By Brea Cannon
Liturgical Rhythm of Life
The tune and lyrics from the children’s song plays in my head … “Joshua won the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down.”
In the book of Joshua, the Israelites were no physical match for the people of Jericho. Despite this, God instructed Joshua to lead His people marching around the city walls with priests blowing trumpets following the Arc of the Covenant for six days. On the seventh day, God instructed them to march seven times around the city, the priests would blow the trumpets and the people would shout. Lead by Joshua, the Israelites did this and the walls of Jericho fell down.
This display by the Israelites was more than just following instructions from God, it was a form of liturgy. It was worship. Israel sought the Lord’s help; by following the instructions and participating, Israel was powerful and able to overcome Jericho.
The victory over sin and death was conquered on the cross but the battles with evil and fight for souls rages on. The liturgy is where the earthly and spiritual worlds meet for victory in the battles. Just like Joshua and the Israelites, the liturgy is a weapon. The highest form of the liturgy is the Mass. When the Mass is celebrated, it literally changes and saves the world!
At Mass, we are sent out to take the Gospel to all the ends of the earth. In that commission, Jesus wants to be a part of our daily lives – within our homes and families.
At times, this commissioning may seem daunting; the Church is there to assist along the journey. We are given strength and grace from Jesus in the Eucharist, from the Holy Spirit, the sacraments and the liturgical year.
The liturgical year helps us to daily enter into worship. In the liturgical year, we find the rhythm of life with Jesus. It is made of cycles or seasons celebrating the lives of Our Lord, the Blessed Mother and the Saints- Advent, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time.
Within those liturgical seasons are feast days, observances, and monthly dedications. There are many ways to incorporate these into daily life and prayer routines: discover the history of the dedication or feast day, pray with scripture or spiritual writing based on the dedication theme, look to the Saints as role models and mirror their works, place an image depicting a devotion or a life of a Saint in your home or as the background on your cellphone, enjoy traditional foods from where a Saint lived or discover how the Church celebrates the liturgical seasons throughout the world.
June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus– feast day is June 6. This devotion is rich in our Catholic history and popularized in the seventeenth century by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque who experienced personal revelations in a series of visions of Jesus.
Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary, "I will bless every dwelling where an image of My Heart is both exposed and honored."
Ancient and modern prayers, the discovery of the healing power of the Sacred Heart, a prominently placed image of the Sacred Heart at home, or consecration of a home and family through an Enthronement are all ways to honor this devotion.
On Sunday, June 2 the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. This feast is a beautiful solemnity to celebrate the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This feast is a great opportunity to take our faith out to our communities and world. Many churches have Eucharistic processions through towns and communities. Personally, or as a family, one could spend time in Eucharistic adoration or investigate Eucharistic miracles as a way to dive deeper into Corpus Christi.
Other June observances and feasts: World Day of Prayer for the Sanctity of Priests (6/7), Immaculate Heart of Mary (6/8), Religious Freedom Week - USA (6/22-6/29) and Sts. Peter and Paul (6/29).
The liturgy is life changing, and when paired with the Mass has the ability to change the world! The Church’s liturgical calendar is a treasure trove of Church history, tradition, worship, and weapons for the battles for all that is true, good and beautiful. Let’s journey together in this divine rhythm of life on our journey to eternal life.
Brea Cannon is an Evansville diocese native and member of St. Peter Parish in Montgomery with her husband, three children and extended family.