II. RELATIVE CHRONOLOGY

No student of the life of Jesus will question the chronological order of its principal divisions: infancy, hidden life, public life, passion, glory. But the order of events in the single divisions is not always clear

beyond dispute.

A. The Infancy of Jesus

The history of the infancy, for instance, is recorded only in the First Gospel and in the Third. Each Evangelist contents himself with five pictures:

·                     St. Matthew describes the birth of Jesus, the adoration of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, and the return to Nazareth.

·                     St. Luke gives a sketch of the birth, of the adoration of the shepherds, of the circumcision, of the purification of the Virgin, and of the return to Nazareth.

The two Evangelists agree in the first and the last of these two series of incidents (moreover, all scholars place the birth, adoration of the shepherds, and the circumcision before the Magi), but how are we to arrange the intervening three events related by St. Matthew with the order of St. Luke? We indicate a few of the many ways in which the chronogical sequence of these facts has been arranged.

1. The birth, the adoration of the shepherds, the circumcision, the adoration of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the slaughter of the Innocents, the purification, the return to Nazareth. This order implies that either the purification was delayed beyond the fortieth day, which seems to contradict Luke, ii, 22 sqq., or that Jesus was born shortly before Herod's death. so that the Holy Family could return from Egypt within forty days after the birth of Jesus. Tradition does not seem to favour this speedy return.

2. The birth, the adoration of the shepherds, the circumcision, the adoration of the Magi, the purification, the flight into Egypt, the slaughter of the Innocents, the return to Nazareth. According to this order the Magi either arrived a few days before the purification or they came on 6 January; but in neither case can we understand why the Holy Family should have offered the sacrifice of the poor, after receiving the offeings of the Magi. Moreover, the firsr Evangelist intimates that the angel appeared to St. Joseph soon after the departure of the Magi, and it is not at all probable that Herod should have waited long before inquiring concerning the whereabouts of the new born king. The difficulties are not overcome by placing the adoration of the Magi on the day before the purification; it would be more unlikely in that case that the Holy Family should offer the sacrifice of the poor.

3. As Luke 2:39 appears to exclude the possibility of placing the adoration of the Magi between the presentation and return to Nazareth, there are interpreters who have located the advent of the wise men, the flight to Egypt, the slaughter of the Innocents, and the return from Egypt after the events as told in St. Luke. They agree in the opinion that the Holy Family returned to Nazareth after the purification, and then left Nazareth in order to make their home in Bethlehem. Eusebius, Epiphanius, and some other ancient writers are willing to place the adoration of the Magi about two years after Christ's birth; Paperbroch and his followers allow about a year and thirteen days between the birth and the advent of the Magi; while Patrizi agrees with those who fix the advent of the Magi at about two weeks after the purification . The text of Matt., ii, 1, 2, hardly permits an interval of more than a year between the purification and the coming of the wise men; Patrizi's opinion appears to satisfy all the data furnished by the gospels, while it does not contradict the particulars added by tradition.

B. The Hidden Life of Jesus

It was in the seclusion of Nazareth that Jesus spent the greatest part of His earthly life. The inspired records are very reticent about this period: Luke, 2:40-52; Mark 6:3; John 6:42; 7:15, are about the only passages which refer to the hidden life. Some of them give us a general view of Christ's life: "The child grew, and grew in strength and wisdom; and the grace of God was in him" is the brief summary of the years following the return of the Holy Family after the ceremonial purification in the Temple. "Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men", and He "was subject to them" form the inspired outline of Christ's life in Nazareth after He had attained the age of twelve. "When he was twelve years old" Jesus accompanied His parents to Jerusalem, 'according to the custom of the feast'; When they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not." After three days, they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions." It was on this occasion that Jesus spoke the only words that have come down from the period of His hidden life: "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know, that I must be about my Father's business [or, "in my father's house"]?" The Jews tell us that Jesus had not passed through the training of he Rabbinic schools: "How doth this man know letters, having never learned?". The same question is asked by the people of Nazareth, who add, "Is not this the carpenter?" St. Justin is authority for the statement that Jesus specially made "ploughs and yokes' (Contra Tryph., 88). Though it is not certain that at the time of Jesus elementary schools existed in the Jewish villlages, it may be inferred from the Gospels that Jesus knew how to read (Luke 4:16) and write (John 8:6). At an early age He must have learned the so called Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), and the Hallel, or Psalms 113-118 (Hebr.); He must have been familiar with the other parts of the Scriptures too, especially the Psalms and the Prophetic Books, as He constantly refers to them in His public life. It is also asserted that Palestine at the time of Jesus Christ was practically bilingual, so that Christ must have spoken Aramaic and Greek; the indications that He was acquainted with Hebrew and Latin are rather slight. The public teaching of Jesus shows that He was a close observer of the sights and sounds of nature, and of the habits of all classes of men. For these are the usual sources of His illustrations. To conclude the hidden life of Jesus extending through thirty years is far different from what one should have expected in the case of a Person Who is adored by His followers as their God and revered as their Saviour; this is an indirect proof for the credibility of the Gospel story.

