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Chapter VI

THE LITURGICAL PASTORAL

Summary: 1. Liturgical community, missionary community. Missionary dimension of

the Liturgy. - 2. The pastoral for the sacraments and liturgical prayer. -

3. The pastoral for the Eucharist. - 4. The pastoral for feast-days, the

liturgical year and popular piety.

The aim of pastoral action is that the signs of the presence

and saving action of the risen Christ should be established in

every human community. It is what is called «the implanting of

the Church» (AG 6; cf. ch. V). These signs include: the

proclamation of the Word and the liturgical celebration of the

Paschal mystery, especially through the Eucharist and the other

sacraments.

In fact the pastoral is always centred on the paschal mystery

of Christ, who died and rose again in order to proclaim this

mystery, celebrate it and communicate it (Acts 2:2; 32-47). The

celebration of this mystery is the central point and justification

for all the salvific signs established by Jesus, which are

fulfilled mainly in the liturgy. It is in the same liturgical

celebration that the Word of Jesus is prolonged with greater

effectiveness and the redeeming mystery is accomplished.

In this way by celebrating the liturgy the ecclesial

community becomes aware of its universal missionary dimension:

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«For it is the liturgy through which, especially in the divine

sacrifice of the Eucharist, "the work of our redemption is

accomplished", and it is through the liturgy, especially, that the

faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to

others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true

Church... At the same time it marvelously increases their power

to preach Christ and thus show forth the Church, a sign lifted up

among the nations, to those who are outside, a sign under which

the scattered children of God may be gathered together until there

is one fold and one shepherd» (SC 2).

The Church's «sacramentality», as a clear sign of Christ, is

manifested principally in the liturgical celebration. The work of

universal salvation, accomplished by Christ the Redeemer,

continues in the Church above all through the liturgical signs:

«Accordingly, just as Christ was sent by the Father so also he

sent the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit. This he did so

that they might preach the Gospel to every creature and proclaim

that the Son of God by his death and resurrection had freed us

from the power of Satan and from death, and brought us into the

Kingdom of his Father. But he also willed that the work of

salvation which they preached should be set in train through the

sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life

revolves» (SC 6)1.1 ?. The Church's «sacramentality» is manifested principally in the liturgical celebration. However the theme is studied in the sphere of ecclesiology. J. Esquerda Bifet, The Ecclesial,

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1. Liturgical community, missionary community. Missionary

dimension of the liturgy

The Christian community becomes «a sign lifted up among the

nations» (SC 2; Is 11:12) especially when it celebrates the

mystery of the redemption, assimilates it through faith and

transforms it into the Christian commitment of charity. «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.

For the goal of apostolic endeavor is that all who are made sons

of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in

the midst of his Church, to take part in the Sacrifice and to eat

the Lord's Supper» (SC 10).

Forming the community to the missionary spirit is the same as

forming it to evangelize: «It is the primary and indispensable

source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian

spirit. Therefore, in all their apostolic activity, pastors of

souls should energetically set about achieving it through the

requisite pedagogy» (SC 14).

The liturgy is a group of signs bringing the active and

salvific presence of the Risen Christ into the ecclesial

community. The work of salvation is accomplished through the

Anthropological and Eschatological Dimensions of Mission, "Omnis Terra" 14 (1980) 212-218; O. Semmelroth, La Chiesa sacramento di salvezza, Napoli, D'Auria 1970. See other studies in note 8 of ch. I.

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proclamation, celebration and communication of the paschal

mystery. «To accomplish so great a work Christ is always present

in his Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations» (SC 7;

cf. 35; LG 48). The principal moments of this presence are: the

Eucharist, the sacraments, the Word preached or celebrated,

liturgical prayer2.

The Church is «the universal sacrament of salvation» (AG 1;

GS 45) especially when she lives and celebrates Christ's glory on

the earth, as a preparation for his definitive and universal glory

(LG 48). The missionary dimension of the liturgy is manifested,

therefore, by the fact that it is «an exercise of the priestly

office of Jesus Christ» (SC 7), who is the universal Mediator. In

this salvific work «Christ always associates the Church with

himself... The Church is his beloved bride» (ibidem). In this

celebration the Church becomes the consort of the mystery of the

incarnation: «By his incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a

2 ?. (Documents of Vatican II), The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (Edit. by A.P. Flannery), New York, 1988; H. Vorgrimler H. (ed.), Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II, London 1969; Aa.Vv., La costituzione sulla sacra liturgia, Torino, LDC 1967; Aa.Vv., Concilio Vaticano II, Comentarios a la constitución sobre la sagrada liturgia, Madrid, BAC 1965; J.J. Allmen, El culto cristiano, Salamanca 1968; L. Bouyer, Il rito e l'uomo, Brescia, Morcelliana 1964; O. Casel, Il mistero del culto cristiano, Torino 1966; M. Garrido, Curso de liturgia romana, Madrid, BAC 1961; R. Guardini, Lo spirito della liturgia, Brescia, Morcelliana 1946; C. Vagaggini, Il senso teologico della liturgia, Ediz. Paoline 1965. See also: Nuovo Dizionario di Liturgia, Roma, Paoline 1984; Enciclopedia di Pastorale, 3: Liturgia, Casale Monferrato, PIEMME 1988.

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certain way united himself with each man» (GS 22).

The renewal of the ecclesial community (LG 8) is a necessary

condition if one is to become responsibly aware of the missionary

dimension: «Since the whole Church is missionary, and the work of

evangelization the fundamental task of the people of God, this

sacred Synod invites all to undertake a profound interior renewal

so that being vitally conscious of their responsibility for the

spread of the Gospel they might play their part in missionary

activity among the nations» (AG 35).

