58. The Sacramental Celebration
WHO CELEBRATES?
10. The Heavenly Liturgy
The Apocalypse of St. John reveals the celebration of the heavenly liturgy with the words: “A throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne” (Rv 4:2). Then, it reveals the presence of “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Rv 5:6; cf. Jn 1:29). Christ crucified and resurrected is the only high priest of the true temple (cf. Heb 4:14–15; 10:19–21). Later, it reveals “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rv 22:1), one of the most beautiful symbols of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 4:10–14; Rv 22:6).
Finally, it describes the whole of creation, represented by the angels, the martyrs, and “a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rv 7:9).
We participate in this everlasting liturgy through the Spirit and the Church when we celebrate the mystery of salvation in the sacraments.1 Through liturgical actions, the pilgrim Church participates in the heavenly liturgy. Those who celebrate this “action” on earth already participate in the liturgy of heaven. In heaven, the celebration is wholly communion and feast.2
11. The Celebrants of the Sacramental Liturgy
Liturgy is a cultic action of Christ and the Church in communion with him. It is the “action” of the “total Christ”--Christus totus. Through liturgy, the entire Mystical Body of Christ, body and head, performs a public worship.3
The celebrant of the sacramental liturgy is the entire community, the body of Christ united to its head.4
Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church, which is “the sacrament of unity,” namely, the holy people united and arranged under their bishops. Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the Church. They manifest it, and have effects upon it. But they also touch individual members of the Church in different ways, depending on their order, role in the liturgical services, and actual participation in them.5
It must be emphasized that rites which are meant to be celebrated in common, with the faithful present and actively participating, should as far as possible be celebrated in that way rather than by an individual and quasi-privately.6
(1) The community of the baptized people—the Church—is a priestly community (qahal Yahweh) that takes part in the liturgy. She is constituted of those who “by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through all the works of Christian men they may offer spiritual sacrifices.”7 This consecration is the “common priesthood” in which all Christians participate.
The Mother Church desires earnestly that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy and to which the Christian people—”a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people” (1 Pt 2:9; cf. 2:4–5)—have a right and obligation by reason of their Baptism.8
(2) The liturgy is an action of the Church that is hierarchically structured. “All the members do not have the same function” (Rom 12:4). God calls some to render a special service for the community. These servants are chosen and consecrated through the Sacrament of Holy Orders; this consecration is the ministerial priesthood (another way of sharing in Christ’s priesthood). By this particular consecration, the Holy Spirit makes them suitable representatives of Christ the Head in order to serve all the members of the Church.9 This is not merely to give order in the liturgical celebration, but because Christ wanted his Church to be hierarchical. In her, there exists a diversity of functions and a radical equality among all baptized.
The ordained minister (bishop, priest, or deacon) is an “icon” or image of Christ the priest. He occupies a position of presidential ministry, not in the sociological sense, but in the theological sense (in the person, name, and authority of Christ the head). The laity occupies an essentially different level. They receive the sacraments, listen to the word of God, and offer the sacrifice that unites themselves to the actions (words and gestures) of the priest.
Concelebrations of the Eucharist are held in Masses of priestly ordinations and on other occasions. Concelebrations clearly manifest the unity of the priesthood and the Church, foster the piety of the priests, and answer some practical difficulties (e.g., the difficulty of scheduling and preparing individual Masses when there are many priests gathered together in a place).10
There are also other particular ministries—not consecrated by the Sacrament of Holy Orders—that execute some pastoral and liturgical tasks (i.e., acolytes, readers, commentators, singers). “Each person, minister, or layman who has an office to perform, should carry out all and only those parts that pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the liturgy.”11
(3) The liturgy occupies a central position in the life of the Church. The Second Vatican Council teaches:
The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows. For the goal of apostolic works is that all, who are made sons of God by faith and baptism, should come together to praise God in the midst of his Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord’s Supper.12
Nevertheless, the liturgy does not constitute the entire activity of the Church. Before people can participate in the liturgy, they need to be called to the faith and to conversion. “But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?” (Rom 10:14–15).
12. Sacred Liturgy and the Laws of the Church
Every impulse of the human heart naturally expresses itself through the senses. The true worship of God, as it is the concern not merely of individuals but of the whole Church, must, therefore, be social as well. Hence, the liturgy always has a social and external dimension.
However, the chief element of the liturgy should be interior, for each one of us must always live in Christ and give ourselves to him completely, so that, through him, with him, and in him, the heavenly Father may be duly worshiped and glorified. The sacred liturgy requires, however, that its exterior and interior elements be intimately linked with each other.13
In order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions.… Pastors of souls must, therefore, realize that, when the liturgy is celebrated, something more is required than the laws governing valid and lawful celebration. It is their duty also to ensure that the faithful take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched by it.14
Christ has given the hierarchy—through the ministerial priesthood—the mission to lead the people of God toward the fullness of divine life. It does so by means of the ministry of the word, the sacraments, and the task of governing the Church. Thus, the regulation of the liturgical rites is exclusive domain of the hierarchy of the Church.