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 20

PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION

OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

Why the liturgy?

1066 In the Symbol of the faith the Church confesses the mystery of the Holy Trinity

and of the plan of God's "good pleasure" for all creation: the Father accomplishes the

"mystery of his will" by giving his beloved Son and his Holy Spirit for the salvation of

the world and for the glory of his name.[1]

Such is the mystery of Christ, revealed and fulfilled in history according to the wisely

ordered plan that St. Paul calls the "plan of the mystery"[2] and the patristic tradition will

call the "economy of the Word incarnate" or the "economy of salvation."

1067 "The wonderful works of God among the people of the Old Testament were but a

prelude to the work of Christ the Lord in redeeming mankind and giving perfect glory to

God. He accomplished this work principally by the Paschal mystery of his blessed

Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and glorious Ascension, whereby 'dying he

destroyed our death, rising he restored our life.' For it was from the side of Christ as he

slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth 'the wondrous sacrament of

the whole Church."'[3]

For this reason, the Church celebrates in the liturgy above all the Paschal mystery by

which Christ accomplished the work of our salvation.

1068 It is this mystery of Christ that the Church proclaims and celebrates in her liturgy

so that the faithful may live from it and bear witness to it in the world:

For it is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that "the work

of our redemption is accomplished," and it is through the liturgy especially that the

faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ

and the real nature of the true Church.[4]

What does the word liturgy mean?

1069 The word "liturgy" originally meant a "public work" or a "service in the name

of/on behalf of the people."

In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in "the work of

God."[5]

Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our

redemption in, with, and through his Church.

1070 In the New Testament the word "liturgy" refers not only to the celebration of

divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active charity.[6] In all

of these situations it is a question of the service of God and neighbor.

In a liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one

"leitourgos";[7] she shares in Christ's priesthood (worship), which is both prophetic

(proclamation) and kingly (service of charity):

The liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ.

It involves the presentation of man's sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible

by the senses and its accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of these signs.

In it full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by

the Head and his members.

From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the

priest and of his Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others.

No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same

degree.[8]

Liturgy as source of life

1071 As the work of Christ liturgy is also an action of his Church. It makes the Church

present and manifests her as the visible sign of the communion in Christ between God

and men. It engages the faithful in the new life of the community and involves the

"conscious, active, and fruitful participation" of everyone.[9]

1072 "The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church":[10] it must

be preceded by evangelization, faith, and conversion. It can then produce its fruits in the

lives of the faithful: new life in the Spirit, involvement in the mission of the Church, and

service to her unity.

Prayer and liturgy

1073 The liturgy is also a participation in Christ's own prayer addressed to the Father in

the Holy Spirit. In the liturgy, all Christian prayer finds its source and goal. Through the

liturgy the inner man is rooted and grounded in "the great love with which [the Father]

loved us" in his beloved Son.[11] It is the same "marvelous work of God" that is lived

and internalized by all prayer, "at all times in the Spirit."[12]

Catechesis and liturgy

1074 "The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is

also the font from which all her power flows."[13]

It is therefore the privileged place for catechizing the People of God.

"Catechesis is intrinsically linked with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity,

for it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus works in fullness

for the transformation of men."[14]

1075 Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ ( It is

"mystagogy." ) by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing

signified, from the "sacraments" to the "mysteries." Such catechesis is to be presented by

local and regional catechisms. This Catechism, which aims to serve the whole Church in

all the diversity of her rites and cultures,[15] will present what is fundamental and

common to the whole Church in the liturgy as mystery and as celebration (Section One),

and then the seven sacraments and the sacramentals (Section Two).

