Liturgy & Sacraments • In the Church’s Liturgy, the divine blessing is fully revealed and communicated.

The Celebration of the Christian Mystery • The Father is acknowledged and adored as the source and the end of all the blessings of
creation and salvation.
What is Liturgy?
• The Church blesses the Father by her worship, praise, and thanksgiving and begs him for the
LITURGY
gift of his Son and the Holy Spirit. (CCC 1077-1083)
Etymology: Leitourgia (Greek) → “public work” or “service in the name of/on behalf of the
GOD THE SON: Eternal High Priest in the Liturgy
people.”
In the liturgy of the Church, it is principally Christ’s Paschal mystery that he signifies and makes
In the Christian tradition, it means the participation of the People of God in the work of God (CCC
present.
1069).
Christ acts through the sacraments. He is always present in the Church.
In the New Testament,
The Four Modes of Christ’s Presence in the Liturgy
“liturgy” refers not only to divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active
charity. - In the person of His minister

In a liturgical celebration, the Church shares in Christ's priesthood (worship), which is both prophetic - In the Eucharistic species (bread and wine)
(proclamation) and kingly (service of charity): The liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the
- In His Word
priestly office of Jesus Christ.
- In the congregation gathered together in His name
(CCC 1070)
(SC 7; CCC 1088)
Christ continues the work of redemption in the Liturgy.
By giving the Holy Spirit to his apostles, Christ entrusted
The Liturgy is also an action of his Church.
to them and their successors the power to make present the work of salvation through the Eucharist
It makes the Church present and manifests her as the visible sign of the communion in Christ
and the sacraments.
between God and men. It engages the faithful in the new life of the community and involves the
“conscious, active, and fruitful participation” of everyone. (CCC 1071) GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: Sanctifier in the Liturgy
The Liturgy: - prepares the Church to encounter the Lord;
Work of the Holy Trinity - recalls and makes Christ manifest to the faith of the assembly.
GOD THE FATHER: - makes Christ’s mystery present in the here and the now
Source and Goal of the Liturgy - unites the Church to the life and mission of Christ.
• The source of all blessing is the Father. The Holy Spirit prepares the Church to encounter Christ
• The whole of God’s work is a blessing. 1. The Jewish Liturgy is similar to the Christian Liturgy.
 • Reverence for Sacred Scriptures (Old Testament and Psalms) • Who celebrates?

• Recalling the saving events and significant realities • How is it celebrated?

• Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood– Salvation by Baptism • When is it celebrated?

• Manna from Heaven – Holy Eucharist • Where is it celebrated?

• Crossing of the Red Sea and Exodus – Liberation from sin and death The Liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is
the font from which all her power flows. (SC 10)
• Passover – Christ’s Death and Resurrection
Purposes of the Liturgy
• Celebrated in seasons
• The glory of God
2. The Holy Spirit disposes us: awakens our faith, converts our hearts, and lets us adhere to the
Father’s will. • The sanctification of the faithful

The Holy Spirit recalls and makes Christ manifest to the faith of the assembly Who celebrates the Liturgy?

1. The Liturgy is a memorial of the mysteries of salvation. The whole Christ (Christus Totus),

2. He is the Church’s living memory. Head and the Body, celebrates the Liturgy.

3. He gives us spiritual understanding of the Word to those who hear or read it. I. HEAVENLY LITURGY

4. He gives us the grace of faith. • No signs and symbols; celebration is wholly communion and feast

The Holy Spirit makes the mystery of Christ present in the here and the now • Christ, Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Joseph, the blessed apostles, glorious martyrs, and all
the angels and saints celebrate the heavenly liturgy.
• Anamnesis: actualizes all that Christ has done; the making present of the mysteries.
II. SACRAMENTAL LITURGY
• The Paschal Mystery is celebrated, not repeated. The Holy Spirit’s outpouring makes each
celebration unique. • Celebrated by the Church on earth with Christ as head.

• Epiclesis: invocation upon the bread and wine to transform it into Christ’s Body and Blood; • There are different functions for each member. Those in the Holy Orders act in the person of
also a prayer that the assembly may be united to Christ. Christ (in persona Christi).

The Holy Spirit brings us into communion with Christ How is the Liturgy celebrated?