The hierarchy is responsible for issuing juridical norms to assure the sacred and communal character of the liturgical celebrations, procuring the orderly execution of the rites, and precluding any subjective or arbitrary initiative. Thus, the liturgical regulations enable Christ’s salvation to objectively and efficiently reach each member of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Liturgy and liturgical norms are not synonymous. Further, liturgical norms are not the most important part of liturgy. Still, the liturgy cannot exist without some liturgical laws. In fact, the hierarchy of the Church has always regulated the exercise of Christian cult according to the historical situation and customs.15
13. History of the Liturgy
13a) Formation of the Liturgy in Apostolic Times
Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist—the center of liturgy—within the ritual Jewish supper of Passover on Holy Thursday. The oldest account of the Last Supper is given by St. Paul (cf. 1 Cor 11:23–29) and was written at Ephesus in either a.d. 55 or 56. In the narrative, the command is given to the apostles (and implicitly to their successors) to celebrate the Eucharist until the day when Christ returns in the full glory of his second coming. St. Luke’s account (cf. Lk 22:14–20) is very similar, as might be expected from the disciple and companion of St. Paul.
St. Matthew and St. Mark (cf. Mt 26:26–29; Mk 14:22–25) give a similar narrative of the events but report a slightly different formula for the chalice: “This is my blood of the new covenant.”
The Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of St. Paul describe the primitive community as already “devoted … to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “Prayers” and the “breaking of bread” constituted the liturgy of the earliest Mass. It employed the Jewish ritual of religious gatherings. To the prayers and readings inherited from the synagogue, it added the Eucharist—the work of salvation realized by Christ.
The Didache, or Doctrine of the Apostles (a valuable short treatise from the first half of the second century), gives evidence of a real meal (a love feast, or agape) connected with the celebration of the Eucharist. The connection between the Eucharistic celebration and the agape did not continue for long. It still existed at Corinth in the time of St. Paul. There, the faithful brought provisions to the supper but did not always share them in common, to the Apostle’s great chagrin. The agape was soon relegated to a position of secondary importance before it disappeared altogether. At that time, the term “Eucharist” had replaced the terms “the Lord’s supper” and “breaking of bread.”
The term Eucharist means “thanksgiving” and takes its name from the prayer of consecration pronounced by the main celebrant. The early Christians did not merely attend the Mass; they offered it with their bishop and priests. They took an active part, answered the response, said their part aloud in chorus, contributed gifts, answered the celebrant’s invitation, gave the kiss of peace, and, when the celebrant ended the consecration, they all responded in a solemn “Amen” of assent. All Christians, even the absent ones (thanks to the deacons), received the Eucharist.
13b) A Second Century Mass
St. Justin Martyr (c. a.d. 150) is among the first to furnish us with a complete description of the celebration of the Eucharist:
On the day called Sunday all who live in the cities or country assemble in one place. The Acts of the Apostles are read, or the writings of the prophets, as long as time permits. When the reading has ended the president instructs by word and exhorts us to imitate these good teachings. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we have said already, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought in. The president also offers prayers and thanksgivings according to his ability and all the people respond by exclaiming “Amen.” Then the Eucharist is distributed to each and a portion is sent to those absent through the deacons.16
Some of the main elements of the Roman liturgy are present in this description.
13c) The Third Century: The Anaphora of St. Hippolytus
Up to the third century, the celebrant improvised some prayers while the most solemn prayers were carefully prepared in advance, not left to chance or the inspiration of the moment.
St. Hippolytus was a Roman priest who was martyred in 235. His tract, The Apostolic Tradition, throws considerable light on the primitive character of the Anaphora—what we call the Eucharistic Prayer or Canon of the Mass.
Except for the Sanctus and the Intercessions, one does not find difficulty in recognizing in St. Hippolytus’s Anaphora the elements of the present Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass. Besides, the faithful offered different gifts, e.g., oil, cheese, and olives. Milk and honey were presented to the newly baptized, symbols of the Promised Land, which they reached through the Eucharist. In receiving the Eucharist, Christians answered “Amen” to express their assent to the mystery in which they were participating. They then returned to their everyday life to put into practice the works they had presented as a service of God.
13d) The Fourth Century: Two Liturgical Traditions
During the fourth century, the liturgies of the east and west sides of the Roman Empire began to vary, the western liturgy having a greater variety of formulations. The patriarchal sees of Antioch and Alexandria had their own liturgies. All other eastern liturgies are derived from these two primitive roots. In the western liturgy, Latin replaced Greek.
The prayers said by the celebrant were recorded in small books called sacramentaries. Three of these documents—the Leonine, the Gelasian, and the Gregorian—particularly stand out.
The celebration is divided in two parts: the Liturgy of the Word (or of the Catechumens), and the Liturgy of the Bread. The celebration began with a processional entry and continued with the greeting of the congregation, the readings, and the homily. In the East, the homily was longer (one hour at times) and the preachers tended to be more rhetorical, more given to the use of imagery, and more theological. In the West, the homily was shorter, simpler, more direct, and practical. Before the Liturgy of the Bread, the catechumens were blessed and dismissed.
13e) Development of the Roman Liturgy
The Roman liturgy of the Mass continued unchanged during the Middle Ages (save small additions). In the West, Pope St. Gregory the Great (590–604) reformed the Roman liturgy of the Mass and gave it its definitive form. There was a new set of reforms in the time of Charlemagne (ninth century). In the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII, with the help of the abbey of Cluny, made the Roman liturgy uniform.
