Stepping into the supernatural world

WE need to realize more deeply that everytime we

participate in any liturgical act, we are actually stepping into the

supernatural world of God. We are made contemporaries with Christ as

he continues his work of human redemption until the end of time.

            And that’s simply because in the liturgy, as in the

celebration of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, Christ

is made present and continues to act. The liturgy is a divine

initiative, not ours. It’s God who brings us to his supernatural

world. Ours is simply to express and articulate in human forms this

divine initiative as commanded by Christ, and to participate in its

supernatural dynamics.

            This is why we should develop and keep a very special

consideration, attention and devotion to the liturgy, especially the

Holy Mass. In it, we have to give our all, carrying out what Christ

commanded us to do: to love God with all our might, and our neighbour

as ourselves, which he later perfected by saying that we have to love

one another as he himself has loved us.

            If this truth about the liturgy is understood and upheld

properly, you can just imagine how we ought to behave when we

participate in a liturgical act! We can never exaggerate the intensity

of our devotion, prayer and worship to God. Our best will always be

found wanting. But the point is that we just have to do our best even

if our best can still be made better.

            We need to do a more effective and abiding catechesis on

this very important aspect of our Christian life. We cannot deny that

there are many things that indicate that the people’s understanding

and attitude toward the liturgy is inadequate, marked by ignorance,

confusion and error.

            This sorry state about how the liturgy is understood can

even start among the clergy. Though we cannot generalize, neither can

we deny that in many instances the sacredness of the liturgical acts

appears to be missing due to the way they are celebrated. More than

faithful ministers of Christ, some clerics reduce their status into

simply being performers and actors.

            Being a divine initiative, the liturgy, as in the

celebration of the sacraments, derives its supernatural effectiveness

more from God’s power (ex opere operato) rather than from our

dispositions (ex opere operantis). Just the same, it will always

demand of us the best dispositions that we can give. So we cannot

overemphasize the need for the appropriate preparation we ought to

have before celebrating or participating in a liturgical act.

            Our participation in it can be likened to the most pliable

clay in the hands of the potter (God) so that we can be as God wants

us to be. We need to be as malleable as possible to God’s will and

ways.  He is very eager to make us like him

            Our participation in it can also be likened to the

relation that good labourers have toward God, the owner of the

vineyard or faithful servants in God’s household. We need to work with

the will of God as owner always in mind.

            We therefore cannot overemphasize the need to participate

in the liturgical acts as actively as possible. In this regard, it

would be helpful if we familiarize ourselves with the prayers and the

different parts involved in the liturgy. We need to spend time for

this purpose so that hopefully we can go along with the liturgy

actively aware of what is happening and not just coasting along

passively.

            The prayers involved usually are most inspired prayers

that will always be helpful to us. They express the proper attitude

and sentiments we ought to have toward God. They are always worthwhile

to be internalized so that we can truly enter into the spirit of the

liturgy and not just get entangled in its externals.