180 The Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours - part 9

YOUCAT Lesson 180, part 9 of 11 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

180  Why is the Mass sometimes referred to as a “worship service”?

A worship service is in the first place a service that God performs for us—and only then is it our service offered to God.  God gives himself to us under the form of holy signs—so that we might do the same: give ourselves unreservedly to him .  [1145-1192

…….Photo above: …..Benedictine Monks chanting Vespers which is one of the Liturgy of the Hours. …..180

…….The following numbered paragraphs are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Second Edition, and give deeper understanding to YOUCAT Lesson 180:

……..WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

…….The Liturgy of the Hours

…….1174 The mystery of Christ, his Incarnation and Passover, which we celebrate in the Eucharist especially at the Sunday assembly, permeates and transfigures the time of each day, through the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, "the divine office." (compare Sacrosanctum concilium, Ch. IV,83-101) ⁴⁶  This celebration, faithful to the apostolic exhortations to "pray constantly," is "so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God." (Sacrosanctum concilium  84; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18) ⁴⁷   In this "public prayer of the Church,"⁴⁸ the faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in "the form approved" by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father. (Sacrosanctum concilium 84) ⁴⁹  --Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition 

…….1175 The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God. In it Christ himself "continues his priestly work through his Church." (Sacrosanctum concilium 83) ⁵⁰    His members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives: priests devoted to the pastoral ministry, because they are called to remain diligent in prayer and the service of the word; religious, by the charism of their consecrated lives; all the faithful as much as possible: "Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and on the more solemn feasts. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually." (Sacrosanctum concilium 100; compare SC 86; SC 96; SC 98; Presbyterorum ordinis 5) ⁵¹  --CCC

…….1176 The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying heart, but also a deeper "understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the Psalms." (Sacrosanctum concilium 90) ⁵²  --CCC

…….1177 The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each Hour (with the subsequent responses or troparia) and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal more deeply the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and prepare for silent prayer. The lectio divina, where the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus rooted in the liturgical celebration. –CCC

…….1178 The Liturgy of the Hours, which is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration, does not exclude but rather in a complementary way calls forth the various devotions of the People of God, especially adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament. --CCC

180 The Saints Have Suffered and Have Been Glorified With Christ - part 8

YOUCAT Lesson 180, part 8 of 11 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

180  Why is the Mass sometimes referred to as a “worship service”?

A worship service is in the first place a service that God performs for us—and only then is it our service offered to God.  God gives himself to us under the form of holy signs—so that we might do the same: give ourselves unreservedly to him.  [1145-1192]

…….Painting above: ….. The Stoning of Saint Stephen, altarpiece of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, by Jacopo & Domenico Tintoretto…..  The Church proposes to the faithful as examples those "who have suffered and have been glorified with Christ.” …..180

…….The following numbered paragraphs are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Second Edition, and give deeper understanding to YOUCAT Lesson 180:

…….WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

The sanctoral in the liturgical year

…….1172   "In celebrating this annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, Holy Church honors the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving work of her Son. In her the Church admires and exalts the most excellent fruit of redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be." (Sacrosanctum concilium 103) ^{44 –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition}

…….1173 When the Church keeps the memorials of martyrs and other saints during the annual cycle, she proclaims the Paschal mystery in those "who have suffered and have been glorified with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful as examples who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God's favors." (Sacrosanctum concilium 104; cf. SC 108,111) ⁴⁵  CCC

180 The Roman Rite Liturgical Year, part 7

YOUCAT Lesson 180, part 7 of 11 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

180  Why is the Mass sometimes referred to as a “worship service”?

A worship service is in the first place a service that God performs for us—and only then is it our service offered to God.  God gives himself to us under the form of holy signs—so that we might do the same: give ourselves unreservedly to him.  [1145-1192]

…..Chart: …..Roman Rite liturgical year.....180

….The following numbered paragraphs are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Second Edition, and give deeper understanding to YOUCAT Lesson 180:

…….WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

The liturgical year

…….1168   Beginning with the Easter Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually, on either side of this source, the year is transfigured by the liturgy. It really is a "year of the Lord's favor."( Luke 4:19) ⁴²    The economy of salvation is at work within the framework of time, but since its fulfillment in the Passover of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the culmination of history is anticipated "as a foretaste," and the kingdom of God enters into our time.  –Catechism of the Catholic Faith, Second Edition

…….1169   Therefore Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the "Feast of feasts," the "Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist is the "Sacrament of sacraments" (the Great Sacrament). St. Athanasius calls Easter "the Great Sunday"⁴³ and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week "the Great Week." The mystery of the Resurrection, in which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time, until all is subjected to him. –CCC

…….1170 At the Council of Nicaea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the vernal equinox. Because of the different methods of calculating the 14th day of the month of Nisan, the date of Easter in the Western and Eastern Churches is not always the same. For this reason, the Churches are currently seeking an agreement in order once again to celebrate the day of the Lord's Resurrection on a common date. –CCC

…….1171   In the liturgical year the various aspects of the one Paschal mystery unfold. This is also the case with the cycle of feasts surrounding the mystery of the incarnation (Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany). They commemorate the beginning of our salvation and communicate to us the first fruits of the Paschal mystery. --CCC

