First Saturday after Ash Wednesday

We explore how Christ, the Head, leads His Body in the liturgy and why the Mass is never a private act. We show how worship unites saints, souls, and the faithful on earth and offers a foretaste of heaven that shapes our daily lives.

• Totus Christus as the heart of liturgical prayer
• The Mass as communion of heaven, purgatory, and earth
• Sharing joys and sorrows across the Body of Christ
• The Eucharist as foretaste of the heavenly liturgy
• Practical ways to offer names, joys, and suffering
• Questions that invite deeper, intentional prayer

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faithless land, 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 And Invocation
• 1:04 What The Church Is In Liturgy
• 2:08 Communion Across Heaven And Earth
• 3:03 Sharing Joys And Sorrows In Christ
• 3:38 Foretaste Of The Heavenly Liturgy
• 4:19 Questions For Prayerful Reflection
• 4:40 Closing Prayers And Invocations
• 5:08 Invitation To Cristeros Resources

Transcript

Opening Prayers And Invocation

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Saint Peter Damien, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, 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 Church at Prayer. The Church is a combination of Christ the Head and the members of His body. We are those members, but it would be absurd to say we could exist without our head. Similarly, a head does not want to be without a body. This reality led Saint Augustine to say that it is the Totus Christus, whole Christ, that prays at the sacred liturgy. It is Christ the head leading the members of his body in prayer. This is significant, because it means that liturgical prayer is never just me and Jesus. It is always instead Jesus, the church, and me. On the whole, this is rather inspiring, for it means that Christ is leading us in prayer, and that all the members that make up the church, whether in heaven, in purgatory, or on earth, are all present in that corporate act of worship. Your favorite saints, your angel, your beloved dead who have died in grace, they are all there at Mass with us when we pray. Additionally, all the baptized in the church on earth are also present in a certain way, whether they are present physically in the same church building or far away in a distant land. Catholic worship is far more expansive then than we really can imagine, and this fact should awaken in our hearts a deep and broad sense of communion. Consider a Sunday when you are doing well and are full of joy. Well, someone in the church is suffering and could share in your joy. On the other hand, you might be struggling one day at mass, yet there are still others who can benefit from your suffering offered up, with whom you can suffer with Christ. There are also the saints in heaven and on earth who can lend you their glory in those difficulties, if you will. The body of Christ is one, and so when we worship God as his body, the church, we must rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, as St. Paul says. Ultimately, this reality of our Catholic liturgy can inspire us on to heaven, for even on earth we participate by God's grace in the worship that is already taking place in heaven, where we hope to be one day in God's presence. In the earthly liturgy, we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem, towards which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle. We sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army. Venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them. We eagerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear, and we too will appear with Him in glory. Do you pray for the living and the dead at Mass? Do you remember those who are suffering, those who are rejoicing when you pray? Does Mass make you long for heaven, and even to make things on earth grow towards that same goal? 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 faithless land, 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.