Adelson A.

Jaugan

The liturgy is filled with theological meaning that goes deep within the faithful’s soul,
which is an occasion to be with Christ in ascending to God. God is always the addressee, and we
are the addressors accompanied with Christ, the mediator, through the Holy Spirit, to ascend us
to the father. I am one of those faithful, and I am so blessed to be given a chance to experience
Christ moving me to the Father, through the celebration of the liturgy, which is Christ himself.

Personally, my understanding on liturgy has moved from its obscurity to its fruitful
theological meaning, which affected my life day by day as I witness liturgical celebrations.
Though I am still on process on grasping comprehension about liturgy fully, I became more
appreciative to it especially when we talk about “presence”.

I once had many protestant friends who love talking about their criticisms toward us
(referring to us, Catholics) during my high school days. They were very fond of criticizing of our
liturgy using signs. They said that using signs such as making the sign of a cross and the like is a
great insult to God because signs are profane things and God is sacred. On my part, though a
catholic but entirely had a zero background about our faith and the reality of what really happens
during liturgical celebrations, I did not manage to answer them; instead, their questions just
remained in my mind.

Though the questions was carried in my mind for almost a lifetime, it is only now that I
am in theology that I appreciate much its reality as it was answered clearly by the one who lives
in it.

When we speak of sign, we also speak of something that can be perceived. Using sign in
liturgy is performed externally: There is a pouring of water on baptism, laying hands in
ordination, and bread and wine in celebration of the Holy Eucharist, etc. It is a sign that is not
just merely a “sign”-that only symbolizes, but it is a sign that gives effect through the Holy
Spirit. It is a sign that is the real presence of Christ. The seven sacraments are only being in
Christ. It is Christ acting within, through the church.

Christ is the sacrifice that is most pleasing to the Father, and it is now made present to us
in the liturgy. Aren’t we grateful enough to be given the saving Grace? We became
unappreciative, also personally I admit, about the Love of God to us. He made himself known;
He went down to our level through His Christ, His son, and yet we took this Grace for granted
(definitely because of ignorance). “The word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. We are
talking here about the humanity of Christ. The human Christ is the sign. The very presence of
Christ is the revelation of the Father. It is also awareness for all of us and for me, personally
about what happens in liturgy in the reality. How beautiful it is to be in the liturgical celebration.

I, many times, am guilty of taking the daily mass for granted. I saw the daily Mass as a
repetitive, activity especially on my part as a seminarian. I never realized until I learned in our
class that in the liturgy, when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, it is the same dynamism, the same
reality that happened many years ago. The same presence of Christ, the exact reality that
happened during the time of the human Christ. I remember what Saint Therese have said, “The
First mass, the last mass, and the only mass” because nothing is repeated, but everything is made
present. It is the time when we enter into the mystery which transcends time.

Imagine, every day, the reality happened from the past during the time of Christ is made
present, such a Grace. The reality that God made His best for us to ascend to Him as He
descended to us first shows His gratuitous act of love to us. Christ is the mediator between us,
people, and God. Christ goes down to the “hell” of our lives to lift us up. But, sometimes, the
concept being a mediator has become misunderstood by way of attributing it to the saints. Christ
is the only mediator.

Liturgy uses signs by performing it externally for us relate to God in mediation of Christ
for us to be lifted to God. Those signs in the liturgy, and the liturgy itself becomes effective
through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit plays the vital role of the effectivity in a liturgy, which
brings about the mystery of Christ. The Holy Spirit is also given to us to help us to learn how we
ought to pray; to enter into the experience of mystery. If we celebrate the liturgy without its
effectivity, it merely becomes a drama.

I am lucky indeed to be with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit every day as we
celebrate mass every day. Every day is an opportunity to be more aware of and be one with God.
Liturgy is the greatest among of those opportunities. Though communal, but penetrates the
whole of me.