ENDNOTES

1 Eph 1:9.

2 Eph 3:9; cf. 3:4.

3 SC 5 # 2; cf. St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 138, 2: PL 37, 1784-1785.

4 SC 2.

5 Cf. Jn 17:4.

6 Cf. Lk 1:23; Acts 13:2; Rom 15:16, 27; 2 Cor 9:12; Phil 2:14-17, 25, 30.

7 Cf. Heb 8:2, 6.

8 SC 7 # 2-3.

9 SC 11.

10 SC 9.

11 Eph 2:4; 3:16-17.

12 Eph 6:18.

13 SC 10.

14 John Paul II, CT 23.

15 Cf. SC 3-4.

SECTION ONE - THE SACRAMENTAL

ECONOMY

1076 The Church was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost by the

outpouring of the Holy Spirit.[1] The gift of the Spirit ushers in a new era in the

"dispensation of the mystery" the age of the Church, during which Christ manifests,

makes present, and communicates his work of salvation through the liturgy of his

Church, "until he comes."[2] In this age of the Church Christ now lives and acts in and

with his Church, in a new way appropriate to this new age. He acts through the

sacraments in what the common Tradition of the East and the West calls "the

sacramental economy"; this is the communication (or "dispensation") of the fruits of

Christ's Paschal mystery in the celebration of the Church's "sacramental" liturgy.

It is therefore important first to explain this "sacramental dispensation" (chapter one).

The nature and essential features of liturgical celebration will then appear more clearly

(chapter two).

CHAPTER ONE - THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN

THE AGE OF THE CHURCH

ARTICLE 1 - THE LITURGY - WORK OF THE

HOLY TRINITY

I. THE FATHER-SOURCE AND GOAL OF THE

LITURGY

1077 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in

Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him

before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

He destined us before him in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the

purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in

the Beloved."[3]

1078 Blessing is a divine and life-giving action, the source of which is the Father; his

blessing is both word and gift.[4] When applied to man, the word "blessing" means

adoration and surrender to his Creator in thanksgiving.

1079 From the beginning until the end of time the whole of God's work is a blessing.

From the liturgical poem of the first creation to the canticles of the heavenly Jerusalem,

the inspired authors proclaim the plan of salvation as one vast divine blessing.

1080 From the very beginning God blessed all living beings, especially man and woman.

The covenant with Noah and with all living things renewed this blessing of fruitfulness

despite man's sin which had brought a curse on the ground. But with Abraham, the

divine blessing entered into human history which was moving toward death, to redirect

it toward life, toward its source. By the faith of "the father of all believers," who

embraced the blessing, the history of salvation is inaugurated.

1081 The divine blessings were made manifest in astonishing and saving events: the

birth of Isaac, the escape from Egypt (Passover and Exodus), the gift of the promised

land, the election of David, the presence of God in the Temple, the purifying exile, and

return of a "small remnant." The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, interwoven in the

liturgy of the Chosen People, recall these divine blessings and at the same time respond

to them with blessings of praise and thanksgiving.

1082 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. In his Word who became incarnate, died, and rose for us, he fills

us with his blessings. Through his Word, he pours into our hearts the Gift that contains

all gifts, the Holy Spirit.

1083 The dual dimension of the Christian liturgy as a response of faith and love to the

spiritual blessings the Father bestows on us is thus evident. On the one hand, the

Church, united with her Lord and "in the Holy Spirit,"[5] blesses the Father "for his

inexpressible gift[6] in her adoration, praise, and thanksgiving. On the other hand, until

the consummation of God's plan, the Church never ceases to present to the Father the

offering of his own gifts and to beg him to send the Holy Spirit upon that offering, upon

herself, upon the faithful, and upon the whole world, so that through communion in the

death and resurrection of Christ the Priest, and by the power of the Spirit, these divine

blessings will bring forth the fruits of life "to the praise of his glorious grace."[7]

II. CHRIST'S WORK IN THE LITURGY

Christ glorified . . .