Liturgical renewal is a new action of the Holy Spirit to make

the Church eminently evangelizing: «Zeal for the promotion and

restoration of the sacred liturgy is rightly held to be a sign of

the providential dispositions of God in our time, and as a

movement of the Holy Spirit in his Church. It is today a

distinguishing mark of the life of the Church, and, indeed, of the

whole tenor of contemporary religious thought and action» (SC 43).

The same liturgical adaptation to other cultures will make the

young ecclesial communities missionary (SC 37-40).

In fact the community begins to be missionary from the day of

its baptism, after believing the Gospel message. Listening to the

word and celebrating the Eucharist, the community becomes aware of

Jesus' missionary mandate (Mk 16:15). It is this community that

listens to the teaching of the apostles and celebrates the

breaking of the bread, which sets out to evangelize with boldness

(Acts 2:42; 4:29:31).

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Missionary vocations arise and mature in the encounter with

Christ present in the liturgical signs, especially in his Word, in

the sacraments and in the Eucharist (Acts 13:4). Thus there

arises the desire to «proclaim the Lord's death until he comes» (1

Cor 11:26).

When the ecclesial community gathers together to celebrate

the redeeming mystery of Christ, it spontaneously enters into the

missionary perspective of universality and has a burning desire to

have the signs of Christ's saving presence «established» in every

human community. The paschal mystery, celebrated through the

Eucharist, the sacraments, the liturgical year, prayer meetings,

etc., always has this missionary dimension: Jesus came «to give

his life as a ransom for many» (Mt 20:28). In fact it is

particularly in the liturgy that one can live the missionary

nature of the Church more fully: «lex orandi, lex credendi». At

the same time it is in the liturgy that we encounter the most

effective signs of evangelization.

In the liturgy Christ the Priest becomes present with his

capacity for universal mediation (Heb 7:25; Rom 8:34). It is the

same redeeming action that began on the day of the incarnation in

Mary's womb (Heb 10:5-7) and which is now prolonged in the Church

in the liturgical signs of prayer and sacrifice.

The goal of apostolic work is that the believing community

should celebrate Christ's paschal mystery and, at the same time,

this liturgical celebration is the source of all evangelization

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(cf. SC 10; PO 5).

Establishing the Church means establishing the signs of the

active and salvific presence of the Risen Christ in a human

community: prophecy, worship and kingship or priesthood. All

these signs are related in a certain way to the liturgy because in

it the mystery of Christ is proclaimed, made present and

communicated. A clear sign of ecclesial maturity or of the

foundation of the Church is the conscious and active celebration

of the liturgy.

The goal of evangelization outlined by the Second Vatican

Council is described at the beginning of the constitution on the

liturgy: «The sacred Council has set out to impart an ever

increasing vigour to the Christian life of the faithful; to adapt

more closely to the needs of our age those institutions which are

subject to change; to foster whatever can promote union among all

who believe in Christ; to strengthen whatever can help to call all

mankind into the Church's fold» (SC 1). In order to attain this

goal it is essential that «the reform and promotion of the

liturgy» (ibidem) should be undertaken3.3 ?. Aa.Vv., Liturgy and the Missions, New York 1960; Aa.Vv., Liturgie et mission, Louvain, Desclée 1963; Aa.Vv., Liturgy and witness in Missions, «International Review of Mission» 65 (1976) 145-195; Aa.Vv., Missions et Liturgie, Nimega, Desclée 1960; A. Bugnini, La riforma liturgica nelle missioni, in: Aa.Vv., Problemi attuali dell'evangelizzazione, Roma, Pont. Univ. Gregoriana 1975, 193-217; J.A. Jungmann, Liturgy in the Missions after the Council, «Teaching all Nations» 4 (1967) 3-14; J. López Gay, Liturgia e missione, in: Nuovo Dizionario di Liturgia, Roma, Paoline 1984, 855-863; Idem, Missione e liturgia, in: Chiesa e missione, Roma,

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Christ's mandate regarding the universal mission includes the

promise of his presence: «Go..., and know that I am with you

always; yes, to the end of time» (Mt 28:19-20). This presence is

accomplished especially in liturgical celebrations (SC 7).

In celebrating the liturgy the ecclesial community becomes a

missionary community by: listening to the word (which always

reflects the prayer of Christ the universal Mediator), the

celebration of the mystery of the redemption (Christ died for

all), a commitment to charity (which includes evangelization). A

liturgical community that listens, prays, celebrates and loves

becomes missionary. In the «Upper Room» of the liturgical

celebration, with «Mary, the mother of Jesus» (Acts 1:14), the

Church is continually born filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4),

willing to bear witness to the risen Christ to all peoples (Acts

2:32 ff).

2. The pastoral for the sacraments and liturgical prayer

Sacraments are effective signs, bringing the salvific

presence and action of the Risen Christ to the Church. The whole

Church is a «sacrament» as a clear sign and instrument. However

Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1990, 381-405; B. Neuheuser, Evangelizzazione e celebrazione liturgica, in: L'Annuncio del Vangelo oggi, Roma, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1977, 237-253; Idem, Liturgie un Mission, Entfaltung im Dialog, «Euntes Docete» 32 (1978) 365-384; A. Nocent, L'Annuncio del Vangelo nella liturgia, in: L'Annuncio del Vangelo oggi, o.c., 223-236; I. Tubaldo, La Costituzione sulla liturgia e la missiologia, «Euntes Docete» 19 (1966) 158-278.

