THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

THE LITURGY

The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but an introduction to the work of Christ in redeeming humanity, giving perfect glory to God. Christ accomplished this work by the Paschal mystery by his Passion, Resurrection from the dead and glorious Ascension. For this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery by which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation. Through the liturgy, men and women are able to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.

People may ask ‘what liturgy means?’ Originally, liturgy meant a “public work” or a “service in the name of/or on behalf of the people.” In Christian tradition, it means the participation of God’s people in “the work of God.” Through the Liturgy, Christ continues the work of our redemption in, with and through his Church.

In our world today, “liturgy” refers not only to the celebration of divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active charity. It is the service of God and neighbour.  It is an action of Christ and of his Church. In the liturgy the Church is the visible sign of our communion in Christ between God and people, where the “conscious, active and fruitful participation” of everyone is needed.

Our catechism states that liturgy is also the proclamation of the Gospel and to active charity. The liturgy of the Word must be carefully prepared and every effort be made to ensure that the liturgical proclamation of the Word of God is entrusted to well-prepared readers. We also must remember that “when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his own Word, proclaims the Gospel.” The Word which we proclaim and accept is the Word made flesh. Christ does not speak in the past, but in the present, even as he is present in the liturgical action.

The liturgy is a participation in Christ’s own prayer addressed to the Father in the Holy Spirit. Through the liturgy the inner person is rooted and grounded in “the great love with which the Father loved us” in his beloved Son. It is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; and it is the fount from which all her power flows. It is therefore the privileged place for catechising the People of God.   

Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ. Catechesis also aims with the help of God, to develop an initial faith and to advance in fullness and to nourish day by day the Christian life of the faithful, both young and old. It is giving growth to the seed of faith sown by the Holy Spirit with the initial proclamation and effectively transmitted by Baptism.

Resources:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paulines Publications Africa, 11^th reprint 2012.

CATECHESIS TODAY, Paulines Publications Africa, 5^th reprint, 2012.

THE SACRAMENT OF CHARITY, Paulines Publications Africa, 2007.

THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

The dignity of the human person is rooted in God because man was created in God’s own image and likeness. Sacred Scripture teaches that human beings were created “to the image and likeness of God,” are capable of knowing and loving their Creator, and were appointed by him as master of all earthly creatures that might subdue them and use them for God’s glory. “What is man that you should care for him? You have made him little less that the angels, and crowned him with glory and honour. You have given him rule over the works of your hand, putting all things under his feet.”

Human life is sacred because the human person is the most central and clearest reflection of God among all creatures. It is in Christ, Redeemer and Saviour that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God.

The divine image is present in every man, which shines in the communion of persons, where we establish unity among ourselves in truth and love. Love of neighbour is inseparable from love of God. “Belief in the dignity of the human person is the foundation of morality. The principle of human dignity is the foundation of all the Catholic social teaching principles.”

Although human beings were made by God in a state of holiness, from the beginning of their history men and women abused their liberty at the urging of the Evil One. They set themselves against God and sought to attain their goal apart from God. Often refusing to acknowledge God as their beginning, people have disrupted also their proper relationship to their own ultimate goal as well as their whole relationship toward themselves and others and all created things.

 Man is split within himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness; so much that they find that by , themselves they are incapable of fighting evils, feeling as though they are bound by chains. But Christ came to free and strengthen us, through his passion, death and resurrection and delivered us from      Satan and sin. He merited for us a new life in the Holy Spirit. He who believes in Christ has new life in the Holy Spirit. He is endowed with grace, making him capable of doing what is right.

The intellectual nature of the human person is perfected by wisdom, for wisdom gently attracts the mind of a person to a quest and a love for what is true and good. It is through the gift of the Holy Spirit that a person comes by faith to the contemplation and appreciation of the divine plan.

Resources:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paulines Publications Africa, 11^th reprint 2012.

On The Church in the Modern World, Paulines Publications Africa, 2^nd reprint 2011.

MARY, THE MODEL OF FAITH

What the Catholic faith believed about Mary is based on what it believed about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ. 

God sent forth his Son, but to prepare a body for him, he wanted the free cooperation of a creature. For this, from all eternity God chose for the mother of his Son a daughter of Israel, a young Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, a virgin betrothed to man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. Mary stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord who confidently hopes for and receives salvation from him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Zion and the new plan of salvation was established.

To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role. We recall Evangelist Luke’s account on the story of the annunciation – the angel Gabriel was sent to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. When it was announced that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High, Mary responded with the Obedience of Faith.  Mary, the inexperienced young woman, believed,     certain that everything will be fulfilled by God. When Mary consented to God’s Word, she became the Mother of Jesus.

By faith, she gave birth to her only son, keeping her virginity intact. By faith, she trusted Joseph, her husband, and took the infant Jesus to Egypt to save him from Herod’s persecution (cf.  Mt.2:13-15).  With the same faith, she followed the Lord in his preaching and remained with him all the way to Golgotha (Jn. 19:25-27). By faith, Mary tasted the fruits of Jesus’ resurrection, and treasuring every memory in her heart (cf. 2:19, 51), she passed them on to the Twelve assembled with her in the Upper Room to receive the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14; 2:1-4). Mary’s faith is commended in these words: "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" (cf. Lk 1: 45).