1084 "Seated at the right hand of the Father" and pouring out the Holy Spirit on his

Body which is the Church, Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to

communicate his grace. The sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions)

accessible to our human nature. By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit

they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify.

1085 In the liturgy of the Church, it is principally his own Paschal mystery that Christ

signifies and makes present. During his earthly life Jesus announced his Paschal mystery

by his teaching and anticipated it by his actions. When his Hour comes, he lives out the

unique event of history which does not pass away: Jesus dies, is buried, rises from the

dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father "once for all."[8] His Paschal mystery

is a real event that occurred in our history, but it is unique: all other historical events

happen once, and then they pass away, swallowed up in the past. The Paschal mystery of

Christ, by contrast, cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed

death, and all that Christ is - all that he did and suffered for all men - participates in the

divine eternity, and so transcends all times while being made present in them all. The

event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything toward life.

. . . from the time of the Church of the Apostles . . .

1086 "Accordingly, just as Christ was sent by the Father so also he sent the apostles,

filled with the Holy Spirit. This he did so that they might preach the Gospel to every

creature and proclaim that the Son of God by his death and resurrection had freed us

from the power of Satan and from death and brought us into the Kingdom of his

Father. But he also willed that the work of salvation which they preached should be set

in train through the sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life

revolves."[9]

1087 Thus the risen Christ, by giving the Holy Spirit to the apostles, entrusted to them

his power of sanctifying:[10] they became sacramental signs of Christ. By the power of

the same Holy Spirit they entrusted this power to their successors. This

"apostolic succession" structures the whole liturgical life of the Church

and is itself sacramental, handed on by the sacrament of Holy Orders.

. . . is present in the earthly liturgy . . .

1088 "To accomplish so great a work" - the dispensation or communication of his work

of salvation - "Christ is always present in his Church, especially in her liturgical

celebrations. He is present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his

minister, 'the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered

himself on the cross,' but especially in the Eucharistic species. By his power he is present

in the sacraments so that when anybody baptizes, it is really Christ himself who baptizes.

He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are

read in the Church. Lastly, he is present when the Church prays and sings, for he has

promised 'where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst

of them."'[11]

1089 "Christ, indeed, always associates the Church with himself in this great work in

which God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is his beloved Bride

who calls to her Lord and through him offers worship to the eternal Father."[12]

. . . which participates in the liturgy of heaven

1090 "In the earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is

celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where

Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true

tabernacle. With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the

Lord; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with

them; we eagerly await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, until he, our life, shall appear

and we too will appear with him in glory."[13]

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH IN

THE LITURGY

1091 In the liturgy the Holy Spirit is teacher of the faith of the People of God and

artisan of "God's masterpieces," the sacraments of the New Covenant. The desire and

work of the Spirit in the heart of the Church is that we may live from the life of the risen

Christ. When the Spirit encounters in us the response of faith which he has aroused in

us, he brings about genuine cooperation. Through it, the liturgy becomes the common

work of the Holy Spirit and the Church.

1092 In this sacramental dispensation of Christ's mystery the Holy Spirit acts in the same

way as at other times in the economy of salvation: he prepares the Church to encounter

her Lord; he recalls and makes Christ manifest to the faith of the assembly. By his

transforming power, he makes the mystery of Christ present here and now. Finally the

Spirit of communion unites the Church to the life and mission of Christ.

The Holy Spirit prepares for the reception of Christ

1093 In the sacramental economy the Holy Spirit fulfills what was prefigured in the Old

Covenant. Since Christ's Church was "prepared in marvellous fashion in the history of

the people of Israel and in the Old Covenant,"[14] the Church's liturgy has retained

certain elements of the worship of the Old Covenant as integral and irreplaceable,

adopting them as her own:

-notably, reading the Old Testament;

-praying the Psalms;

-above all, recalling the saving events and significant realities which have found their

fulfillment in the mystery of Christ (promise and covenant, Exodus and Passover,

kingdom and temple, exile and return).

