Pope Francis continues his catechesis on Christian prayer at the weekly General Audience and reflects on how the liturgical prayer unites us with Christ.
By Devin Watkins
Speaking from the Apostolic Palace library, Pope Francis held a general audience on Wednesday, which was broadcast live to believers around the world.
In his ongoing catechesis on Christian prayer, the Pope spoke of how the liturgical feasts of the Church make Christ present in our lives.
He began by noting that Christian history is full of movements that have pushed liturgical rituals aside.
“Often,” he said, “this tendency claimed the supposed purity of a religiosity that did not depend on external ceremonies, which were considered an unnecessary or harmful burden.”
He added that many modern Catholics 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 in the centrality of the liturgy in the life of the faith.
He said that Christian prayer is closely linked to concrete expressions of faith, such as Holy Scripture, Mysteries, and liturgical rites.
“In the Christian life, the physical and material realms may not be given up, because in Jesus Christ it has become the way of salvation,” he said.
Prayer based on liturgy
The Mass, the Pope said, is more than a spontaneous prayer. “It is an act that underlies the whole Christian experience and, therefore, prayer. It is an event, it is happening, it is a presence, it is an encounter with Christ ”.
He said that Jesus Christ “is made present in the Holy Spirit by the sacramental signs.”
“Christianity without liturgy is Christianity without Christ,” he said.
Sincere participation
The Pope went on to say that, by its very nature, the liturgy invites us to participate fully so that we can receive the grace offered by God through it.
“Many Christian prayers do not come from the liturgy,” he said, “but all, 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.
The “celebration” of the liturgy
Pope Francis said that prayer 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 food.
“The liturgy cannot simply be“ listened to, ”he stressed,“ as if we were just spectators of something slipping without our involvement. The liturgy is always celebrated, and not only by the priest who presides over it, but by all the Christians who experience it ”.
Christ is the center
The Pope concluded his catechesis by mentioning 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 this cannot happen without prayer, especially liturgical prayer.”