According to the express wishes of the Council of Trent, the liturgical formularies were revised, and Pope St. Pius V published and made the Missal obligatory in 1570. There was the so-called “liturgical movement” at the end of the fourteenth century, which influenced Pope Pius X’s small revisions at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Missal of St. Pius V was utilized until the publication of the new Roman Missal, following the Second Vatican Council, in 1970.
14. The Rites or Liturgical Traditions
The different liturgical traditions were a consequence of the universal mission of the Church. Churches of a cultural and geographical area began to celebrate the mystery of Christ through particular expressions that were suited to their culture.
There are several liturgical traditions or rites:
· The Latin rite, mainly the Roman rite, but also the Ambrosian rite (in Milan), the Visigothic—also called Mozarabic or Hispanic—rite (in Spain), and the private rites of some religious orders are in use in their areas
· Eastern rites: Byzantine, Alexandrian, or Coptic, Syrian (including the Syro-Malabar rite of India), Armenian, Maronite, and Chaldean17
WHEN TO CELEBRATE
15. Liturgical Time
Since the time of the Mosaic Law, the people of God had fixed feasts (beginning with the Passover), to commemorate the marvelous actions of God, thank him for those acts, perpetuate his memory, and instruct the new generations. In the Church’s time, the liturgy, celebrated according to a fixed calendar, is impregnated by the newness of the mystery of Christ.
The holy Mother Church believes that it is for her to celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse in a sacred commemoration, on certain days throughout the course of the year. Once each week, on the day which she has called the Lord’s Day, she keeps the memory of the Lord’s resurrection. She also celebrates it once every year, together with his blessed passion, at Easter, that most solemn of all feasts. In the course of the year, moreover, she unfolds the Mystery of Christ.… Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord’s powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present for all time; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving grace.18
The liturgical time is a reality related to salvation (it has a certain timelessness, kairos) that is divided into chronological units (it is within time, chronos): day, week, and year.19
16. The Lord’s Day
The third commandment of the Decalogue states, “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.” It commands us to honor God with acts of worship on prescribed days.
In the Old Testament, God commanded the chosen people to keep holy the Sabbath day (Saturday). This precept reminded them that God rested on the seventh day when his work of creation was complete, and that he blessed and sanctified that day (cf. Gn 2:2–3).
Testimonies from the very beginning of the life of the Church prove that the Christians celebrated the Holy Mass on Sunday, the day that the Lord triumphed by rising from the dead.
We read in the Acts of the Apostles: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread …” (Acts 20:7). The verb used for “gathered together” has synaxis for its noun, which is Greek for Eucharist.
The Second Vatican Council offers us a deep theological explanation of the Sunday precept:
By a tradition handed down from the apostles, which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every seventh day; which day is appropriately called the Lord’s day or Sunday. For on this day Christ’s faithful are bound to come together into one place. They should listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the passion, the resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks God who “has begotten them again, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, unto a living hope” (1 Pt 1:3).20
Since the days of the New Testament, then, Sunday is the Lord’s day (dies dominica). On that day, we celebrate the new creation—the re-creation—of humanity as children of God by grace. The beginning of man’s birth into the life of grace, the Lord’s Resurrection, was on such a day. This supernatural new creation is far superior to the material creation of the world.
To assure and facilitate the proper sanctification of Sundays and other chief feasts, the Church prescribes attendance at Holy Mass on these days. This is prescribed in the Church’s first commandment.
The precept to attend Holy Mass obliges us to hear a complete Mass either on Sunday (or holiday) or in the last hours of the previous day. Attending a complete Mass entails following at least its essential parts with bodily presence and pious attention.
The correct and pious observance of the first precept of the Church guarantees the fulfillment of God’s third commandment. The Church requires us to attend Sunday Mass under the pain of mortal sin.21
17. The Liturgical Year
Salvation was accomplished with Jesus’ paschal mystery and the effusion of the Holy Spirit. Thereafter, the economy of salvation becomes effective for each person as history proceeds according to God’s plan. Nevertheless, the liturgical year anticipates, as a foretaste, the objective of history.
The liturgical year is the development of the various aspects of the paschal mystery.22 By means of the yearly cycle, the Church celebrates the whole mystery of Christ, from his Incarnation to the day of Pentecost and the expectation of his coming again. The yearly cycle includes the Sundays, solemnities, and weekdays (ferial days).
The liturgical year begins with the cycle of feasts centered on the mystery of the Incarnation (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany), which commemorates the beginning of our salvation.
17a) Advent
Advent has a twofold character:
i) A season of preparation for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered
ii) A season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s second coming at the end of time
Advent is, thus, a period of devout and joyful expectation.
Advent begins on the Sunday falling on or closest to November 30 and ends before Christmas. There are four Sundays in this season.
The last part of Advent, the weekdays from December 17 to December 24 inclusive, serve as more direct preparation for the Lord’s birth.23
17b) Christmas Season
Next to the yearly celebration of the paschal mystery, the Church holds the memorial of Christ’s birth and his early manifestations as most sacred. This is the purpose of the Christmas season.
