Many of us may not be aware of this need yet, much less, are doing something to live it consistently. But our Christian life has to be liturgical, since if Christian life is life with God, then it has to be liturgical since liturgy is where the living Christ offers himself to be with us.
The whole Christ, the Son of God, who became man, born of the Virgin Mary, who taught and made miracles, who suffered, died and was buried, and resurrected on the third day, and ascended into heaven, etc., is there in the liturgy, especially in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist.
He did not become man, shared our human nature and condition except sin, and redeemed us with his death and resurrection, only to have all these events swallowed up in the past. His redemptive work has eternal value, is always in the present. In a sense, with the liturgy we become contemporaries with Christ.
We are not left with a symbol only of Christ in the liturgy. That’s because the sacramental signs used in the liturgy, especially the Eucharistic species, are no ordinary signs that simply point to another reality. In the sacraments, the signs themselves, the matter and form that comprise them, are Christ and his grace.
In the liturgy, man is united with God, time with eternity, earth with heaven. It is the best union we can have with God on earth. In a sense, with it we enter into the most perfect dimension of our life, into the fullest scope of reality. Obviously, we need to be aware of this nature of the liturgy, so we would know how to act and live in it.
The liturgy is a Christ-given reality in our world. It’s not invented by men although it has been entrusted to the Church that is also made up by men with their faults and mistakes.
That is one of our modern tragedies. In spite of our powerful gadgets that facilitate our knowledge of things, our knowledge of the liturgy remains primitive, and often skeptical and contrary to the faith.
But in the liturgy, Christ remains alive and ever intervening in our lives. His work of redemption continues up to now in all its integrity. It did not end with his death, nor reduced to some kind of memory refreshed by rites and rituals.
Christ instituted the sacraments and founded the Church so that his redemptive work continues applying the merits of the offering of his own life so we may have life eternal, the one meant for us.
“I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world,” (Mt 28,20) and “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever,” (Jn 6,51) are some words of Christ that give basis to the nature and character of the liturgy.
The liturgy is not just another level of life and reality. It is meant to suffuse our entire natural life, to connect us to our ultimate source of life and reality. Thus, it is not an escape from reality, or a kind of break or time-out. It is meant to be the very soul of our life and reality itself.
This obviously is a tremendous reality that can overwhelm our human condition. But with God´s grace which never stops pouring on us, plus our own efforts, this reality can be ours, not only in the mind, but also in the flesh.
A lot of catechesis on this truth is needed. A lot of role-modelling too, that effectively blends both the natural and supernatural, the human and divine dimensions of this ideal. This can be done, because this is God´s will in the first place. What´s needed is our abiding, albeit evolving cooperation.
This is no quixotic dream. We actually do not have to do strange and very extraordinary feats. This liturgical life need not be confined only to some special people in some special circumstances. This can be done, in fact, it should be done by everyone.
Obviously a lot of clarifications have to be done. Perhaps as a starter, we can study more deeply the true nature and character of the liturgy and begin to savor its practical consequences.
For example, we have learn to love going to Mass and to make our whole day a kind of organic extension of the Mass, converting whatever tables we work on as an altar for the offering of ourselves. We need to have this mindset.