Opening Prayer: Gathers us into a single praying congregation. It sets the tone for the rest of the liturgy.
We have, so far, come together as the people of God, asked for forgiveness and praised God for his mercy. We have been doing the talking. Now we listen, for it is God’s turn to speak.
(Jer 15:16) “When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy, and the happiness of my heart.”
(l Th 2:13) “When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of man but as what it really is, the word of God”
(Origen, -220)
You who are accustomed to take part in the divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with caution and veneration lest any small part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect. but if you are so careful to preserve his body, and rightly so, how do you think that there is
less guilt to have neglected God’s word than to have neglected His Body?... No one understands in heart... unless he be open-minded and totally intent.
(Caesarius of Arles,470-542) I have a question for you, brothers and sisters. Which do you think more important-the word of God or the body of Christ? If you want to answer correctly, you must tell me that the word of God is not less important than the body of Christ! How careful we are, when the body of Christ is distributed to us, not to let any bit of it fall to the ground from our hand! But we should be just as careful not to let slip from our hearts the word of God.
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