“We Are Bound to Give Thanks to God Always:” Worship that is Right and Just
- “We Are Bound to Give Thanks to God Always:” Worship that is Right and Just1
Introduction
Our gathering draws inspiration from the words “dignum et iustum est” that appear in the Introductory Dialogue of the Eucharistic Prayer. Josef Jungmann states that in this dialogue “we have a most ancient Christian tradition” with roots in both Jewish prayer and ancient Roman acclamations.2 He notes that the obligation to give thanks is already stressed in St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians: “We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thes 1:3 RSV-2CE). St. Paul gives thanks for two things: that faith is growing abundantly, and that mutual love is increasing.
This suggests in turn the two fundamental purposes of the sacred liturgy as enunciated by the Second Vatican Council: the glorification of God, and the sanctification of God’s people. I would like to reflect with you in this keynote address on how worship that is “truly right and just” accomplishes these two purposes.
1. “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God”
Let us begin with the second half of invitation by the celebrant, and the first purpose of Catholic worship: to glorify and thank God. According to St. Cyril of Jerusalem, when we give thanks, [End Page 3] we do what is fitting and just.3 How easily this obligation can be forgotten! I remember hearing an interview on the BBC of a young American woman on the first Thanksgiving Day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When asked to explain the meaning of this quintessentially American holiday, she said, “It’s a time when Americans give thanks for their blessings.” I was immediately stunned by the absence of an indirect object: to whom do Americans give thanks? It makes no sense to give thanks unless there is someone to whom the thanks are due. Unfortunately, this young woman is not alone. I have been told of a newspaper columnist who once wrote what is now considered a “classic” piece on Thanksgiving, in which he claims it as his favorite holiday because it is free of the strident overtones of religious or militaristic fervor so characteristic of the other holidays throughout the year. Strange that the day devoted to our giving thanks as a nation to God is embraced because it is free of religious overtones!
The obligation to give thanks to God is, of course, at the heart of Catholic worship, especially the Eucharist. The Council reminds us that the liturgy is an exercise of the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ:
Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father.
Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.4 [End Page 4]
Our utter dependence on God in turn shapes our attitude to the world around us. We give thanks when we realize we have received a gift, but we become possessive and exploitative when we forget that God is the source of all we have and are. As St. Paul asked his Corinthian community, “What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” (1 Cor 4:7). In his recent encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis emphasizes that the environmental crisis we face today is due in large part to the fact that many have forgotten that the world has been entrusted to us by God, and...