1094 It is on this harmony of the two Testaments that the Paschal catechesis of the Lord

is built,[15] and then, that of the Apostles and the Fathers of the Church. This catechesis

unveils what lay hidden under the letter of the Old Testament: the mystery of Christ. It

is called "typological" because it reveals the newness of Christ on the basis of the

"figures" (types) which announce him in the deeds, words, and symbols of the first

covenant. By this re-reading in the Spirit of Truth, starting from Christ, the figures are

unveiled.[16] Thus the flood and Noah's ark prefigured salvation by Baptism,[17] as did

the cloud and the crossing of the Red Sea. Water from the rock was the figure of the

spiritual gifts of Christ, and manna in the desert prefigured the Eucharist, "the true

bread from heaven."[18]

1095 For this reason the Church, especially during Advent and Lent and above all at the

Easter Vigil, re-reads and re-lives the great events of salvation history in the "today" of

her liturgy. But this also demands that catechesis help the faithful to open themselves to

this spiritual understanding of the economy of salvation as the Church's liturgy reveals it

and enables us to live it.

1096 Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy. A better knowledge of the Jewish people's faith

and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of

certain aspects of Christian liturgy. For both Jews and Christians Sacred Scripture is an

essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation of the Word of God, the

response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead,

invocation of God's mercy. In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word

originates in Jewish prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and

formularies, as well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord's Prayer,

have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers also draw their inspiration from

the Jewish tradition. The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but

also their differences in content, are particularly evident in the great feasts of the

liturgical year, such as Passover. Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover. For

Jews, it is the Passover of history, tending toward the future; for Christians, it is the

Passover fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation

of its definitive consummation.

1097 In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration

of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church.

The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the "communion of the Holy Spirit" who

gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends

racial, cultural, social - indeed, all human affinities.

1098 The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become "a people

well disposed." The preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the

assembly, especially of its ministers. The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith,

conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. These dispositions are the

precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the celebration itself

and the fruits of new life which the celebration is intended to produce afterward.

The Holy Spirit recalls the mystery of Christ

1099 The Spirit and the Church cooperate to manifest Christ and his work of salvation

in the liturgy. Primarily in the Eucharist, and by analogy in the other sacraments, the

liturgy is the memorial of the mystery of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the Church's living

memory.[19]

1100 The Word of God. The Holy Spirit first recalls the meaning of the salvation event

to the liturgical assembly by giving life to the Word of God, which is proclaimed so that

it may be received and lived:

In the celebration of the liturgy, Sacred Scripture is extremely important. From it come

the lessons that are read and explained in the homily and the psalms that are sung. It is

from the Scriptures that the prayers, collects, and hymns draw their inspiration and

their force, and that actions and signs derive their meaning.[20]

1101 The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual understanding of the Word of God to those who

read or hear it, according to the dispositions of their hearts. By means of the words,

actions, and symbols that form the structure of a celebration, the Spirit puts both the

faithful and the ministers into a living relationship with Christ, the Word and Image of

the Father, so that they can live out the meaning of what they hear, contemplate, and do

in the celebration.

1102 "By the saving word of God, faith . . . is nourished in the hearts of believers. By

this faith then the congregation of the faithful begins and grows."[21] The proclamation

does not stop with a teaching; it elicits the response of faith as consent and

commitment, directed at the covenant between God and his people. Once again it is the

Holy Spirit who gives the grace of faith, strengthens it and makes it grow in the

community. The liturgical assembly is first of all a communion in faith.

1103 Anamnesis. The liturgical celebration always refers to God's saving interventions in

history. "The economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words which are

intrinsically bound up with each other.... [T]he words for their part proclaim the works

and bring to light the mystery they contain."[22] In the Liturgy of the Word the Holy

Spirit "recalls" to the assembly all that Christ has done for us. In keeping with the nature

of liturgical actions and the ritual traditions of the churches, the celebration "makes a

remembrance" of the marvelous works of God in an anamnesis which may be more or

less developed. The Holy Spirit who thus awakens the memory of the Church then

inspires thanksgiving and praise (doxology).

The Holy Spirit makes present the mystery of Christ

1104 Christian liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them,

makes them present. The Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated, not repeated. It is the

celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy

Spirit that makes the unique mystery present.

