The upcoming Pentecost, which the Church celebrates this Sunday, May 24, has permeated almost all of Pope Leo XIV's words to pilgrims of various languages. But the news is that the Holy Father has begun a catechesis on the Sacred Liturgy, which he will develop in the coming weeks.
“Today we begin a series of catecheses on the first document promulgated by the Second Vatican Council: the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC),” the Pontiff said.
In drawing up this Constitution, “the Council Fathers wished not only to undertake a reform of the rites, but also to lead the Church to contemplate and deepen that living bond which constitutes and unites her: the mystery of Christ”.
Armenia, and prayer for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East
He was present at the Audience, in a pre-eminent position next to the Holy Father in St. Peter's Square, Aram I, The Pope received him on Monday at the Vatican, a Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia, who was received by the Pope.
Today, Leo XIV expressed the hope that this visit would constitute “a further step towards full unity”.
The Successor of Peter also asked that we pray “also for peace in Lebanon and in the Middle East, once again ravaged by violence and war”.
To English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish speakers...
In his words to the faithful and pilgrims of different languages, the Pope referred to the upcoming feast of Pentecost with different nuances. To the English-speaking pilgrims, he said that he “invokes the joy and peace of the Risen Jesus. To Spanish-speaking people, he invited them to ask ”the Holy Spirit to help us to allow ourselves to be intensely formed by the liturgy, so that our whole life may be a continual thanksgiving“.
To the Portuguese-speaking people, he encouraged them to ask for “a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church. And to the Poles, he reminded them that ”forty years ago, St. John Paul II published the encyclical “Dominum et vivificantem‘’. In it he recalled that the Holy Spirit is the »Light of hearts‘ and allows us to ’call by name good and evil‘”.
Ethics in sport: the real goal, respect for the opponent
The Pope also greeted, in Italian, the movement of ethics in sport. He told them: “You have a noble mission, to guard the soul of sport. Remember that the true goal is not material victory but respect for the adversary, the loyalty of the game, and the inclusion of all”.
In the holy liturgy, with the power of the Spirit, He continues to act
In the catechesis of the Audience, The Pope began by saying that the liturgy “touches the very heart of this mystery (the mystery of Christ). It is at once the space, the time and the context in which the Church receives her own life from Christ. In the liturgy, in fact, «the work of our Redemption is accomplished» (SC, 2), which makes us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people (cf. 1Pt 2:9)”.
Christ himself is the inner principle of the mystery of the Church, the holy people of God, born of his pierced side on the cross, the Pope continued. “In the holy liturgy, with the power of his Spirit, he continues to act. He sanctifies and associates the Church, his bride, to his offering to the Father. He exercises his absolutely unique priesthood, He who is present in the Word proclaimed, in the sacraments, in the ministers who celebrate, in the gathered community and, to the highest degree, in the Eucharist (cf. SC, 7)”.
In the Eucharist, the Church becomes that which she receives
Here he quoted St. Augustine, who wrote that in celebrating the Eucharist, the Church “receives the Body of the Lord and becomes what she receives”: she becomes the Body of Christ, “the dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:22). This is “the work of our redemption,” which configures us to Christ and builds us up in communion.
The rituality of the Church expresses her faith - according to the famous saying lex orandi, lex credendi - continued Leo XIV. At the same time, “it shapes the ecclesial identity: the Word proclaimed, the celebration of the Sacrament, the gestures, the silences, the space, all represent and give form to the people called together by the Father, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Each celebration thus becomes a true epiphany of the Church in prayer, as St. John Paul II recalled.
Dear friends, the Pope encouraged, “let us allow ourselves to be shaped interiorly by the rites, by the symbols, by the gestures and, above all, by the living presence of Christ in our hearts," he said. the liturgy, We will have the opportunity to deepen this in the next catecheses”.
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