Christian Art | Baptism Of Jesus | The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand
Office Of Readings | Week 2, Sunday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy Of The Second Vatican Council | Christ Is Present In His Church
‘Jesus Christ is present in his Church.’
This reading from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council sets out a comprehensive understanding of the liturgy as the privileged place of Christ’s presence and action in the Church. Rather than treating worship as one activity among others, the text presents the liturgy as central to the Church’s life and mission.
The opening identifies the many ways in which Jesus Christ is present to his Church. Jesus is present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, in the ordained minister, in the sacraments, in the proclaimed word of Scripture, and in the gathered community at prayer. These forms of presence are not symbolic reminders but real modes of Christ’s action. In each case, it is Christ himself who acts: he offers, baptizes, speaks, and gathers his people.
The reading then situates this presence within a relationship. The liturgy is described as the work of Christ together with his Church, portrayed as his Bride. Through Christ, the Church offers worship to the Father, and through this partnership God is glorified and humanity is sanctified. Liturgy is therefore both divine action and ecclesial response, held together in a single act.
This leads to a clear definition of the liturgy as the exercise of Christ’s priestly office. Through visible signs and actions, sanctification is not only expressed but effected. The whole Church participates in this action, understood as the mystical body of Christ, with Christ as head and the faithful as members. Because of this, every liturgical celebration has a unique dignity and effectiveness that no other activity of the Church can equal.
The reading presents earthly liturgy as a participation in the heavenly worship already taking place. In the liturgy, the Church joins the saints and angels in praise, remembers those who have gone before, and looks forward to the return of Christ in glory. Worship is thus shaped by memory, communion, and hope.
Finally, there is focus on Sunday as the weekly celebration of the paschal mystery. Rooted in the day of Christ’s resurrection, Sunday is described as the primary feast of the Church. By gathering to hear the word and share in the Eucharist, the faithful recall Christ’s saving work and give thanks for new life. Sunday is presented as the foundation of the liturgical year and as a day marked by joy and freedom, setting the pattern for Christian worship and life.
A Reading From The Constitution On The Sacred Liturgy Of The Second Vatican Council | Christ Is Present In His Church
Christ is always present to his Church, especially in the actions of the liturgy. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, in the person of the minister (it is the same Christ who formerly offered himself on the cross that now offers by the ministry of priests) and most of all under the Eucharistic species. He is present in the sacraments by his power, in such a way that when someone baptizes, Christ himself baptizes. He is present in his word, for it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Finally, he is present when the Church prays and sings, for he himself promised: Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.
Indeed, in this great work which gives perfect glory to God and brings holiness to men, Christ is always joining in partnership with himself his beloved Bride, the Church, which calls upon its Lord and through him gives worship to the eternal Father.
It is therefore right to see the liturgy as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ, in which through signs addressed to the senses man’s sanctification is signified and, in a way proper to each of these signs, made effective, and in which public worship is celebrated in its fullness by the mystical body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the head and by his members.
Accordingly, every liturgical celebration, as an activity of Christ the priest and of his body, which is the Church, is a sacred action of a pre-eminent kind. No other action of the Church equals its title to power or its degree of effectiveness.
In the liturgy on earth we are given a foretaste and share in the liturgy of heaven, celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, the goal of our pilgrimage, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, as minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. With the whole company of heaven we sing a hymn of praise to the Lord; as we reverence the memory of the saints, we hope to have some part with them, and to share in their fellowship; we wait for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he, who is our life, appears, and we appear with him in glory.
By an apostolic tradition taking its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day, the day that is rightly called the Lord’s day. On Sunday the Christian faithful ought to gather together, so that by listening to the word of God and sharing in the Eucharist they may recall the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God who has given them a new birth with a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Lord’s day is therefore the first and greatest festival, one to be set before the loving devotion of the faithful and impressed upon it, so that it may be also a day of joy and of freedom from work. Other celebrations must not take precedence over it, unless they are truly of the greatest importance, since it is the foundation and the kernel of the whole liturgical year.
Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus Christ,
you are always present to your Church
when we gather in your name.
Open our hearts to recognise your presence
in the word we hear,
in the sacraments we celebrate,
and in the prayers we offer together.
Draw us more deeply into your saving work,
that through the liturgy
we may be sanctified
and give perfect glory to the Father.
As we share in the worship of earth,
keep before us the hope of heaven,
where you live and reign
with all the saints.
Strengthen our love for the Lord’s day,
that it may be for us
a source of joy, renewal, and thanksgiving.