• The Holy Spirit brings us into communion with Christ and with one another. 1. By signs and symbols

• Liturgy is the most intimate cooperation of the Holy Spirit and the Church. • As an embodied being, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs
and symbols
LITURGY: Source and Summit of Ecclesial Life
• As a social being, man needs symbols to communicate
Celebrating the Church’s Liturgy
 • God speaks through visible creation

• Sacramental signs: The Holy Spirit carries on the work of sanctification through sacramental Liturgical Seasons
signs.
• Advent
2. By words and actions
• Christmas
• Celebrations are a dialogue of God with his children.
• Lent
• God’s word is read and the assembly responds through acclamations, psalms, litanies, and
• Easter Triduum
profession of faith.
• Easter
3. By singing and music
• Ordinary Time
• Music is greater than any other art.

• Jewish Liturgies also are celebrated in songs.

• Criteria for liturgical music:

ADVENT
 Beauty expressive of prayer
• From Latin “adventus” – coming
 Unanimous participation of the assembly
• Has a twofold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ's first coming to
 Solemn character of the celebration
us is remembered; as a season that directs us to await Christ's Second Coming at the end
 Expression of culture of time.

 Drawn from Catholic sources – Scripture/Liturgical texts CHRISTMAS

4. By holy images • The celebration of the Nativity of Christ. Begins with the Vigil Mass of Christmas on Dec.
24 and ends with the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism.
• Images represent Christ, the Incarnate Word, and the saints.
LENT
• We adore the Divine Person represented; likewise, we venerate the saint.
• 40-day penitential season, marked with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
• The beauty of the images moves us to contemplation.
• Begins with Ash Wednesday and ends before the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on
When is the Liturgy celebrated?
Holy Thursday.
Liturgical Year
EASTER TRIDUUM
• The Liturgical Year is made special by cycles of celebrations commemorating the lives of
• The triduum of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the
Jesus and His mother, the angels, and the legion of Saints who modeled lives of sanctity.
entire liturgical year.
• It is different from the civil calendar year.
• Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (Easter Sunday)
 Pre-Christian Era

EASTER Sacramentum was originally meant a pledge of money or property which was put up by parties in a
partnership or contract, or by those in a lawsuit, deposited in the temple, and which was forfeited
• The fifty days are celebrated in joyful exultation as one feast day, or better as one “great
by the loser or breaker of the contract. (Martos, 2001)
Sunday.”
The term was later used as a sacred oath of allegiance to the emperor taken by a Roman soldier.
• Begins with Easter Sunday and ends on Pentecost Sunday
Early Christian Church
• Symbol: Paschal Candle
Tertullian suggested that just as the soldier’s oath was a sign of the beginning of a new life, so too
ORDINARY TIME
was initiation into the Christian community through baptism and eucharist. ‘Sacramentum’ then
• Does not celebrate a specific aspect of the mystery of Christ. Rather, especially on the became a general term for the rites of Christian initiation.
Sundays, they are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects.
St. Augustine of Hippo (5th Century)
• Composed of 34 Sundays.
defined sacramentum as: a “sign of a sacred reality,” ‘a visible sign of invisible grace’.
SUNDAY
• It is worth mentioning that Augustine did not consider only rituals to be sacraments but
• The Lord’s Day listed over 300. The Church gradually reduced this by differentiating between rituals and
signs and symbols that assist people in prayer and devotion such as holy water, palms,
• Weekly commemoration of the Lord’s resurrection ashes etc. These latter are called sacramentals.
• First day of the week when God created light. • Gradually seven major rituals came to be accepted as sacraments.
Where is the Liturgy celebrated? He (JESUS) is the PRIMORDIAL SACRAMENT
The church He is the PRIMORDIAL SACRAMENT
• House of prayer He is the Sacrament of God’s love to men and man’s response to God.
• Place of gathering, personal prayer, and worship He is the fullest expression of all the Sacraments.
• A symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem He is the central and decisive event in the whole history of salvation.
The spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy. He is the realization of God’s plan of love, His purpose of grace, in spite of sin, to call men to perfect
The Christian is indeed called to pray with his brethren, but he must also enter into his chamber to communion with Him.
pray to the Father, in secret. (SC 12) He became the sensible, visible and public form of God’s self-communication of love and grace.
Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly commended, provided they accord with He is therefore the source, primary agent and goal of all sacramental activities.
the laws and norms of the Church, above all when they are ordered by the Apostolic See. (SC 13)
1) The Sacraments arise from the Saving Ministry of Christ.
What, then is a Sacrament?
2) The Sacraments are continued in, by and for the Church.
 3) The Sacraments form us in likeness to Christ in the Paschal Mystery.

Then, the Church.

