Following the introduction of the Second Vatican Council’s intentions in the area of the Holy Liturgy, the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium begins by making it clear from the very beginning that, for the Liturgy to truly evolve and be reformed, this had to be accomplished in light of the authentic traditions of the Church as well as in the light of the circumstances and contemporary needs. Therefore, it was essential that a number of principles that the reform was to follow, be listed and safeguarded to ensure that practical norms are established.

The first principle in the document, begins by reflecting on the nature of the Liturgy and its importance in the life of the Church. The starting point is the reason why Liturgy is celebrated: The continuation of the mystery of redemption commanded by Jesus during the last supper, meaning that we must continue the work of redemption in remembrance of him (see 1 Cor 11: 24-25) which is not simply a memorial, but a remembrance which makes present and effective this same redemption today.

This is not a vain continuation but it is in view of what St Paul wrote in the First Letter to the Corinthians when speaking about the Eucharist: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11: 26).

Just as Christ was sent by the Father, so he also, sent the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit. This he did so that, by preaching the gospel to every creature, they might proclaim that the Son of God, by His death and resurrection, had freed us from the power of Satan and from death, and brought us into the kingdom of His Father. His purpose also was that they might accomplish the work of salvation which they had proclaimed, by means of sacrifice and sacraments, around which the entire liturgical life revolves.

Sacrosanctum Concilium, par. 6

This continuity of the Sacraments is possible specifically because Christ is always with his Church, especially in the Liturgy. Here, in paragraph 7, the Fathers of the Council lists five ways in which Christ is continually present:

• Through the Priest, who during the liturgy acts not in his personal capacity but in the person of Christ – in persona Christi – who offered himself on the cross;
• Under the Eucharistic species, through which we are fed and led to the heavenly Jerusalem;
• “Through his power in the Sacraments, such as when one baptises, it is Christ himself who baptises” because the priesthood of the priests in the New Testament is not hereditary or autonomous, but a share in the one priesthood of Christ that he himself bestows in order that his power can be transmitted to the people;
• Through the proclamation of his Word, in such a way that, when passages from the Bible are read during liturgical celebrations, it is Christ himself who speaks, so that the voice of he who reads becomes a channel for the voice of the Beloved to reach the Church;
• Through the Church herself that gathers to pray and worship God, in accordance with what Jesus has promised that “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt 18:20).

Therefore, in the liturgy it becomes possible for the entire People of God to become holy and united with Christ while giving thanks to God through Christ.