1105 The Epiclesis ("invocation upon") is the intercession in which the priest begs the

Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the body

and blood of Christ and that the faithful by receiving them, may themselves become a

living offering to God.[23]

1106 Together with the anamnesis, the epiclesis is at the heart of each sacramental

celebration, most especially of the Eucharist:

You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine . . . the Blood of

Christ I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them and accomplishes what

surpasses every word and thought . . . Let it be enough for you to understand that it is

by the Holy Spirit, just as it was of the Holy Virgin and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord,

through and in himself, took flesh.[24]

1107 The Holy Spirit's transforming power in the liturgy hastens the coming of the

kingdom and the consummation of the mystery of salvation. While we wait in hope he

causes us really to anticipate the fullness of communion with the Holy Trinity. Sent by

the Father who hears the epiclesis of the Church, the Spirit gives life to those who

accept him and is, even now, the "guarantee" of their inheritance.[25]

The communion of the Holy Spirit

1108 In every liturgical action the Holy Spirit is sent in order to bring us into

communion with Christ and so to form his Body. The Holy Spirit is like the sap of the

Father's vine which bears fruit on its branches.[26] The most intimate cooperation of the

Holy Spirit and the Church is achieved in the liturgy. The Spirit who is the Spirit of

communion, abides indefectibly in the Church. For this reason the Church is the great

sacrament of divine communion which gathers God's scattered children together.

Communion with the Holy Trinity and fraternal communion are inseparably the fruit of

the Spirit in the liturgy.[27]

1109 The epiclesis is also a prayer for the full effect of the assembly's communion with

the mystery of Christ. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the

fellowship of the Holy Spirit"[28] have to remain with us always and bear fruit beyond

the Eucharistic celebration. The Church therefore asks the Father to send the Holy

Spirit to make the lives of the faithful a living sacrifice to God by their spiritual

transformation into the image of Christ, by concern for the Church's unity, and by

taking part in her mission through the witness and service of charity.

IN BRIEF

1110 In the liturgy of the Church, God the Father is blessed and adored as the source of

all the blessings of creation and salvation with which he has blessed us in his Son, in

order to give us the Spirit of filial adoption.

1111 Christ's work in the liturgy is sacramental: because his mystery of salvation is made

present there by the power of his Holy Spirit; because his Body, which is the Church, is

like a sacrament (sign and instrument) in which the Holy Spirit dispenses the mystery of

salvation; and because through her liturgical actions the pilgrim Church already

participates, as by a foretaste, in the heavenly liturgy.

1112 The mission of the Holy Spirit in the liturgy of the Church is to prepare the

assembly to encounter Christ; to recall and manifest Christ to the faith of the assembly;

to make the saving work of Christ present and active by his transforming power; and to

make the gift of communion bear fruit in the Church.

THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 19

ARTICLE 12 - "I BELIEVE IN LIFE

EVERLASTING"

1020 The Christian who unites his own death to that of Jesus views it as a step towards

him and an entrance into everlasting life. When the Church for the last time speaks

Christ's words of pardon and absolution over the dying Christian, seals him for the last

time with a strengthening anointing, and gives him Christ in viaticum as nourishment for

the journey, she speaks with gentle assurance:

Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God the almighty Father, who

created you, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who suffered for

you, in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you. Go forth, faithful

Christian!

May you live in peace this day, may your home be with God in Zion, with Mary, the

virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, and all the angels and saints....

May you return to [your Creator] who formed you from the dust of the earth. May holy

Mary, the angels, and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life....

May you see your Redeemer face to face. 589

I. THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT

1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting

the divine grace manifested in Christ.[590] The New Testament speaks of judgment

primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also

repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with

his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on

the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny

of the soul-a destiny which can be different for some and for others.[591]

1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment

of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the

blessedness of heaven-through a purification[592] or immediately,[593]-or immediate

and everlasting damnation.[594]

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.[595]

II. HEAVEN

1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever

with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face:[596] By

virtue of our apostolic authority, we define the following: According to the general

disposition of God, the souls of all the saints . . . and other faithful who died after

receiving Christ's holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when

they died, . . . or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have

been purified after death, . . .) already before they take up their bodies again and before

the general judgment - and this since the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

into heaven - have been, are and will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and

celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the

Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine

essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any

creature.[597]

1024 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity - this communion of life and love with

the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed - is called "heaven."

Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of

supreme, definitive happiness.

