The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 148: The Holy Spirit’s Work in the Liturgy

Episode Date: May 28, 2023

Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacramental economy, specifically the Holy Spirit’s work in the liturgy. Fr. Mike emphasizes that what Jesus makes possible, the Holy Spirit makes actual. We are made to live in the life of the risen Christ and that is what the Spirit brings about in us. Fr. Mike concludes with a reflection on the importance of understanding that the Christian Liturgy springs from and fulfills the Jewish Liturgy. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1091-1098. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

I'm your name's Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in the Year Podcast where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in Scripture and passed down to the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in the Year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church discovering our identity in God's family as we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is day 148. We are reading paragraphs 1091-1098 as always I'm using the ascension edition of the Catechism

which includes the foundations of faith approach but you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can also download your own Catechism in a year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash cyy. I recently just did this again. I lost mine. Well, I'm not. I didn't lose it. I kind of misplaced it. I'm sure I'll find it again and be able to check off with my blue marker. But I downloaded it again by going to ascensionpress.com slash C.I.Y. In fact, I went to ascension.com slash C.I.Y. Which is not actually a website. So go to ascensionpress.com slash C.I.Y. You can also

click follow or subscribe to your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications. It is, as I said, day 148. We are reading paragraphs 1091 to 1098. You know yesterday we talked about how Jesus is present and Jesus is active in the sacraments in the liturgy, right? Remember, the liturgy is God's work. It's our participation, the participation of the people of God in the work of God.

So we talked about how it comes from and is ordered towards the Father. Then yesterday, here is Jesus Christ, who is active and is present today. We talk about the Holy Spirit and the church in the liturgy. And it's a couple of things to keep in mind. You know, for the next maybe a couple days, we'll be talking about the role of the Holy Spirit when it comes to the liturgy, because why? Because remember, what Jesus made possible, the Holy Spirit makes actual. So what Jesus made possible by the Paschal mystery, his death,

or life-death and resurrection, we talked about this many, many times, the Holy Spirit makes actual, brings to us via the church through the sacraments. It's just so incredible, so incredible. And so we're going to highlight that today. In fact, we're going to talk about how the sacraments are in paragraph 1091, God's masterpieces, which is just a, what a great name. I mean, we call them the seven sacraments, yes, or the seven masterpieces of God, which is, again, I just think it's really beautiful going on to talk about this, that in paragraph

1092, in this sacramental dispensation, right, that we live in this new age, the age of the church. Christ's mystery and the Holy Spirit acts in the same way as at other times in the economy of salvation, which is just a think. Okay, wait a second. How many times have you ever said, I wish I was back in this age. I wish I was in the age of Jesus, right? I wish I was around and close to Jesus when he was around. And yet here is the catacombs, which is affirming something we believe as Christians that because of this sacraments, we are as close, if not closer, to the Lord Jesus as at any other time

in the economy of salvation, any other time in salvation history. And it's just remarkable, the spirit of communion unites the church to the life and mission of Christ. We also talk about how today, I think this is super cool, how the Holy Spirit prepares for the reception of Christ. So basically, it is our faith, we have to cooperate. The sacraments are not magic. This is one of those things.

The sacraments are powerful, right? They're the actions of God. They're the work of God on this earth, but they're not magic. So the Holy Spirit prepares our hearts, because you have to respond and cooperate in faith, and the Holy Spirit actually helps us to respond and cooperate with faith. Another last thing before we actually launch

into today's reading is we're gonna look at the connection between the liturgy of the old covenant and the liturgy of the new covenant, right? The Jewish liturgy and the Christian liturgy, one of the things we realize is that a lot of stuff, a lot of things that we do has its roots, of course, in Hebrew scriptures, have its roots in the Hebrew practice of living out their faith. And so here we are. As Christians, this is the fulfillment, the fulfillment of everything that was laid down by the law of Moses,

everything that was laid down in the life of the Jewish way of worship. It's fulfilled in Jesus and it's fulfilled in Christian worship. So we're gonna talk about that today. So as we can launch into today, let's get started with the prayer. Father in heaven, we praise you and give you glory. We thank you for this day.