The Christmas season begins with the vigil of the Lord’s birth. In addition to Christmas Day, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In this feast, the Church offers the virtues of the family of Nazareth as a model for the Christian family. It is celebrated on the Sunday within the octave of Christmas. On January 1, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On January 3 the conferral of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated. Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 unless it is assigned to the Sunday between January 2 and 8. Its celebration focuses on the universality of the salvation accomplished by Christ. The Christmas season ends with the feast of the Baptism of our Lord.
17c) Lent
The Lenten season is a time of preparation for Easter. The faithful prepare themselves for the celebration of the paschal mystery by means of an inner conversion, recalling their Baptism, and participating in the Sacrament of Penance, or Reconciliation.24 To facilitate these objectives, a series of practices are common during this season: listening to and meditating on the word of God, prayer, abstinence, fasting, and almsgiving.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. The imposition of ashes reminds the faithful of their sinful and weak condition, invites them to pray, and announces that Christ’s Resurrection will follow the mystery of the cross. There are 40 days of Lent. The sixth Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, is called Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday). This day’s procession highlights the praise due to Christ, the king, while the Mass underscores Christ’s Passion.
The purpose of Holy Week is to remember Christ’s passion, beginning with his Messianic entrance into Jerusalem.25
17d) The Easter Triduum
The mystery of the Resurrection, through which Christ overcame death, penetrates our time with its powerful energy, until everything is subjected to him. Easter, its apex, “is not simply one feast among others, but the ‘Feast of feasts,’ the ‘Solemnity of solemnities,’ just as the Eucharist is the ‘Sacrament of sacraments’ (the Great Sacrament). St. Athanasius calls Easter ‘the Great Sunday’ and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week ‘the Great Week.’”26
Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God, primarily through his paschal mystery: Dying, he destroyed our death, and rising, he restored our life. Therefore, the entire liturgical year culminates in the Easter Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. Further, the solemnity of Easter has the same preeminence in the liturgical year that Sunday has in the week.
The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, whose theme centers on the institution of the Holy Eucharist. After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is carried through the church in procession and transferred to a place of reposition, which has been prepared in a chapel that is suitably decorated for the occasion. Then, the altar is stripped and, if possible, the crosses in the church are either removed or covered. The faithful are encouraged to spend time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
The Good Friday liturgy is comprised of three parts:
i) The readings, Psalms, and prayers of intercession
ii) The adoration of the cross
iii) Communion with the hosts reserved on Holy Thursday
On Good Friday and, if possible, also on Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil, the Easter fast is observed.
The Easter Triduum reaches its zenith in the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil, commemorating the holy night when Christ rose from the dead, ranks as the “vigil of all vigils.” Keeping watch, the Church awaits Christ’s Resurrection and celebrates it in the sacraments. Accordingly, the entire celebration of this vigil should take place at night; it should either begin after nightfall or end before dawn on Sunday.27 The liturgy of this solemn vigil is comprised of four parts:
i) The service of light with the blessing of the fire and lighting of the candle, preparation of the candle, procession, and the Easter proclamation (Exsultet)
ii) The Liturgy of the Word
iii) The Liturgy of Baptism including the blessing of the water and the renewal of the baptismal promises
iv) The Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Easter Triduum closes with the evening prayer of Easter Sunday.
17e) Easter Season
The 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful exultation. These, above all others, are days for singing the Alleluia.
On the 40th day after Easter, the Ascension is celebrated. The weekdays from the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost are preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.28
Easter season ends with the great feast of Pentecost, in which the faithful celebrate the visible descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
17f) Ordinary Time
Apart from those seasons with a distinctive character, 33 or 34 weeks remain in the yearly cycle that do not celebrate a specific aspect of the mystery of Christ. Rather, particularly on Sunday, these weeks are devoted to the mystery of Christ as a whole. This period is known as Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Time begins after the Christmas season and continues until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is resumed on the Monday after Pentecost and ends with the beginning of Advent.29
There are three important feasts in this period: the Most Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
18. Celebrations of the Saints
The Church also includes memorial days of our Blessed Mother, the martyrs, and other saints in the yearly cycle. These celebrations constitute the yearly cycle of the saints (or Proper of the Saints).
In celebrating this annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, Holy Church honors the blessed Mary, Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably linked with her Son’s saving work. In her the Church admires and exalts the most excellent fruit of redemption, and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be.30
Thus:
· Mary is venerated on certain feast days, and she is mentioned in the liturgy throughout the year;
· liturgical texts highlight Mary’s role in the history of salvation, which is united to her Son’s work;
· Mary is the model of the Church. The faithful are encouraged to imitate her virtues in order to be united to Christ on earth (Christological aspect) and achieve complete union with him in heaven (eschatological aspect).
When the Church, in the annual cycle, brings to memory the martyrs and all the other saints “she proclaims achievement of the paschal mystery in the saints who have suffered and have been glorified with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful as examples, who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God’s favors.”31 Thus, the devotion that is due to the saints is:
· an expression of the communion of the saints,
· a channel of petitions through which their intercession is entreated,
· a means of providing the faithful with examples to emulate.
The celebrations of saints of universal significance are obligatory throughout the entire Church. Other saints are either listed in the general calendar for optional celebration or left to the veneration of some particular Church, region, or religious family.
According to their importance, celebrations are distinguished from each other and named as follows: solemnities, feasts, and memorials.
