Let us continue our reflections on the great gift of the Eucharist during this year of Eucharistic Revival.
The central Eucharistic celebration is the Mass. Again, the first part of the Mass is the Liturgy of the Word. The second part is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Liturgy of the Word prepares us for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. You may have heard the saying that God’s Word is a double-edged sword. It comforts and challenges us. It comforts us with the Good News of our salvation — God’s love and mercy won us in Jesus Christ who died and rose again. In Him we have become sons and daughters of God who call him “Our Father.”
It challenges us to live the way of life that Jesus taught us.
Some reflections by Pope Benedict XVI on his document Verbum Domini (The Word of the Lord).
In considering the Church as the “house of the Word”, attention must be paid first of all to the sacred liturgy, because the liturgy is the privileged environment in which God speaks to us in the midst of our lives; He speaks today to his people, who listen and respond.
From Scripture the liturgical actions and signs derive their meaning.” Indeed, it must be said that Christ Himself “is present in his Word, since it is He who speaks when Scripture is read in the Church.” In fact, “the liturgical celebration becomes the continuous, complete and effective presentation of the Word of God. The Word of God, constantly proclaimed in the liturgy, is always a living and effective word by the power of the Holy Spirit. It expresses the Father’s love that never fails in its effectiveness toward us.” The Church has always realized that in liturgical action the Word of God is accompanied by the interior action of the Holy Spirit who makes it effective in the hearts of the faithful. Thanks to the Paraclete, “the Word of God becomes the foundation of the liturgical celebration, and the rule and support of our whole life.
Saint James Catholic Church 