Everything that Jesus, the Son of God, did while on earth was done in and through his human body. He shared fully in the human condition, except not sinning, and remained fully God. He used his body and his words, his teaching and his use of the things of creation, his death and his Resurrection to reveal God’s life and love for us.
The Son of God came as Jesus to mediate our relationship with the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. He reveals God the Father to us and it is through Christ that we come into a saving relationship with the Father. United to Christ in Baptism, we are united to the Father and the Holy Spirit, as well, for the Three are One God.
When we turn to the matter of the Liturgy and consider the Incarnation of the Son of God, we can see a principle at work: the Risen Christ, in and through his Body the Church, puts us in relationship with God the Father through the human relationships and the use of the things of creation in the Liturgy and beyond the Liturgy.
This is particularly important to understand "the stuff" Catholics use in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. If the Liturgy of the Word emphasizes primarily "hearing Christ," then the Liturgy of the Eucharist emphasizes the other senses as a way of encountering Jesus.
This Incarnation Principle gives rise to the "sacramental approach" of Catholicism (For more on the Sacramental imagination see HERE). Our worship of God is very symbol friendly, very creation friendly, very "down to earth" (the meaning of Christmas is that God came down to us). In our worship, we are also lifted up to heaven, (the transcendent dimension of Litugy). Pope St. Leo the Great taught: "What has been visible of our Savior has passed over into the sacraments."
The implications of this are many. Regarding the Liturgy, one source states:
"The Church celebrates the liturgy using an abundance of signs, symbols, and rituals. We celebrate the Sacraments with scriptural readings, homilies, music, processions, blessings, bread, wine, oil, arms outstretched in prayer, gestures of peace, bowed heads, kneeling, standing, sitting, incense, holy water, flowers, candles, colors, ritual vestments, choirs, and musical instruments.
"We do this in a holy environment in which architecture, sculpture, paintings, icons, and stained glass lend an ambience that speaks of the mystery of God and divine transcendence on the one hand, and the unity of God with the worshiping community on the other. Since the Son of God honored us by becoming incarnate—the true visible image of the invisible God—we use these signs and symbols to help us experience God’s invisible presence." (From Liturgy resources of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul)
What follows now is a closer look at the parts of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We shall look at the symbols and materials used in the Liturgy of the Eucharist and examine their meaning as part of God’s saving love which we encounter tangibly in the worship of the Church.
Next Week: The Offertory and Gift-Giving of the Mass
