FUNDAMENTALS OF FAITH 3

Second Semester │ SY 2021-2022

LITURGY
Lesson 3

WHAT IS LITURGY?

- Leitourgia (Gk) → “public work” or “service in the name of/on behalf of the
people.”
- In the Christian tradition:
o It means the participation of the People of God in the work of God (CCC
1069).
- In the New Testament:
o “liturgy” refers not only to divine worship but also to the proclamation
of the Gospel and to active charity.
- The Liturgy is also an action of his Church.
o It makes the Church present and manifests her as the visible sign of the
communion in Christ between God and men.
o It engages the faithful in the new life of the community and involves
the “conscious, active, and fruitful participation” of everyone. (CCC
1071)
- The liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus
Christ. In a liturgical celebration, the Church shares in Christ's priesthood
(worship), which is both prophetic (proclamation) and kingly (service of charity).
(CCC 1070)
- What celebrations are classified as “Liturgy”
o Celebration of the 7 Ritual Sacraments
o Funerals
o Sacramentals (blessings, consecration, exorcism)
o Benediction (Holy Hour)
o Communion outside Mass (Celebration of the Liturgy of the Word with
Communion)
o Liturgy of the Hours
- Liturgy is the official, public prayer of the Church. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10)
o Because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the
Church – the whole Christ (Totus Christus) – it is a sacred action
surpassing all others
o No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and
to the same degree. (SC, 7)

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 - Hence, every liturgical celebration is an action of Christ the High Priest and of
his Mystical Body, which is the Church. It requires the participation of the
People of God in the work of God.

THE LITURGY: WORK OF THE HOLY TRINITY

GOD THE FATHER: Source and Goal of the Liturgy

- The source of all blessing is the Father.

- The whole of God’s work is a blessing.
- In the Church’s Liturgy, the divine blessing is fully revealed and communicated.
- The Father is acknowledged and adored as the source and the end of all the
blessings of creation and salvation.
- The Church blesses the Father by her worship, praise, and thanksgiving and begs
him for the gift of his Son and the Holy Spirit. (CCC 1077-1083)

GOD THE SON: Eternal High Priest in the Liturgy

- In the liturgy of the Church, it is principally Christ’s Paschal mystery that he

signifies and makes present.
- Christ acts through the sacraments. He is always present in the Church.
- Four modes of Christ’s Presence in the Liturgy (SC 7; CCC 1088)
o In the person of His minister
o In His Word
o In the Eucharistic species (bread and wine)
o In the congregation gathered together in His name
- By giving the Holy Spirit to his apostles, Christ entrusted to them and their
successors the power to make present the work of salvation through the
Eucharist and the sacraments.

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT: Sanctifier in the Liturgy

- The Holy Spirit prepares the Church to encounter Christ

o The Holy Spirit disposes us: awakens our faith, converts our hearts, and
lets us adhere to the Father’s will.
- The Holy Spirit recalls and makes Christ manifest to the faith of the assembly
o The Liturgy is a memorial of the mysteries of salvation.
o He is the Church’s living memory.
o He gives us spiritual understanding of the Word to those who hear or
read it.
o He gives us the grace of faith.

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 - The Holy Spirit makes the mystery of Christ present in the here and the now
o Anamnesis: actualizes all that Christ has done; the making present of the
mysteries. The Paschal Mystery is celebrated, not repeated. The Holy
Spirit’s outpouring makes each celebration unique.
o Epiclesis: invocation upon the bread and wine to transform it into Christ’s
Body and Blood; also a prayer that the assembly may be united to Christ.
- The Holy Spirit brings us into communion with Christ
o The Holy Spirit brings us into communion with Christ and with one
another.
o Liturgy is the most intimate cooperation of the Holy Spirit and the
Church.

LITURGY: SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF ECCLESIAL LIFE

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. (Sacrosanctum Concilium #10)

Purpose of the Liturgy

- The glory of God

- The sanctification of the faithful

WHO CELEBRATES THE LITURGY?