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the Church's greatest sacramentality is manifested in the seven

signs, called «sacraments», instituted by the Lord, at least in

their fundamental elements.

The efficaciousness of the sacraments is called «ex opere

operato», which means that grace is communicated through the fact

that these signs are celebrated according to the intentions of the

Church, always provided that the human heart does not place

conscious or voluntary obstacles to them. The basic origin of

this «sacramentality» of the Church and of the sacraments is

Christ's humanity, through which we see «his glory» as the Son of

God (Jn 2:11) and we participate in his grace of divine filiation

(Jn 1:16).

These sacramental signs established by the Lord express the

direction relationship with mission and evangelization: «Go...

make disciples of all the nations; baptise them» (Mt 28:19); «This

is my body, which is for you» and «for all» (1 Cor 11:24; Mt

26:28); «As the Father sent me, so am I sending you... for those

whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, for those whose sins

you retain, they are retained» (Jn 20:21-23).

They are «sacraments of the faith», because «they not only

presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish,

strengthen, and express it» (SC 59). The community is taught to

live the faith and celebrate the sacraments and this is directly

related to universal charity: «They do, indeed, confer grace, but,

in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively

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disposes the faithful to receive this grace to their profit, to

worship God duly, and to practise charity» (ibidem).

Christ's mission is prolonged in the Church in order to

proclaim the Gospel to all peoples so that in every community and

in every people the sacramental salvific signs bringing salvation

in Christ may be celebrated: «Accordingly just as Christ was sent

by the Father so also he sent the apostles, filled with the Holy

Spirit. This he did so that they might preach the Gospel to every

creature and proclaim that the Son of God by his death and

resurrection had freed us from the power of Satan and from death,

and brought us into the Kingdom of his Father. But he also willed

that the work of salvation which they preached should be set in

train through the sacrifice and sacraments, around which the

entire liturgical life revolves» (SC 6).

In the Church's evangelizing action, service of the word

(prophetic service) leads to the sacraments (religious service),

so as to transform the community according to the commandment of

love (charitable, organizational and social service). The

ecclesial community established by Jesus varies and is structured

according to the charisms, vocations and services that need to be

exercised in it. This diversity is based on the fundamental

equality and availability (responsibility) of every Christian, due

to the fact that he or she shares in the same divine filiation as

Christ. Sacramental and ministerial services indicate a

difference of charisms; the conformation of each to Christ,

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through charity, indicates equality as a member of the People of

God and as God's children. «The sacred nature and organic

structure of the priestly community is brought into operation

through the sacraments and the exercise of virtues» (LG 11).

«Evangelization does not consist only of the preaching and

teaching of a doctrine. For evangelization must touch life» (EN

47). This life is Christ's life that is celebrated and shared in

the sacraments and that becomes a personal, community and social

commitment. «Evangelization thus exercises its full capacity when

it achieves the most intimate relationship, or better still a

permanent and unbroken intercommunication, between the Word and

the Sacraments» (ibidem). This presupposes «the solid support of

catechesis regarding these same Sacraments and a global

catechesis» (ibidem). In fact «the role of evangelization is

precisely to educate people in the faith in such a way as to lead

each individual Christian to live the Sacraments as true

Sacraments of faith» (ibidem). There would be no real education

in the faith and in the sacraments if it did not arouse the

apostolic responsibility of individuals and communities.

The sacraments of initiation (baptism and confirmation in

particular) are part of the pastoral for the first proclamation

and for the foundation of the Church (cf. ch. IV, 2). «Thus by

baptism men are grafted into the paschal mystery of Christ; they

die with him, are buried with him, and rise with him. They

receive the spirit of adoption as sons "in which we cry, Abba,

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Father"» (SC 6). Hence «the faithful... must profess before men

the faith they have received from God through the Church. By the

sacrament of Confirmation they are more perfectly bound to the

Church and are endowed with the special strength of the Holy

Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more

strictly obliged to spread the faith by word and deed» (LG 11).

The Eucharist is the «source and summit of all preaching of

the Gospel» (PO 5). This is manifested by the fact that «the

other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and

works of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and are

directed towards it» (ibidem). From the catechesis for first

communion, in its personal, family and community level, the

Eucharistic celebration must be presented as the privileged moment

of enrolment in the universal mission of evangelization (cf. n.

3).

The sacrament of reconciliation requires a particular

pastoral precisely because of its power of «conversion» to God's

saving designs (cf. ch. IV, n. 1). Reconciliation with God and

one's brothers, in the Church and in the human community, puts the

believer in a frame of mind to again act according to charity that

has no frontiers. «Those who approach the sacrament of Penance

obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against

him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which

they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example

and by prayer labours for their conversion» (LG 11; cf. Ap. Ex.

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«Reconciliatio et paenitentia»).

The anointing of the sick conforms us to the sufferings of

Christ, the redeemer of all, in order to «complete» his sufferings

in us (Col 1:24). The goal of the pastoral action of this

sacrament is the joyful acceptance of the fact of being able to

associate oneself with Christ also in his passion, death and

resurrection (cf. LG 11). The celebration of this sacrament, with

its previous catechesis for the sick person and his family, is a

privileged moment for discovering the missionary value of

suffering.

Holy Orders appoints those who have received them «to nourish

the Church with the word and grace of God in the name of Christ»

(LG 11). Through this special participation in Christ's

priesthood, the priest as minister is destined for «the fullest,

in fact the universal mission of salvation "to the end of the

earth" (Acts 1:8)» (PO 10).

