Day 149: The Holy Spirit Recalls Christ's Mystery

The Spirit and the Church cooperate to manifest Christ and his work of salvation in the liturgy. Primarily in the Eucharist, and by analogy in the other sacraments, the liturgy is the memorial of the mystery of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the Church's living memory. CCC 1099

Today's reading from the Catechism is short, only 5 small paragraphs. Nevertheless, these paragraphs are packed with insights that "in the Liturgy of the Word the Holy Spirit" makes present to us "all that Christ has done for us" (CCC 1103). In the liturgy, this is done in part through the incorporation of Scripture. As the Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The Holy Spirit is the one who inspired the Word of God. Sacred Scripture is not only proclaimed in the Mass but also explained in the Mass. Christ and his salvific work are made present by the Holy Spirit in the Church's liturgy. (p. 62)

I found this part on anamnesis to be interesting too:

The Scriptural concept of a memorial, described by the Greek word anamnesis, is a remembrance that is unique. It's not just remembering a past event but bringing it to the here and now... [it] brings past events into the present reality for the community. (p. 62)

This last part on anamnesis reminded me of what Dr. Brant Pitre has been teaching about the connections between the Mass and the Passover as well as what each means by "memorial". I suppose the Catechism will be going into this more later.

Day 148: The Holy Spirit's Work in the Liturgy

In the liturgy, the Holy Spirit is teacher of the faith of the People of God and artisan of "God's masterpieces," the sacraments of the New Covenant. the desire and work of the Spirit in the heart of the Church is that we may live from the life of the risen Christ. When the Spirit encounters in us the response of faith which he has aroused in us, he brings about genuine cooperation. Through it, the liturgy becomes the common work of the Holy Spirit and the Church. CCC 1091

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit and the Church in the liturgy. The Catechism summarizes the Church's teaching in this section:

The very closest cooperation is at work in the liturgy between the Holy Spirit and the Church. The Holy Spirit prepares the Church to encounter her Lord. He recalls and manifests Christ to the faith of the assembly. He makes the mystery of Christ really present. He unites the Church to the life and mission of Christ and makes the gift of communion bear fruit in the Church. (#223)

The Holy Spirit prepares us and through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, Christ is present for us. This does take cooperation from us, however, for God never forces us against our free will to respond to Him in love. The sacraments are no exception to this. We can reject Him or remain indifferent to Him. The Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The sacraments are not magic. They happen in cooperation with us. If we receive Holy Communion every single day but we do not cooperate and shape our wills to the Father's will, we will be unchanged. We are never meant to show up to the sacraments and leave the exact same way that we arrived; we are meant to be changed. (p. 60)

Another way to put this is that if we do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit and thereby remain unchanged in receiving the Eucharist, we risk eternal consequences. This recalls what St. Paul wrote that reception of the Eucharist "in an unworthy manner" makes one "guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" and whoever does this "eats and drinks judgment upon himself" (1 Cor 11:27-30).

I really like how the Catechism speaks of how "the Holy Spirit fulfills what was prefigured in the Old Covenant" and the liturgy "has retained certain elements of the worship of the Old Covenant as integral and irreplaceable" (CCC 1093). The liturgy reveals a harmony between the Old and New Testaments, which unveils the mystery of Christ to us (CCC 1094). Everything is connected and nothing that came before fails to reveal to us through the Holy Spirit, the glory of Jesus Christ. The Companion notes:

Many things that we do in the liturgy have their roots in Scripture. The Christian liturgy is the fulfillment of everything that was laid down by the Law of Moses. The Jewish way of worship is fulfilled in Jesus. (p. 60)

Day 147: Christ's Work in the Liturgy

"In the earthly liturgy, we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with him in glory." CCC 1090

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of Christ's work in the liturgy of His Church. As is quoted above, the Church's liturgy today gives us all "a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem" and seen by the Apostle John in Revelation. Also, as in the heavenly liturgy, Christ is truly present in the Eucharistic sacrifice here on earth. The Catechism Compendium summarizes the Church's teaching in this section:

In the liturgy of the Church, it is his own paschal mystery that Christ signifies and makes present. By giving the Holy Spirit to his apostles he entrusted to them and their successors the power to make present the work of salvation through the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments, in which he himself acts to communicate his grace to the faithful of all times and places throughout the world. (#222)

Finally, the Catechism Companion, Vol II makes a good note on the sacraments and the effects of the liturgy at the Mass:

"Sacraments are perceptible signs (word 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" (CCC 1084)... In the liturgy, the Father is given glory and the People of God are made holy. Through the liturgy, we join Jesus Christ and the saints in glorifying the Lord and looking forward to his Second Coming. (p. 58)

Day 146: The Father's Work in the Liturgy

In the Church's liturgy, the divine blessing is fully revealed and communicated. the Father is acknowledged and adored as the source and the end of all the blessings of creation and salvation. In his Word who became incarnate, died, and rose for us, he fills us with his blessings. Through His Word, he pours into our hearts the Gift that contains all gifts, the Holy Spirit. CCC 1082