Church as the basic or Fundamental Sacrament. CFC 1517 3. The Sacraments are for the Sanctification of All

By her relationship with Christ, The Church is both a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate "The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of Christ and, finally, to give
union with God, and of the unity of all mankind. GS 42 worship to God. Because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by
words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are called
The Paschal Mystery in the Church’s Sacraments
'sacraments of faith."
1.The Sacraments are Instituted by Jesus Christ
Sacraments demand faith and configures ongoing expressions of faith.
2. The Sacraments are for the Church
4. The Sacraments are necessary for Salvation
3. The Sacraments are for the Sanctification of all
Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious
4. The Sacraments are Necessary for Salvation because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who baptizes, he who acts in his sacraments in
order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies.
5. The Sacraments: for Eternal Life
The sacraments act ex opere operato (literally: "by the very fact of the action's being performed"),
i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that "the sacrament is
1. The Sacraments are instituted by Jesus Christ not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.
"Adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for
consensus . . . of the Fathers," we profess that "the sacraments of the new law were . . . all salvation.
instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord."
"Sacramental grace" is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament.
Sacraments are "powers that comes forth" from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life- the Spirit heals and transforms those who receive him by conforming them to the Son of God.
giving.
5. The Sacraments of Eternal Life
The Sacraments are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are "the
masterworks of God" in the new and everlasting covenant. In the celebration of the Sacraments we, believe the Church already receives the guarantee of her
inheritance and even now shares in everlasting life. The sacraments are celebrated in anticipation of
2. The Sacraments are for the Church eternal happiness. They unite us with the Holy Trinity.
The sacraments are "of the Church" in the double sense that they are "by her" and "for her."

They are "by the Church," for she is the sacrament of Christ's action at work in her through the Introduction to Sacraments
mission of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus in humanity is the sacrament of God’s saving love for all.
They are "for the Church" in the sense that "the sacraments make the Church,“ since they manifest
and communicate to men, above all in the Eucharist, the mystery of communion with the God who The Church is the sacrament of Jesus and the seven ritual sacraments are sacraments of the Church.
is love, One in three persons.
The Seven Ritual Sacraments are “actions of Christ and of the Church which unite us to Christ by the BAPTISM
power of the Holy Spirit, and incorporate us into his Body, the Church.
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in Spirit, and the door which
gives access to other Sacraments. (CCC 1213)

Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word. (CCC 1213)

Seven Sacraments

• BAPTISM

• CONFIRMATION ( Chrismation )

• THE EUCHARIST

• HOLY ORDERS

• MATRIMONY

• PENANCE

• THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK

Matter and Form of the Sacramental Sign

Fruits of Baptism (CCC 1279)
• Matter is the material and sensible action or gesture.
• Forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins
• Form is the accompanying words that declare the special meaning of that external action or
gesture. • Birth into the new life by which man becomes
WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR A VALID SACRAMENT? an adoptive son of the Father
1. Valid matter - i.e., “the right stuff.” For instance, the Eucharist must be made of wheat bread and • Becoming a part of Christ’s body
grape wine, and Baptism must be in water.
• Becoming a temple of the Holy Spirit
2. Valid form -The essential words cannot be changed: for instance, “This is my body…this is my
• Incorporation into the Church
blood” and “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
• Made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ
3.Valid intention - The intention to do what the Church does.
 Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the
Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist
baptized person for Christian world.
• The sacraments that lay the foundations of every Christian life.
Confirmation
By the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Church and are paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future
enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 1285) glory is given to us.

It is called Chrismation (in the Eastern Churches: Anointing with holy myron or chrism) because the
essential rite of the sacrament is anointing with chrism. It is called Confirmation because it confirms
and strengthens baptismal grace. (CCC 1289)

Fruits/Effects of the Eucharist (CCC 1391-1401)

• Increases our union with Christ and with his Church;

• Nourishment of spiritual life;

Fruits/Effects of Confirmation (CCC 1302-1305, 1316-1317)
• Medicine of immortality,
• The effect of Confirmation is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like that of Pentecost.
• Separation from sin, removal of venial sin,
• This outpouring impresses on the soul an indelible character and produces a growth in the
grace of Baptism. • Spiritual strength

• It roots the recipient more deeply in divine sonship, binds him more firmly to Christ and to
the Church and reinvigorates the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his soul.
• It gives a special strength to witness to the Christian faith.
The Holy Eucharist (CCC 1322-1323, 1409): The Source and Summit of the Christian Life (CCC)
The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he instituted to
perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory. Thus he entrusted
to his Church this memorial of his death and Resurrection. It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a
• Union of the Body into One
• Strengthens us in charity
The Dogma of Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation means the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the
Body of Christ and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of his Blood. This change is
brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of Christ and by the action
of the Holy Spirit. However, the outward characteristics of bread and wine, that is the “eucharistic The confession of venial sins is also strongly recommended by the Church, even if this is not strictly
species”, remain unaltered. (CCC 1376-1377, 1413) necessary.