The sacrament of Matrimony creates the Christian family based

on unity, fruitfulness and indissolubility, as a participation in

the «mystery of the unity and faithful love between Christ and the

Church (cf. Eph 5:32)... In what might be regarded as the

domestic Church, the parents, by word and example, are the first

heralds of the faith with regard to their children. They must

foster the vocation which is proper to each child, and this with

special care if it be to religion» (LG 11).

Every concrete sacramental pastoral will be based on

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preparatory catechesis, a shared, responsible and vital

celebration of the liturgical rite and on some commitments

stemming from the sacrament itself, since it introduces

individuals in a new and deeper manner into the ecclesial

community4.

In the pastoral for the sacraments is rooted the pastoral for

the «sacramentals» since «these are sacred signs which bear a

resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly

of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the Church's

intercession. By them, men are disposed to receive the chief

effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are 4 ?. P. Anciaux, Sacramenti e vita, nuovi orizzonti pastorali, Assisi, Cittadella 1968; Ph. André, Sacramentos y vocación cristiana, San Sebastián 1967; V. Codina, C. Floristán, Los sacramentos hoy: teología y pastoral, Madrid, Edic. Pío X 1982; Cl. Dillenschneider, El dinamismo de nuestros sacramentos, Salamanca, Sígueme 1965; H. Denis, Sacramentos para los hombres, Madrid 1979; A. González Dorado, Los sacrametnos del evangelio, sacramentología fundamental organica, Bogotá, CELAM 1988; J.L. Larrabe, Los sacramentos, encuentro de salvación, Madrid 1971; J. Martos, Doors to the Sacred: A Historial Introduction to Sacraments in the Christian Church 1981; Idem, Sacrament, in: A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, 514-515; M. Nicolau, Teología del signo sacramental, Madrid, BAC 1969; E.C. O'Neil, Meeting Christ in the Sacraments, New York, Alba House 1991; A. Palenzuela, Los sacramentos del la Iglesia, Madrid 1965; K. Rahner, The Church and the Sacaments, London 1967; A.M. Roguet, I sacramenti, segni di vita, Ediz. Paoline 1967; J. Saraiva Martins, I sacramenti della Nuova Alleanza, Roma, Urbaniana University Press 1987; E. Schillebeechx, Cristo sacramento dell'incontro con Dio, Ediz. Paoline 1981; R. Schulte, I singoli sacramenti come articolazione del sacramento radicale, in: Mysterium Salutis 8, Brescia, Queriniana 1975, 50-1890; O. Semmelroth, El sentido de los sacramento, San Sebastián 1966: E.J. Yarnold, Sacramental theology, in: A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, 516.

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rendered holy» (SC 60). One only needs to remember, in

particular, blessings, especially when they are given in an

atmosphere of popular piety and included in the culture and habits

of people. The pastoral for funeral rites (cf. n. 4) is likewise

the sanctification of a special moment of human life, a moment in

which one passes from this world to the next; this pastoral is

intimately related to the pastoral for the Word (ch. V) and to the

pastoral for the Eucharist (cf. n. 3).

Liturgical prayer is an integral part of all sacramental

celebration, especially in the sacrifice and sacrament of the

Eucharist. Sometimes it is carried out within another liturgical

celebration related to the Word of God which is heard, so as to

transform it into humble contemplation and a committed response.

In order to understand and live the pastoral for liturgical

prayer, it is necessary to refer to the liturgy of the Hours. The

Christian community is frequently called together to listen to the

divine Word, to celebrate the mysteries and praise God (SC 84).

«Christ always associates the Church with himself... The Church is

his beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through him offers

worship to the eternal Father» (SC 7). The psalms help people to

live the historical and cosmic universality.

In every liturgical prayer, but especially in the liturgy of

the Hours, Christ's prayer is prolonged: «Jesus Christ, High

Priest of the New and Eternal Covenant, taking human nature,

introduced into this earthly exile that hymn which is sung

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throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. He attaches to

himself the entire community of mankind and has them join him in

singing his divine song of praise. For he continues his priestly

work through his Church. The Church, by celebrating the Eucharist

and by other means, especially the celebration of the divine

office, is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and

interceding for the salvation of the entire world» (SC 83)5.

The march of the pilgrim Church, as the «universal sacrament

of salvation» is marked by these moments of liturgical prayer:

«The divine office, in keeping with ancient Christian tradition,

is so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made

holy by the praise of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of

praise is correctly celebrated by priests and others deputed to it

by the Church, or by the faithful praying together with the priest

in the approved form, then it 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» (SC

84).

The apostolic value of the liturgy of the Hours is based on

the fact that «only the Lord who said, "Without me you can do

5 ?. Aa.Vv., Liturgia delle Ore, Documenti ufficiali e studi, Torino LDC 1972; Aa.Vv., La Liturgia delle Ore, Padova, CAL 1971; A. Cuva, La Liturgia delle Ore, Note teologiche e spirituali, Roma, Ediz. Liturgiche 1974; M. Magrassi, B. Baroffio, L. Pacomio, La Chiesa che prega nel tempo, Torino, Marietti 1979; G. Martimort, La Chiesa in preghiera, Roma 1966; V. Raffa, La nuova Liturgia delle Ore. Presentazione storica, teologica e morale, Milano, OR 1971.

148

nothing" (Jn 15:5), can make their work effective and fruitful.

