Liturgy

Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church

Liturgy

A preview of heaven. . .

“In the earthly liturgy, we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, toward which we journey as pilgrims.”

“The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed, it is also the fount from which all her power flows.

Everybody is welcome to participate. . .

“In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, the full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else, for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit,. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, #8, #10, #14

Holy Mass is about everything in our lives and the world. . .

“In the bread and wine that we bring to the altar, all creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to be transformed and presented to the Father. In this way we also bring to the altar all the pain and suffering of the world, in the certainty that everything has value in God’s eyes. . .

It enables us to appreciate how God invites us to participate in bringing to fulfillment his handiwork and in so doing, gives human labor its authentic meaning, since, through the celebration of the Eucharist, it is united to the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis

Our worship promotes the dignity of every person. . .

If our Eucharistic worship is authentic, it must make us grow in awareness of the dignity of each person. The awareness of that dignity becomes the deepest motive ofour relationship with our neighbor. . . We must also become particularly sensitive to all human suffering and misery, to all injustice and wrong, and seekt he way to redress them effectively.” The Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, #6, St. John Paul the Great

“The Eucharist is a missionary sacrament. It calls people to give all that they are and have to God, seek His blessing, and then take His love to the world.” Pope Francis, Pilgrimage to Latin American, July 9, 2015

We get out of this what we put into it. . .

“In order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their minds be attuned to their voices, and that they cooperate with heavenly grace lest they receive it in vain. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #11