all people.

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Introduction to the Liturgy

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  1. Introduction to the Liturgy CCC : 1066-1075

  2. Liturgy Accomplishes God’s Plan (1066-1067) • The Creed describes the Trinity's work. The Father gives mankind his Son and his Spirit to accomplish his "plan of mystery". This is essentially salvation of all people. • God's Old Testament works were fulfilled in Christ: In his death. resurrection and Ascension.." • The Liturgy Proclaims These Mysteries (1068) • so the faithful may live them and bear witness to them. • In the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, our redemption is accomplished. The faithful can live it and their lives show to others the mystery of Christ. • Sharing in God's Work (1069) • "Liturgy" originally meant service on behalf of the people. In Christian Liturgy means God's People participating in God’s work. • Through the liturgy, Christ continues his work in the Church.

  3. Actions of Christ (1070) • Liturgy is about a. worship, b. proclaiming the Gospel and c. acts of charity. • The Church fully shares in Christ's worship, Christ’s proclaiming the Gospel, Christ’s acts of service. • In liturgy, full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body. Since these are actions of Christ and his Church, they surpass all others. • Actions of the Church (1071-1072) • This liturgy shows the Church as a visible sign of communion between God and man. It involves everyone's fruitful participation. • Evangelization, faith, and conversion must precede liturgy, which then produces new life in the Spirit. • Summit of Prayer and Activity (1073-1074) • Liturgy participates in Christ's prayer to the Father. • All Christian prayer finds its source and goal in the liturgy. The Church’s activity and power flows from the liturgy. • From Visible to Invisible (1075) • Liturgy leads people from the visible signs (sacraments) to the invisible realities (the mysteries).

  4. Blessed by the Father (1077-1079) • To bless is a life-giving action which comes from the Father. • For man, the word "blessing" means adoration and surrender to the Creator. • God's plan of salvation is one vast divine blessing from the very beginning until the end of time. • Old Testament Blessings (1080-1081) • From the beginning, God blessed all living beings, especially man and woman. In spite of man's sins which had brought a curse to the ground, he renewed this blessing with Noah. With Abraham, God's blessing entered and redirected human history, moving from death back toward life. When Abraham, "the father of all believers" embraced this blessing, salvation history was inaugurated. • The Old Testament records many blessings (the escape from Egypt, the Promised Land, the Law and the Prophets). The Psalms recall these blessings and respond with praise. • Two Dimensions of Liturgy (1082-1083) • In the Church's liturgy, the Father is adored as the source and goal of all these blessings. Through the Risen Jesus, he fills us with the Holy Spirit who contains all gifts. • The Christian liturgy has two dimensions. First, the Church by her adoration blesses the Father "for his inexpressible gift" • Secondly, until the end of time, the Church presents to the Father his own gifts, begging him to send the Holy Spirit upon the offering, upon the Church and upon all the faithful. • Making the Events Present (1084-1085) • Christ, in heaven now, sends his Spirit through the sacraments (which he instituted) and makes present the grace they signify. • In the liturgy, Christ principally makes present his own death and Resurrection. • Jesus predicted these events and then lived them out. These events are unique because they do not pass away like other human events. The Paschal events cannot remain only in the past, because Christ's death destroys death. • All that he did transcends all time and is present at all times, drawing everything toward life.

  5. Set in Motion (1086) • As Christ was sent by the Father, he sent his disciples to proclaim that his death and Resurrection brought us into the Father's Kingdom. • What they preached is set in motion through the sacrifice and sacraments around which the liturgy is centred. • Structured By Liturgy (1087) • When Jesus said "Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:21), he gave the apostles power and made them his sacramental signs. • They gave this same Spirit to their successors. • Always Present (1088-1089) • Christ is always present in all liturgical celebrations. He is present in the Mass in the Eucharistic species. Christ is the one who baptizes, who speaks in the Scriptures, and is present when the Church prays. • Christ always associates with himself the Church (his Bride) who worships the Father through Christ. • Sharing in Heaven's Liturgy (1090) • In the earthly liturgy, we have a foretaste of the heavenly Liturgy where Christ is the Minister. We sing with all the heavenly warriors, venerating the saints, and await Our Lord Jesus Christ so we can appear with him in glory (Second Vatican Council). • The Spirit and the Church (1091-1092) • In the liturgy, the Spirit is teacher of the faith and the artisan of "God's masterpieces," the sacraments. • The liturgy is the work of the Spirit and the Church.