· Solemnities are the principal days in the calendar. Some have their own vigil Mass for use when Mass is celebrated on the evening of the preceding day.
· Feasts are less important than the solemnities.
· Memorials can be either obligatory or optional. Their observance is integrated into the celebration of the occurring weekday in accord with the norms set forth in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal.
Obligatory memorials falling on Lenten weekdays may be celebrated only as optional memorials.
Should more than one optional memorial fall on the same day, only one may be celebrated; the others are omitted.
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.32
19. The Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours)
The mystery of Christ, his Incarnation, and his Resurrection, which we celebrate in the Eucharist (especially in the Sunday assembly), permeates each day of the year through the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office. This celebration, faithful to the apostolic recommendation to “pray constantly” (1 Thes 5:17; cf. Eph 6:18), “is so devised that the whole course of the day and of the night is made holy by the praise of God.”33 It is the public prayer of the Church; in it, the faithful (clergy, religious, and laity) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in the approved form, the Liturgy of the Hours “is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer that Christ himself, together with his Body, addresses to the Father.”34
The Liturgy of the Hours is called the prayer of the people of God. In it, Christ “continues his priestly work through his Church.”35 Each individual participates in the Liturgy of the Hours according to one’s place in the Church and the circumstances of one’s life. “Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and solemn feasts. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the Divine Office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.”36
Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmony of the voice with the heart that prays, but also “To achieve this more fully, they should take steps to improve their understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the psalms.”37
The reading of the word of God at each hour (with the responses, or troparia, that follow) and reading from the Fathers and spiritual teachers at certain hours reveals the meaning of the mystery celebrated on that day, helps one to understand the Psalms, and prepares for silent prayer. The lectio divina, in which the word of God is read and meditated, becomes prayer rooted in the liturgical celebration.
The Liturgy of the Hours is a sort of extension of the Eucharistic celebration. It does not exclude; rather, it gathers the diverse devotions of the people of God, particularly the adoration and the cult of the Most Holy Sacrament.38
The whole office begins with an invitatory, with its Psalm. The Office of Readings seeks to provide God’s people—in particular those consecrated to God in a special way—with an ample selection of passages from Sacred Scripture for meditation, together with the finest extracts from spiritual writers.
“By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer, and Vespers as evening prayer, are the two hinges on which the daily office turns. They must be considered the chief hours and celebrated as such.”39 Morning Prayer, celebrated as the light of a new day is dawning, recalls the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the true light illuminating all mankind (cf. Jn 1:9) and the “sun of righteousness” (Mal 4:2) “dawn[ing] upon us from on high” (Lk 1:78).
When evening approaches and the day is already far spent, Evening Prayer is celebrated so that “we may give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well during the day.”40 We also recall the redemption in the prayer that we send up “like incense in the Lord’s sight,” and in which “the raising up of our hands” becomes “an evening sacrifice” (cf. Ps 140:2).
The Daytime Hours are Midmorning, Midday, and Midafternoon Prayer. These hours are linked to the commemoration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the crucifixion of our Lord, and the first preaching of the Gospel.
Night Prayer is the last prayer of the day. An examination of conscience may suitably follow. In a celebration in a group, this may take place either in silence or as part of a penitential rite. Finally, one of the antiphons in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary is recited.41
WHERE TO CELEBRATE
20. The Place of the Celebration
The worship “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24) of the New Covenant is not limited exclusively to a place. All the earth is holy and has been entrusted to humanity. Wherever the faithful gather, they are “living stones … built into a spiritual house” (1 Pt 2:5). The body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the spring of living water flows. Incorporated to Christ through the Holy Spirit, “we are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16).42
When the exercise of religious freedom is not impeded, Christians should build edifices designated for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply places of gathering but signify and manifest the Church in that place.
The church is the house of prayer in which the Holy Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful gather, and where our Savior is worshiped. This house of prayer should be beautiful and appropriate for prayer and sacred celebrations.43 The truth and harmony of the elements that constitute this house of prayer should manifest Christ, who is present and acts in this place.44
The altar of the New Covenant is the cross of the Lord (cf. Heb 13:10), from which the sacraments of the paschal mystery flow. Under sacramental signs, the sacrifice of the cross is made present over the altar—the center of the Church. The altar is also the table of the Lord to which the people of God is invited.45 It must be covered with an altar cloth. There should be candles and a cross either on the altar or somewhere near it.
There may be a reredos or altarpiece (a richly painted or ornamented screen), usually figural, at the back of the altar.
The tabernacle is a boxlike receptacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. It should be solid, inviolable, and always located within the church in a prominent, most dignified place that is conducive to prayer. The name is derived from the word “tent.” It is covered with a tabernacle veil. The nobility, disposition, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle46 should facilitate the adoration of the Lord, who is really present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
The sanctuary lamp must be kept burning before the tabernacle.
The holy chrism (myron), whose anointing is the sacramental sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a safe place in the sanctuary. It may be kept with the oil of the catechumens and that of the sick.
The chair of the bishop or the priest “should signify his office as president of the assembly and director of prayer.”47
The dignity of the word of God demands that a place in the church is reserved for its proclamation: the lectern (or ambo).
The gathering of the people of God starts with Baptism. Therefore, the church should have an appropriate place for the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism (baptistry). Also, there should be a holy water font to remind the faithful of the baptismal promises.
