Catholicism 101– Class #12
Introduction to Liturgy and The Mass
Marcel LeJeune
Mary Magdalene - John 20:11-16
Fishermen - John 21:1-7
Emmaus - Luke 24:13-35
We too search for Jesus.
-Like Mary Magdalene we search for him in prayer and he calls our name
-Like the Fishermen we find him when he reveals invites us into relationship with him.
-Like the disciples going to Emmaus we discover him in His Word and the Breaking of the Bread.
-Do we recognize Jesus when he reveals Himself to us?
-CCC 1324 - The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."
-Worship is not what we do for God, but our response to what He has done for us
-Why do we Catholics pray with formal, ritual prayers instead of spontaneously through the Spirit’s guidance?
-We do both, but not usually at the same time.
-What is liturgy?
-Etymologically – a public work.
-Anthropologically – liturgy, a public work, arises out of the human condition that if we are going to
live together, there are some things all of us need and no one of us can supply by ourselves.
-In Christian usage – our liturgy is the work of prayer, praise and adoration that we owe to God. It
serves all of us who are created by God because in it we pray and worship God in the most
perfect way possible, offering the body of Christ as the body of Christ, the acceptable sacrifice.
-How is liturgy different from private worship?
-Horizontal dimension - combines the Church all praying and believing together one thing with
-Vertical dimenision - interior dimension of all of us trying to change and offer ourselves for Christ
What is the focus of the liturgy?
-Christ’s saving work among us 2000 years ago and now in the sacraments.
-God is from all eternity.
-God creates and time begins.
-God reveals self to creation as a community of love: Trinity.
-In the Incarnation, God becomes man, so that we can become like God.
-Thus, all matter is in some sense capable of showing God and divine activity.
-Christ loves us enough to die for us and rises again: the Paschal Mystery.
-Christ passes on the power of the paschal mystery into the Church and ascends to the Father.
-The Church is appointed to continue to offer perfect worship to God for all because it is Christ
himself offering himself in and through the Church offering.
-The sacraments are the center of this offering.
-Lex orandi lex credendi- law of prayer is law of belief. How we pray teaches us about how we believe.
-Our worship of God is real and tangible. It is sacred and God’s meeting with us in it is sacred.
-It is the reality and the earthiness or our worship that makes a church a sacred space and not just a building.
The Fruits of the Holy Communion (from CCC 1391-1401)
-Holy Communion augments our union with Christ.
-Holy Communion separates us from sin.
-The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church.
-The Eucharist commits us to the poor.
-The Eucharist and the unity of Christians.
OUR RESPONSE TO THE MASS
-Prepare yourself
-Read and meditate on the Sunday readings BEFORE Sunday
-Study the teachings of the Church
-Go to Confession regularly
-Fast before Mass
-Dress appropriately
-Come Early - no rush
-Sit as close as possible
-Pray before mass to prepare
Come with expectations to receive grace, not with expectations of finding fault
-Look for Jesus in all parts of the Mass
-Don’t dwell on mistakes
-Don’t think about distractions
-Don’t think about how bad the music or preaching is.
Participate
-You are there to worship and praise God - not for show – not to just receive
-Sing - loudly
-Respond and pray with gusto
-Offer your pains, desires and petitions to Christ for yourself and others
Listen to the Word and be open to it changing you
-Are you open to letting God change you? If not, then you won’t be changed.
-Listen to the Word proclaimed – don’t read along
-Find something in the Homily and apply it for the week.
Know, understand, and proclaim your Faith
-Don’t just recite the Creed - proclaim it like you mean it.
Tithe
-General guideline is 5% to your Parish and 5% to other groups
-If every Catholic tithed…
-It is our duty to support the Church
Offer our sacrifices to God
-Offer yourself. Offer your life.
When you receive Jesus in the Eucharist - understand what it is you are doing
-You are taking the Body, blood, soul, and divinity of GOD into you
-You are joining in heaven on earth
-You are becoming one with The Body of Christ
-Bow before receiving him
-Realize that He is in everyone else that received Him as well.
Tell other people about Him
-You are now empowered to evangelize - which is what the Church exists for
-Die to yourself and allow Christ to live within you
-We can’t hold it within us
When we encounter the risen Lord in the Eucharist we should respond like:
-Mary Magdalene - we should run and tell others
-Like Peter and the apostles - shout for joy and dive into the waters of life
-Like the disciples going to Emmaus - our hearts should be set on fire
"If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy." - Saint Jean Vianney