DRAWING THE SALVIFIC CONTENT OF THE LITURGY

Darryl P. Reyes
PART 1: ON THE ORDO LECTIONUM MISSAE
1. The pastoral purpose of the OLM is to open more abundantly the treasures
of Scriptures to the faithful that they may draw more benefits from it, deeply
rooted in the vision of Vatican II:
All this has been planned to develop among the faithful a greater hunger for
the word of God. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this hunger will seem,
so to speak, to impel the people of the New Covenant toward the perfect
unity of the Church. We are fully confident on this account that both priests
and faithful will prepare their minds and hearts more devoutly for the Lords
Supper and that, meditating on the Scriptures, they will be nourished more
each day by the words of the Lord. In accord with the hopes of Vatican
Council II, all will thus regard sacred Scripture as the abiding source of
spiritual life, the foundation for Christian instruction, and the core of all
theological study. (Apostolic Constitution Missale Romanum, Paul VI)
By drawing out more from Scriptures, as desired by SC 51, the faithful are
given an ever-deepening perception of the faith they profess and of the
history of salvation. (OLM 60)
2. The OLM rightly demands that the word of God be proclaimed properly,
clearly, and effectively. The presider is to compose comments to help the
people to listen more attentively and to preach a homily that fosters in them
a richer understanding of the word of God. (OLM 38) This is facilitated by a
thorough knowledge of the structure of the Order of Readings so that he will
know how to inspire good effects in the hearts of the faithful, (OLM 39) thus
recognizing the internal connection between the readings.
3. When they hear the word of God and reect deeply on it, the faithful
receive the power to respond to it actively with full faith, hope, and charity
through prayer and self-giving, and not only during Mass but in their entire
Christian life. (OLM 48) The OLM has be structured so that by the rich fare of
the word of God opened for the faithful, they may recognize the presence of
God, and be able to respond to that presence as they live their Christian
lives.
4. a. As the New Testament is foreshadowed in the Old, the fulfillment of the
Old Testament is found in Christ, who is the center of salvation history. He
enables his Church to be part of this salvation history through abiding
presence in his word.
b. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word proclaimed to us remains to be
active and living. The Holy Spirit also enables us to be docile to the Word that
what we hear outwardly may take effect inwardly. He also helps us to
respond effectively to the Word that we may live it in daily life.
c. The Church advances toward the fullness of divine truth by hearing the
Word of God. Her growth and maturation is facilitated by the Word. By the
Word she hears, she is called to be the faithful messenger of Gods word,
through the witness of daily life.
d. Through the Word of God proclaimed to us, we become participants of,
and benefit from, the mystery of salvation. The word of God unceasingly calls
to mind and extends the plan of salvation, which achieves its fullest
expression in the liturgy. The liturgical celebration becomes therefore the
continuing, complete, and effective presentation of Gods word.
e. Through the Word of God proclaimed in the liturgy, the Church experiences
today the saving mysteries of Christ. These mysteries are extended to her
and she is able to take part of salvation in the context of her here and now.
As the Church listens to and puts into practice the Word of God, they are
drawn into the entire mystery of the Lord as a reality to be lived.

PART 2: ON THE EUCHOLOGICAL PRAYERS

Blessing and Invocation over the Water
O God, who by invisible power accomplish a wondrous effect through
sacramental signs and who in many ways have prepared water, your
creation, to show forth the grace of Baptism;
O God, whose Spirit in the first moments of the worlds creation hovered over
the waters, so that the very substance of water would even then take to itself
the power to sanctify;
O God, who by the outpouring of the ood foreshadowed regeneration, so
that from the mystery of one and the same element of water would come an
end to vice and a beginning of virtue;
O God, who caused the children of Abraham to pass dry-shod through the Red
sea, so that the chosen people, set free from slavery to Pharaoh, would
prefigure the people of the baptized;
O God, whose son, baptized by John in the waters of the Jordan, was anointed
with the Holy Spirit, and, as he hung upon the Cross, gave forth water from
his side along with blood, and after his Resurrection, commanded his
disciples: Go forth, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
look now, we pray, upon the face of your Church and graciously unseal for
her the fountain of Baptism. May this water receive, by the Holy Spirit, the
grace of your only Begotten Son, so that human nature, created in your
image and washed clean through the sacrament of Baptism from all the
squalor of the life of old, may be found worthy to rise to the life of newborn
children through water and the Holy Spirit.
May the power of the Holy Spirit, O Lord, we pray, come down through your
Son into the fullness of this font, so that all who have been buried with Christ
by Baptism into death may rise again to life with him. Who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
This prayer is found in the Roman Missal, at the Baptismal Rite in the
Easter Vigil. The doxology acknowledges a God of invisible power who
accomplished a wondrous effect through sacramental signs and who in
many ways have prepared water to show forth the grace of Baptism.
It has six anamnetic constructions: (1) the hovering of the Spirit over
the primordial waters; (2) the Great ood; (3) the crossing of the Red Sea; (4)
the Baptism of Jesus; (5) the water owing from the pierced side of Christ; (6)
and the commissioning of Christ to teach and baptize all nations. All of these
point to the grace asked for in the prayer. These prove that in many times,
God has given that grace, so he shall not fail this time to give it again.
It then asks God to open the fountain of Baptism, and for the Spirit
over the water so that those to be baptized be washed clean from all
the squalor of the life of old and be made into newborn children of God
(epiclesis-intercession-koinonia) so that all who have been buried with Christ
by Baptism into death may rise again to life with him (eschatology). The
grace asked for is a renewal of life, leading to eternal life. This expresses the
continuation of the Sacrament in life by stating that Baptism raises the
person into a new life.
This euchological formula is an example of how the liturgy forms
morality implicitly. Being baptized focuses the person on the new life and
resurrection promised to him in Baptism. Generally speaking, liturgy and
liturgical spirituality focuses us on the eschatological promises given to us as
we participate in the mystery we celebrate.