The renewal of the baptismal life demands penance. Thus, the church should have a place for the faithful to express repentance and receive the Sacrament of Penance (confessional).
The church should also be a space that invites recollection and silent prayer, which prolongs and internalizes the Eucharist.
Finally, the church has an eschatological significance. When entering the house of God, one ordinarily crosses a threshold, symbolizing the passing from a world wounded by sin to the world of new life to which all people are called. The visible Church symbolizes the paternal home toward which God’s people are going and where the Father “will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rv 21:4). Thus, the Church is also the house of all the children of God, open wide and welcoming.
HOW TO CELEBRATE
21. Signs and Symbols
The liturgical celebration includes signs and symbols that refer to creation (light, water, fire), human life (to wash, to anoint, to break bread), and the history of salvation (the rites of Easter). These human rites, gestures, or elements are inserted in the world of faith and assumed by the power of the Holy Spirit; thus, they become instruments of Christ’s salvific and sanctifying action.48
These are signs of the covenant. The chosen people received from God specific signs and symbols that marked their liturgical life. They were not mere celebrations of the cosmic cycles or social events, but signs of the covenant with God. The liturgical signs of the Old Covenant are circumcision, the anointing, and consecration of kings and priests, the laying on of hands, sacrifices, and, above all, the Passover. The Church sees these signs as a prefiguration of the sacraments of the New Covenant.
These are signs assumed by Christ. The Lord Jesus frequently made use of the signs of creation in his preaching to make known the mysteries of the Kingdom of God (cf. Lk 8:10). He performed cures and emphasized his preaching through material signs or symbolic gestures (cf. Jn 9:6; Mk 7:33–35; 8:22–25). He gave new meaning to the events and signs of the Old Testament, particularly to the Exodus and the Passover (cf. Lk 9:31; 22:7–20) because he himself is the meaning of all these signs.
These are sacramental signs. Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit accomplishes the sanctification of the faithful through the sacramental signs of his Church. The sacraments of the Church do not nullify, but purify and integrate all the richness of the signs and symbols of social life. Moreover, the sacramental signs fulfill the types and figures of the Old Covenant, signify and accomplish the salvation wrought by Christ, and foreshadow and anticipate the glory of heaven.
22. Words, Actions, and Elements
The sacramental celebration is a meeting of God’s children with their Father in Christ and the Holy Spirit. This meeting is expressed as a dialogue through actions and words. The symbolic actions are already a language, but the word of God and the response of faith should accompany and enliven these actions. The liturgical actions signify what God’s word expresses: the gratuitous initiative of God and the faith response of his people.49
The Liturgy of the Word is an integral part of the sacramental celebrations. To nourish the faithful, the signs of the word of God should be taken care of well: the book of the word (Lectionary or Book of the Gospels), the ceremony of its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of the proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the homily that prolongs the proclamation, and the responses of the assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, confession of faith).
As signs and instruction, the words and liturgical action are inseparable, and they bring about what they signify. The Holy Spirit, in infusing the faith, not only provides understanding of the word of God, but also, through the sacraments, realizes the “marvels” of God, which are announced by the same word. It makes present and communicates the Father’s work accomplished by his beloved Son.
The liturgical gestures may be a useful ceremony (like washing the hands after the imposition of ashes or anointing), a sign of veneration toward persons (bowing) or things (kissing the altar), an accompaniment to the words (like making the sign of the cross on the Book of the Gospels or extending the hands during the Eucharistic Prayer), a specifically Christian symbol (the sign of the cross), or a gesture accepted from the socio-cultural environment (giving the instruments in the priestly ordination).
The most important liturgical gestures are:
· the sign of the cross (used in the blessing of persons and things),
· striking one’s breast (a sign of repentance and humility),
· looking upward (used by Jesus and included in Eucharistic Prayer I),
· anointing (a symbol of the grace infused with the sacrament),
· giving of ashes (a sign of humility, repentance, resurrection, and trustful prayer),
· laying on of hands (signifying a supernatural action being performed by God),
· raising and extending hands (prayer, seeking and expecting help from God),
· joining one’s hands at the chest (a gesture of prayer when the hands are not extended), and
· extending hands to give the sign of peace.
The most important liturgical body postures are:
· standing (a sign of joy and the freedom of God’s children),
· kneeling (a sign of repentance, penance, or adoration),
· sitting down (the attitude of a disciple listening to the teacher),
· bowing one’s head (reverence given to the name of Jesus, Mary, or the saint of the day),
· bowing the body (toward the altar when there is no tabernacle, within the Profession of Faith at the words, “by the power of the Holy Spirit”, during the prayers, “Almighty God, cleanse” and “Lord God, we ask you to receive,” and in Eucharistic Prayer I at the words, “Almighty God, we pray”),
· prostration (only on Good Friday and in priestly ordination), and
· procession (a symbol of the pilgrim Church, done several times within the Mass and in some solemn celebrations around the church or in the streets).50
The Church also uses some material elements in the liturgy. Some of these elements, which prolong and widen the meaning of the sacramental signs, are:
· bread and wine (sharing the same bread and wine symbolizes the unity and fraternity among Christians),
· oil (this means spiritual and corporal fortitude, pouring of grace, sanctification and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, communication of a divine power, and consecration of sacred objects),
· ashes, water, and incense (signs of penance, purification, and adoration, respectively),
· light (sign of Christ, the light of the world, also a mark of honor),
· sacred vestments, and
· liturgical colors.51
22a) Sacred Vessels and Liturgical Items
It is useful to know and be able to identify the sacred vessels and liturgical items used in worship, especially those used for the celebration of Mass.
