|
Numbers 6, 22-27; Psalm 67, 2-3.5.6.8; Galatians 4, 4-7; St. Luke 2, 16-21
Quickly after acclaiming the birth of the Messiah we turn with equal
wonder in contemplation of his mother, immaculate and therefore
"full of grace", who does not know man because she has vowed
herself to perpetual virginity and whom all generations have called
"blessed": the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We proclaim and preach the marvel God has brought forth in her,
granting her a unique role in our redemption as "Mother of God".
"Mary is the Virgo Praedicanda, that is, the Virgin who is to be
proclaimed, to be heralded, literally, to be preached. We are
accustomed to preach abroad that which is wonderful, strange, rare,
novel, important. Thus when our Lord was coming, St. John the
Baptist preached Him; then, the Apostles went into the wide world
and preached Christ. What is the highest, the rarest, the choicest
prerogative of Mary? It is that she was without sin... This then is why
she is the Virgo Praedicanda; she is deserving to be preached
abroad because she never committed any sin...
"Preaching is a gradual work: first one lesson, then another. Thus
were the heathen brought into the Church gradually. And in like
manner, the preaching of Mary to the children of the Church, and the
devotion paid to her by successive ages. Not so much was preached
about her in early times as in later. First she was preached as the
Virgin of Virgins--then as the Mother of God--then as glorious in her
Assumption--then as the Advocate of sinners--then as Immaculate in
her Conception. And this last has been the special preaching of the
present century; and thus that which is earliest in her own history is
the latest in the Church's recognition of her." (John Cardinal Newman)
| Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus," Mary is
acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit
and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother
of my Lord." (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et. al.) In
fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy
Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the
flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the
second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church
confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God"
(Theotokos). (Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251.) (CCC
495) |
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
"Behold, this child is set for the fall and the rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against..." Mary and Joseph
present the infant Lord at the temple in loving obedience to God and
Simeon boldly prophecies: Christ will be hated by all who reject the
truth. As with Christ, so with all who bear his name in faith and
action. Those in rebellion against God, who worship false gods, will
seek in every age to attack him and all who belong to him.
The universal Church of Christ stands for the truth and so finds
herself opposed by all who detest truth. Her members are called to
heroic fidelity against those who deny God and his laws. The Body of
Christ is now and will be a "sign that is spoken against" until the
end of the world. As we grow in authentic Christian faith and life, we
may be called to share in every sorrow and tribulation our Lord freely
underwent for us, that we might share forever in the perfect happiness
of God. In the conflict of good and evil, for some this will mean even
death.
The Church must remain faithful to her Lord and so follows his
example.
| Many of Jesus' deeds and words constituted a 'sign
of contradiction,' (Lk 2:34) but more so for the
religious authorities in Jerusalem, whom the Gospel
according to John often calls simply 'the Jews,' (Jn
1:19; 2:18;5:10) than for the ordinary People of God. (Jn
7:48-49) (CCC 575) |
Many of the common Jewish people were open and sincere before
God and so found a place in their minds and hearts for Christian faith.
Through pride and power some in the Jewish nation had lost a
humble desire for God and could not accept the Messiah while
blinded with self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
In every age some hard-heartedly refuse to accept Christ as the
fulfillment of the Law, the Temple "not made by human hands", the
full revelation of the Triune God. Some government and religious
leaders claim godliness, just as Jewish leaders did, but their actions
often speak far differently than their words. A president claims to be
Christian, quotes the Bible, and yet approves the slaughter of
innocents as they enter the world from their mothers' wombs.
Doctors, lawyers and elected leaders promote heinous laws which
encourage abortion for use of fetal tissue, the equal of Nazi
exterminations. Judges continue a vociferous assault upon God in the
schools as great numbers of children suffer for lack of faith in God
and his love. Parents claim Christianity yet fail to teach their children
basic prayers or to bring them to worship. Catholics break their
communion with God through fornication, marriage outside the
Church or desecration of the Sabbath and compound their
wrongdoing by hypocritical reception of Communion.
Many things are wrong with the world; sin is a constant reality for the
sons and daughters of Adam, but pessimism is never the way for the
members of Christ. As "signs of contradiction" we preach the truth
about love and life to a forgetful world. We proclaim the reality of
God's love which can break into our hardened hearts by redemption
in Christ who is truly with us now and will never leave us.