That is why the apostles when instituting deacons said, "We will

devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts

6:4)» (SC 86). Moments of prayer may be described as moments of

fruitfulness and of ecclesial motherhood, above all when they are

offered «in the name of the Church, their Mother» (SC 85), since

«the ecclesial community exercises a truly motherly function in

leading souls to Christ by its charity, its prayer, its example

and its penitential works» (PO 6).

What Vatican II says of priests as ministers can likewise be

said of every animator of the community: «They teach them to take

part in the celebrations of the sacred liturgy in such a way as to

achieve sincere prayer in them also. They guide them to the

exercise of an ever more perfect spirit of prayer throughout their

lives in proportion to each one's graces and needs. They lead all

the faithful on to the observance of the duties of their

particular state in life, and those who are more advanced to the

carrying out of the evangelical counsels in the way suited to

their individual cases. Finally they train the faithful so that

they will be able to sing in their hearts to the Lord with psalms

and hymns and spiritual canticles, giving thanks always for all

things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father» (PO

5).

This liturgical prayer of the community aims at the universal

«Our Father», which is the final goal of missionary activity and

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of the foundation of the Church in the world (AG 7). The Church

will reach this goal to the extent in which she lives in the Upper

Room and in prayer and brotherhood with «Mary the mother of Jesus»

(Acts 1:14; cf. AG 4; EN 82; RH 22; DEV 66).

3. The pastoral for the Eucharist

Pastoral action has its source and summit in the Eucharist,

as the realization of Christ's paschal mystery. In fact, all

pastoral work and all ministries are services that find

expression, according to the circumstances, in proclaiming

(prophecy), making present (worship) and communicating (odegesis)

the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of the Lord:

«The goal of apostolic endeavor is that all who are made sons of

God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the

midst of his Church, to take part in the Sacrifice and to eat the

Lord's Supper» (SC 10). In this way the «Eucharist builds the

Church» and «the Church lives by the Eucharist» (RH 20)6.

6 ?. Aa.Vv., Thinking about Eucharist, London 1972; Aa.Vv., Eucaristía y vida cristiana, Madrid, CETE 1976; J.Auer, Il mistero dell'eucaristia, Assisi, Cittadella 1972; Cabié R., The Eucharist, London 1986; J. Colombo, Eucharist and Mission, "Omnis terra" 18 (1984) 346-353; A. Beni, L'Eucaristia, Torino, Marietti 1971; CEI, Eucaristia, comunione e comunità, documento pastorale, Torino, LDC 1983; J. Betz, L'Eucaristia mistero centrale, in: Mysterium Salutis 8, Brescia, Queriniana 1975, 229-387; L. Bouyer, Eucharist 1968; F.X. Durwell, La eucaristía, sacramento pascual, Salamanca, Sígueme 1982; J. Emminghaus, The Eucharist Essence, Form, Celebration, Collegeville 1978; J. Esquerda Bifet, Copa de bodas, Eucaristía, vida cristiana y misión, Barcelona, Balmes 1986; P.G. Falciola, Th eeucharist as the Source and Summit of Evangelization, in the Teachings of John Paul II, "Omnis Terra" 20

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Members of the People of God are servants of these same

ministries. Each one according to his or her own particular

vocation. All participate responsibly in the Church's varied

pastoral action: «Taking part in the eucharistic sacrifice, the

source and summit of the Christian life, they offer the divine

victim to God and themselves along with it. And so it is that,

both in the offering and in Holy Communion, each in his own way,

though not of course indiscriminately, has his own part to play in

the liturgical action. Then, strengthened by the body of Christ

in the eucharistic communion, they manifest in a concrete way that

unity of the People of God which this holy sacrament aptly

signifies and admirably realizes» (LG 11).

The pastoral centrality of the Eucharist must be understood

and practised in the sense that in it and starting from it one

must discover the evangelizing power of the word, of the salvific

and sacramental signs, of the services that build up the community

in charity and of the concrete and particular vocations required

to exercise each of these ministries: «The other sacraments, and

indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate

(1986) 86-106; Ch. Journet, La misa, presencia del sacrificio de la cruz, Bilbao, Desclée 1962; J.A. Jungmann, Missarum Solemnia. Origini, liturgia, storia e teologia della messa romana, Torino, Marietti 1963; J. Martos, Eucharistic Theology, in: A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, o.c., 187-190; J. Powers, Eucharistic Theology, London 1968; K.B. Osborne, The Christian Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, New York 1987; J.M.R. Tillard, L'Eucharistie Pâque de l'Eglise, Paris, Desclée 1969.

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are bound up with the Eucharist and are directed towards it. For

in the most blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual

good of the Church, namely Christ himself our Pasch and the living

bread which gives life to men through his flesh - that flesh which

is given life and gives life through the Holy Spirit. Thus men

are invited and led to offer themselves, their works and all

creation with Christ. For this reason the Eucharist appears as

the source and summit of all preaching of the Gospel» (PO 5).

If one wishes to form, build up and educate the ecclesial

community in the light of the word of God and in view of charity

and an active and responsible «communion» (koinonia), then the

importance and priority of the eucharistic celebration must be

stressed from the very beginning of any pastoral action. In fact

«no Christian community is built up which does not grow from and

hinge on the celebration of the most Holy Eucharist. From this

all education for community spirit must begin. This eucharistic

celebration, to be full and sincere, ought to lead on the one hand

to the various works of charity and mutual help. and on the other

hand to missionary activity and the various forms of Christian

witness» (PO 6).