We thank you for your Holy Spirit that has brought us to this day. We know Lord God that it left to ourselves. We would not choose to be here. We would not choose to press play. Left to ourselves, Lord God. We would go our own way. But we are not choose to be here. We would not choose to press play left to ourselves, Lord God. We would go our own way. But we are not left to ourselves. You have not left us to ourselves.

You have lifted us up out of ourselves to draw us close to you. And so please help us to say yes to your Holy Spirit, help us to say yes to your will in this moment and in every moment of this day. And for the rest of our lives, so that we can spend eternity with you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of our lives, so that we can spend eternity with you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Again, it is day 148.

We are reading paragraphs 1091-1098. The Holy Spirit and the Church in the Liturgy. In the Liturgy, the Holy Spirit is the teacher of the faith of the people of God and artisan of God's masterpieces, the sacram teacher of the faith of the people of God and artisan of God's masterpieces, the sacraments of the new covenant. The desire and work of the Spirit in the heart of the church is that we may live from the life of the risen Christ. When the Spirit encounters in us the response of faith which he has aroused in us, he brings

about genuine cooperation. Through it, the liturgy becomes the common work of the Holy Spirit and the church. In this sacramental dispensation of Christ's mystery, the Holy Spirit acts in the same way as at other times in the economy of salvation. He prepares the church to encounter her Lord. He recalls a makes-christ manifest to the faith of the assembly. By His transforming power, He makes the mystery of Christ present here and now. Finally, the Spirit of Communion unites the church to the life and mission of Christ present here and now. Finally, the spirit of communion unites the church to the life and mission of Christ.

The Holy Spirit prepares for the reception of Christ. In the sacramental economy, the Holy Spirit fulfills what was prefigured in the Old Covenant. Since Christ's church was prepared in marvelous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and in the Old Covenant, the church's liturgy has retained certain elements of the worship of the Old Covenant as integral and irreplaceable, adopting them as her own. Notably, reading the Old Testament, praying the Psalms. Above all, recalling the saving events and significant realities which have found their fulfillment and the mystery of Christ, promise and covenant, Exodus and Passover, Kingdom and Temple, exile and return.

It is on this harmony of the two testaments that the Paschal Catechesis of the Lord is built, and then that of the Apostles and the Fathers of the Church. This Catechesis unveils what lay hidden under the letter of the Old Testament, the mystery of Christ. It is called typological because it reveals the newness of Christ on the basis of the figures or types, which announce Him in the deeds, words, and symbols of the first covenant. By this rereading in the spirit of truth starting from Christ, the figures are unveiled. Thus, the flood and Noah's Ark prefigured salvation by baptism as did the cloud and the crossing of the Red Sea. Water from the rock was the figure of the spiritual gifts of Christ, and mana in the desert prefigured the Eucharist, the true bread from heaven.

For this reason, the church, especially during Advent and Lent, and above all at the Easter vigil, rereads and relives the great events of salvation history in the today of her liturgy. But this also demands that Catechese's help the faithful to open themselves to this spiritual understanding of the economy of salvation as the church's liturgy reveals it and enables us to live it. Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy A better knowledge of the Jewish people's faith and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy. For both Jews and Christians, sacred scripture

is an essential part of their respective liturgy. In the proclamation of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead, in vocation of God's mercy. In its characteristic structure, the liturgy of the word originates in Jewish prayer. The liturgy of the word originates in Jewish prayer. The liturgy of the hours and other liturgical texts and formularies, as well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic prayers also draw their inspiration from the Jewish tradition. The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but also their differences

and content are particularly evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year such as Passover. Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover. For Jews it is the Passover of history, tending toward the future. For Christians it is the Passover fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation of its definitive consummation. In the liturgy of the New Covenant, every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church. The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the communion of the Holy Spirit, who

gathers the children of God into the one body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social, indeed all human affinities. The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become a people well-disposed. The preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, especially of its ministers. The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the celebration itself, and the fruits of new life, which the celebration is intended to produce afterward.