The solution to sin is heroic acceptance of our vocation to love.
Young men and women jeopardize their future marriage, as well as
their souls, through fornication; they must be patiently told that their
actions prove they do not love each other enough. Heroic love
remains chaste outside of marriage, and builds a solid foundation of
honesty with God, with self and others for a marriage based on
generous self-giving and not selfish taking. Young boys and girls need
generous parents who are willing to sacrifice money and career to
give the time and attention no child can do without. When a child
knows he is loved, he learns to cherish himself enough to avoid the
danger of drugs and alcohol abuse. In authentic love priests must
preach the whole doctrine of the Church, calling the moral evil of
contraception by name and providing the means for couples to learn
natural methods for the regulation of births.
Our Faith is a treasure beyond price, by the strength of which we
stand boldly against the winds of fad and fashion, the culture of death
that threatens happiness now and forever. Signs of contradiction, we
share in the glory of the great host of martyrs who, when called by
God, sacrificed all in trust and love of Him.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick(Publish with
permission.) www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
Vigil: Acts 3, 1-10; Psalm 19; Galatians 1, 11-20; St. John 21, 15-19
During the Day: Acts 12, 1-11; Psalm 34; 2 Timothy 4, 6-8. 17-18; St. Matthew
16, 13-19
Christ the Lord bestows an abundance of gifts, a rich inheritance
upon his people. In the Church we share continually in these riches
which include the living tradition built upon the foundation stones of
the Twelve Apostles. We celebrate today the two men who are chief
among these twelve. The Apostles Peter and Paul are continuing
witnesses to the one, holy, catholic and apostolic nature of the
Church founded by Christ. They point the way to salvation for all
who follow in the path lit up by their confession of faith and orthodox
teaching.
| Peter and Paul confessed the authority and divinity of
Jesus Christ as "Son of God" which in the Old
Testament did not necessarily imply divinity, but "Such
is not the case for Simon Peter when he confesses
Jesus as 'the Christ, the Son of the living God,' for
Jesus responds solemnly: 'Flesh and blood has not
revealed this to you, but my Father who is in
heaven.' (Matthew 16:16-17) Similarly Paul will write,
regarding his conversion on the road to Damascus,
'When he who had set me apart before I was
born, and had called me through his grace, was
pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I
might preach him among the Gentiles...' (Galatians
1:15-16) 'And in the synagogues immediately [Paul]
proclaimed Jesus, saying, "He is the Son of
God." ' (Acts 9:20) From the beginning this
acknowledgment of Christ's divine sonship will be the
center of the apostolic faith, first professed by Peter as
the Church's foundation." (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:10; John
20:31; Matthew 16:18) (CCC 442) |
Peter's primacy as teacher in matters of faith and morals is not an
option for those who follow Christ. Acknowledging Peter as Christ's
Vicar on earth, looking to him as earthly guide to salvation, is
necessary for living in obedience to Christ himself and a part of the
apostolic faith. Rejection of the authority of Peter and his successors,
the Popes, is rejection of the will of Christ the Lord.
| Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the
Twelve; (Cf. Mark 3:16; 9:2; Luke 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5) Jesus
entrusted a unique mission to him. Through a
revelation from the Father, Peter had confessed: 'You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Our
Lord then declared to him: 'You are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of
Hades will not prevail against it.' (Matthew 16:18)
Christ, the 'living stone,' (1 Peter 2:4) thus assures his
Church, built on Peter, of victory over the powers of
death. Because of the faith he confessed Peter will
remain the unshakable rock of the Church. His mission
will be to keep this faith from every lapse and to
strengthen his brothers in it." (Cf. Luke 22:32) (CCC 552) |
| Jesus entrusted a specific authority to Peter: 'I will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.' (Matthew 16:19) The 'power of the
keys' designates authority to govern the house of God,
which is the Church. Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
confirmed this mandate after his Resurrection: 'Feed
my sheep.' (John 21:15-17; cf. 10:11) The power to 'bind
and loose' connotes the authority to absolve sins, to
pronounce doctrinal judgments, and to make
disciplinary decisions in the Church. Jesus entrusted
this authority to the Church through the ministry of the
apostles (Cf. Matthew 18:18) and in particular through the
ministry of Peter, the only one to whom he specifically
entrusted the keys of the kingdom. (CCC 553) |
Let us turn always with joy to Christ's vicar for absolution from our
sins, for authoritative teaching in matters of faith and morals and for
the loving discipline which constantly calls us back from our
wandering in error and sin to the sure path of truth and salvation in
Christ.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
(For further reading on today's Gospel see CCC 153, 424, 1444)
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14; Psalm 97:1-2,5-6,9; 2 Peter 1: 16-19; Mark 9:2-10
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Holiness is the best defense.
