Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist

[jmv]

In our diocesan paper there was an article which had the statement that “the Liturgy of the Word is equal in importance to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.”

This statement seems quite off to me given that Lumen Gentium refers to the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

Paragraph 1325 of the Catechism says “The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.”

Further, John chapter 6 speaks of the necessity of the Eucharist for eternal life.

In no way does this denigrate the Liturgy of the Word as it is the proclamation of the inerrant Word of God, but I think both Scripture and our Sacred Tradition have been pretty clear on the importance of the Eucharist.

Am I wrong to take issue with this? Is the equality of the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist something the Church has taught?

 

[benedictgal]

In our diocesan paper there was an article which had the statement that “the Liturgy of the Word is equal in importance to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.”

This statement seems quite off to me given that Lumen Gentium refers to the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

Paragraph 1325 of the Catechism says “The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.”

Further, John chapter 6 speaks of the necessity of the Eucharist for eternal life.

In no way does this denigrate the Liturgy of the Word as it is the proclamation of the inerrant Word of God, but I think both Scripture and our Sacred Tradition have been pretty clear on the importance of the Eucharist.

Am I wrong to take issue with this? Is the equality of the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist something the Church has taught?

Perhaps this quote from Redemptionis Sacramentum can help:

[60.] In the celebration of Mass, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are intimately connected to one another, and form one single act of worship.

In the Liturgy of the Word, God speaks to us through Scripture, most especially in the Gospel, where the Father’s final Word, the Eternal Word, is heard, mainly, Christ Jesus. Remember, that when Jesus celebrated the Holy Eucharist with the two disciples from Emmaus, he first broke open the word of God, meaning the Eternal Word of God explained the scriptures to his disciples. Then, he celebrated the liturgy of the Eucharist, wherein he consecrated bread and wine into His own Body and Blood. The minute Jesus broke the bread, so to speak, the disciples recognized Him.

That is why it is very important to get to Mass on time. As Redemptionis Sacramentum indicates, it’s not and and/or deal, with the Liturgy of the Word versus the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Both of them form the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

[Digitonomy]

Is the equality of the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist something the Church has taught?

Not that I’m aware of. However, I don’t think it’s taught otherwise, either. It would be fair to call the two liturgies equal parts of the mass. But if you had to choose one or the other, I think the Liturgy of the Eucharist would be the way to go rather than the Liturgy of the Word.

 

[maklavan]

Not that I’m aware of. However, I don’t think it’s taught otherwise, either. It would be fair to call the two liturgies equal parts of the mass. But if you had to choose one or the other, I think the Liturgy of the Eucharist would be the way to go rather than the Liturgy of the Word.

There is no question of having to choose between between the two. They are intertwined.The Constitution of the sacred Liturgy states, " When the sacred Scriptures are read in church, God Himself is speaking to his people and Christ,present in His word,is proclaiming His gospel.Hence the readings from God,s Word are among the most important elements in the liturgy."
The Word is sacrament,just as Jesus is the sacrament of God and the Church is sacrament.

 

[puzzleannie]

without seeing the article in question I can only assume the writer was making a point that the Mass consists of both Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the latter does not stand alone, and attendance at both is required to meet one’s Mass obligation.

 

[Digitonomy]

There is no question of having to choose between between the two.

I think that what puzzleannie said is probably correct; the paper made its statement in the context of a broader explanation about the components of the mass. Nonetheless, in some cases you might have to choose - suppose you have an hour to run several errands, and you’ll be walking by the church. The errands will only take 45 minutes, so you have 15 extra minutes to slip into church if you choose - do you arrange the errands so that you can catch most of the Liturgy of the Word, or so that you can catch the Liturgy of the Eucharist? Or, suppose you want to tape a papal mass on TV - you won’t be there, but a relative can push the button on the remote at the proper time. Problem is, your tape only has 15 or 20 minutes on it. I can probably come up with some more far-fetched hypotheticals if you like.

maklavan:

The Word is sacrament,just as Jesus is the sacrament of God and the Church is sacrament.

Unlike the Eucharist, The Word and the Church are not sacraments per se, they are only sacraments in a vague general way.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

In our diocesan paper there was an article which had the statement that “the Liturgy of the Word is equal in importance to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.”

This statement seems quite off to me given that Lumen Gentium refers to the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

Paragraph 1325 of the Catechism says “The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.”

Further, John chapter 6 speaks of the necessity of the Eucharist for eternal life.

In no way does this denigrate the Liturgy of the Word as it is the proclamation of the inerrant Word of God, but I think both Scripture and our Sacred Tradition have been pretty clear on the importance of the Eucharist.

Am I wrong to take issue with this? Is the equality of the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist something the Church has taught?

Yes, in my opinion you should not take issue with this wording.

The Liturgy of the Word is of equal importance as the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

It is not the same as saying the Scriptures are equal to the Blessed Sacrament.

Christ is present in both, but in different ways and not in equal ways.

 

[jmv]

Yes, in my opinion you should not take issue with this wording.

The Liturgy of the Word is of equal importance as the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

It is not the same as saying the Scriptures are equal to the Blessed Sacrament.

Christ is present in both, but in different ways and not in equal ways.

Thanks for all the responses. I think Br Rich hit it on the head for me here.