"Quod si sal evanuerit, in quo salietur?" In worship we immerse ourselves in the Lord as He comes to us through the Holy Spirit and the Church so that we may go away "salted", changed by Him so that His grace is evident through the witness of our Faith. A votive Solemn High Mass was offered at Saint Francis de Sales in Benedict, Maryland, on the day of his feast in the ordinary form calendar on January 24th, 2012, perhaps for the first time at the parish in many years.
"You are the salt of the earth": Servers before Mass take time to prepare themselves for the demands placed upon them in the worship of God. By serving God in liturgy and life we manifest His present as "salt" because we give the flavor of Christ to a world which hungers for His presence.
"Vos estis lux mundi". Practicing with MC George Walter, left, Deacon Richard Walker, center, and Father John Reuteman. The priest, deacon and subdeacon must stretch themselves in learning to worship Almighty God in the extrordinary form of the Roman Rite with its demands for prayer in the Latin language of our Church and the music of Gregorian chant so that, having been formed by Him they may serve as light for others who seek Him.
"..iota unum, aut unus apex non praeteribit a lege, donec omnia fiant". The ministers of the liturgy work together to give glory to God, in mutual obedience to the worship of God's holy Church so that Christ's light might shine before the Church and the world more clearly through the fullness of the Faith we proclaim in the Creed at holy Mass and seek to live each day.
At the sedalia for the duration of the chanting of the Credo by the cantor.
"Neque accendunt lucernam, et ponunt eam sub modio": Deacon Walker, right, receives the blessing before proclaiming the Gospel. The Church serves God's holy Word by proclaiming it in season and out of season so that the world might always look to the Body of Christ to hear His voice. In every liturgy the Word of God is raised up before the world as a light which marks out the path to the future through Faith. The Church serves the Lord as a lampstand by giving light to all in the house of the Church in the proclamation of the Word so that they might go forth and spread His light for the footsteps of others.
"Sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus". In the offertory of the Mass Father Reuteman, left, serves as subdeacon. The Church is a light which shines before others as she obeys the Lord in the faithful celebration of the holy Eucharist which He instituted with a command: "Do this in memory of me."
"...ut videant opera vestra bona": the use of incense in the liturgy proclaims the activity of the Church as always at prayer, doing this good work in the sight of others, in praise of the heavenly Father because of Christ who prays in her through the power of the Holy Spirit.
"...qui autem fecerit, et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum": The Church has been given the mission to teach all nations. The members of the Body of Christ preach and teach the truth of God's law, above all in the context of the sacred liturgy, so that we might attain our salvation as we seek thus to call the world to salvation in Jesus Christ.
"Ite, Missa est": the liturgy seeks its end also in the upbuilding of the members of the Body of Christ as witnesses for freedom of conscience and religion for the greater glory of God and the salvation of their own souls as well as for the sake of others. All are sent forth prepared to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world because they meet and know Christ in the sacred liturgy.
One cannot give what one does not have. In order to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" we must first allow ourselves to be immersed in the Lord by submitting to the demands of the liturgy with its silence, chant, Latin and all of the elements that enable us to truly worship God. We must first possess Christ through grace before we are prepared to go forth and to be saints. It is Christ we who we must seek to give to others in all that we do, in liturgy and in life.
Wonderful!
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