Pope Francis continues his catechesis on Christian prayer at the weekly General Audience and reflects on how liturgical prayer unites us with Christ.
By Devin Watkins
Speaking from the library of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis held his General Audience on Wednesday which was streamed live to the faithful around the world.
In his continuing catechesis on Christian prayer, the Pope spoke of how the liturgical celebrations of the Church make Christ present in our lives.
He began by noting that Christian history is full of movements that set aside liturgical rites.
“Often,” he said, “this tendency claimed the supposed greater purity of a religiosity that did not depend on external ceremonies, which were considered a useless or harmful burden.”
Many modern Catholics, he added, attend Mass on Sundays but nurture their own spirituality through various personal devotions.
Liturgy and Life
Pope Francis went on to say that the Church has made much progress in recent decades regarding the central place of the liturgy in the life of faith.
Christian prayer, he said, is closely linked to concrete expressions of faith, such as the Holy Scriptures, the sacraments and liturgical rites.
“In the Christian life, the physical and material realm should not be deleted because in Jesus Christ it became the way to salvation,” he said.
Prayer based on liturgy
Liturgy, the Pope said, is more than just a spontaneous prayer. “It is an act that constitutes the whole Christian experience and therefore prayer. It is an event, it happens, it is a presence, it is an encounter with Christ. “
He said that Jesus Christ presents himself in the Holy Ghost “by the sacramental signs”.
“Christianity without liturgy is Christianity without Christ,” he stressed.
Sincere participation
The Pope went on to say that the liturgy naturally invites us to participate fully so that we can receive the grace God offers us through it.
“Many Christian prayers do not come from the liturgy,” he said, “but they all, if they are Christians, presuppose the liturgy, that is, the sacramental mediation of Jesus Christ.”
Christ, he added, is present every time a sacrament is celebrated.
Celebrating the liturgy
Pope Francis said that prayer enables us to internalize Jesus’ sacramental presence. “What is outside of us becomes part of us,” a reality reflected in the natural workings of food.
“Mass cannot simply be ‘listened’, ‘he noted,’ as if we were just spectators of something slipping away without our involvement. Mass is always on celebratedand not only by the priest presiding over it, but by all Christians who experience it. “
Christ is the center
The Pope concluded his catechesis by remarking that Christ is the center of the liturgy and that every Christian is invited to participate wholeheartedly in the sacraments.
“Life is called to worship God, but this cannot happen without prayer, especially liturgical prayer.”