|
Ministries
and Each time we come together as the Body of Christ to celebrate the Eucharist,
we are doing what we were baptized to do! Our baptism gives us a share in
the priesthood of Christ, and this allows us to be one with Christ in his
self-offering to God. The liturgy of
this offering, the Mass, is not initiated by us but by God. The liturgy is
in fact a gift from God, who acts in and through the Church, the Body of
the risen Christ. It is our action only to the extent that we give
ourselves to this mystery of redemptive worship. When we gather for the
Eucharistic liturgy, the center of the whole Christian life (General Instruction, n. 16), we do
so because our baptism calls us to it and empowers us for it. Different
Roles, Indispensable Ministries It is the whole
community, the Body of Christ united with its Head, that celebrates the
liturgy (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1140). As
the Body of Christ, the Church, we each and all have a very important and
necessary role in the celebration of Mass. Saint Peter reminds us that we
are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed
people” (1 Peter 2:9–10). In the celebration of the Eucharist, the
Church is her truest self. Because God has redeemed the Church in Christ
we are able to come before God and offer our praise and thanksgiving in
the Church’s liturgy. All the baptized, the whole community, the holy
People of God, are united with Christ, but some members of the Church are
called to special service of Christ in the community of the Church. Through the
sacrament of Holy Orders, ordained priests and bishops make present Christ
as the head of the Church. They are, as it were, “icons of Christ,”
the one high priest (see Hebrews 7:24), in the midst of the assembly.
Priests and deacons, gathered around the bishop, act always in communion
with him, the pastor of the local Church which is the Diocese. The priest acts in the liturgy in the person of
Christ (see Lumen Gentium, n. 10), giving
voice to the prayers of the Church, presiding over the celebration of the
mysteries of our faith, preaching God’s word, and feeding God’s people
by ministering the Body and Blood of Christ. The deacon assists the bishop
and the priest, serves the poor and oppressed, and proclaims the Gospel of
Christ. Other members
of the Body of Christ, the Church, are also called to service in duties of
their own. Tasks not specifically reserved to the ordained ministers
should be fulfilled by the lay faithful and exercised by them in
conformity with their specific lay vocation. For example, lectors are called to proclaim the scriptures in
the first and second readings. Psalmists or cantors and musicians are called to lead the assembly in
lifting up their voices in sung prayer and praise of God. Servers are called to assist and support the
bishop, priest, deacon, and other ministers. Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are called to assist in the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ
when there are not enough ordained ministers to do so in an orderly
fashion. Ushers and greeters help
to assemble the congregation in their prayer and worship. These liturgical
ministries and others that have not been mentioned are important;
therefore, those who fill them have a responsibility to be well prepared
and to carry out their duties with reverence, dignity, and understanding. The
Responsibility of All the Baptized The General Instruction states that
“all . . . whether They are ordained ministers or lay Christian
faithful, in The celebration
of the Eucharist is the most important thing any parish does during the
entire week. Nothing in the life of the parish should have a higher
priority. Therefore, every parish must give attention to the thoughtful,
careful development of these liturgical functions and ministries and to
the proper training of those who exercise them. But what about
those of us who are not bishops or priests, deacons or lectors,
extraordinary ministers of communion or cantors? What is our part in the
liturgy? The General Instruction reminds us that
through our baptism, we are all responsible for the worship of God by the
Church. Therefore we ought to do so to the best of our ability, with all
our heart and mind and soul and strength. We are called to participate in the liturgy with deliberate and full
attention and with conscious and active participation. The General Instruction makes it clear
that as the holy People of God, purchased by Christ’s blood, called
together by the Lord, nourished by his word, we nevertheless grow
“continually in holiness by [our] conscious, active, and fruitful
participation in the mystery of the Eucharist” (n. 5). This means that we need to be fully
engaged throughout the whole liturgical celebration, not merely present,
watching as if at a performance. In our praise and thanksgiving, through
song and spoken word, posture and gesture, listening attentively to
God’s word, we exercise our baptismal priesthood by joining our prayer
to those spoken by the priest celebrant. Our part expresses the
“cohesion and hierarchical ordering” (see General Instruction, n. 91) of the
People of God in our different roles and ministries. We mirror Christ who
served by washing the feet of his disciples, who is himself God’s word,
who proclaimed the kingdom, who faithfully and with love offered to God
his very life, who prayed to God on behalf of others, especially those who
had no one else to intercede for them. During the liturgy, in our various
ways, all of us who participate in the Mass unite ourselves in intention
and love with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Those who exercise a
particular function or ministry mirror Christ who, in the end, instructed
his followers to imitate, always and everywhere, his example of love and
service. |