The sacred books used in the Mass are called the Lectionary, which contains all the readings, Psalms, and Gospels, and the Sacramentary. They are placed either on the self-standing lectern (or ambo) for the readings or on a small folding bookstand on the altar during the Mass.
Vessels should be made from solid materials that are considered noble in a particular region. Preference should be given to materials that do not easily break or become unusable.
Metal vessels should ordinarily be gilded on the inside if the metal rusts. Vessels that serve as receptacles for Eucharistic bread (ciborium, pyx, monstrance) could be made of nonmetal materials that are prized in the region (e.g., hard wood) as long as they are suitable for sacred use.
Sacred vessels should be blessed, thus dedicating them to sacred use.
The chalice is a cup used at Mass to hold the precious blood of Christ. The bowl of chalices and other vessels that serve as receptacles for the blood of the Lord should be made of nonabsorbent material. The base, however, may be made of any other solid and worthy material.
The paten is a shallow dish on which the host is placed.
The chalice and paten hold a place of honor among the requisites for the celebration of Mass, since they are used in presenting, consecrating, and receiving the sacred species.
The ciborium is a covered cup in which the small, consecrated hosts are kept. It is usually covered with a veil.
The corporal is a linen cloth, about 20 inches square, upon which the chalice and paten are placed. It is customarily pleated in four folds overlapping inwardly so that no fragment of the consecrated host may be dropped. It is carried in a burse.
The pall is a stiff cardboard, typically square, covered with linen. It is used as a cover for the chalice to protect it from dust and other foreign matter.
The purificator is a small linen towel used to dry the priest’s fingers and the chalice at the end of the Mass.
The chalice veil covers the chalice before and after its use at Mass.
The Communion plate is held under the chin of the communicant (or the hands if the Eucharist is received in the hand) to catch any particle of the sacred host that may fall. The Communion cloth, placed over the rail, has a similar purpose.
The altar bell is rung to alert those present at key moments of the Mass.
The cruets are two small bottles or vessels containing the wine and water to be used for the consecration and for the ablutions after Communion.
A censer or thurible to burn incense is used in solemn Masses. The incense boat is a vessel in which incense is kept. A small spoon is used to transfer incense from the boat to the censer.
22b) Priestly Vestments
The function of sacred vestments in liturgical worship is twofold:
i) To highlight the diversity of ministries.
ii) To contribute to the beauty of the rite.
The amice is a rectangular piece of white linen, worn beneath the alb.
The alb is a full-length white linen vestment. It is the vestment common to ministers of every rank. It symbolizes the garment in which Christ was clothed by Herod and the purity of soul with which the sacrifice of the Mass should be offered. In some other liturgical ceremonies, the minister may wear a surplice instead of an alb. A surplice is a short, wide-sleeve garment of white linen.
The cincture is a belt, girdle, or cord tied around the waist of the alb. It symbolizes chastity and mortification of the senses.
The stole is a long, narrow band worn over the neck. It should never be left off at Mass or other rites directly connected to the Mass. It symbolizes the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ and the dignity of the ministerial priesthood.
The chasuble is a sleeveless outer garment worn by the priest at Mass. It is worn over all the other vestments, and is made of silk or some other rich material, usually decorated with symbols. It is patterned after the traveling cloak used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Originally, it was a large circle of cloth with an opening in the center for the head of the priest. It symbolizes charity, which must cover all our actions.
At solemn Masses, the deacon wears a dalmatic. It is an outer liturgical vestment with short sleeves, open at the sides and made of the same material as the vestments of the celebrant.
The cope is worn by the priest in processions and other services.
The beauty of the vestments should derive from the materials and design, rather than lavish ornamentation. Representations on vestments should consist only of symbols, images, or pictures portraying the sacred. Anything not in keeping with the sacred is to be avoided.
22c) Colors of the Liturgical Vestments
The colors of the liturgical vestments are meant to express the specific character of the mysteries of the faith being celebrated, symbolize different truths, or convey sentiments. Customarily, the color of these liturgical vestments (the chasuble, the dalmatic, the stole) is repeated in other items (the chalice veil, the tabernacle veil, the corporal burse, and even the frontal of the altar when it is made of cloth).
The color white is the symbol of purity, majesty, and glory. It is used on the feasts of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and saints who are not martyrs (pastors, Doctors of the Church, virgins, and holy men and women in general).
Red symbolizes love, fire, the blood of martyrdom, and royalty. It is used on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, the Lord’s Passion, and the feasts of the apostles, evangelists, and martyrs.
Green symbolizes hope, youth, progress, life, and continuous growth. It is used in Masses of Ordinary Time.
Violet symbolizes humility, penance, and austerity. It is used in Lent and Advent. It may also be used in Masses for the dead.
Black symbolizes mourning. It may be used in Masses for the dead.