From the beginning Mary knew that Jesus was the Son of God, and often the hand of God was manifested in events surrounding him. Mary did not understand everything that happened or everything her son Jesus said and did (Luke 2:33, 48-50). "But she treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (verse 19, see also verse 51). In faith she knew God was in charge, and that is what really matters.

Mary’s humble faith is apparent in the account of the wedding at Cana. Jesus on the other hand showed a great respect for his mother’s faith that he performed a miracle at her request.

Let us emulate the Virgin Mary in her faith especially during this Year of Faith. It be proper to organise pilgrimages, celebrations and gatherings at the major Marian Shrines (regarding this, please inquire from your respective Parishes or Dioceses).

Source:

The Door of Faith, Paulines Publications Africa, Year of publication 2012

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paulines Publications Africa, 11^th reprint 2012

THE PEDAGOGY OF THE FAITH

Catechesis on the Year of faith

Transmitting the faith is not done in words only; it requires a relationship in prayer with God, which is faith-in-action. The liturgy, with its proper pedagogical elements, plays a decisive role in the formation of this relationship in prayer, because the one who instructs is God himself and the true teacher in the ways of prayer is the Holy Spirit. 

The IV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops acknowledged the increased in number and dedication of catechists, that catechesis is a gift of the Spirit and that the Church has devised methods in transmitting the faith which lead people to a personal encounter with Christ.

The Synod on catechesis was intent on not losing past benefits and values which sought to guarantee a systematic, integral, organic and hierarchical transmission of faith. The Synod reproposed two basic instruments for transmitting the faith: catechesis and the catechumenate. In this manner, the Church actively transmits the faith, sowing it in the hearts of catechumens and the catechised so as to make their experiences particularly fruitful. The profession of faith received by the Church, which sprouts and grows in the catechetical process, is, in turn, re-given, after being enriched with the values of different cultures. In this way, the catechumenate essentially becomes a centre of growth in catholicity and the seed-bed of ecclesial renewal. (No. 14)

The Local Churches: Agents of transmission

The agent for the transmission of faith is the entire Church which manifests itself in the local Churches, where proclamation, transmission and the lived experience of the Gospel are realised. The local Churches, besides performing this task, are also the fruit of this activity of proclaiming the Gospel and the transmitting the faith, as seen in the experience of the first Christian communities. The fundamental identity of each Christian community as described by the Second Vatican Council,  is  that “This Church of Christ is truly present in all legitimate local congregations of the faithful which, united with their pastors, are themselves called Churches in the New Testament. These are the new people called by God in the Holy Spirit...”

Considering the gifts and positive expectations, we must also note the challenges which many local Churches face as a result of a new situations and various developments. The scarcity of priests makes their activity less incisive than desired. The general state of weariness and fatigue of many families undermines the role of parents. The lack of common sharing in this evangelising task limits the influence of the Christian community and endangers that the important and fundamental task will fall upon the catechists alone, who are already feeling the burden of the task entrusted to them and the loneliness in doing it. (No. 15)

Source: The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of Faith, Paulines Publications Africa, 2012 

THE CHURCH TRANSMITS THE FAITH WHICH SHE HERSELF LIVES

Catechesis on the year of faith

The transmission of the faith is a very complex, dynamic process which totally involves the faith of Christians and the life of the Church. Christ “called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach. The Gospel can only be transmitted on the basis of “being” with Jesus and living with Jesus the experience of the Father, in the Spirit; and in response, “feeling” compelled to proclaim and share what is lived as a good and something positive and beautiful.

The responsibility of announcing and proclaiming is not the work of a single person or a selected few, but a gift given to every person who confidently responds to the call of faith. Nor is transmitting the faith a specialised work assigned to a group of people or specifically designated individuals, but an experience of every Christian and the entire Church. “The lay faithful, in virtue of their participation in the prophetic mission of Christ, are fully part of this work of the Church. (12)

Fruits of transmitting the faith

To make the Church a community of witnesses of the Gospel,  Pope Paul VI states: :”She is the community of believers, the community of hope lived and communicated, the community of brotherly love, and she needs to listen unceasingly to what she must believe, to her reasons for hoping, to the new commandment of love. She is the People of God immersed in the world, and often tempted by idols, and she always needs to hear the proclamation of the ‘mighty works of God’ which converted her to the Lord; she always needs to be called together afresh by him and reunited. In brief, this means that she has a constant need of being evangelised, if she wishes to retain freshness, vigour and strength in order to proclaim the Gospel.”

Another fruit of transmitting the faith is the courage to speak out against infidelity and scandal which arise in Christian communities as a sign and consequence of moments of fatigue and weariness in the work of proclamation.

Other fruits of transmitting the faith include: the courage to recognise and admit faults; the capacity to continue to witness Jesus Christ, as we recount the continual need to be saved; the exercise of penance, a commitment to the work of purification and the will to atone for the consequences of our sins; an unfailing trust that the hope which has been given us “does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” (17)

Source: The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of Faith, Paulines Publications Africa, 2012