Military planners believe that conventional "over-there" warfare is a thing
of the past. Enemies now will zap computer systems, plant bombs in civilian
buildings, cultivate terrorist cells within the borders of their opponents,
destroying them from within. Americans once prided themselves on their
national security and internal peace. The UN building and Oklahoma City
prove that those days are over; risk comes both from without and from
within. Violence of all kinds is on the increase, and millions are spent in
search of perfect security.
Recent lessons confirm the wisdom of the ages: the only true solution to
man's slavery to fear of suffering and death does not come from this world.
In the transfiguring glory which Christ reveals to the select few on the
mountain is the answer to man's desperation. "...he was transfigured before
them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on
earth could bleach them." (Mk 9:3) His appearance reveals the eternal power
of God, which comes not from this world and which no earthly power can
vanquish.
Holiness is the answer.
Jesus Christ is the way for every man and woman. Security comes not from
physical defense, for power ever escalates and the forces of nature are
unpredictable. Weapons of destruction fall into evil hands every day and all
of us live with the threat of violence. Peace cannot come through higher
walls, more locks on the door or a move to the "country". The wise man will
seek the security that can never be taken away: the fortification, the
stronghold of God's grace, realizing that the only true threat is the evil
that he embraces with his intellect and will, not that which he suffers at
the hands of another.
The strength of a holy life is possessing and living Christ's own life, the
Resurrection and the Life which is victorious over every evil. Jesus Christ
is the only power which can promise us that, though we may sustain every
torture or means of violence that man has sinfully devised for the
destruction of the body, our heart, mind, soul and strength can yet be
joined with God at every moment. No matter what may come in this life, no
matter what the future may hold, we know and believe that a holy life is the
only certain security, for in it lies the seed of heavenly glory.
Anything which destroys the glory of God in us is rejected as evil by those
who sincerely seek holiness. The worst violence is the destruction of God's
image through man's own complicity, at an epidemic level today. The culture
of death is at once the most ignored and the greatest threat. The moral evil
of surgical sterilization in voluntary vasectomy, hysterectomy, and tubal
ligation is a violation of the human person, yet a growing means of
regulating births. Abortion is not only the murder of a child, it is at the
same time dehumanizing and degrading for the mother. Sin is most evil for it
renders man and woman incapable of glorifying God in their bodies.
The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: "Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me." "I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (Mt 11:29; Jn 14:6) On the
mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: "Listen to him!" (Mk
9:7; cf. Deut 6:4-5) Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of
the new law: "Love one another as I have loved you." (Jn 15:12) This love
implies an effective offering of oneself, after his example. (Cf. Mk 8:4) "
(CCC 459)
We glorify God in our bodies through a self-offering configured to the Cross
and consecrated in the glorified and risen Christ. He reveals his glory to
strengthen us for our share in His suffering which comes with total
rejection of evil.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Vigil
1 Chronicles 15, 3-4.15.16; 16, 1-2; Psalm 132, 6-7.9-10.13-14; 1 Corinthians
15, 54-57; St. Luke 11, 27-28
Mass during the Day
Revelation 11, 19; 12, 1-6.10; Psalm 45, 10.11.12.16; 1 Corinthians 15, 20-26;
St. Luke 1, 39-56.
In his love for mankind, the Lord has exalted him above all creatures
by creating him in his image and likeness, but more so by raising him
up in Christ to share divine life forever. Among all human creatures, it
is our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom "all generations will
call blessed" (St. Luke). Mary has been given the highest place
among all of creation, and it is she, a woman, who ranks highest in
the most important hierarchy: the hierarchy of holiness. The gift of
God in her glorious Assumption into heaven is the fulfillment of his
grace in her. She goes before us to intercede with her Son that we
may join her in praising Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit forever in
heaven.
"Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all
stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life
was finished, was taken up body and soul into
heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen
over all things, so that she might be the more fully
conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and
conqueror of sin and death." (Lumen gentium 59; cf. Pius
XII, Munificentissimus Deus (1950): DS 3903; cf. Rev 19:16.)
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular
participation in her Son's Resurrection and an
anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:
| In giving birth you kept your virginity; in
your Dormition you did not leave the
world, O Mother of God, but were joined
to the source of Life. You conceived the
living God and, by your prayers, will
deliver our souls from death. (Byzantine
Liturgy, Troparion, Feast of the Dormition,
August 15th.) |
(CCC 966)
By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his
Son's redemptive work, and to every prompting of the
Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's model of
faith and charity. Thus she is a preeminent and
…wholly unique member of the Church"; indeed, she
is the "exemplary realization" (typus) (Lumen gentium
53; 63.) of the Church. (CCC 967)
Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity
goes still further. "In a wholly singular way she
cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning
charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural
life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the
order of grace." (Lumen gentium 61.) (CCC 968)
|
Looking forward to meeting here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(For more on the Blessed Virgin Mary see Catechism of the Catholic Church
paragraph numbers 969 and following.)
Publish with permission. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
Numbers 21: 4-9; Psalm 78: 1-2, 34-38; Philippians 2: 6-11; St. John 3: 13-17
Rather than a sign of utmost ignominy, as many in the world see it, we
see the Cross as the glory of God's redeeming love most fully
revealed. This mystery remains a scandal, a stumbling block and a
sign of contradiction raised up for all the world to see.
Jesus accepted Peter's profession of faith, which
acknowledged him to be the Messiah, by announcing
the imminent Passion of the Son of Man. (Cf. Mt 16:
16-23) He unveiled the authentic content of his
messianic kingship both in the transcendent identity of
the Son of Man "who came down from heaven," and
in his redemptive mission as the suffering Servant:
"The Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
(Jn 3:13; Mt 20:28; cf. Jn 6:62; Dan 7:13; Isa 53:10-12) Hence
the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when
he is raised high on the cross. (Cf. Jn 19:19-22; Lk 23:
39-43) Only after his Resurrection will Peter be able to
proclaim Jesus' messianic kingship to the People of
God: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know
assuredly that God has made him both Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36)
(CCC 440)
|
The Cross, the Resurrection and the Ascension of the Lord are
brought together, revealed and made present for us here and now in
the sacred Liturgy.
"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men to myself." (Jn 12:32) The lifting up of
Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up
by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it.
Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal
covenant, "entered, not into a sanctuary made by
human hands...but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God on our behalf."
(Heb 9:24) There Christ permanently exercises his
priesthood, for he "always lives to make
intercession" for "those who draw near to God
through him." (Heb 7:25) As "high priest of the good
things to come" he is the center and the principal
actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.
(Heb 9:11; cf. Rev 4: 6-11) (CCC 662)
|
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy"---Father Cusick
(See also CCC 219, 423, 444, 458, 661)
( Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
Solemnity of All the Saints
Revelation 7, 2-4.9-14; Psalm 24, 1-2.3-4.5-6; 1 John 3, 1-3; St.
Matthew 5, 1-12
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.
Sacrosanctum concilium 108, 111) (CCC 1173)
The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ
and portray his charity. They express the vocation of
the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and
Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and
attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the
paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of
tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards
already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples;
they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all
the saints. (CCC 1717) |
The Beatitudes are the invitation fulfilled in the lives of all the saints
who now intercede for us that we may follow in their glorious path to
eternal happiness.
Looking forward to meeting here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(See also Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph numbers 520, 544, 581,
1716, 1720, 2305, 2330, 2518, 2546.)
Publish with permission. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
( Rooted in ancient Christian tradition, as witnessed by Tertullian in the 2nd
century A.D., St. Odilo of Cluny established a memorial of all the faithful
departed in 988. It was accepted by Rome in the 13th century. An Apostolic
Constitution of Pope Benedict XV in 1915 granted all priests the privilege of
celebrating three Masses today for the following intentions: one Mass for a
particular intention, another Mass for all the faithful departed, and a third
Mass for the intention of the Pope. A stipend may be received only for the
first intention mentioned above.)