1025 To live in heaven is "to be with Christ." The elect live "in Christ,"[598] but they

retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name.[599] For life is to be with

Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.[600]

1026 By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened" heaven to us. The life of

the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption

accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have

believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all

who are perfectly incorporated into Christ.

1027 This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond

all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace,

wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the heavenly Jerusalem,

paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has

prepared for those who love him."[601]

1028 Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself

opens up his mystery to man's immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for

it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory "the beatific

vision": How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be

honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and

God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the

righteous and God's friends.[602]

1029 In the glory of heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation

to other men and to all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him "they shall

reign for ever and ever."[603]

III. THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR

PURGATORY

1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed

assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to

achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which

is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.[604] The Church formulated

her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The

tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing

fire:[605] As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment,

there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the

Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this

sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain

others in the age to come.[606]

1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already

mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the

dead, that they might be delivered from their sin."[607] From the beginning the Church

has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all

the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of

God.[608] The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance

undertaken on behalf of the dead: Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons

were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the

dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and

to offer our prayers for them.[609]

IV. HELL

1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot

love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He

who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and

you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."[610] Our Lord warns us that

we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the

little ones who are his brethren.[611] To die in mortal sin without repenting and

accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own

free choice. This state of definitive self- exclusion from communion with God and the

blessed is called "hell."

1034 Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those

who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and

body can be lost.[612] Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they

will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,"[613] and that he

will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal

fire!"[614]

1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.

Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into

hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire."[615] The chief

punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the

life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.

1036 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the

subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his

freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to

conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads

to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is

hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."[616] Since we know neither the

day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that,

when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him

into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked

and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness

where "men will weep and gnash their teeth."[617]

1037 God predestines no one to go to hell;[618] for this, a willful turning away from

God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic

liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God,

who does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance":[619] Father, accept

this offering from your whole family. Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final

damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.[620]

V. THE LAST JUDGMENT

1038 The resurrection of all the dead, "of both the just and the unjust,"[621] will precede

the Last Judgment. This will be "the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the

Son of man's] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of

life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."[622] Then Christ

will come "in his glory, and all the angels with him .... Before him will be gathered all the

nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep

from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left....

And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."[623]

1039 In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship

with God will be laid bare.[624] The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest

consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life: All

that the wicked do is recorded, and they do not know. When "our God comes, he does

not keep silence.". . . he will turn towards those at his left hand: . . . "I placed my poor

little ones on earth for you. I as their head was seated in heaven at the right hand of my

Father - but on earth my members were suffering, my members on earth were in need. If

you gave anything to my members, what you gave would reach their Head. Would that

you had known that my little ones were in need when I placed them on earth for you

and appointed them your stewards to bring your good works into my treasury. But you

have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my

presence."[625]

1040 The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows

the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his

Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the

ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation

and understand the marvellous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its

final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God's justice triumphs over all the

injustices committed by his creatures and that God's love is stronger than death.[626]

1041 The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving

them "the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation."[627] It inspires a holy fear of God

and commits them to the justice of the Kingdom of God. It proclaims the "blessed

hope" of the Lord's return, when he will come "to be glorified in his saints, and to be

marvelled at in all who have believed."[628]

VI. THE HOPE OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND

THE NEW EARTH

1042 At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the

universal judgment, the righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and

soul. The universe itself will be renewed:

The Church . . . will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come

the time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the

universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through

him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ.[629]

1043 Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and

the world, "new heavens and a new earth."[630] It will be the definitive realization of

God's plan to bring under a single head "all things in [Christ], things in heaven and

things on earth."[631]

1044 In this new universe, the heavenly Jerusalem, God will have his dwelling among

men.[632] "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have

passed away."[633]

1045 For man, this consummation will be the final realization of the unity of the human

race, which God willed from creation and of which the pilgrim Church has been "in the

nature of sacrament."[634] Those who are united with Christ will form the community

of the redeemed, "the holy city" of God, "the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."[635] She will

not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly

community.[636] The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible

way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual

communion.

