One of the things the Pentateuch teaches, and Leviticus in particular, is the central role public worship plays in the life of the follower. Engaging in the Redemptive work of God in a corporate, bodily manner, is worth suffering torture, persecution, and ridicule. This is a truth the early Christian communities understood.
If we lose sight of this vision of ourselves and the Church, [ecclesia public governing body, assembly of citizens in a city-state[1],] we can over time think of it or treat it as something else. Those in charge of the liturgy and those who should be participating in it lose their way and a substitute is encountered. Liturgy though begins as a personal encounter with Our Lord and is not meant to end inside the building but rather is to be expressed in some form in the world around us. Hence the comparison of the believer to yeast, salt, light.
Broken hearts, cynicism from disappointed expectations, and all manners of evil become possible when we don’t keep understanding of Church correctly. From the Adversary’s position, attacking the Liturgy and the Sacraments is the best strategy of his.
Dom Dix’s Shape of Liturgy, thesis, wrong liturgy, terrible consequences for society. Manipulate liturgy, manipulate the people.
Watch slow demise of our Church over the past 50 years. Now Arch diocese of Cincinnati close 70% of parishes (208 current parishes to 60 parishes).
Sara waiting a year of First Holy Communion, year of abstinence, heightened the longing for Someone of intense love.
[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ecclesia-ancient-Greek-assembly accessed May 4, 2022
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