In today's reading, the Catechism begins an explanation of the "sacramental dispensation" here in chapter one so that "the nature and essential features of liturgical celebration will then appear more clearly" in the next chapter (CCC 1076). The Church's understanding of "sacramental economy" is summarized in the Catechism Compendium:

The sacramental economy consists in the communication of the fruits of Christ’s redemption through the celebration of the sacraments of the Church, most especially that of the Eucharist, “until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26). (#220)

Since Pentecost, we have been living in "the age of the Church" through which the liturgy plays a significant role as a result. As the Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The sacramental economy is recognized in both the Eastern and Western traditions of the Church. We see the many liturgical expressions and rites within the Catholic Church... Jesus continues to come to us to sanctify, redeem, heal, and forgive us as he feeds us through his sacraments. (p. 56)  

The Father is the source of all blessings, including those through the Son and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I do like how the Compendium summarizes the Church's understanding of this as far as the liturgy goes:

Through the liturgy, the Father fills us with his blessings in the Word made flesh who died and rose for us and pours into our hearts the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the Church blesses the Father by her worship, praise, and thanksgiving and begs him for the gift of his Son and the Holy Spirit. (#221)

Day 145: Introduction to the Liturgy

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." Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church. CCC 1069

The Catechism gives us another introduction in today's reading, but this time specifically focuses on the liturgy. It is "a sacred action surpassing all others" as shown in the Mass (CCC 1070).  The Catechism Compendium summarizes this section as follows:

The liturgy is the celebration of the mystery of Christ and in particular his paschal mystery. Through the exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ, the liturgy manifests in signs and brings about the sanctification of humankind. The public worship which is due to God is offered by the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, by its head and by its members. (#218)

Liturgy, "makes the Church present and manifests her as the visible sign of the communion in Christ between God and men" and "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" (CCC 1071 & 1073). Further, the liturgy is about catechizing all of God's own "to initiate people into the mystery of Christ" (CCC 1075). The Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The goal of liturgical catechesis is to help people understand the signs that are used in the liturgy and to experience the sacred realities to which they refer. "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" (CCC 1074). (p. 54)

Finally, I do like how the Catechism mentions earlier that for the Church the liturgy in itself isn't alone:

"The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church": 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. (CCC 1072)

Day 144: How We Worship

Today there is no reading from the Catechism, but instead a discussion between Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Andrew Cozzens introducing Part 2. Tomorrow begins the actual reading of the text!

In the video, Bishop Cozzens and Fr. Schmitz introduce us to the importance of the liturgy in the life of the Church, along with the sacraments. The Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The liturgy and the sacraments transform us. The liturgy is Jesus' own perfect worship. It is his prayer that he made to the Father in his gift of self on the Cross. In the liturgy, we are participating in Christ's prayer... The Holy Mass and the Eucharist are the center of all liturgies and the center of our whole liturgical life... The sacraments provide a direct encounter with God. (p. 52)

The Companion also recommended this video on the Eucharist, which was good:

So that's it. Intros are done and tomorrow Part 2 starts in earnest!

Day 143: Amen

The Creed, like the last book of the Bible, ends with the Hebrew word amen. This word frequently concludes prayers in the New Testament. the Church likewise ends her prayers with "Amen." CCC 1061

In today's reading, we come to the final section in Part 1: What We Believe from the Catechism. It gives an "In Brief" summarizing what has been covered over the past few days and an ending the same in the Nicene Creed and the last word of Scripture:  Amen.  I like how the Catechism finishes Part 1 by saying 

Jesus Christ is the "Amen." He is the definitive "Amen" of the Father's love for us. He takes up and completes our "Amen" to the Father. (CCC 1065)

Indeed, or perhaps Amen is better here. 

The Catechism Compendium summarizes this final section of Part 1 as follows:

The Hebrew word “Amen”, which also concludes the last book of Sacred Scripture, some of the prayers of the New Testament, and the liturgical prayers of the Church, expresses our confident and total “yes” to what we professed in the Creed, entrusting ourselves completely to him who is the definitive “Amen” (Revelation 3:14), Christ the Lord. (#217)

I like how the Catechism Companion, Vol II reminds us not to misuse "Amen" because of the importance the word conveys: we are giving our acceptance of "the trustworthiness of [Christ's] teaching, his authority founded on God's truth" (CCC 1063). This is not to be done lightly, that is to say, "Amen" and then live as if Christ's teachings really have no meaning in our lives.

"Amen" is often a word we say without thinking about its true meaning... It is important to contemplate our death and the moment after, envisioning the gaze of God upon us with either joy or sorrow. Praying for the grace of final perseverance and a happy death is essential, trusting in God's faithfulness and seeking his grace. (pp. 50-51)  

Amen, amen.

This is the end of Part 1 of the Catechism. Tomorrow begins Part 2: How We Worship!