Thursday after Ash Wednesday

We reflect on the Mass as God’s work made present and how baptism draws us into Christ’s worship of the Father. We challenge the habit of tailoring the liturgy to taste and invite a renewed fidelity that deepens prayer and forms desire.

• meaning of liturgy as God’s work in Christ
• baptismal priesthood and true participation
• fidelity to rites over personal preference
• why music and vestments carry doctrine
• practical habits for deeper prayer at Mass
• examen questions for Lenten renewal

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lent and Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com
The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store
More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening Prayers For Lent
• 1:02 What Liturgy Really Means
• 2:22 Our Part In Christ’s Worship
• 2:58 Fidelity Over Personal Preference
• 3:47 Self-Examination And Closing Prayers
• 4:41 Invitation To Lenten Resources

Transcript

Opening Prayers For Lent

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Thursday, following Ash Wednesday, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. Mass as the work of God. The word liturgy in ancient times meant a work on behalf of the people, a public work or service. In due time, this word was taken up by Christians to mean something more. No longer was it the work of a private citizen for the people. Instead, it was a word used to denote the very work of God for his own people. The church understands this work of God to be the full manifestation of God's love and mercy in his Son, especially in the Paschal Mystery. It is the work in Christ by which God is given perfect glory and people are sanctified. Through the liturgy, God is given the worship and honor which are due to him alone, and it is done by his son and the church that his son has drawn to himself. This is, in fact, another aspect of this all-important work. God chooses to allow us to cooperate in this work. It is not divinely one-sided, but instead something which Christ allows us to do with him. Yes, he could do it by himself, but chooses to associate us in his work. The baptismal priesthood is essential here, for Christ the High Priest, allows his people, made a holy nation in baptism, to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, after the pattern he has set for us. From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of his body, which is the church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree. This is one reason among many that we do not mess with the liturgy, and we do not change things according to our personal preferences, tastes, or whims. To do so is to get in the way of God's work, and can in fact mean he is not worshipped as he ought to be, and we are not made holy as we ought to be. Rather than imposing ourselves on the liturgy, we should conform ourselves to what God has given us therein. We should strive to be faithful to what the church asks us to do, from music and vestments to everything else that has to do with the celebration of Mass and the sacraments. This obedient fidelity to the Church is in fact obedient fidelity to Christ and what he wants to teach us about worshiping the Father. Do you try to associate yourself to Christ at Mass and to learn how to pray to the Father like He did? Do you think the liturgy is your thing instead of belonging to Christ and the Church? Do you treat and receive the liturgy like the highest gift of God that it is, or instead like something that can be changed at will to my desires? All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lent and Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.