Each Sunday as we gather with the whole Church for Eucharist, we hear these words of Jesus: “Do this in memory of me.” Those words have echoed through the generations since they were first uttered at a simple table in the company of those who first walked with Christ on the night before he offered his life for the salvation of all.

We ourselves, with the whole Church in every part of this world, “from age to age” and “from generation to generation,” still gather at one table, the same table at which Jesus sat with his Apostles on the night before he died. There, at the table, the altar of sacrifice, the Church enters the mystery of Christ–his life, death and resurrection. The Church eats and drinks in his memory and we ourselves become the mystery, as St. Augustine so poignantly reminds us:

“You are the body of Christ, member for member.”(1 Cor 12.27) If you, therefore, are Christ’s body and members, it is your own mystery that is placed on the Lord’s table! It is your own mystery that you are receiving! You are saying ‘Amen’ to what you are ; your response is a personal signature, affirming your faith.”

— St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (+430 CE)

Thus the Church can confidently pray that “…we who are nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ.” (Eucharistic Prayer III)

That “one body and one spirit in Christ” is sent forth to live in his memory for the sake of others, to do what we have discovered at the Lord’s table among those in the world who seek food and drink, a word of hope, a life valued and forgiveness assured.

Indeed, has ever another command been so followed or has any other vision been so inexhaustible? Has anyone found anything better to do than this?

Christ’s command, “Do this in memory of me,” evokes the vision and the truth of “full, conscious and active participation” called for by the very nature of a faithful gathering at His Table. Do this! Do all of this, Christ commands. Do!

What we do and hope to do in memory of Christ is our vocation begun in baptism. The participation of the Christian people in the “doing” of that memory is both a right and duty by reason of baptism. To live that memory fully, consciously and actively invites again and again the need and the gift to reflect on the mystery, to remember what we must do, how we are to act and to whom we are being called.

As we prepare to welcome the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, we are provided with a unique and valued opportunity to engage in such reflection; to renew our sense of dedication to the memory of Christ, to engage in dialogue, prayer and action and reaffirm our Catholic sense of “The Holy Communion.”

The Historical Perspective

The Third Edition of the Roman Missal leads us to revisit the hope, vision and challenge of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Almost 50 years ago, the Second Vatican Council embraced a vision rooted in the deep and rich tradition of the Church and set out on the irrevocable path of a restored and renewed vision of the liturgy in which the full, conscious and active participation of all is “the aim to be considered before all else.” (CSL No. 14) We have learned, grieved, celebrated, changed our heart, discovered anew the abiding presence of Christ in our life, Church, worship and world during these years.

The strong foundation we have received, the rich experience of our work of worship enables us to continue that vision with a renewed spirit and enflamed hope. The glow of that vision again sends us forth to “love and serve the Lord,” keenly and humbly aware that we are “walking in the footsteps of those who have gone before us,” who like us have hoped to live and act in the memory of Christ. And so we reflect on the mystery “in which we show forth the paschal sacrifice of Christ entrusted to us.”

Liturgical catechesis always begins and ends with the experience, the story, the thanksgiving, the memory, the communion and the mission. What have we done? What do we do? What must we yet do in memory of Christ, the one whose life, death and resurrection we have entered?

The Work We've Done

We began this work in the Diocese of Helena several years ago as we renewed the spirit of the Chrism Mass and set about the task of modeling the “full, conscious and active participation of the faithful,” which led from the Chrism liturgy to a “full, conscious and active participation” in the life and ministry of the Church throughout the diocese.

We have restored and revitalized our Diocesan Liturgical Commission, which helps shape the liturgical ministry and life of the diocese.

We have engaged in ongoing liturgical catechesis, not only in preparation for the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, but because to live and act in memory of Christ evokes the continual need for reflection and study on the nature of the liturgy.

We have invited nationally renowned liturgical scholars to assist in an ongoing study of the Liturgy: Father Paul Turner, Bishop Donald Trautman, Father Michael Driscoll, Dr. Bob Hurd and Father Jan Michael Joncas. Most recently we have hosted the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship and Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions National Workshop on the Implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.

Most significant is the effort, work, prayer, spirit and accomplishments of the people, priests, religious, deacons and leaders of the Diocese of Helena since the implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy was inaugurated. The spirited ministry and vision of the faithful with a vibrant and enthusiastic willingness to engage in the “doing” of worship and the living of life in memory of Christ has been and continues to be a holy endeavor reflecting the sound foundation on which the Church in the Diocese of Helena has been and is being built.

The aim to be considered before all else, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy proclaims, is the full, conscious and active participation of the faithful which is called for by the very nature of the liturgy and is their right and duty by virtue of baptism. (CSL No. 14) It is that vision which has shaped the worship, life and ministry of our diocese these many years and it is on that foundation that we will continue to build and shape the Church in the Diocese of Helena.

The Path Ahead

The building is ongoing and the renewal of the liturgy is a living reality. As the parishes of the Diocese of Helena prepare to receive the revision of the Roman Missal, we are about to engage in a diocesan liturgical catechesis that we hope will lead to a deeper appreciation and awareness of the precious gift we have received in the liturgy of the Catholic Church. We have named this catechesis, “Do this in memory of me.”

During the year ahead, national liturgical scholars will again facilitate diocesan gatherings. We hope to engage every parishioner in conversation, dialogue, learning and reflection following the Sunday liturgy in the months ahead. Workshops will be provided in each deanery for parishioners, leaders, priests and pastoral musicians. We will reflect on the nature and meaning of the liturgy, discover the revisions in the Roman Missal and discern how the entire assembly can participate more fully, with a deeper awareness of the mystery entered, remembering that the active presence of all is the “primary and indispensible source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit.” (CSL No. 14)

The words, the vision, the command and desire of Christ continue to echo through our day and in each of our parishes, for it is an inexhaustible hope: “Do this in memory of me.”

The liturgy is the work of the entire Church. It is our work, our mission, our way of life. But we must always humbly remember that it is first of all God’s work for us and then only our human work in response to the divine gift!


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 11, November 19, 2010.