Meditation Forty, Second Week of December 2003

The Liturgy—A Foretaste of Heaven

Begin with prayer to the Holy Spirit

Readings: Heb. 4:14–16; 5:5–10; 10:19–25; 12:1–4; Rev. 19:1–9; 22:1–5;
Catechism 1090

Very early on, the Church Fathers saw that the celebration of the Holy Eucharist was a preparation for and a mirror of the heavenly Jerusalem, our true and lasting home. While we can have in our mind no actual images of eternal life (what “eye has not seen”), it is true that Christ’s act of love in dying on the Cross for the human race as our sacrificial Paschal Lamb is the act of complete worship of the Holy Trinity. All who are saved by His blood are united to Him in this act of worship. In a certain sense the only action we do here on earth that is substantially the same as what we will do in heaven is the worship we offer to God in union with Christ. We are led in this worship by the blessed Mother of Jesus, His first disciple and the one completely given to His service. We are joined by all the saints, who are redeemed and united with Christ and the angels. This union with Christ is made known in the epistle to the Hebrews and in many writings of St. Paul. St. Paul especially sees eternal life beginning here on earth as we become members of the Mystical Body of Christ. And He comes to dwell in us.

The Eucharistic sacrifice, which proclaims the death of the Lord until He comes, and the reception of the Bread of Life are the visible means of Christ’s relationship with those He has saved by Baptism into His blood. And the liturgy of the West (Latin rite), the celebration of the Last Supper is stressed; in the liturgy of the East, especially that of St. John Chrysostom, the heavenly liturgy to come is more exemplified. These differences do not affect the essential elements, but they do explain the relative simplicity of the Latin liturgy and the grandeur of the Eastern rites. It is enlightening and enriching to be familiar with both liturgical forms. In the Latin rite today, Mass may be celebrated according to two forms: the Novus Ordo, promulgated in 1969 and usually said in the vernacular; and the Tridentine rite, celebrated in Latin according to the 1962 Missal.

What is really important is to recall where we are headed—to the heavenly city, in the company of the saints. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have honored the saints as their friends and representatives before the throne of God. The author of the letter to the Hebrews calls them a “cloud of witnesses.” They are celebrated beautifully in the book of Revelation. When we attend Mass by faith, we should be aware of them and of the presence of the angels and of the light shining on the Mystical Body of Christ from the radiance of endless day. If we could do this, how beautiful and encouraging every Mass would be. How sad it is when Mass become a habit, a chore, something to get done. We have eyes but do not see.

Quotation for Meditation

The following beautiful words are from a classic work of Blessed Columba Marmion, a Benedictine abbot of Maredsous and one of the great spiritual writers of the 20th century.

“By grace you are saved through faith,” said St. Paul, “not of works, that no man may glory.”
Who then merits all praise? To whom does the glory of our holiness return? To Christ Jesus.
When the Apostle sets the divine plan before the faithful of Ephesus, he indicates in these words the supreme end: God has thus preordained all things “unto the praise of the glory of His grace.”

Thus, “that He might show in the years to come the abundant riches of His grace,” God has predestined us to become the co-heirs of His Son.

Here below, we owe all to Jesus; by His mysteries He has merited for us all the graces of justification, of forgiveness, of sanctification which we need: Christ is the very principle of our perfection. As the vine pours forth its nourishing sap into the branches so that they may bear fruit, so Christ Jesus ceaselessly pours forth His grace into all those who abide in Him. . . .
In heaven likewise all the glory of the saints is derived from this same grace; all the splendor of their triumph comes from this one source; it is because they are dyed with the blood of the Lamb that the garments of the elect shine so resplendently; and the degree of their holiness is measured by the degree of their likeness to the Divine Model. . . .

In heaven we shall comprehend that all God’s mercies took their rise on Calvary. The blood of Jesus is the price of the heavenly happiness which we shall then for evermore enjoy. In the heavenly Jerusalem we shall be inebriated with divine gladness; but every instant of this joy will have been paid by the merits of the blood of Christ Jesus. The river of beatitude which eternally flows in this city of God has its source in the sacrifice of our divine High Priest. It will be an immense joy for us to acknowledge this and to sing our joy and praise and thanksgiving to Jesus.

Like the elect, we shall cast our crowns at His feet to testify that we owe them to Him.
It is to this last end that all the mystery of Christ tends. God wills that His Son Jesus shall be forever exalted because He is His own Only-begotten Son, the object of His complacency; because this Son, although He was God, annihilated Himself so as to sanctify His Mystical Body: “Therefore God has highly exalted Him.”

Let us then enter with deep faith into these divine mysteries. When we celebrate the feasts of the saints, we magnify the power of the grace that has raised them to these summits; nothing is more well-pleasing to God, because by this praise we unite ourselves with the most intimate of His designs, which is to glorify His Son: “I have glorified it [my name], and I will glorify it again.” Let us ourselves seek to realize, with the help of this same grace, the design of God for each one of us; yet once more it is in this perfect conformity that all holiness is summed up. (Christ in His Mysteries)

Quiet Time and Then Discussion

Questions for Meditation

1. In the midst of life’s struggles do I sometimes stop to think of heaven, the place where Christ has called us?
2. When I am at Mass, do I think of the heavenly realities around me, or am I just distracted?
3. Do I encourage others to pray silently before, during, and after Mass, at least by prayerful example?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, You are always a merciful Savior, a friend when no one else is there. You are the one who has suffered so much for me. Give me Your Holy Spirit so that my heart may rise to some awareness of Your heavenly priesthood. Help me to remind others that this is the destiny we are called to if only we follow You. Help me to seek first the kingdom of heaven. Amen.