An Introduction to Liturgy

and the Sacraments of the

Catholic Church
Part One: Liturgy, Rites
& Ritual in the
Catholic Church
 Primary Source Material on the
Liturgy of the Catholic Church
– Catechism of the Catholic Church (Part Two: The
Celebration of the Christian Mystery)
– 1983 Code of Canon Law
– Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II
• Introductory notes to the Roman Missal, and
the Rites of Baptism, Confirmation, etc.
Worship & Liturgy

Our fundamental duty as

people … is to direct the
whole of our life and activity
toward God as Creator and
Savior.
 Worship & Liturgy

In broadest terms we call this

activity worship, as it pertains
to that honor and praise due to
God in either our private or
communal lives.
 Worship & Liturgy
The word 'liturgy' comes from the
Greek leitourgia [from leos for
people, and ergon for work.]
Prior to the time of Christ it meant
any public duty or service, or in
Jewish terms, service in the temple.
 Worship & Liturgy
In Christian terms liturgy refers to
the official public worship of the
Church
… especially as distinguished
from private devotions.
 Liturgy …
… is the public worship by the
Mystical Body of Christ, of both
its Head (Christ) and its members.
… seeks to bring about an encounter
between worshippers and the
saving mystery.
 In Liturgy the
Past Becomes Present
Although liturgy is concerned
with past events, the historical
saving work of Christ, it is not
concerned with them as past,
but experienced as present.
 In Liturgy the
Past Becomes Present
By the mystery of liturgy we are
actualizing past events, making
them present so that the saving
power of Christ can be made
present to the worshipper in the
here and now.
 Understanding Liturgy

We need to understand liturgy as

the exercise here and now on
earth of Christ's priestly office,
an office in which all the
baptized have some share.
 Understanding Liturgy
It is to be distinguished from
Christ's teaching role, which is a
prophetic ministry, as well as
from the Church's rule and moral
guidance.
 Understanding Liturgy

Christ's priestly work

concerns itself with worship
and our sanctification.
 Understanding Liturgy

Liturgy is particularly directed

toward giving proper honor to
God and making us more holy
and acceptable to God.
Understanding Liturgy

It is always God-centered
and God directed.
Understanding Liturgy

Liturgy is where Christian

meets Christ in the fullness
of his redeeming activity.
 Understanding Liturgy
It is making present in word,
symbol and sacrament the paschal
mystery of Christ so that through
its celebration we may in this
place and time make a saving
encounter with God.
 Understanding Liturgy
"In earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste
of that heavenly liturgy which is
celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem
toward which we journey as pilgrims,
where Christ is sitting at the right hand
of God, minister of the sanctuary and of
the true tabernacle." [CCC 1090]
 Understanding Liturgy
"In the liturgy … every liturgical action
… is an encounter between Christ and
the Church. The liturgical assembly
derives its unity from the "communion
of the Holy Spirit “… This assembly
transcends racial, cultural, social …
all human affinities." [CCC 1098]
 Understanding Liturgy
"The mission of the Holy Spirit in the
liturgy of the Church is to prepare the
assembly to encounter Christ; to recall
and manifest Christ to the faith of the
assembly; to make the saving work of
Christ present and active by his
transforming power." [CCC 1112]
 Purpose of Liturgy is …

… to give glory and honor to God

through public, communal prayer.
Purpose of Liturgy is …

… to build up the faith of the

people.
 Purpose of Liturgy is …
… to teach the faithful the meaning
of Christ's words through the sacred
mysteries. Liturgy is not simply an
intellectual exercise, but an act of
the whole person, including the
senses and emotions.
 Liturgy includes …
… the a)spoken word,
b)music,c) gestures,
d)movements and e)actions,
and f)symbolic and material
things.
The highest form of liturgy is found in
the sacraments, especially the
Eucharist.
Liturgy is also found in any celebrations
of the Word, in the Liturgy of the
Hours, consecration of Religious, Rites
associated with Adult Initiation and
rites of blessing and other public
sacramentals.
 Liturgy is
Multi-dimensional
God

Liturgy occurs vertically, that is

the going-out of ourselves to
God …

Us
 Liturgy is
Multi-dimensional
God

… and horizontally, that is the

on-going relationship between
ourselves and neighbor …

Us
 Liturgy is
Multi-dimensional
God

…united in a single act of

public, communal worship.

Us
 Rites
A rite is an established, ceremonious,
usually religious act. Rites fall into
three major categories:
-rites of passage, generally changing
an individual's social status, such as
marriage, baptism, or graduation.
 Rites
-rites of worship, where a community
comes together to worship, such as the
Mass.
-rites of personal devotion, where an
individual worships, including prayer
and retreats, etc.
 Rites
… also refers to a body of liturgical
tradition usually emanating from a
specific center. Examples include the
Roman or Latin Rite, and the
Byzantine Rite. Such rites may include
various sub-rites. For example, the
Byzantine Rite has Greek, Russian, etc.
 Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, often thought to
have symbolic value, the performance of
which is usually prescribed by a religion
or by the traditions of a community.
 The Church Year …
The Second Vatican Council called
us to recognize that the saving
work of Jesus Christ is
commemorated "on certain days
throughout the course of the year."
 