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We pray and offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice on this occasion for all of
the "faithful" departed, of whom the Lord speaks in today's gospel.
| For this is the will of my Father, that every one who
sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal
life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (Jn 6, 40) |
In our day the greatest danger to the true faith is the error of
relativism, according to recent comments by Cardinal Ratzinger. The
belief that any way to approach God is as good or as true as any
other is incompatible with the faith of the Apostles, expressed by
Peter when he said, "Lord, to whom else shall we go, you alone
have the words of eternal life." Christ himself taught: "I am the
way." There is no other way to eternal beatitude with the Father in
heaven except through his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Only the
faithful departed, or those who through no fault of their own never
came to know Christ and yet sought to love God, can hope for
everlasting life. Only faith in the sole source of forgiveness of sins can
bring that forgiveness by which we will be washed clean and so made
acceptable to enter into God's presence.
| Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him
for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that
salvation. (Cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:36; 6:40 et al.) "Since
'without faith it is impossible to please [God]' and
attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without
faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will
anyone obtain eternal life 'but he who endures to the
end.' " (Dei Filius 3: DS 3012; cf. Mt 10:22; 24:13 and Heb
11:6; Council of Trent: DS 1532.) |
We pray on this feast for all of those souls who yet undergo their
purification from sin made possible by the washing in the blood of the
Lamb.
| All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still
imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal
salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so
as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of
heaven. (CCC 1030) The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final
purification of the elect, which is entirely different from
the punishment of the damned. (Cf. Council of Florence
(1439): DS 1304; Council of Trent (1563): DS 1820; (1547):
1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336): DS
1000.) The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on
Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and
Trent. The tradition of the Church, be reference to
certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:
(Cf. 1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7.)
| As for certain lesser faults, we must
believe that, before the Final Judgment,
there is a purifying fire. He who is truth
says that whoever utters blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned
neither in this age nor in the age to come.
From this sentence we understand that
certain offenses can be forgiven in this age,
but certain others in the age to come. (St.
Gregory the Great, Dial. 4, 39: PL 77, 396; cf. Mt
12:31) (CCC 1031) |
|
In our liturgy today we pray as we believe. We pray for the dead
inasmuch as the Church teaches the power of prayer to shorten their
suffering and hasten their beatitude.
| This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer
for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture:
"Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement
for the dead, that they might be delivered from
their sin." (2 Macc 12:46) From the beginning the
Church has honored the memory of the dead and
offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the
Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may
attain the beatific vision of God. (Cf. Council of Lyons II
(1274): DS 856.) The Church also commends
almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance
undertaken on behalf of the dead. (CCC 1032) |
St. John Chrysostom speaks of this reality of our faith when he
writes:
| Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons
were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we
doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some
consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who
have died and to offer our prayers for them. (St. John
Chrysostom, Hom. in 1 Cor. 41, 5: PG 61, 361; cf. Mt 12:31.)
(CCC 1032) |
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy"---Father Cusick
(See also CCC 161, 606, 989, 994, 1001, 2824)
( Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 84: 3-6, 8, 11; 1 Corinthians 3; 9c-11, 16-17; St.
John 2, 13-22
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Though he showed the greatest respect for the temple in Jerusalem
(CCC 583), as did all the prophets before him, the Lord made it clear
that he was establishing a New Covenant, a new sacrifice and a new
people who would worship God all over the world. No longer would
Jerusalem be the only place where sacrifice could be offered to God.
Jesus himself is the new temple, and his body, broken on the cross
and raised again on the third day, is the perfect sacrifice and temple.
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." (Jn 2,
19) Jesus Christ is priest, altar and victim of the New an perfect
covenant. Through the men who share his priesthood the sacrifice of
his body would be offered and received in every time and place until
he comes in glory.
The worship "in Spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:24) of the
New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one
place. The whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the
children of men. What matters above all is that, when
the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the
"living stones," gathered to be "built into a spiritual
house." (1 Pet 2:4-5) For the Body of the risen Christ is
the spiritual temple from which the source of living
water springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the
Holy Spirit, "we are the temple of the living God."
