The Divine Liturgy: Sacred Action of Christ and His Body, The Church

By F. K. Bartels
8/2/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

In the sacred, earthly liturgy the work of our redemption is accomplished as we participate in the fullness of divine worship, consume the Risen Lord, and receive a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy celebrated in the holy city of God (SC 1, 2, 8, 47).

"At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice . . . in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries . . . and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us" (SC 47).

Pope Benedict XVI elevates the consecrated host during the divine liturgy.

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GLADE PARK, CO (Catholic Online) -- Data from the Pew Forum On Religion & Public Life indicates that only 33% of Catholics attend the Liturgy of the Mass or divine liturgy (generically termed "religious services" by the Pew Forum) on a weekly basis -- a percentage which has remained fairly constant for over a decade.

While these tragic numbers are of little surprise to Catholics who are attentive to the effects of an increasingly secularized America, they are nonetheless greatly disturbing. All we need do is recall these words of our Lord in order to understand that our fidelity to God is of the highest priority: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Mt. 7:13-14).

There are not only Catholics who hold a diminished view of "religious services," but other Christians as well. Evangelical and Mainline Protestant weekly attendance is even less, at 28% and 26% respectively. Setting aside a comparison of Protestant religious services with the divine liturgy of the Catholic Church, Christians in America often fail to recognize the importance of public worship given to God in any form.

In the 1950s the level of Catholics who weekly attended the Liturgy of the Mass was at about 80%, but by the 1960s adherence to the Third Commandment -- interpreted in the New Covenant in Christ as "remember to keep holy the Lord's Day" -- began to drop off significantly. While there are a number of apparent causes for this problem, the continued moral decline of America is generally to blame. A society that increasingly fails to recognize the seriousness of sin and the obligation to adhere to the natural moral law, advances a disordered view of human autonomy in which public worship to God is perceived as something of little or no value. Stated another way, the less important fidelity to Christ is in our life, the less we feel impelled to give him his due worship. Consequently, justice toward God, which is called the "virtue of religion" (CCC 1807), continues to evaporate.

There is also the issue of lack of sound catechesis. If more Catholics truly understood what the divine liturgy is, if they were more aware of the incomparable graces that flow from heaven and infuse the faithful who participate in it with divine life, we would find our churches overflowing during the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. Vatican IIs Sacrosanctum Concilium was about the nature of the divine liturgy, and taught that "Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy" (SC 14). The nature of the liturgy is that it is an "action of Christ the priest" and of his body, the Church (SC 7 � 4) who offers adoration and praise to the Father. The liturgy is therefore the "summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed" and is "the font from which all her power flows" (SC 10).

The divine liturgy, then, is the apex of the Christian life, and participating in it is the greatest honor bestowed upon the disciples of Christ, for through it an indescribably intimate encounter with Christ occurs in reception of the Eucharist, the highest of the sacraments in which Christ's body, blood, soul and divinity is consumed. Those who eat Christ's flesh and drink his blood receive supernatural life (Jn 6:54), which raises human nature beyond what it formerly was, as it is transformed, elevated and perfected by the Risen Lord's real, true, and whole Presence. Thus, in the reception of this sacrament of indescribable love, our "mind is filled with grace," and we are given a "pledge of future glory" (SC 47). It is clear that living the Christian life to its fullest is inseparably bound up with the divine liturgy. That is why holy mother Church requires her children to participate in it on each Sunday and other Holy Days of obligation.

While the divine liturgy is the life-blood of the Christian, seeing it with clarity, however, is not simply a matter of catechesis only, just as understanding the organic reality of the Church with the eyes of faith cannot be attributed merely to fruit borne from an intellectual argument. Something more is needed, something which only God can supply: the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. Although these are free gifts received in virtue of the sacrament of Baptism, we must do our part to sustain and nourish them by giving ourselves over ...

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

michael
9 months ago
The radical and revolutionary changes done to the Latin Rite liturgy is the main cause for the exodus of countless Catholics. The way we pray is the way we believe. People felt that the Church had changed her ways and teachings because the pope and his liturgical commissions had drastically changed the way we worshiped. Do not be fooled, the problem is not just liturgical abuses, but the New Mass itself. As Cardinal Ratzinger stated, the New Mass was an is not an organic growth from the old, but a "banal" and "manufactured" product. In short, it is the work of human hands rejecting the Mass which all our ancestors prayed at for more than 1500 years.
Paul-Emile Leray
9 months ago
Excellent. True. Thank you! Great writing and so much truth in so few words.
Paul-Emile Leray
Tom McGuire
9 months ago
Your essay is very correct theology. But as we know people respond to witnesses more than teachers. Sad to say, the witness of Church leaders who celebrate liturgy everyday have not been great examples of the love of Christ. One can have all orthodox teachers and yet not move hearts to Christ. Jesus was known for his deeds; feeding, forgiving, bringing to life. His authority came from witness to the deeds of love, not position of power. In the early Church new Christians coming from a secular pagan world said: "See how they love one another." Do we love one another? Do we really have a preferential option for the poor? Do we feel in our gut the pain of the suffering around us and respond to their needs? Do we as a community have anyone among us with unmet needs? The work of liturgy takes place in the world among the people we live with. What kind of witnesses are we to the love and compassion of Christ Jesus?
DLL
9 months ago
We confirm the fact that we have died to a world that chooses sin as a way of life,to become one body in Christ,body,blood,soul,as we take on a new Eucharistic life of Divinity,in obedience to God,as Christ was,so it is right and just to give God glory,as it is God who has created us and then again,re-created us through faith,to be an active body of loving and serving lovingly,all and each other,as a body called Christians. All Praise and our Worship God is worthy to have! So little is one hour each and every week to pray,worship,as well as to be one with God,as well as one,with each other.
John Anthony Henry Ruffle
9 months ago
As a new Roman Catholic, thank you for a thoughtful, well documented article that indeed showcases our sacred faith and our need for full and personal commitment. The challenge is to love our cradle-Catholic brothers and sisters more fully into the experience of the Kingdom. God has ceased to be a remote celestial being, but has revealed Himself to be the God of Love as expressed and clearly seen through Jesus Christ His Son, our Savior. So yes, sound catechesis is a desperate need today - dare I say "inspired" catechesis is desperately needed? It is both the faith of the Church and OUR personal faith we share with others - we should be able to do so with clarity, animation, challenge to discipleship and accuracy (like you do in your article here!)

Secondly, I do believe that we need to all take Divine Liturgy rather more seriously than sometimes we tend to. Until Easter this year, I was a server at Altar, assisting our Anglo-Catholic priest celebrate the Eucharist. We had a sense of reverence toward the divine that I confess I find lacking in many Roman Catholic parishes.

Perhaps we can begin by praying more for our priests, parish workers, the religious and all in our local parishes. I'm not pointing the finger; I just yearn fro us all to enter more fully into the life of Christ! I think then we might see the grace for that 33% attendance figure to really shoot up. I pray so!
abey
9 months ago
To get the increased attendance in the 'Liturgy of the Faith", first must come out of the Pulpits non-compromising & fearless preachings to the Spiritual fulness of the Gospels & Scriptures, in the way of Jesus, Apostles, early Church Fathers & the old testament prophets & not to mouth watering & ear pleasings(sign of false prophets), in the knowledge that the word of God is unto a two edged sword to pierce the sin within which is the order of the day. The truth that was, is the truth that is & the truth that will be.

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