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Community of OteizaOUR LIFE HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD AT THE HEART OF THE COSMOSTHE LITURGY OF THE HOURS
Introduction
The subject proposed for this Vicariate Chapter expresses clearly our identity as contemplatives. Yes,we are convinced that our life hidden with Christ in God places us at the heart of the cosmos. In fact,the Paschal Mystery introduces us to the heart of the person and work of Jesus.He invites us to follow him and to continue in the Church, on the one hand, the prayerful attitudeof his relationship with the Father, and on the other, to let ourselves to be guided by Him, with Him and
in Him into his “cosmic mission”.
The Son opens himself to the world through his Incarnation, andtakes upon himself all that is created, and by his Resurrection, He is the heart of the world, the heart of the cosmos. In this central heart-beat, He unites us as community each day for his praise.Among the millions of Galaxies and the billions of stars, some very much bigger than the Sun, webelieve:
“that in the beginning, God created heaven and earth”
(Gen 1:1). We see the earth as the
“
privileged planet”
, the wonderful place of the Covenant, the space chosen for the Incarnation of God.Liturgy opens up this central space from which we can see the entire cosmos. The daily liturgy is anauthentic, cosmic celebration which embraces heaven and earth.
The Liturgy of the Hours
“The cosmic dimension is an essential part of Christian liturgy”
J. Ratzinger says in his book:
Thespirit of the Liturgy
. The cosmos praises God. Every creature sings the glory of God in its innerbeing, by the very fact of existing.When the liturgy of the hours becomes an authentic personal prayer for us, we perceive much better thebond which unites the Liturgy to the whole of Life. Our entire life, in all the Hours of day and night,
constitutes a “
leitourgia”
. In it, united to Christ, we offer a service of love to God and humanity at theheart of the cosmos. So that the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours can ref
lect God‟s beauty, an
expression of his Mystery of Love and acceptable in God‟s eyes,
it must extend beyond the celebrationitself to our evangelical attitudes in the concrete reality of daily life. It is in Christ that we live, pray andsing the liturgy every day. It demands fraternal love:
“Love one another as I have loved you”
(Jn 13:34).With the Liturgy of the Hours, we make the
“Church in prayer”
present.
It is
“the prayer that Christ, united to his Body, addresses to the Father”.
When we pray the Liturgy of the Hours, our voice is that of Christ and his voice is ours. We are aware that it requires self-forgetfulness, detachment from self. TheLord does not accept religious formalism and every liturgical celebration should be free of this. (Is10:20) United with the Church, we want our worship to be pleasing to God.We try to live the Liturgy of the Hours as a preparation for and prolongation of the Eucharist. It givesunity to our life, and helps us to grow in faith, hope and charity. Liturgy is not a private and pious act.It belongs to the entire Body of the Church:
“the praying Church”
. This makes us aware of thenecessity of being faithful to the Liturgy of the Hours in Community.We see the importance of Feasts, Solemnities and Memorials which introduce us to the Mystery of Christ throughout the Liturgical Year. The Liturgy makes Christ present among us in our daily life,until the end of time. (Mt 28:20) Liturgy, before being a celebration, is the fullness of the event of
Jesus Christ‟s super
abundant Mystery.
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