Vocation: Sister Disciples Of The Divine Master

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A Pauline Centenary Pastoral Tool

ALBERIONE AND THE LITURGICAL MOVEMENT, n. 11***

A Doctoral Thesis Presented at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute

THE FEATURES OF BLESSED ALBERIONE’S TEACHINGS

ON THE LITURGY

“The Sanctifying Aspect of the Liturgy”

The entire liturgy has been organized wisely by the Church in accordance with Jesus Christ. Blessed Alberione observed that the Church, in teaching the Christian doctrine and in exhorting the faithful to observe precepts, prepare the way for her specifically priestly and sanctifying action in the liturgy. In the liturgy, the Church prepares the soul for a more intimate contemplation of the life of Jesus, a deeper understanding of the life of faith, and induces a greater desire for perfection and holiness. Blessed Alberione has underlined and explained more extensively the idea of the liturgy, especially the sacraments, as font of grace and as means of sanctification and “christification”.

I. LITURGY AS FONT OF GRACE

According to Blessed Alberione, “grace”, the treasure of the soul, is the supernatural gift given to us by God in view of eternal life. Every perfect gift comes from God and tends to God so that the life of Christ might be revealed in us. God is the true and only font of grace and, at the same time, the supreme end for which grace has been given to us. He explained further that holiness is the life of grace and in order that we may live by grace, the Father gave us his Son. The sanctifying grace is communicated to us by God through the sacraments. Christ did not intend to preclude other ways of conferring grace. “The grace of God”, he remarked, “is given to us by three ways: through the sacraments, the sacramentals and prayer.” He explained that Christ is the meritorious cause of grace and that he has won this grace for us through his passion and death on the cross. The grace Christ won for us through his paschal mystery is communicated to us through the action of the Holy Spirit.

The sacraments are the principal channels of grace, that is, they are the principal means which Christ gave us for our sanctification and salvation. Jesus Christ carried out the work of redemption, but this saving work reaches souls through the sacraments. According to Blessed Alberione, the sacraments are the reliquary of the incarnation and the precious vessels containing the blood and merits of Jesus Christ. Through the sacraments which Christ had instituted and through the ministry of the priests, Jesus Christ communicates his own life and power.

For our Founder, therefore, the sacraments are fonts of living water flowing from the side of Christ and the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is 12:3). Blessed Alberione asserted, moreover, that the sacraments depend upon, and draw their power from, the sacrifice of the cross. The sacraments are like seven rivers flowing out from Calvary and branching out in various directions. He remarked: “There, right there is where life is born. The lamb of God is often depicted perched on a mountain, with seven streams flowing forth below. The seven rivers of grace are the seven sacraments.”

Furthermore, Blessed Alberione declared that the center of the New Testament liturgy is the Mass, which is the renewal of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The sacrament of the Eucharist is the greatest because it does not merely confer grace, but contains the author of grace himself, Jesus Christ. In the Mass is the mystery of the incarnation and the teaching of Jesus; his passion, death and resurrection. In the Mass is the mystery of the most holy Trinity. All the other sacraments are directed to the Eucharist and the other liturgical functions are “liturgical” in as much as they appertain to the Eucharist. Hence, the Mass, which is the renewal of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, is “the sun of piety, the queen of devotions, the font of living water and graces which the sacraments communicate”.

II. LITURGY AS MEANS OF SANCTIFICATION AND “CHRISTIFICATION”

The idea of the sacraments and of liturgy, in general, as means of grace is intimately linked to the idea of “sanctification”, which Blessed Alberione described as “the life of grace”. Sanctification is, in fact, our participation in the grace of Christ or, to put it in another way, it is our incorporation into Jesus Christ. He remarked: “True sanctification is in Christ, which means, incorporation into Christ. We are sanctified the more we are incorporated into Christ.”

For Blessed Alberione, the sacraments are means of being incorporated into Christ. Indeed, the entire liturgy is a means of being conformed or configured to Christ. He wrote: “The liturgy, other than to give glory to God, brings about the soul’s union with Christ, and through Christ, with God. It seeks to purify the soul more and more from sin and from every worldly affection. It seeks to join the soul more and more to Christ as a member to the Head and as a branch to the vine. Hence, we are increasingly conformed to him and draw the inspiration and the strength we need from him, so that we may be impelled more efficiently towards the good, the duty and the practice of religion, the fervent exercise of virtue, in accordance with St. Paul’s teaching: You belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.”

The life of Christ in us is nourished in the first place through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. The Mass enables us to live the life of Christ. But this life of union with Christ – this life of grace and sanctification – should lead us to a more decisive phase, that is, the process of “christification”: Vivit vero in me Christus (Gal 2:20). Blessed Alberione explained: “Perfection consists entirely in being ‘christified’; when one becomes Christ; when it is he who lives in us and it is he who is the soul of our soul. And that is, it is he who guides, strengthens, sanctifies and elevates our being: Vivit vero in me Christus.

Through the sacraments which are the principal channels of grace, the grace of Christ passes on to us and it is then, when Christ lives in us. He asserted: “The most decisive and important phase is: Vivit vero in me Christus, when Christ lives in us. And he lives in the mind that we may have a living, profound and heart-felt faith. He lives in the will; that is, in the hope of doing the divine will, always united to the will of God and with our will conformed to God the Father’s will, in accordance with Christ. And then, he lives in our life – our spiritual life; that is, the love of God and the love of souls. Charity. Hence, we reach what is perfect – the apex: Vivit vero in me Christus. It is he living in us, so that our thoughts remain entirely inspired by Jesus Christ; that is, we live according to the thoughts of Jesus Christ. Say after communion: ‘Jesus give me your mind’. Pray that our hearts may throb like Jesus Christ: ‘Jesus give me your heart’. And then: ‘Jesus, let your will replace my own that I may desire and live only according to your will’. Hence, Vivit vero in me Christus. This is somewhat the guideline concerning sanctification, which consists in being configured to Christ.”

In Blessed Alberione’s teachings, the liturgical year itself has been presented as a means toward the goal of “christification”. This could be gleaned in the following remark he made: “Why the year of redemption, the liturgical year? Donec formetur in vobis: so that Jesus Christ might be formed in us … Advent is for us the preparation so that Jesus Christ may be born spiritually in us and that his life develops to the point that he reigns in us: Vivit vero in me Christus. That he may live in our mind, heart, will; in our entire being, even physical, even in all our senses: Vivit vero in me Christus … To which degree of sanctity do we reach? Jesus grows in us according to our sanctity; that is, when we are holy. Jesus grows in us until he takes complete possession of our being, and hence, Vivit vero in me Christus.”

Indeed, the liturgy in general and the sacraments in particular, are the principal means of entering into a deeper union with Christ and of being configured to him. And even more, the liturgy enables the baptized to journey towards the goal of “christification”, when one could finally declare: “It is no longer I who live; it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). Hence, Blessed Alberione’s insistence of a liturgy that is actuated in life, and of a Mass that is celebrated in life. He declared: “Our liturgy is not just commemoration of facts, but the celebration of life, of the life of Christ.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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