In the scriptural texts on the Eucharist, as well as in the

ecclesial teachings, some aspects and dimensions emerge that could

also be understood as stages of the ecclesial path toward the

pasch: presence, sacrifice, communion (sacrament), mission, hope,

new life or renewal in the Spirit, ecclesial life in the Upper

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Room with Mary, etc. (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19-20; Jn

6:22-71; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 1 Cor 11:17-34).

The pastoral for the Eucharist teaches people to experience

the permanent presence of the Lord under the species of bread and

wine. This pastoral ranges from personal dialogue («visits») to

the more community and solemn celebrations (exposition or

adoration, processions, congresses, etc.). Each of these personal

or community, simple or solemn moments, need catechesis and must

be accompanied in such a way as to bear fruit in a personal

commitment to perfection and the path of prayer, as well as in the

commitment of individuals and small communities to renew the

entire ecclesial community: sharing of resources, active

participation in missionary activity, etc.

Forming the community in order to live this principal

presence of the Lord, is like entering a school where one learns

to live all the other signs of his presence: word, sacraments,

community, the poor, the sick, etc. (SC 7).

This presence of Christ's in the Eucharist (and in his

Church) cannot be separated at any moment from the sacrifice of

the Lord who becomes present principally in the eucharistic

celebration («Mass»). It is above all towards this essential and

central element of the Eucharist that all pastoral action is

directed: the memorial or fulfilment of the Lord's death and all

his paschal mystery. From the sacrifice of the Lord, who becomes

present in the Eucharist, it can be deduced that all Christian

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life is Christ's sacrificial self-giving (Heb 10:5-7, 13:15-17; 2

Cor 1:20). The commandment of love is participation in «laying

down his life» like the good Shepherd (Jn 10:11-18), which is a

basis for the Christian's union and friendship with Christ (Jn

15:13-14). «At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our

Savior instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood.

This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross

throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust

to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and

resurrection» (SC 47).

Educating for eucharistic communion is the pastoral of basic

Christian attitudes, as openness to the divine life or life in

Christ transmitted through the sacrament. It means accepting the

fact that Christ wants to share everything he has with us so that

Christian life may be a sharing of life with him. It is thus a

communion of harmony which means living in him, with him and

through him (Gal 2:19-20; Jn 6:56-57; 15:4-5; Col 3:1-4).

The pastoral for first communion includes a catechesis (with

the active participation of the family and educators) that teaches

faith as an encounter with Christ, hope as the confidence and

dynamism of holiness and apostolate, charity as imitation, union

and conformation to Christ, and as universal fraternal love

without distinction or exclusivism.

From these three principal points of the eucharistic pastoral

(presence, sacrifice, communion) one must necessarily go on to the

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Christian dimension of the Eucharist. This is the mission or

assignment to communicate the Christian mysteries to all people

(«for all»). It is an eschatological pilgrimage in hope to

«proclaim the Lord's death until he comes» (1 Cor 11:26; Rev

21:17-21). It is communication of the new life in the Spirit, as

the «living water» that flows from the side of the dead Christ on

the cross (Heb 9:11-14; Jn 19:34-37; 7:37-39). It is always

ecclesial celebration in the Upper Room «with Mary the mother of

Jesus» (Acts 1:14; Jn 19:25-27; Rev 12:1).

To prepare individuals and communities for the eucharistic

celebration, life and commitment, a pedagogical and family setting

is needed which gives importance to the signs of participation, to

shared prayers, to external attitudes, to assembly songs and to

the silences of adoration and personal response.

The Christian assembly must be taught to evangelize with

boldness, through the eucharistic celebration where one listens to

the Word, one prays and learns to share one's life with one's

brothers and sisters, as a Church that is «united, heart and soul»

(Acts 4:32; cf. 2:42-47; 4:31-34). To summarize: the Eucharist is

the «sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a

paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled

with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us» (SC 47).

4. The pastoral for feast-days, the liturgical year and popular

piety

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The Church celebrates the mysteries of the Lord throughout

the liturgical year. Everything centres around the paschal

mystery (Easter) starting from the mystery of the incarnation

(Christmas). «Thus, recalling the mysteries of the redemption,

she (the Church) opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord's

powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present for

all time; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving

grace» (SC 102)7.

Sunday, or «the Lord's day» is «the original feast day», as

the foundation and centre of the whole liturgical year: «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. For on this day Christ's

faithful are bound to come together into one place. They should

listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus

7 ?. J. Bellavista, L'any litúrgic, Barcelona CPL 1982; A. Bergamini, Cristo festa della Chiesa, L'anno liturgico, Roma, Paoline 1982; O. Casel, Il mistero del culto cristiano, Torino, Borla 1965; Idem, Il mistero dell'Ecclesia, Roma, Città Nuova 1965; C. Floristán, El año litúrgico, Barcelona 1966; J. López Martin, El año litúrgico, Madrid, BAC 1984; M. Magrassi, Cristo ieri, oggi, sempre, Bari, Ecumenica 1978; C. Marmion, Cristo nei suoi misteri, Torino, Marietti 1963; J. Mouroux, Il mistero del tempo, indagine teologica, Brescia, Morcelliana 1965; A. Nocent, Celebrare Gesù Cristo. L'anno liturgico, 7 vol., Assisi, Cittadella 1976; L. Olgati, La celebrazione eucaristica della domenica, Torino, LDC 1978; J. Pascher, El año litúrgico, Madrid 1965; K. Rahner, L'anno liturgico, Brescia, Morcelliana 1964; C. Vagaggini, Theological Dimensions of the Liturgy, 1976.

