Saturday, May 16, 2009

1Pet 1, 24-25 The word of the Lord remains forever

(1Pet 1, 24-25) The word of the Lord remains forever
[24] for: "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts; [25] but the word of the Lord remains forever." This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
(CCC 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 (SC 24). (CCC 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. (CCC 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" (PO 4). 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.

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