Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 190 - Part II.

YOUCAT Question n. 190 - Part II. What is a Christian house of prayer?

(Youcat answer - repeated) A Christian house of prayer is both a sign of the ecclesial communion of people at a specific place and also a symbol of the heavenly dwellings that God has prepared for us all. In God’s house we gather together to pray in common or alone and to celebrate the sacraments, especially the eucharist.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1184) The chair of the bishop (cathedra) or that of the priest "should express his office of presiding over the assembly and of directing prayer" (GIRM 271). The lectern (ambo): "The dignity of the Word of God requires the church to have a suitable place for announcing his message so that the attention of the people may be easily directed to that place during the liturgy of the Word" (GIRM 272).

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) “It smells like heaven here.” “Here you can be very quiet and reverent.” Many churches surround us perceptibly in a thick atmosphere of prayer. We sense that God is present here. The beauty of churchbuildings directs our attention to the beauty, greatness, and love of God. Churches are not just stonemessengers of the faith, but dwelling places of God, who is really and truly and substantially presenting the sacrament of the altar.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1185) The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font). The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. A church, then, must lend itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which requires an appropriate place to receive penitents. A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent prayer that extend and internalize the great prayer of the Eucharist.    

 
(This question: What is a Christian house of prayer? is continued)   

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 190 - Part I.

YOUCAT Question n. 190 - Part I. What is a Christian house of prayer?

(Youcat answer) A Christian house of prayer is both a sign of the ecclesial communion of people at a specificplace and also a symbol of the heavenly dwellings that God has prepared for us all. In God’shouse we gather together to pray in common or alone and to celebrate the sacraments, especially the eucharist.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1182) The altar of the New Covenant is the Lord's Cross (Cf. Heb 13:10), from which the sacraments of the Paschal mystery flow. On the altar, which is the center of the church, the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs. The altar is also the table of the Lord, to which the People of God are invited (Cf. GIRM 259). In certain Eastern liturgies, the altar is also the symbol of the tomb (Christ truly died and is truly risen).

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) “It smells like heaven here.” “Here you can be very quiet and reverent.” Many churches surround usperceptibly in a thick atmosphere of prayer. We sense that God is present here. The beauty of churchbuildings directs our attention to the beauty, greatness, and love of God. Churches are not just stonemessengers of the faith, but dwelling places of God, who is really and truly and substantially presentin the sacrament of the altar.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1183) The tabernacle is to be situated "in churches in a most worthy place with the greatest honor" (Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei: AAS (1965) 771). The dignity, placing, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle should foster adoration before the Lord really present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar (Cf. SC 128). The sacred chrism (myron), used in anointings as the sacramental sign of the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a secure place in the sanctuary. The oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick may also be placed there.

(This question: What is a Christian house of prayer? is continued)

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 189 - Part II.

YOUCAT Question n. 189 - Part II. How does the liturgy affect the spaces in which we live?

(Youcat answer - repeated) By his victory, Christ has penetrated all places in the world. He himself is the true Temple, and the worship of God “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24) is no longer bound up with a particular place. Nevertheless, the Christian world is filled with churches and sacred signs, because men need specific places in which to meet and signs to remind them of this new reality. Every house of God is a symbol for our heavenly Father’s house, to which we are journeying.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1181) A church, "a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful - this house ought to be in good taste and a worthy place for prayer and sacred ceremonial" (PO 5; Cf. SC 122-127). In this "house of God" the truth and the harmony of the signs that make it up should show Christ to be present and active in this place (Cf. SC 7). 

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) Certainly one can pray anywhere—in the forest, on the beach, in bed. But since we men are not merely spiritual but also have a body, we need to see, hear, and feel one another; we need a specific place if we want to meet so as to be the Body of Christ; we must kneel down if we want to worship God; we must eat the transformed bread when it is offered; we must set our bodies in motion when he calls us. And a cross on the roadside will remind us of who owns the world and where our journey is taking us.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1197) Christ is the true temple of God, "the place where his glory dwells"; by the grace of God, Christians also become the temples of the Holy Spirit, living stones out of which the Church is built. (CCC 1198) In its earthly state the Church needs places where the community can gather together. Our visible churches, holy places, are images of the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, toward which we are making our way on pilgrimage.  

(The next question is: What is a Christian house of prayer?)

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 189 - Part I.

YOUCAT Question n. 189 - Part I. How does the liturgy affect the spaces in which we live?

(Youcat answer) By his victory, Christ has penetrated all places in the world. He himself is the true Temple, and the worship of God “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24) is no longer bound up with a particular place. Nevertheless, the Christian world is filled with churches and sacred signs, because men need specific places in which to meet and signs to remind them of this new reality. Every house of God is a symbol for our heavenly Father’s house, to which we are journeying.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1179) The worship "in Spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:24) of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any one place. The whole earth is sacred and entrusted to the children of men. What matters above all is that, when the faithful assemble in the same place, they are the "living stones," gathered to be "built into a spiritual house" (1 Pet 2:4-5). For the Body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the source of living water springs forth: incorporated into Christ by the Holy Spirit, "we are the temple of the living God" (2 Cor 6:16). 

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) Certainly one can pray anywhere - in the forest, on the beach, in bed. But since we men are not merely spiritual but also have a body, we need to see, hear, and feel one another; we need a specific place if we want to meet so as to be the Body of Christ; we must kneel down if we want to worship God; we must eat the transformed bread when it is offered; we must set our bodies in motion when he calls us. And a cross on the roadside will remind us of who owns the world and where our journey is taking us.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1180) When the exercise of religious liberty is not thwarted (Cf. DH 4), Christians construct buildings for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply gathering places but signify and make visible the Church living in this place, the dwelling of God with men reconciled and united in Christ.  

(This question: How does the liturgy affect the spaces in which we live? is continued)

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 188 - Part III.

YOUCAT Question n. 188 - Part III. What is the Liturgy of the Hours?

(Youcat answer - repeated) The Liturgy of the Hours is the universal, public prayer of the Church. Biblical readings lead the person who prays it ever deeper into the mystery of the life of Jesus Christ. Throughout the world this gives the Triune God the opportunity at every hour of the day to transform gradually those who pray and also the world. The Liturgy of the Hours is prayed not only by priests and religious. Many Christians who take their faith seriously join their voices with the many thousands of praises and petitions that ascend to God from all over the world.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1177) The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each Hour (with the subsequent responses or troparia) and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal more deeply the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and prepare for silent prayer. The lectio divina, where the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus rooted in the liturgical celebration.

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) The seven “hours of prayer” are like a treasury of the Church’s prayers. It also loosens our tongues when we have become speechless because of joy, sorrow, or fear. Again and again one is astonished in reciting the Liturgy of the Hours: an entire reading “coincidentally” applies precisely to my situation. God hears us when we call to him. He answers us in these texts—often in a way that is so specific as to be almost disconcerting. In any case he also allows us to have long periods of silence and dryness so that we can demonstrate our fidelity. The seven times for prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours are: Matins (Office of Readings or Vigils, in the early morning hours) Lauds (Morning Prayer) Terce (9:00 a.m., Midmorning Prayer) Sext (12:00 noon, Midday Prayer) None (3:00 p.m., Midafternoon Prayer) Vespers (Evening Prayer) Compline (Night Prayer).  

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1196) The faithful who celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours are united to Christ our high priest, by the prayer of the Psalms, meditation on the Word of God, and canticles and blessings, in order to be joined with his unceasing and universal prayer that gives glory to the Father and implores the gift of the Holy Spirit on the whole world. 

(The next question is: How does the liturgy affect the spaces in which we live?)