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calling to mind the passion, resurrection, and glory of the Lord

Jesus, and giving thanks to God who "has begotten them again,

through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, unto a living

hope" (1 Pet 1:3). The Lord's Day is the original feast day, and

it should be proposed to the faithful and taught to them so that

it may become in fact a day of joy and of freedom from work» (SC

106).

The mystery of Easter is the climax of the liturgical year.

It is the feast of «baptism», namely, of conformation to Christ

who died and rose again, to which all men are called (Rom 6:1-9;

Col 3:1-4). The ecclesial community prepares for this event every

year with Lent, as if it were a catechumenate or «neo-

catechumenate», in order to renew, during the Easter night, the

baptismal promises. Lent is an intense time for pastoral action

and Christian renewal in which the attitude of listening to the

Word of God, of prayer and the undertaking to change one's life

(«repentance») is stressed, so as to live up to one's baptism:

«The two elements which are especially characteristic of Lent -

the recalling of baptism or the preparation for it, and penance -

should be given greater emphasis in the liturgy and in liturgical

catechesis. It is by means of them that the Church prepares the

faithful for the celebration of Easter, while they hear God's word

more frequently and devote more time to prayer» (SC 109; cf. AG

14).

The basic elements of this lenten pastoral (prayer,

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penitence, the sharing of resources) are lived in relation to the

liturgy of these forty days, which introduces the neophyte or

believer to all the virtualities of the sacrament of baptism. It

is a catechistic pedagogy that develops, through signs and rites,

the principal themes of Easter and Pentecost: sons of the light,

God's law, living water (grace, Holy Spirit), salvific history of

God's love, hidden life in Christ, universal mission and

evangelization.

The catechumenal journey of forty days towards the Easter

night (when the baptismal promises are renewed) becomes the

journey towards Easter and the Upper Room in order to receive the

new graces of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and become an

evangelizing community.

The mystery of the incarnation is celebrated around

Christmas, from advent until the Epiphany. The ecclesial

community celebrates faith in Christ, perfect God and perfect man,

born of the Virgin Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a

path of hope that accomplishes Christ's different comings:

incarnation, birth, presence in the Church, presence among all

peoples, final coming. The «change» that the community must

accomplish through prayer, fasting and by reading the word, is in

order to «put on the Lord Jesus Christ» (Rom 13-14) to be his

transparency, the Church «sacrament», namely, a sign to the

nations (AG 1; SC 2; cf. Is 11:12).

In fact the pastoral of advent, Christmas and the Epiphany

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aims to convert believers and the entire community into witnesses

of hope. The joy of preparing the way for the Lord, waiting for

his coming, become the «evangelizing» joy of the proclamation: «I

bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole

people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to

you; he is Christ the Lord» (Lk 2:10-11). This is the message

that the ecclesial community, already transformed, must announce

«to men who enjoy his favour» (Lk 2:14).

This pastoral and missionary education of the community uses

the figures of Isaiah, John the Baptist and especially that of the

Virgin Mary. It is fidelity to the word of God, to the messianic

promises, to the signs of the times and to the new graces of the

Holy Spirit, which becomes a living and responsible expectation so

that the Lord's actual coming in the Church and in the world will

be real. The messianic promises are for all men: peace, justice,

brotherhood, new graces...

The Church again lives her missionary vocation as the

«universal sacrament of salvation» becoming sensitive to and

responsible for human history, as the sign bringing Christ: «The

joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time... are

the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ

as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in

their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men, of men

who, united in Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, press onwards

towards the kingdom of the Father and are bearers of a message of

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salvation intended for all men. That is why Christians cherish a

feeling of deep solidarity with the human race and its history»

(GS 1).

All the other feasts of the liturgical year are centred

around the paschal mystery. The marian feasts present Mary as a

Figure of the Church, the faithful virginal bride and mother.

With Mary's example and intercession, the Church associates

herself with Christ the Redeemer: «In celebrating the annual cycle

of the mysteries of Christ, Holy Church honors the Blessed Mary,

Mother of God, with special love. She is inseparably linked with

her son's saving work. 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» (SC 103).

The celebration of the memorial of the saints indicates

Christ's total victory over sin. In the saints we celebrate the

fruit of the death and resurrection of the Lord: «By celebrating

their anniversaries the Church proclaims achievement of the

paschal mystery in the saints 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» (SC 104; cf. LG

49).

The celebration of feast-days and ecclesial events throughout

the liturgical year has the nature of «sacramentality» that can be

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summed up in some basic facts: presence or realization of the

mystery of Christ, objective efficaciousness in sanctification and

in evangelization, a call to adopt inner attitudes of conversion

and of charity towards God and towards one's brothers.

The Church's journey through the liturgical year is an

«eschatological» pilgrimage towards the final encounter with

Christ. «Christ lifted up from the earth, has drawn all men to

himself (cf. Jn 12:32). Rising from the dead (cf. Rom 6:9) he

sent his life-giving Spirit upon his disciples and through him set

up his Body which is the Church as the universal sacrament of

salvation. Sitting at the right hand of the Father he is

continually active in the world in order to lead all men to the

Church and, through it, join them more closely to himself; and, by

nourishing them with his own Body and Blood, make them partakers

of his glorious life. The promised and hoped for restoration,

therefore, has already begun in Christ. It is carried forward in

the sending of the Holy Spirit and through him continues in the

Church... However, until there be realized new heavens and a new

earth in which justice dwells (cf. 2 Pet 3:13) the pilgrim Church,

in its sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present

age, carries the mark of this world which will pass» (LG 48).

