Theology of the Liturgy A lecture by His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, delivered during the Journées liturgiques de Fontgombault, 22-24 July 2001. The Second Vatican Council defined the liturgy as "the work of Christ the Priest and of His Body which is the Church." The work of Jesus Christ is referred to in the same text as the work of the redemption which Christ accomplished especially by the Paschal Mystery of His Passion, of His Resurrection from the dead and His glorious Ascension. "By this Mystery, in dying He has destroyed our death, and in rising He has restored life." At first sight, in these two sentences, the phrase "the work of Christ" seems to have been used in two different senses. "The work of Christ" refers first of all to the historical, redemptive actions of Jesus, His Death and His Resurrection; on the other hand, the celebration of the liturgy is called "the work of Christ." In reality, the two meanings are inseparably linked: the Death and Resurrection of Christ, the Paschal Mystery, are not just exterior, historic events. In the case of the Resurrection this is very clear. It is joined to and penetrates history, but transcends it in two ways: it is not the action of a man, but an action of God, and in that way carries the risen Jesus beyond history, to that place where He sits at the right hand of the Father. But the Cross is not a merely human action either. The purely human aspect is present in the people who led Jesus to the Cross. For Je- sus Himself, the Cross is not primarily an action, but a passion, and a passion which signifies that He is but one with the Divine Will - a union, the dramatic character of Teologi Liturgi Ceramah YM. Joseph Kardinal Ratzinger, Prefek Kongregasi Ajaran Iman, dalam Journées liturgiques de Fontgombault, 22-24 Juli 2001. Konsili Vatikan II (KV II) menyebut liturgi sebagai "karya Kristus Sang Imam dan karya Tubuh-Nya yaitu Gereja" Karya Yesus Kristus juga disebut, dalam teks yang sama, sebagai karya penebusan Kristus yang terpenuhi dalam misteri Paskah yaitu sengsara, kebangkitan dan kenaikan-Nya yang mulia. "Melalui misteri ini, wafat-Nya menghancurkan kematian kita, dan kebangkitan-Nya memulihkan hidup kita. Sekilas, dalam dua kalimat ini, ungkapan "karya Kristus" tampaknya digunakan dengan makna yang berbeda. "Karya Kristus" pertama mengacu pada historisitas karya penebusan Yesus, kematian dan kebangkitan-Nya; di lain pihak, perayaan liturgi ini disebut sebagai "karya Kristus." Dalam praktiknya, kedua makna ini sangat terkait: wafat dan kebangkitan Kristus, misteri Paskah, tidak hanya peristiwa yang dilihat secara historis. Dalam kebangkitan hal ini sangat jelas. Hal ini menyatukan dan meresapkan sejarah, namun menampakkannya dalam dua cara: bukan karya manusia, melainkan karya Allah, dan hal ini mengangkat Yesus melampaui sejarah, di mana Dia duduk di sisi kanan Bapa. Namun salib bukan melulu karya manusia pula. Aspek manusia murni hanya hadir dalam orang- orang di sekitar peristiwa penyaliban Yesus. Bagi Yesus, salib bukan sekadar perbuatan, melainkan juga sebuah hasrat, hasrat untuk memenuhi kehendak Ilahi – sebuah penyatuan, karakter dramatis yang 1