It is God who comes to meet us here, inviting us to join Him to gain fullness of life for our happiness, for the renewal of our humanity and also for that of the entire cosmos, because it so pleases him. However, notwithstanding that it is always God, who remembers first, we too remember. “Do this in memory of me”, Jesus said; we make the great deeds of God live again through those ritual gestures, rites, prayers and words that we celebrate in the Liturgy.

Liturgical celebration is the action of Christ the priest and his Body, the Church; sacred action surpassing all others. As we partake of one loaf, we are one Body, Saint Paul reminds us. So we enter into the flow of that God-initiated Covenant, understanding that our response and our commitment is called for.

Clearly, to participate in the Liturgy with faith is to grow in knowledge of the Scriptures, to grow in understanding of God’s plan of salvation revealed in the Scriptures, and to use all this as our strength and our sustenance in all the life experiences and choices that we face day to day, week to week. The Liturgy reminds us and encourages us to live our Christ-led lives accordingly: promoting respect, mutual support and forgiveness.

In other words, the mystery proposed in its preaching and catechesis, listened to and celebrated with faith must shape our entire lives out there in the real world. By its simple and structured world of symbols tuned to our five senses, our Liturgy creates that space we need to be progressively shaped both by the mystery we celebrate and by the faith we confess there. From Sunday to Sunday we find both the summit and conclusion of the preceding week, and also the source and the vigor of the week that begins.

Source and summit of Christian life, Liturgy is where the community reveals to itself what it is, where it seeks its life, what its concerns are and what its mission is. Liturgy is given to us who are called to live it and support it, and in doing so, bring his Good News to the world.

The Liturgy, Epiphany of the Mystery of Christ, Epiphany of the Mystery of the Church
(Pastoral Message) Mgr Roger Ebacher, April 2004