«Thus missionary activity tends towards eschatological fullness»

(AG 9).

Any human situation is related to this journey of the

Church's through the liturgical year. The Church's

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«sacramentality» as a sign bringing grace, takes on the

circumstances of human life, of joy and sorrow, in order to change

them into a sign of the encounter with Christ. This is the

significance of the sacraments and the «sacramentals» (cf. n. 2).

Also the «obsequies» or funeral celebrations for the passage

to the next world need a suitable pastoral within the context of

the pilgrim Church that is travelling towards the final pasch (cf.

n. 2 above). This celebration ends in the Eucharist as the

fulfilment of the paschal mystery and the beginning of the wedding

feast, i.e. of the final encounter with the Risen Christ. The

sorrow of temporal separation becomes active hope, expressed also

in intercession and the longing for perfection. The pastoral of

indulgences for the dead comes into this context of the communion

of brothers who are travelling along the same path.

The pastoral for popular piety must be set within the context

of the feasts of the liturgical year, of the sacraments and

especially in relation to the Eucharist, with due respect for the

special characteristics of the liturgy and of popular devotions.

«The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the

Church. Before men can come to the liturgy they must be called to

faith and to conversion» (SC 9). Hence «in the various seasons of

the year and in keeping with her traditional discipline, the

Church completes the formation of the faithful by means of pious

practices for soul and body, by instruction, prayer, and works of

penance and mercy» (SC 105).

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Piety or popular religiosity is a privileged field and one of

prime importance in the missionary pastoral. In it the great

questions of human life are encountered and enlightened with the

Gospel, and one reaches the hearts of people and cultures. «It

manifests a thirst for God which only the simple and poor can

know. It makes people capable of generosity and sacrifice even to

the point of heroism, when it is a question of manifesting belief.

It involves an acute awareness of profound attributes of God:

fatherhood, providence, loving and constant presence. It

engenders interior attitudes rarely observed to the same degree

elsewhere: patience, the sense of the Cross in daily life,

detachment, openness to others, devotion. By reason of these

aspects, we readily call it "popular piety", that is, religion of

the people, rather than religiosity» (EN 48; cf. Puebla 444-459)8.

8 ?. Studies in collaboration: Liturgia e religiosità popolare, proposte di analisi e orientamenti, Bologna, EDB 1979; Fundamentos de la piedad popular, «Estudios Marianos» 48 (1983); La religiosità popolare, valore spirituale permanente, Roma, Teresianum 1978; Religiosidad popular y evangelización universal, Burgos 1978. Others: G. Agostino, La pietà popolare come valore pastorale, Paoline; V. Bo, Religiosità popolare. Studi, ricognizione, storia, orientamenti pastorali, documenti, Milano 1979; J. Esquerda Bifet, Dimensión misionera de la piedad mariana popular, «Euntes Docete» 35 (1982) 427-448; S.Galilea, Religiosidad popular y pastoral, Madrid 1982; L. Gambero, La Madonna e la religiosità popolare, «Ephemerides Mariologicae» 30 (1980) 141-166; W. Henkel, La pietà popolare come via dell'evangelizzazione, in: L'Annuncio del Vangelo oggi, Roma, Pont. Univ. Urbaniana 1977, 527-557; L. Maldonado, Introdución a la religiosidad popular, Santander, Sal Terrae 1985; R. Moretti, La religiosità popolare nell'insegnamento conciliare e postconciliare, in: La religiosità popolare, Roma, Teresianum

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The liturgical and missionary dimension of popular piety

helps to overcome the limits and defects that nearly always come

from a lack of catechesis, from habit and negligence, from a

neglect of Christian commitments and from withdrawal from the

ecclesial communion. «Pastoral charity must dictate to all those

whom the Lord has placed as leaders of the ecclesial communities

the proper attitude in regard to this reality, which is at the

same time so rich and vulnerable. Above all one must be sensitive

to it, know how to perceive its interior dimensions and undeniable

values, be ready to help it overcome its risks of deviation. When

it is well oriented, this popular religiosity can be more and more

for multitudes of our people a true encounter with God in Jesus

Christ» (EN 48).

* * *

GUIDELINES FOR PASTORAL WORKERS

1. Liturgy: school of missionary awareness

- Universal perspective of every liturgical celebration: in

it the missionary mandate is revealed.

- Celebrating and preparing the liturgy as the source and

summit of evangelization.

- The paschal mystery: proclaimed, celebrated and

communicated to all men.

- Implanting the Church: establishing the permanent signs of

1978, 81-101; M. Puccinelli, Aspetti pastorali della religiosità popolare, «Orientamenti Sociali» 3 (1978) 231-242.

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the liturgical presence of Christ the universal Priest and

Mediator.

2. Efficacious signs of evangelization

- From Christ's humanity to the Church «sacrament» and to

every sacrament as an efficacious sign of universal salvation.

- Presenting the missionary dimension of every sacrament as

an evangelizing commitment.

- The missionary value of liturgical prayer as a school of

missionary awareness and as the evangelizing effectiveness of the

Church bride and mother.

3. The evangelizing dimension of the Eucharist

- Making the Eucharist a concrete reality as the centre and

summit of all evangelization.

- Rediscovering the missionary dimension of the Eucharistic

sacrifice, both private and public, popular and liturgical.

- The Lenten commitment to live and help others to live their

baptism: preparing for it through a neo-catechumenal journey.

- Living Christ's liturgical coming in order to prepare for

his coming into the heart of every person.

- Awakening the missionary vocation of the mother Church

through popular piety, especially marian piety.

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