You who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Liturgy | The public worship of the Church
Eucharistic species | The appearances of bread and wine in the Eucharist
Sacrifice of the Mass | The sacramental re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice
Minister | One ordained to serve in the liturgy, especially priest or deacon
Sacraments | Sacred signs through which Christ gives grace
Word of God | Sacred Scripture proclaimed in the Church
Mystical body of Christ | The Church united to Christ as head
Priestly office | Christ’s work of offering worship and bringing salvation
Sanctification | The act of making people holy
Paschal mystery | The passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ
Heavenly liturgy | The eternal worship of God by Christ and the saints
Lord’s day | Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection
Liturgical year | The cycle of seasons and feasts celebrated by the Church
Eternal Father | God the Father, to whom worship is offered
As we have heard in our Palm Sunday reading, Mary anoints Jesus. In John’s account, she anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. This is a sign of great love and humility, which Jesus will offer to his followers in John’s account of the Last Supper. The ointment she uses is very precious, costing a year’s wages for a labouring man, and the whole house is filled with the beautiful scent [ … ]
The reading from Gaudium et Spes presents one of the most concise theological accounts of peace in the modern magisterium. The Council situates peace not in the suspension of conflict or equilibrium of force but in a moral and spiritual order. Peace, it declares, ‘is the work of justice,’ an expression drawn from Isaiah and later from the tradition of Catholic social thought. Justice here is understood not only as distributive equity but as the right ordering of relationships among persons, societies, and nations according to divine law [ … ]
King James Audio Bible | KJV | King James Version King Herod There were several individuals named Herod who played significant roles in ancient history, particularly in the history of the Roman Empire and the region of Palestine. Here is a brief overview of the most notable Herods: Herod the Great: Also known as Herod I, he was a Roman client king of Judea, ruling from 37 BC to 4 BC. He is perhaps most famous for his role in the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. Herod Antipas: Also known as Herod II, he was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist and later had him beheaded. Herod Agrippa I: Also known as Herod III, he was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned the apostle Paul. Herod Agrippa II: Also known as Herod IV, he was the great-grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over parts of Palestine and Syria from 50 to 100 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who heard Paul’s defence before the Roman governor Festus. These rulers, who were known as the Herodian dynasty, were not Jewish but rather descended from a Greek family that had converted to Judaism. Despite this, they were appointed as rulers by the Roman Empire and were generally unpopular among the Jewish population due to their collaboration with the Roman occupation and their often brutal methods of rule. Herod The Great Herod the Great, also known as Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea who ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was born in 73 BC in Idumea, a region in southern Palestine, and was the son of Antipater the Idumean, an Edomite who had been appointed as a governor of Judea by the Roman general Pompey. Herod rose to power after the Roman general Julius Caesar appointed him as king of Judea in 40 BC. He consolidated his power over the next few years by defeating his rivals and establishing himself as the undisputed ruler of the region. As king, Herod embarked on a massive building program that included the expansion and renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem, the construction of the port city of Caesarea Maritima, and the fortification of several cities in Judea. He also commissioned the construction of a number of palaces and other buildings, including the famous Herodium, a palace-fortress located south of Jerusalem. Despite his many accomplishments, Herod was a controversial figure who was known for his harsh rule and his willingness to use violence to maintain his power. He was married several times and had a large number of children, several of whom he had executed when they posed a threat to his rule. One of the most famous stories associated with Herod is the biblical account of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was saved by his parents, who fled to Egypt, and later returned to Palestine after Herod’s death. Herod died in 4 BC at the age of 70, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant rulers in the history of ancient Palestine. Herod Antipas Herod Antipas, also known as Herod II, was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He was born in 20 BC and was named after his father’s patron, the Roman emperor Augustus. Like his father, Herod Antipas was known for his ambitious building projects, including the construction of the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and the expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was also known for his political cunning and his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist, a prominent religious figure who criticized Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias. According to the New Testament, John was eventually beheaded at the request of Herodias’ daughter, Salome, who danced for Herod and his guests at a banquet. Herod Antipas is also mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who oversaw the trial and execution of Jesus. Although he initially wanted to release Jesus, he ultimately handed him over to the Roman authorities at the urging of the Jewish religious leaders. Herod Antipas’ rule came to an end in 39 AD when the Roman emperor Caligula exiled him to Gaul, modern-day France. He died in exile a few years later. Herod Agrippa I Herod Agrippa I, also known as Herod III, was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He was born in 10 BC and was the son of Aristobulus and Bernice, two of Herod the Great’s children. Herod Agrippa I was well-educated and fluent in both Greek and Hebrew, and he was highly regarded by the Roman authorities for his loyalty and his ability to maintain order in Judea. He was appointed as king of Judea in 41 AD by the Roman emperor Claudius, who was impressed by his abilities and saw him as a reliable ally in the region. As king, Herod Agrippa I continued the building projects of his grandfather and expanded the Temple in Jerusalem. He also implemented a number of reforms aimed at improving the lives of the […]
