Ministry Tip of the Week
by Seth Evangelho
Subjective experience is critical to the depth in which we encounter the Lord. How hollow experience becomes, however, when it ceases to direct our gaze of faith into the objective reality behind it all. The presence of God in the world is not due to the disposition of believers.
God has taken center stage.
He comes to us in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and nowhere does this happen more fully than in the context of liturgy. The Sacramental life of grace flows out of the objective, albeit invisible, reality behind the Paschal mystery we celebrate at every mass (the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ). "What was visible in the life of our savior has passed over into his mysteries" (St. Leo the Great, CCC 1115).
God has taken center stage.
He comes to us in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and nowhere does this happen more fully than in the context of liturgy. The Sacramental life of grace flows out of the objective, albeit invisible, reality behind the Paschal mystery we celebrate at every mass (the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ). "What was visible in the life of our savior has passed over into his mysteries" (St. Leo the Great, CCC 1115).
The liturgies of Word and Eucharist we celebrate in every Catholic Mass are a mysterious encounter, a physical encounter, with Christ’s redeeming act of perfect love on the cross. The visible signs - that is, the Sacramental rituals of liturgical celebration - offer us tangible access to a participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We come into full communion with the
Resurrected Christ through liturgy!
Catechesis deepens our grasp of this truth.
Resurrected Christ through liturgy!
Catechesis deepens our grasp of this truth.
What is taught in the classroom or from the pulpit should, therefore, equip students and parishioners with the tools they need to enter more fully into the Mass. If we fail to connect our teachings to the living mystery of liturgical celebration, we cripple the faith of our listeners and effectively deny them entry into the source of grace. We limit their ability to access the power necessary to live out the teachings.
Moreover, the liturgy itself catechizes.
The Mass is designed to teach as it reveals. The mysteries of Faith animate our rituals, and in every liturgical act the Truth is proclaimed. The more we understand and reflect upon what takes place here, the more we come to know the Faith God has revealed to us in Christ.
Catechesis outside the liturgy should draw upon the actual prayers and actions of the Mass whenever possible. They're familiar to everyone, and drawing upon them makes the Church's teachings more relatable.
In addition, if we use, for example, Eucharistic Prayer 1 when we teach on the doctrine of the Eucharist, or the Prayer of Absolution when we teach on Confession (an extension of the liturgy), we bring to life the subjective experience of those rituals the next time we partake in them.
In other words, we seek to grasp the content of our worship.
Catechesis and liturgy are not simply complementary aspects of the Faith. They're two sides of the same coin. We ultimately catechize about the mysteries of the liturgy, and the liturgy then becomes, ever more, a lived experience of those same teachings.
Moreover, the liturgy itself catechizes.
The Mass is designed to teach as it reveals. The mysteries of Faith animate our rituals, and in every liturgical act the Truth is proclaimed. The more we understand and reflect upon what takes place here, the more we come to know the Faith God has revealed to us in Christ.
Catechesis outside the liturgy should draw upon the actual prayers and actions of the Mass whenever possible. They're familiar to everyone, and drawing upon them makes the Church's teachings more relatable.
In addition, if we use, for example, Eucharistic Prayer 1 when we teach on the doctrine of the Eucharist, or the Prayer of Absolution when we teach on Confession (an extension of the liturgy), we bring to life the subjective experience of those rituals the next time we partake in them.
In other words, we seek to grasp the content of our worship.
Catechesis and liturgy are not simply complementary aspects of the Faith. They're two sides of the same coin. We ultimately catechize about the mysteries of the liturgy, and the liturgy then becomes, ever more, a lived experience of those same teachings.
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