Okay, there we go, you guys, there we have it. Day 148, paragraph 1091, to 1098. I know, I probably a broken record when it comes to this, but this is awesome. It is so good. Okay, so where do we even start? Let's start right here. Let's start with paragraph 1091 and 1092 where it just highlights that the sacraments are God's masterpieces. And the liturgy, or sorry, in the liturgy, the Holy Spirit is the teacher of faith that people have got in the artisan of God's masterpieces. You guys, we can pray with that for so many times, but also go on. The desire and work of the Spirit in the heart of the church is what?

Okay, so the desire and work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the church is that we may live from the life of the risen Christ. This is what we're made for. We're made to live in the life of the risen Christ. That's what the desire and work of the Holy Spirit is. That's what the Holy Spirit does. When the Spirit encounters in us the response of faith that he's aroused in us,

he brings about genuine cooperation. And this thing about this, again, the sacraments are not magic. One thing we're gonna hear many, many times throughout talking here about the liturgy. And then when we talk about prayer, is that prayer is always the initiator of prayer, right? He is always the one who moves first.

Whenever we pray, it is always a response to God's initiative. So no one ever pray, no one, you've never tried to get God's attention by your prayer. It's always God trying to get your attention. That's when he moves you to prayer. Even if you think like, God, I need you to hear me right now. I'm telling you right now, he hears you right now. He is the one who got your attention.

So here's what paragraph 1091 is saying is that, oh my gosh, here, when the spirit encounters in us, the response of faith, which he has aroused in us, right? So we don't even give faith on our own. We don't even have a profession of faith or even the desire for faith on our own. It's the Holy Spirit that arouses that faith, but when we have that expression of faith, which he's aroused, what happens? He brings about a genuine cooperation. So the sacraments are not magic.

They don't happen to us. They happen in cooperation with us. That's one of the reasons why, yes, every time we celebrate the sacraments, every time we pray, something happens. We recognize that you know, we can go to communion every single day, right? We can receive the potentium blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord every single day at Daily Mass, and still be unchanged.

Why? Because if I'm not going to cooperate, if I'm not going to actually shape my will to the Father's will, if I'm not actually going to say, yes, God, do whatever you want in my life. What I've done is I've entered in what you might call a bound sacrament, right? It's, yep, it's there. God is there. He is active.

He's moving. But I'm saying, hmm, God, you get to come this far, but no farther. You get to go this deep into my heart, but no deeper. You get to change this part of my life, but nothing beyond that. And yet, here is this, this incredible, incredible thing, the Shackman's tomb, paragraph 1092. The Holy Spirit prepares the church to encounter her Lord. This is it, right?

He recalls and makes Christ manifest to the faith of the assembly. By the Holy Spirit, the power of transforming power of the Holy Spirit, he makes the mystery of Christ present here and now remember what Jesus made possible, the Holy Spirit makes actual. And finally, the Spirit of Communion unites the church to the life of mission of Christ. One of the things that we're going to just kind of conclude with today is paragraph 1093 to the very end of 1098, where we talk about how the Christian liturgy springs from and fulfills the Jewish liturgy. There are so many common elements between the Jewish liturgy and the Christian liturgy.

So much so that there is a whole series of books by how a man named Dr. Brandt Petrie. If you have never heard of Dr. Brandt Petrie, you are in for a massive, massive treat. Because he is a professor, I think he teaches still at the Notre Dame Seminary down in Louisiana. And also I think he works for that group called the Augustine Institute. And he, this guy, oh my gosh, as a biblical scholar in the Catholic world,

he is phenomenal. He has a whole series of books like the Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist, or the Jewish roots of Mary, or the Jewish roots of the liturgy of the hours, or the Jewish roots of all these different realities that we experience. In fact, he has a weekly teaching on the, that Sunday's readings, and he always draws it back to, okay, here's the reading we're here, whether it's the New Testament or the Old Testament, and he always fleshes out, here is where this comes from, in Jewish liturgy