180 Church Celebrates the Paschal Mystery Every Seventh Day, part 6

YOUCAT Lesson 180, part 6 of 11 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

180  Why is the Mass sometimes referred to as a “worship service”?

A worship service is in the first place a service that God performs for us—and only then is it our service offered to God.  God gives himself to us under the form of holy signs—so that we might do the same: give ourselves unreservedly to him.  [1145-1192]

…….Photo above: …..St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Hot Springs, AR, photo by Don C Bragg..... "By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ's Resurrection, the Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day.” …..180

Jesus is there in Word and sacrament—God is present.  That is the first and most important thing about every liturgy.  Only then do we enter the picture.  Jesus sacrifices his life for us so that we might offer to him the spiritual sacrifice of our life.  In the Eucharist, Christ gives himself to us, so that we might give ourselves to him.  Thus we take part in the redeeming and transforming sacrifice of Christ.  Our little life is burst open and led into the kingdom of God.  God can live his life in our lives.

…….The following numbered paragraphs are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Second Edition, and give deeper understanding to YOUCAT Lesson 180:

WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

* The Lord's day

1166 "By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ's Resurrection, the Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which day is appropriately called the Lord's Day or Sunday." (Sacrosanctum conilium 106) ³⁶   The day of Christ's Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the "eighth day," on which Christ after his "rest" on the great sabbath inaugurates the "day that the Lord has made," the "day that knows no evening." (Byzantine liturgy.) ³⁷    The Lord's Supper is its center, for there the whole community of the faithful encounters the risen Lord who invites them to his banquet: (compare John 21:12; Luke 24:30)³⁸  --Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

The Lord's day, the day of Resurrection, the day of Christians, is our day. It is called the Lord's day because on it the Lord rose victorious to the Father. If pagans call it the "day of the sun," we willingly agree, for today the light of the world is raised, today is revealed the sun of justice with healing in his rays. (St. Jerome, Pasch.: Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 78,550) ³⁹  --CCC

1167 Sunday is the pre-eminent day for the liturgical assembly, when the faithful gather "to listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the Passion, Resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks to God who 'has begotten them again, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead' unto a living hope": (Sacrosanctum concilium 106) ⁴⁰  --CCC

When we ponder, O Christ, the marvels accomplished on this day, the Sunday of your holy resurrection, we say: "Blessed is Sunday, for on it began creation . . . the world's salvation . . . the renewal of the human race. . . . On Sunday heaven and earth rejoiced and the whole universe was filled with light. Blessed is Sunday, for on it were opened the gates of paradise so that Adam and all the exiles might enter it without fear. (Fanqith, The Syriac Office of Antioch, vol. VI, first part of Summer, 193 B) ⁴¹  --CCC

Sunday, 11/120/2016 "Jesus, Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom"

 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, November 20, 2016

Lectionary: 162

…….Painting above: …..Twelve year old Jesus in the Temple.  Painting by James Tissot, Brooklyn_Museum. …..” I rejoiced because they said to me, ‘We will go up to the house of the LORD.’  And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.” –Psalm 122:1-2

……. The painting of the Holy Family depicting the 12-year old Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem may seem unrelated to the Gospel of St. Luke telling the story of the Good Thief Dismas  commensurating with Jesus on the Cross, but read Psalm 122:1-2 again. It was the custom of the Holy Family to go up to Jerusalem each year for the Feast of the Passover. Even then, the Child Jesus knew his destiny. –Don L. Bragg

The first reading is from 2 Samuel 5:1-3

  

In those days, all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said: “Here we are, your bone and your flesh.   In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back. 
And the LORD said to you,  ‘You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.’” 
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD, and they anointed him king of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm 122:1-2

  

R. (cf. 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

  

The second reading is from the Colossians 1:12-20 

Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.  He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  He is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Alleluia: Mark 11: 9, 10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

  

Gospel: Luke 23:35-43

 The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself  if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”  Even the soldiers jeered at him.  As they approached to offer him wine they called out,

“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”  Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ?  Save yourself and us.”  The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?  And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”  Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

180 Recalling the Mysteries of Redemption - Part 5

YOUCAT Lesson 180, part 5 of 11 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

180  Why is the Mass sometimes referred to as a “worship service”?

A worship service is in the first place a service that God performs for us—and only then is it our service offered to God.  God gives himself to us under the form of holy signs—so that we might do the same: give ourselves unreservedly to him.  [1145-1192]

…….Photo: …..Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts (Psalms 95: 6)…. The Second Vatican Council encouraged the scriptural reading of the Bible rather than relying solely on devotional writings, booklets and the lives of the Catholic saints. …..180

Jesus is there in Word and sacrament—God is present.  That is the first and most important thing about every liturgy.  Only then do we enter the picture.  Jesus sacrifices his life for us so that we might offer to him the spiritual sacrifice of our life.  In the Eucharist, Christ gives himself to us, so that we might give ourselves to him.  Thus we take part in the redeeming and transforming sacrifice of Christ.  Our little life is burst open and led into the kingdom of God.  God can live his life in our lives.