 The Church Year …
“Once each week … she keeps the
memory of the Lord's resurrection.
She also celebrates it once a year,
together with his blessed passion, at
Easter, that most solemn of all feasts.”
[SC, para. 102]
 The Church Year …
“In the course of the year, moreover,
she unfolds the whole mystery of
Christ from the incarnation and
nativity to the ascension, to Pentecost
and the expectation of the blessed
hope of the coming of the Lord.”
[SC, para. 102]
The Church Year …

The Church Year, in

fact, is comprised of
two cycles:
 The Church Year …
(1)     The yearly cycle of the life of
Christ, called the Temporal or
Dependent Cycle because it is
anchored by Advent at the beginning
and Easter in the middle and pertains
primarily to Sunday feasts.
 The Church Year …
(2)    …and the yearly calendar of the
feasts of saints and martyrs, called
the Sanctoral Cycle, and those feasts
of the Church, of Jesus and Mary,
which have specific and regular
calendar dates.
Seasons of the Church Year
Advent
Christmas

Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time

Lent

Triduum
Easter
 Advent
The beginning of the Church Year,
starting four Sundays prior to
December 25th. It is a time to
remember the birth of the Christ Child
& the future Second Coming of Christ
as Judge of the World.
 Advent
Time Period: Starts counting back
four Sundays prior to December
25th
Liturgical Color: Violet/purple
 Christmas Season

A celebration of God's gift of

himself/his Son to the world. A
joyful time of peace and good
will.
 Christmas Season
Time Period: From the Vigil Mass
of Christmas through the Mass of
the Baptism of the Lord.
Liturgical Color: White
 Ordinary Time [First
Part]
A neutral time, not of high
celebration, the "counted"
[ordinal] Sundays separating
Christmas Time from Lent.
 Ordinary Time [First
Part]
Time Period: Following the
Masses of the Baptism of the
Lord until Ash Wednesday.
Liturgical Color: Green
 Lent
Calculated forty days prior Easter
Sunday, not counting Sundays. A
time of penance for our sins,
fasting and charity in preparation
for the benefits of Christ's death
and resurrection.
 Lent
Time Period: Begins with Ash
Wednesday, and lasts until the Mass
of the Lord's Supper on the evening
of Holy Thursday.
Liturgical Color: Violet/purple
 When does Lent
begin?
The date for Easter is based on a
complex formulae going back nearly
1900 years: the first Sunday, after
the first full moon, after the vernal
equinox (the first day of Spring or
March 21st .)
 When does Lent
begin?
Because the Lunar calendar is
different from the Solar calendar
Easter falls on a different Sunday
every year.
 Triduum … “the three days”

Begins with the evening Mass on

Holy Thursday, Good Friday and
Holy Saturday, commemorating the
Last Supper, Crucifixion, death and
burial of Jesus Christ, as well as the
Vigil Mass of the Resurrection.
 Triduum … “the three days”

Time Period: From Holy Thursday evening,

through the Easter Vigil Mass on the
evening of Saturday.
Liturgical Color: White for Holy Thursday
and the Easter Vigil, and red for Good
Friday.
 Easter Season

Easter Sunday to Pentecost [the

beginning of the Church.] The
Highest celebration of the Church
Year. Fifty (50) days.
 Easter Season
Time Period: From the Sunday
morning Mass of Easter to
Pentecost.
Liturgical Color: White, except
Pentecost which is red.
 Ordinary Time
[Second Part]
A neutral time, not of high
celebration., beginning after
Pentecost Sunday and lasting until
the new Church Year begins with
Advent.
 Ordinary Time
[Second Part]
Time Period: From the week
following Pentecost to the First
Sunday in Advent and the start of a
new Church Year.
Liturgical Color: Green
 Liturgical Colors
White is used for feasts and
memorials of the Lord [except his
passion]; for feasts and memorials
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of
angels, of saints who were not
martyrs.
 Liturgical Colors
Red is used on day commemorating
the martyrdom of apostles,
evangelists and other martyrs.

Purple and Black may be used for

funerals and Masses for the Dead.
 Liturgical Colors
Rose-colored vestments may be
worn for Gaudete Sunday [third
Sunday in Advent ... Phil. 4:4-5]
and Laetare Sunday [fourth
Sunday in Lent.]
 Quiz
1. What is worship?
2. What is liturgy?
3. What is a rite?
4. What does ritual mean?
5. What are the two cycles of the Church Year?
6. Name the seasons of the Church Year.
7. What are the five vestment colors and when
are they used in the Church Year?