1046 For the cosmos, Revelation affirms the profound common destiny of the material

world and man:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God . . . in

hope because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay.... We know

that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the

creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we

wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.[637]

1047 The visible universe, then, is itself destined to be transformed, "so that the world

itself, restored to its original state, facing no further obstacles, should be at the service of

the just," sharing their glorification in the risen Jesus Christ.[638]

1048 "We know neither the moment of the consummation of the earth and of man, nor

the way in which the universe will be transformed. The form of this world, distorted by

sin, is passing away, and we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new

earth in which righteousness dwells, in which happiness will fill and surpass all the

desires of peace arising in the hearts of men."[639]

1049 "Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new

earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows,

foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be

careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the kingdom of Christ,

such progress is of vital concern to the kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to

the better ordering of human society."[640]

1050 "When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature and our enterprise . . .

according to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again,

cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ

presents to his Father an eternal and universal kingdom."[641] God will then be "all in

all" in eternal life:[642]

True and subsistent life consists in this: the Father, through the Son and in the Holy

Spirit, pouring out his heavenly gifts on all things without exception. Thanks to his

mercy, we too, men that we are, have received the inalienable promise of eternal

life.[643]

IN BRIEF

1051 Every man receives his eternal recompense in his immortal soul from the moment

of his death in a particular judgment by Christ, the judge of the living and the dead.

1052 "We believe that the souls of all who die in Christ's grace . . . are the People of God

beyond death. On the day of resurrection, death will be definitively conquered, when

these souls will be reunited with their bodies" (Paul VI, CPG # 28).

1053 "We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in

Paradise forms the Church of heaven, where in eternal blessedness they see God as he is

and where they are also, to various degrees, associated with the holy angels in the divine

governance exercised by Christ in glory, by interceding for us and helping our weakness

by their fraternal concern" (Paul VI, CPG # 29).

1054 Those who die in God's grace and friendship imperfectly purified, although they

are assured of their eternal salvation, undergo a purification after death, so as to achieve

the holiness necessary to enter the joy of God.

1055 By virtue of the "communion of saints," the Church commends the dead to God's

mercy and offers her prayers, especially the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist, on their

behalf.

1056 Following the example of Christ, the Church warns the faithful of the "sad and

lamentable reality of eternal death" (GCD 69), also called "hell."

1057 Hell's principal punishment consists of eternal separation from God in whom

alone man can have the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he

longs.

1058 The Church prays that no one should be lost: "Lord, let me never be parted from

you." If it is true that no one can save himself, it is also true that God "desires all men to

be saved" (1 Tim 2:4), and that for him "all things are possible" (Mt 19:26).

1059 "The holy Roman Church firmly believes and confesses that on the Day of

Judgment all men will appear in their own bodies before Christ's tribunal to render an

account of their own deeds" (Council of Lyons II [1274]: DS 859; cf. DS 1549).

1060 At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. Then the just

will reign with Christ for ever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe itself

will be transformed. God will then be "all in all" (1 Cor 15:28), in eternal life.

"AMEN"

1061 The Creed, like the last book of the Bible,[644] ends with the Hebrew word amen.

This word frequently concludes prayers in the New Testament. The Church likewise

ends her prayers with "Amen."

1062 In Hebrew, amen comes from the same root as the word "believe." This root

expresses solidity, trustworthiness, faithfulness. And so we can understand why "Amen"

may express both God's faithfulness towards us and our trust in him.

1063 In the book of the prophet Isaiah, we find the expression "God of truth" (literally

"God of the Amen"), that is, the God who is faithful to his promises: "He who blesses

himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth [amen]."[645] Our Lord often

used the word "Amen," sometimes repeated,[646] to emphasize the trustworthiness of

his teaching, his authority founded on God's truth.

1064 Thus the Creed's final "Amen" repeats and confirms its first words: "I believe." To

believe is to say "Amen" to God's words, promises and commandments; to entrust

oneself completely to him who is the "Amen" of infinite love and perfect faithfulness.

The Christian's everyday life will then be the "Amen" to the "I believe" of our baptismal

profession of faith:

May your Creed be for you as a mirror. Look at yourself in it, to see if you believe

everything you say you believe. And rejoice in your faith each day.[647]

1065 Jesus Christ himself is the "Amen."[648] He is the definitive "Amen" of the

Father's love for us. He takes up and completes our "Amen" to the Father: "For all the

promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to

the glory of God":[649]

Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory

and honor is yours, almighty Father, God, for ever and ever. AMEN.