“In the Christian rite, the reality of Christ is made present […]”
- Salvatore Marsili
The primary function of the liturgical rite is not the expression of interior disposition but the realization in the Church of the history of salvation, the climax and center of which is the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. Through the rites of the liturgy humanity is put into a vivid contact with the mystery of salvation; the unique and unrepeatable event of Christ is made present and communicated for the salvation of all. The liturgy extends the saving gift of God and continues the Christ-event in the here and now of the Church. This sublime presence of the saving work of God is referred to as “the ‘hodie’ of the divine saving action.” Salvation, ever new and relevant, is actualized in the liturgy, “accomplished in time but not confined to time, without repeating it, nor bringing us back to that past historical time when it took place.”
Liturgy as actualization of the Paschal Mystery is possible because in the liturgy Jesus himself is present. Liturgy is considered as presence of Christ. It is this “real presence” of Jesus that makes the liturgy shine with immeasurable dignity and genuine effectiveness. It is characterized by an “irreplaceable greatness” in realizing the sanctification of the church and expressing human worship and adoration. This presence of Christ is revealed in the different moments of the liturgical celebration through signs and symbols in the rites that are distinct and proper to the particular moment. This way, in the liturgy Christians are able to experience the presence of Christ and participate in his saving action; man obtains the salvation hoped for. In this participation man is formed into the image of Christ and becomes Christ’s presence in situations where he finds himself. This participation in the salvific work of Jesus is possible because liturgy is essentially a memorial – “understood to be an action whose symbolic components of gestures, movements, words and objects evoke in various modes and degrees a saving event or reality.”