Sacraments of Healing: Sacrament of Reconciliation and Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick Is a confessor bound to secrecy?

Sacrament of Reconciliation Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to people every confessor,
without any exception and under very severe penalties, is bound to maintain “the sacramental seal”
• Restore our souls to life
which means absolute secrecy about the sins revealed to him in confession.
• Endless grace awaits

What is this Sacrament called?

• It is called the sacrament of Conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to

conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.

• It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and
ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.

• It is called the sacrament of Confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest

is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" -
acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.

• It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God

grants the penitent "pardon and peace." 6

• It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the live of God
who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." 7 He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to
Effects of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (CCC 1468-1470, 1496 )
respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother."
• Reconciliation with God and therefore the forgiveness of sins;
Acts of Penitent
• Reconciliation with the Church;
•  examination of conscience;
• Recovery, if it has been lost, of the state of grace;
• contrition (or repentance),
• Remission of the eternal punishment merited by mortal sins, and
• confession
• Remission, at least in part, of the temporal punishment which is the consequence of sin;
• satisfaction or the carrying out of certain acts of penance
• Peace, serenity of conscience and spiritual consolation; and
Which sins must be confessed?
• an increase of spiritual strength for the struggle of Christian living
All grave sins not yet confessed.
Indulgences (CCC 1471-1479, 1498)
 • Indulgences are the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose
guilt has already been forgiven. The faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains the
indulgence under prescribed conditions for either himself or the departed. Indulgences are
granted through the ministry of the Church which, as the dispenser of the grace of
redemption, distributes the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints.
Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
Having received from the Lord the charge to heal the sick, the Church strives to carry it out by taking
care of the sick and accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. Above all, the Church
possesses a sacrament specifically intended for the benefit of the sick. (CCC 1506-1513, 1526-1527)
Effects of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick (CCC 1520-1523,1532)
• Confers a special grace which unites the sick person more intimately to the Passion of Christ
for his good and for the good of all the Church
• It gives comfort, peace, courage, and even the forgiveness of sins if the sick person is not
able to make a confession.
• Sometimes, if it is the will of God, this sacrament even brings about the restoration of
physical health.
• In any case this Anointing prepares the sick person for the journey to the Father’s House.
*Viaticum - Holy Eucharist received by those who are about to leave this earthly life and are
preparing for the journey to eternal life.
The Sacraments at the Service of Communion and Mission
Sacraments of Vocation: Holy Orders and Matrimony
Sacrament of Holy Orders
It is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be
exercised in the Church until the end of time. (CCC 1536)
Effects of the sacrament of Holy Orders (1581-1589)
• This sacrament yields a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit which configures the recipient
to Christ in his triple office as Priest, Prophet, and King, according to the respective degrees
of the sacrament.
• Episcopal ordination (Episcopate)- confers the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. It
makes the bishop a legitimate successor of the apostles and integrates him into the
episcopal college to share with the Pope and the other bishops care for all the churches
• Ordination to priesthood (Presbyterate) - As a co-worker of the order of bishops he is
consecrated to preach the Gospel, to celebrate divine worship, especially the Eucharist from
which his ministry draws its strength, and to be a shepherd of the faithful.
 • Ordination to Diaconate - The deacon, configured to Christ the servant of all, is ordained for Domestic Church
service to the Church. He carries out this service under the authority of his proper bishop by
The Christian family is called the domestic church because the family manifests and lives out the
the ministry of the Word, of divine worship, of pastoral care and of charity.
communal and familial nature of the Church as the family of God.
Sacrament of Holy Matrimony (CCC 1612-1617)

Christ not only restored the original order of matrimony but raised it to the dignity of a sacrament,
giving spouses a special grace to live out their marriage as a symbol of Christ’s love for his bride the
Church: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the Church” (Ephesians 5:25).

Matrimonial Consent (CCC 1662-1663)

Matrimonial consent is given when a man and a woman manifest the will to give themselves to each
other irrevocably in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love.

Effects of the Sacrament of Matrimony (CCC 1638-1642)

• The sacrament of Matrimony establishes a perpetual and exclusive bond between the

spouses. God himself seals the consent of the spouses. Therefore, a marriage which is
ratified and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved.

• Furthermore, this sacrament bestows upon the spouses the grace necessary to attain
holiness in their married life and to accept responsibly the gift of children and provide for
their education.