With this in mind, we turn to a short passage from one of the excellent documents from the Second Vatican Council.
"It is of the essence of the Church that she be both human and divine, visible and yet invisibly equipped, eager to act and yet intent on contemplation, present in this world and yet not at home in it... While the liturgy daily builds up those who are within... at the same time it marvelously strengthens their power to preach Christ, and thus shows forth the Church to those who are outside as a sign lifted up among the nations under which the scattered children of God may be gathered together, until there is one sheepfold and one shepherd." Sacrosanctum Concilium
The Church is human, so the sacraments are made by the Church, real men and women with tangible matter and human words.
Yet the Church is divine, so the sacraments make the Church by the Mystery of God's power and love extended to us through his Son, Jesus, in communion with the Holy Spirit.
God became human to show us his love in ways we can understand.
God became sacrament for us.
Just so, he asks us to perpetually become more and more sacrament for his Church and for his world.
And, through sacrament and liturgy, he has never stopped showing his love to us since.
This month, let us appreciate Pope Benedict XVI, who humbled himself, giving the whole Church a model of sacrament and giving the whole world occasion to reconsider God, the source of sacrament and the author of love.