  6. Retaining Old Testament Images (1093-1095) • The liturgy retains Old Covenant elements (readings from the Old Testament, the praying of the Psalms and the recalling of the saving events, especially the Exodus and the Passover). • The Church reveals the mystery of Christ which is hidden in Old Testament images. • E.g. The flood, Noah's ark, the cloud, and the crossing of the Red Sea symbolize Baptism. The water from the Rock prefigures the spiritual gifts of Christ, and the manna prefigures the Eucharist, "the true bread from heaven" (Jn 6:32). • Jewish Source but Christian Faith (1096) • The structure of the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers draw inspiration from the Jewish tradition. However, there are differences. • Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover, but the Jews see it as history, while Christians see the Passover as being fulfilled by Jesus' death and Resurrection (while still expecting its divine fulfilment). • The Spirit and God's Word (1099-1102) • Scripture is extremely important in the liturgy. It provides the readings, inspires the hymns and prayers, and gives meaning to the actions. • The Spirit gives a spiritual understanding of God's Word to the people and ministers

  7. Making a Remembrance (1103) • In the Liturgy of the Word, the Spirit "recalls" all that Christ had done. By this remembering ("anamnesis") the Spirit awakens the memory of the Church which then gives thanks. • Making the Mystery Present (1104-1105) • Christian liturgy also actualizes the saving events. Christ's Paschal mystery is celebrated, not repeated. In these celebrations the Holy Spirit makes the mystery present. • At the invocation (epiclesis) the priest asks the Father to send the Spirit upon the bread and wine so that they become the body and blood of Christ. • Spirit's Transforming Power (1106-1107) • This remembering (anamnesis) and this begging the Father to send the Spirit (epiclesis) is at the heart of the sacramental celebration. • The Holy Spirit's transforming power lets us to anticipate our full communion with the Trinity. • Fruits of the Liturgy (1108-1109) • In every liturgical action, the Holy Spirit (the sap of the Father's vine) brings about fruit. He is always in the Church and makes the Church itself the great sacrament of divine communion. • This "fellowship of the Holy Spirit" transforms the faithful and allows them to participate in the Church's mission.

  8. Four Questions about the celebration of the seven sacraments: • Who celebrates the liturgy? • How is the liturgy celebrated? • When is the liturgy celebrated? • Where is the liturgy celebrated? • Who Celebrates the Liturgy? • The Whole Christ (1136) • The liturgy is celebrated by the "whole Christ," including those who celebrate in heaven. • Celebrants in Heaven (1137-1139) • The Book of Revelation tells that in heaven there is "one seated on the throne" (4:2). The Lamb is "standing, as though it had been slain" (5:6). "The river of the water of life" flows from the throne of the Lamb (22:1). • It speaks of the heavenly powers, all creation, the servants of the Old and New Covenants, the new People of God, the martyrs and the Mother of God, and finally, "a multitude which no one could number." We participate in this heavenly liturgy whenever we celebrate the sacraments. • Celebrants on Earth (1140) • Because liturgical services are celebrations of the Church (holy people united with their bishops) it is actually the whole community celebrates. • The sacrament's effects touch individual members differently, according to their role and actual participation. • The Church wants all the faithful to have active participation because they are a "royal priesthood" and have a right and obligation coming from their Baptism (Second Vatican Council). • Various Functions (1143-1144) • Not all members have the same function. Ordained ministers are called by God and consecrated by Holy Orders. They act in the person of Christ. • Other particular ministries (servers, readers, commentators, choir), are not consecrated by Holy Orders, and exercise some true liturgical functions.

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