…….The following numbered paragraphs are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Second Edition, and give deeper understanding to YOUCAT Lesson 180:

…….WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

Liturgical seasons

…….1163   "Holy Mother Church believes that she should celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse in a sacred commemoration on certain days throughout the course of the year. Once each week, on the day which she has called the Lord's Day, she keeps the memory of the Lord's resurrection. She also celebrates it once every year, together with his blessed Passion, at Easter, that most solemn of all feasts. In the course of the year, moreover, she unfolds the whole mystery of Christ. . . . Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord's powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present in every age; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving grace." (Sacresanctum concilium 102) ³³  --Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1164 From the time of the Mosaic law, the People of God have observed fixed feasts, beginning with Passover, to commemorate the astonishing actions of the Savior God, to give him thanks for them, to perpetuate their remembrance, and to teach new generations to conform their conduct to them. In the age of the Church, between the Passover of Christ already accomplished once for all, and its consummation in the kingdom of God, the liturgy celebrated on fixed days bears the imprint of the newness of the mystery of Christ.  –CCC

…….1165 When the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ, there is a word that marks her prayer: "Today!" - a word echoing the prayer her Lord taught her and the call of the Holy Spirit. (compare Matthew 6:11; Hebrews 3:7- Heb 4:11; Psalms 95: 6) ³⁴    This "today" of the living God which man is called to enter is "the hour" of Jesus' Passover, which reaches across and underlies all history:

Life extends over all beings and fills them with unlimited light; the Orient of orients pervades the universe, and he who was "before the daystar" and before the heavenly bodies, immortal and vast, the great Christ, shines over all beings more brightly than the sun. Therefore a day of long, eternal light is ushered in for us who believe in him, a day which is never blotted out: the mystical Passover. (St. Hippolytus, De pasch. 1-2 Sources Chrẻtiennes 27,117) ³⁵  --CCC

180 "The Beauty of the Images moves me to Contemplation" part 4

YOUCAT Lesson 180, part 4 of 11 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

180  Why is the Mass sometimes referred to as a “worship service”?

A worship service is in the first place a service that God performs for us—and only then is it our service offered to God.  God gives himself to us under the form of holy signs—so that we might do the same: give ourselves unreservedly to him.  [1145-1192]

…….Overhead view of the Christ Pantocrator (Almighty or All Powerful …..see 2 Corinthians 6:18) in the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Old City of Jerusalem....77.....180

Jesus is there in Word and sacrament—God is present.  That is the first and most important thing about every liturgy.  Only then do we enter the picture.  Jesus sacrifices his life for us so that we might offer to him the spiritual sacrifice of our life.  In the Eucharist, Christ gives himself to us, so that we might give ourselves to him.  Thus we take part in the redeeming and transforming sacrifice of Christ.  Our little life is burst open and led into the kingdom of God.  God can live his life in our lives.

…….The following numbered paragraphs are from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Second Edition, and give deeper understanding to YOUCAT Lesson 180:

HOW IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

…….Holy images

…….1159 The sacred image, the liturgical icon, principally represents Christ. It cannot represent the invisible and incomprehensible God, but the incarnation of the Son of God has ushered in a new "economy" of images:

Previously God, who has neither a body nor a face, absolutely could not be represented by an image. But now that he has made himself visible in the flesh and has lived with men, I can make an image of what I have seen of God . . . and contemplate the glory of the Lord, his face unveiled. (St. John Damascene, De imag. 1,16:Patrologia Graeca 96:1245-1248) ²⁷  --Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1160 Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words. Image and word illuminate each other:

We declare that we preserve intact all the written and unwritten traditions of the Church which have been entrusted to us. One of these traditions consists in the production of representational artwork, which accords with the history of the preaching of the Gospel. For it confirms that the incarnation of the Word of God was real and not imaginary, and to our benefit as well, for realities that illustrate each other undoubtedly reflect each other's meaning. (Council of Nicaea II (787): Conciliorum Oecumenicorum decreta 111) ²⁸  --CCC

…….1161 All the signs in the liturgical celebrations are related to Christ: as are sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as well. They truly signify Christ, who is glorified in them. They make manifest the "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) ²⁹  who continue to participate in the salvation of the world and to whom we are united, above all in sacramental celebrations. Through their icons, it is man "in the image of God," finally transfigured "into his likeness," (compare Romans 8:29;  1 John 3:2) ³⁰  who is revealed to our faith. So too are the angels, who also are recapitulated in Christ:

Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (for we know that this tradition comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in her) we rightly define with full certainty and correctness that, like the figure of the precious and life-giving cross, venerable and holy images of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, our inviolate Lady, the holy Mother of God, and the venerated angels, all the saints and the just, whether painted or made of mosaic or another suitable material, are to be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on sacred vessels and vestments, walls and panels, in houses and on streets. (Council of Nicaea II: Denzinger-Schönmetzer 600) ³¹  --CCC

…….1162  "The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God." (St. John Damascene, De imag. 1,27:Patrologia Graeca 94,1268A,B) ³²    Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of celebration so that the mystery celebrated is imprinted in the heart's memory and is then expressed in the new life of the faithful. --CCC