The Second Vatican Council tells us in “Sacrosanctum Concilium” that through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass — an action of Jesus Christ the High Priest — the work of our Redemption is accomplished.
This is a very important teaching that deserves serious reflection; catechesis that falls squarely into the category of the “necessary liturgical instruction of the faithful” that the Council Fathers insisted our pastors “zealously” provide (cf SC 7).
Let’s be honest, few of us have ever received any such instruction, but if we continue to fail in this area we run an ever increasing risk of falling into the error of viewing Holy Mass as little more than the Catholic version of any number of other Christian praise and worship services when, in fact, it is nothing of the sort.
Think this risk is simply imaginary? Think again.
Data gathered from the Catholic Pluralism Project (viewable online at the Association of Religion Data Archives) estimates that 39% of Catholics polled in 1995 “strongly agree” with the statement, “There is something very special about being Catholic that you can’t find in other religions.” Over 40% indicated that they “could be just as happy in some other church; it wouldn't have to be Catholic.”
So, how did we get here? In no small measure by failing to teach (and to reflect upon) what Holy Mass truly is – the locus of Redemption; a work carried out through, with and in the Catholic Church by Christ our Redeemer.
So with this in mind, I’d like to see if we can get our hands around this critically important truth of our Catholic faith by looking to Pope John Paul II and his Apostolic Letter on the age old mystery of human suffering, “Salvifici Doloris” — a beautiful reflection on “salvific suffering” that was offered during the Holy Year of Redemption in 1984.
While it may seem a bit odd to speak of Holy Mass, the mysteries of Redemption and human suffering as somehow interconnected, please just stick with me and, God willing, it will all come together at the conclusion in Part Two.
Let’s begin by reflecting on the words of St. Paul who wrote of his own suffering to the Colossians saying, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church" (Col. 1:24).
It is often asked of this passage, and for good reason, what could possibly be lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Remember, we are exploring a great mystery of our faith. Therefore, we cannot possibly hope to fully comprehend its true glory, much less sum it up in mere words. Even so, let’s now consider what the Holy Father has to say in “Salvifici Doloris”:
The sufferings of Christ created the good of the world's redemption. This good in itself is inexhaustible and infinite. No man can add anything to it. But at the same time, in the mystery of the Church as his Body, Christ has in a sense opened his own redemptive suffering to all human suffering. In so far as man becomes a sharer in Christ's sufferings — in any part of the world and at any time in history — to that extent he, in his own way, completes the suffering through which Christ accomplished the Redemption of the world.
OK... So now you may be thinking, “Wow, that sounds great, and if I were suffering I suspect this would be a great comfort to me. As it is, however, I’m doing pretty well. I have my health, my kids are happy, my finances are in order, etc...” In which case, I’m very happy for you, but not so fast...
To consider human suffering is to acknowledge that we are still living in exile in this valley of tears, and so the very fact of our present condition — pilgrims who are journeying toward heavenly perfection — means that we are right now, each and every one, “suffering.” No, not because we are whiners and complainers, but because we know that any degree of separation from true Life, in which God is all in all, is the very definition of suffering.
As we continue to reflect upon “Salvifici Doloris,” cognizant that this treatment of suffering applies to each and every one of us throughout our earthly lives, I’m going to occasionally substitute phrases like “the present human condition” in place of the word “suffering” as this, I believe, will help us to see more clearly the connection between Holy Mass, suffering, and the work of Redemption.
The Holy Father continues:
Does this mean that the Redemption achieved by Christ is not complete? No. It only means that the Redemption, accomplished through satisfactory love, remains always open to all love expressed in [the reality of the human condition].
Notice that the Holy Father introduces a new aspect to suffering in the work of Redemption — satisfactory love. Note this well: Redemption is not accomplished by suffering alone, but by suffering in love.
Human beings (even the most holy ones) have been suffering since the Fall, but Christ’s suffering alone can accomplish the work of Redemption because it is unlike any other in that it is ever carried out in perfect love for the Father and for each and every one of us inperfect union with the will of the Father.
Is this suffering of Christ — true God and true man — and the Redemption that it accomplished complete? Yes, but there is still as yet what John Paul II called an “opening” for our lives as realized in our present condition to be lived out as an expression of our own love for the Father and for one another in Christ, and for all of this to have real redemptive value both for ourselves as individuals, and for the Pilgrim Church on earth as a whole.
In Christ... This is very important; it is in Christ alone that we find the Source of Redemption. It is in Christ alone that our love finds true meaning and has eternal value, and it is in Christ that there is room for, and indeed a need for, this human love in the Pilgrim Church, in our world, in our present condition, even though Christ’s love in itself is truly infinite.
Apart from this great glorious mystery of our faith, our own acts of suffering carried out as an expression of our love for God and for one another would be of no more value than trying to put fuel in a car when the tank is full, but human reason and experience alone tell us that our acts of sacrificial love do indeed have real meaning in the lives of all concerned.
The Holy Father goes on:
In this dimension — the dimension of love — the Redemption which has already been completely accomplished is, in a certain sense, constantly being accomplished. Christ achieved the Redemption completely and to the very limits, but at the same time he did not bring it to a close. Christ opened Himself from the beginning to every human [in the reality of their present condition] and constantly does so...
Thus, with this openness to every human person, Christ has accomplished the world's Redemption... at the same time, while this Redemption was completely achieved by Christ, it lives on, and in its own special way it develops in the history of man.
It lives and develops as the body of Christ, the Church, and in the dimension of [the present human condition], by reason of the loving union with Christ, [completing] the redemptive work of Christ.
When we hear the Holy Father speak of “loving union with Christ” our thoughts should immediately go to the Most Holy Eucharist!
“For the liturgy, through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (SC 2).
Yes, it is in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that the Body of Christ on earth — sojourners on a journey — enter into Holy Communion with their Redeemer and with one another in the most profound way possible this side of heaven!
It is here where “Redemption lives on” — a mystery realized in the reality of our present human condition — and it is here where our examination will continue next week in Part 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment