"In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward 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." This is a passage from the Second Vatican document Sacrosanctum Concilium which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1963. As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II, it is a good time to revisit the documents as so much of what they say has been distorted over the years. I found this passage to be so beautiful and inspiring. It is also aspirational. It makes you want to see each Eucharistic celebration in the way that this passage describes. Can you imagine the ultimate Mass with Jesus sitting at God's right hand? The imagery in this brief passage is just the beginning. Start your Holy Week celebration by revisiting our Church's guiding documents. As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, now is a good time to focus on the beauty of Mass and commit ourselves to attending the Easter Triduum.
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
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