and Jewish worship. This is where we get this in Christian worship, even fact, a couple of years ago, when Bible and Eer came out for the first time, there was, we got a bishop up in Duluth, amazing. Bishop Daniel was ordained our bishop, and one of the men, now he's in Deaconate formation, it's really cool. There's more to the story, but you don't need to know all the background stuff. But this man who's now in Deaconate formation, he was going through the Bible and E here, and it was in maybe late spring when our bishop was ordained. And he had gone to the bishop's origination,

any afterwards at the luncheon afterwards, he came up to me and said, oh my gosh, all the things that just happened, I kept thinking like, oh my gosh, that's the Leviticus, oh my gosh, that's numbers, oh my gosh, that's Deuteronomy. Like all of these incredible things that maybe would be to anyone else's mystery when you show up to a Catholic ordination, especially a Catholic bishop's ordination, he was saying,

I, that reminds me of what we heard in the Old Testament. Why? Because the Jewish liturgy prefigures Christian liturgy, Christian liturgy fulfills Jewish liturgy, just like the Old Testament prefigures, the New New Testament and the New Testament fulfills the Old Testament. So that's just just incredible. It highlighted here some examples in 1094. It says, thus the flood in Noah's Ark prefigured salvation by baptism. So did the cloud in the crossing of the Red Sea. Like that's a type or a figure of baptism. Water from the rock was a figure of the spiritual gift of Christ, and man in the desert prefigured the Acrest, the true bread from heaven. Which is just incredible.

And just what an incredible gift. So what do we do? Here's what we do. Terrograph 1098, the assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become a people well-disposed. We have to ask the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. Those dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the Eucharist and the Mass itself,

celebration itself, and the fruits of new life for the celebration it's intended to produce afterward. So these dispositions, these preconditions, what, awakened faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. The more and more we can ask the Holy Spirit to awaken our faith, to convert our heart and to help us to adhere to the Father's will, the more and more we can receive not only those graces

that are part of the liturgy, right, part of the sacraments, but also the more and more we can bear fruit in our lives. Remember, we're never, right? Part of the sacraments, but also the more and more we can bear fruit in our lives. Remember, we're never meant to show up to the sacraments and leave the exact same way that we arrived. That is never the intention. The intention is we're always changed. We're always changed even more.

I know I said last thing already, but here is another last thing. And it's the last sentence of paragraph 1097, where it talks about the Holy Spirit, Gathers the children of God as the One Body of Christ, This Assembly, this last sentence, this assembly transcends racial, cultural, Social, indeed, all human affinities, which is why we call it the Catholic Church, right, is it is the universal Church that transcends. It is, the Catholic Church is more important than any racial division. The Catholic Church is more important than any racial division. The Catholic Church is more central than any cultural division or any social division

or any socioeconomic division. We recognize that, man, think of a country that might be the enemy of your country, whatever country you're living in right now, if there's a potential enemy right now. Every Catholic in that country is your brother and sister. Because why? Because the church transcends that if you've ever been tempted to entertain racist thoughts or racist Actions the church is saying oh actually no you if there's another who's a Christian who's baptized They are your brother. They are your sister and that that unity that reality is vastly more important than any kind of

Difference you could have because you might have a different level of Melanon in your skin or you might come from a different culture or you have a different language or a different way of living The fact is that because we've been brought into the body of Christ by the uniting Holy Spirit The most important thing about you and about me is that you are a son of God or a daughter of God And therefore the most connecting thing that we have with our brothers and me is that you are a son of God or a daughter of God. And therefore, the most connecting thing that we have with our brothers and sisters is that we are brothers and sisters

of the same Heavenly Father and that transcends racial, cultural, social, indeed, all human affinities. Now, you probably already knew that. And so here I am just reiterating that fact. And so you're like, yeah, Father, we get it, moving on. So, okay, now that you got it, I'm moving on. Okay, if you come to the end of this day,

just praise the Lord. Tomorrow we're going to hear more about how the Holy Spirit is present and active in the liturgy, but right now, we're done. So, know this, I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike, I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.

tomorrow. God bless.