In this second article I want to continue to explain my understanding of liturgy that corresponds essentially to that of my religious order the IVE. As I said last week, liturgy is “given” we do not “make it.” I want to expand on this by explaining the purpose of liturgy. As Pope Benedict, in his writing as Cardinal Ratzinger explained “the goal of worship and the goal of creation as a whole are one and the same—divinization”, which loosely can be said to be “making us like God.”
The Catechism further explains, “In the Church’s liturgy the divine blessing is fully revealed and communicated. the Father is acknowledged and adored as the source and the end of all the blessings of creation and salvation.” (CCC 1082)
Note, it does not say the purpose of liturgy is to make one feel consoled and comfortable worshipping God. It does not say that the liturgy is our attempt to worship God using our own understanding of who God is. The focus is on adoring God for who He is in a relationship. The focus is on centering ourselves and lives on God, so we become like Him, as He is.
Thus, the focus is on God, not on us. My liturgical focus and generally that of the IVE is on adoring God and trying to bring people to realize their personal grandeur to become “God-like” by centering oneself on God. Practically, one can see the examples of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis in how they celebrated Mass. For example, Pope Francis never tells jokes during Mass. Pope Francis does not wander around preaching the homily. Pope Francis does not treat the Mass like “entertainment.” He offers the Mass with deliberate focus on the gestures he is doing, with adoration of the Lord Jesus after the consecration of the Body and Blood of Jesus, and with extended times of sacred silence. The only time he perhaps smiles during Mass is when greeting people bringing up special gifts or offerings. Outside of the liturgy he is a lot more engaging with people. His example basically describes how I try to focus during Mass, as well as the general attitude of my religious order.