New... St. Joseph Sunday Missal Prayerbook and Hymnal for 1992-1993 [antikvár]

PREFACE IN the words of the Second Vatican Council in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Mass "is an action of Christ the priest and of his body which is the Church; it is a sacred action surpassing ail others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree" (art. 7). Hence the Mass is a sacred sign, something visible that brings the invisible reality of Christ to us in the worship of the Father. The Mass was first instituted as a meal at the Last Supper and became a living memorial of Christ's sacrifice on the cross: "At the Last Supper, on the night when he was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. "The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration. They should be instructed by God's word and be nourished at the