Pope Francis continues his catechesis on Christian prayer at the weekly General Audience and reflects on how liturgical prayer unites us to Christ.
By Devin Watkins
Speaking from the library of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis held his Wednesday General Audience, which was broadcast live to the faithful around the world.
In his ongoing catechesis on Christian prayer, the Pope spoke about how the Church’s liturgical celebrations make Christ present in our lives.
He started by observing that Christian history is full of movements that put liturgical rites aside.
“Many times,” he said, “this trend claimed the purity of a purely religious belief that did not depend on external ceremonies, which were considered a useless or harmful burden.”
Many modern Catholics, he added, attend Mass on Sunday, but nurture their spirituality through various personal devotions.
Liturgy and life
Pope Francis went on to say that the Church has made much progress in recent decades with regard to the centrality of the liturgy in the life of faith.
Christian prayer, he said, is closely linked to concrete expressions of faith, such as Sacred Scripture, the sacraments and liturgical rites.
“In the Christian life, the bodily and material sphere cannot be dispensed with, because in Jesus Christ it has become the means of salvation,” he said.
Prayer based on the liturgy
The liturgy, said the Pope, is more than just spontaneous prayer. “It is an act that underlies the whole Christian experience and, therefore, also prayer. It is happening, it is happening, it is presence, it is an encounter with Christ ”.
He said that Jesus Christ “is present in the Holy Spirit through sacramental signs”.
“Christianity without liturgy is Christianity without Christ,” he emphasized.
Sincere participation
The Pope went on to say that the liturgy, by its very nature, invites us to participate fully, so that we can receive the grace that God offers through it.
“Many Christian prayers do not originate from the liturgy,” he said, “but all of them, if they are Christian, 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 is what allows us to internalize the sacramental presence of Jesus. “What is external to us becomes part of us”, a reality expressed in the natural action of eating.
“Mass cannot simply be ‘heard’,” he pointed out, “as if we were just spectators of something that disappears without our involvement. Mass is always famous, and not only by the presiding priest, but by all Christians who experience it ”.
Christ is the center
The Pope concluded his catechesis by remembering that Christ is the center of the liturgy and that every Christian is invited to participate wholeheartedly in the sacraments.
“Life is called to become worship of God, but that cannot happen without prayer, especially liturgical prayer.”