(2 Cor 6:16) (CCC 1179)
When the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted,
(Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dignitatis Humanae 4)
Christians construct buildings for divine worship.
These visible churches are not simply gathering places
but signify and make visible the Church living in this
place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and
united in Christ. (CCC 1180)
|
Throughout the history of the Church, God's people have made great
sacrifices to build fitting temples in which this one true sacrifice could
be gloriously and reverently offered. For two millennia the beauty of
churches all over the world have raised countless minds and hearts to
worship of the one true God. And these churches have proclaimed
the one Church in a compelling and moving way.
| A church, "a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is
celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble,
and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of
God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar
for the help and consolation of the faithful--this house
ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for
prayer and sacred ceremonial."(PO 5; cf. SC 122-127) In
this "house of God" the truth and the harmony of the
signs that make it up should show Christ to be present
and active in this place. (Cf. SC 7) (CCC 1181) |
There is one place of worship which is prior to all others, the Pope's
own diocesan church. The Pope is the bishop of Rome and the
Lateran Basilica is his diocesan church. All other churches in the
world look to this Basilica with its title "omnium urbis et orbis
ecclesiarum mater et caput", for it is head and mother of every
Church in the city of Rome and the world. Today we mark the
dedication of the Pope's church, from which he exercises his
immediate universal power to teach as Christ's vicar. From here his
word goes out to defend the truth of Christ and the Church he has
founded for the salvation of the world. And this church, as in every
other in union with Rome throughout the world, is a true temple
because within it is enshrined the Body of Christ, "the true temple not
made by hands", the temple raised up on the third day. Greater by far
than the temple in Jerusalem is any church which contains the
Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle.
If Christ himself demonstrated that the greatest of respect was due to
his Father's house, which the old sacrifice was offered, and which
was merely a sign of the sacrifice of Christ to come, how much
greater is the reverence due to the Body of the Lord in the
tabernacle, and to the church building which enshrines such a
treasure?
The Church exercises her proper authority in mandating the proper
furnishing and decorating of churches, and in accord with that, directs
the placement of the tabernacle. "The tabernacle is to be situated in
churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor." (Paul VI,
Mysterium Fidei: AAS (1965) 771.) The dignity, placing, and security of
the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord
really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. (Cf. Second Vatican
Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium 128.) (CCC 1183) We truly see and seek
in the Eucharist an infinite source of love when when we treasure our
Eucharistic Lord enough to grant him a truly prominent and fitting
place in our temples of worship, for "where your heart is there will
your treasure be." (Publish with permission.)
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together,
we "meet Christ in the liturgy"---Father Cusick
Genesis 3, 9-15. 20; Psalm 98, 1.2-3. 3-4; Ephesians 1, 3-6. 11-12; St. Luke 1,
26-38
The Church celebrates the birth of our Lady on September 8 and
today, nine months prior, her Immaculate Conception.
| To become the mother of the Savior, Mary "was
enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role."
(Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium 56.) The angel
Gabriel at the moments of the annunciation saluted her
as "full of grace." (Lk 1:28) In fact, in order for Mary
to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the
announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that
she be wholly borne by God's grace. (CCC 490) Through the centuries the Church has become ever
more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God,
(Lk 1:28) was redeemed from the moment of her
conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in
1854:
| The most blessed Virgin Mary was, from
the first moment of her conception, by a
singular grace and privilege of almighty
God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus
Christ, Savior of the human race,
preserved immune from all stain of original
sin. (Pius XI, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854: DS 2803) |
(CCC 491)
The "splendor of an entirely unique holiness" by which
Mary is "enriched from the first instant of her
conception" comes wholly from Christ: she is
"redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, more than any
other created person "in Christ with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places" and chose her "in
Christ before the foundation of the world, to be
holy and blameless before him in love." (Cf. Eph
1:3-4) (CCC 492)
The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of
God "the All-Holy" (Panagia) and celebrate her as
"free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the
Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature." (Second
Vatican Council, Lumen gentium 56.) By the grace of God
Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole
life long. (CCC 493)
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