- The whole Christ (Christus Totus), Head and the Body, celebrates the Liturgy.
- HEAVENLY LITURGY
o No signs and symbols; celebration is wholly communion and feast
o Christ, Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Joseph, the blessed apostles, glorious
martyrs, and all the angels and saints.
- SACRAMENTAL LITURGY
o Celebrated by the Church on earth with Christ as head.
o There are different functions for each member. Those in the Holy Orders
stand in the Person of Christ the Head (in Persona Christi capitis).

HOW IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

- By signs and symbols
o As an embodied being, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities
through physical signs and symbols
o As a social being, man needs symbols to communicate
o God speaks through visible creation
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 o Sacramental signs: The Holy Spirit carries on the work of sanctification
through sacramental signs.
- By words and actions
o Celebrations are a dialogue of God with his children
o God’s word is read and the assembly responds through acclamations,
psalms, litanies, and profession of faith.
- By singing and music
o Music is greater than any other art
o Jewish Liturgies are also celebrated in songs
o Criteria for liturgical music:
▪ Beauty expressive of prayer
▪ Unanimous participation of the assembly
▪ Solemn character of the celebration
▪ Expression of culture
▪ Drawn from Catholic sources – Scripture/Liturgical texts
- By holy images
o Images represent Christ the Incarnate Word and the saints.
o We adore the Divine Person represented; likewise, we venerate the saint.
o The beauty of the images moves us to contemplation.

WHEN IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?

Liturgical Year

- The Liturgical Year is made special

by cycles of celebrations
commemorating the lives of Jesus
and His mother, the angels, and the
legion of Saints who modeled lives
of sanctity.
- It is different from the civil calendar
year.

Liturgical Seasons

- ADVENT
o From Latin “adventus” – coming
o Has a twofold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when
Christ's first coming to us is remembered; as a season that directs us to
await Christ's Second Coming at the end of time.

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- CHRISTMAS
o 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.

- LENT
o 40-day penitential season, marked with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
o Begins with Ash Wednesday and ends before the evening Mass of the
Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday

- PASCHAL TRIDUUM
o The Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination
of the entire liturgical year
o Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (Easter Sunday)

- EASTER
o The fifty days are celebrated in joyful exultation as one feast day, or better
as one “great Sunday.
o Begins with Easter Sunday and ends on Pentecost Sunday
o Symbol: Paschal Candle

- ORDINARY TIME
o Do not celebrate a specific aspect of the mystery of Christ. Rather,
especially on the Sundays, they are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all
its aspects.
o Composed of 34 Sundays

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WHERE IS THE LITURGY CELEBRATED?
A church is a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where
the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our
Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful.

What do we see inside the church building?

- Altar - the table of the Lord. It is the center of the church where the sacrifice of
the Cross is made present under sacramental signs

- Tabernacle - used to reserve the Eucharist outside of Mass. This provides a

location where the Eucharist can be kept for the adoration of the faithful and for
later use (e.g., distribution to the sick).

- Chair (Cathedra) - expresses the bishop’s or priest’s office of presiding over the
assembly and of directing prayer

- Ambo (Lectern) - elevated reading stand where the Word of God is proclaimed

- Altar Crucifix - the representation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that should
always be present in every Mass

- Statues and images - represent holy men and women who are intercessors and
models for the Christian faithful

- Candles - used in Catholic celebrations to signify Christ as the light of the world

- Sanctuary lamp - a small candle left lit near the tabernacle indicating the
presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament

- Baptistery - a place for the celebration of baptism and for fostering remembrance
of the baptismal promises

- Confessional - an enclosed stall divided by a screen where people confess their

sins to a priest.

- Pews - long benches with kneelers, placed in rows used to seat the congregation

- Stations of the Cross - fourteen images representing the passion, death, and
resurrection of Christ usually placed at the walls of the church

Popular devotions of the Christian people are to be highly commended, provided they
accord with the laws and norms of the Church, above all when they are ordered by the
Apostolic See. (SC 13)