Rose lightens the austerity and penitential rigor of violet. It may be used on the Third Sunday of Advent and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
Light blue symbolizes our Blessed Mother. It may be used on her feasts, following the regulations of the local bishop.
On solemn occasions, more precious vestments may be used even if not of the color of the day.52
23. Songs and Music
“The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.”53 Song and music are closely connected with the liturgical action. The criteria for their adequate use are their expressive beauty as prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly, and the sacred character of the celebration.
24. Sacred Images
A sacred image or liturgical icon primarily represents Christ; it cannot represent God invisible and incomprehensible. The Incarnation of the Son of God, however, has inaugurated a new “economy” of images.54
In other times, God, who did not have body or figure, could not be represented by an image. But now he has appeared in the flesh, and has lived among men; thus, I can make an image of what I have seen of God … with unveiled face we contemplate the glory of God.55
Christian iconography transcribes the evangelical message, which the Sacred Scripture transmits through words and images. Image and word shed light on each other:
To express briefly our profession of faith, we conserve all the traditions of the Church, written or unwritten, which have been transmitted to us without alteration. One of them is the use of images. This is in accordance with the evangelical history; we believe that, truly and not merely in appearance, God the Word became flesh. This is so useful and profitable, because things that are mutually clarified have without doubt a reciprocal significance.56
All the symbols of the liturgical celebration refer to Christ, as do the sacred images of the Most Blessed Mother of God and the saints. They signify, in effect, Christ, who is glorified in them. They manifest the “cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) that continues participating in the salvation of the world. We are united to them, above all, in the sacramental celebration. Through the icons, man, the image of God, is finally transfigured in his image (cf. Rom 8:29; 1 Jn 3:2):
Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (since we acknowledge this tradition to be of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her), we defined with all exactitude and care that the venerable and holy images, as well as the image of the precious and life-giving cross—either painted, in mosaic, or in other suitable material—should be exposed in the holy churches of God, in the sacred vessels and ornaments, in the walls and in frames, in houses and in the roads; this includes the images of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, our Immaculate Lady the holy Mother of God, the holy angels, and all the saints and the just.57
“The beauty and color of the images inspire my prayer. It is a feast for my eyes, in the same manner that the sight of the fields inspire my heart to give glory to God.”58 The contemplation of the sacred images, united to the meditation of the word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, forms part of the harmony of the signs of the celebration. Thus, the mystery that is celebrated is engraved in the memory of the heart and then expressed in the new life of the faithful.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 1137–1139.
2. Cf. Ibid., 1136.
3. Cf. Ibid., 1136–1144.
4. Cf. Ibid., 1140–1144.
5. SC, 26.
6. Ibid., 27.
7. LG, 10.
8. SC, 14.
9. Cf. PO, 2, 15.
10. Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 153ff.
11. SC, 28.
12. Ibid., 10.
13. Cf. Pius XII, Enc. Mediator Dei, 3, 20, 23–24.
14. SC, 11.
15. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia.
16. St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 65–67.
17. Cf. CCC, 1200–1203.
18. SC, 102; cf. CCC, 1164.
19. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia.
20. SC, 106.
21. Cf. CCC, 1166–1167.
22. Cf. CCC, 1168–1171.
23. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
24. Cf. SC, 107.
25. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
26. CCC, 1169.
27. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
28. Cf. Ibid.
29. Cf. Ibid.
30. SC, 103.
31. Ibid., 104; cf. 108, 111; CCC, 1173.
32. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
33. SC, 84.
34. Ibid.; cf. CCC, 1174.
35. SC, 83.
36. Ibid., 100; cf. CCC, 1175.
37. SC, 90; cf. CCC, 1176.
38. Cf. CCC, 1177–1178.
39. SC, 89.
40. St. Basil the Great, Regulae Fusius Tractatae, PG 31, 1015.
41. Cf. General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours.
42. Cf. CCC, 1179–1186.
43. Cf. PO, 5; SC, 122–127; CCC, 1181.
44. Cf. SC, 7.
45. Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 259; CCC, 1182, 1383.
46. Cf. SC, 128; CCC, 1183, 1379.
47. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 271; cf. CCC, 1184
48. Cf. CCC, 1189, 1145–1152.
49. Cf. Ibid., 1153–1155.
50. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia, pp. 62ff; CCC, 1148.
51. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia, pp. 71ff; CCC, 1147.
52. Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 306–309.
53. SC, 112, cf. CCC, 1156–1158, 1191.
54. Cf. CCC, 1159–1162.
55. St. John Damascene, Imag., 1.16.
56. Third Council of Nicaea, a.d. 787.
57. DS 600.
58. St. John Damascene, Imag., 1.27.
10. The Heavenly Liturgy
The Apocalypse of St. John reveals the celebration of the heavenly liturgy with the words: “A throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne” (Rv 4:2). Then, it reveals the presence of “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Rv 5:6; cf. Jn 1:29). Christ crucified and resurrected is the only high priest of the true temple (cf. Heb 4:14–15; 10:19–21). Later, it reveals “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rv 22:1), one of the most beautiful symbols of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 4:10–14; Rv 22:6).
Finally, it describes the whole of creation, represented by the angels, the martyrs, and “a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rv 7:9).
We participate in this everlasting liturgy through the Spirit and the Church when we celebrate the mystery of salvation in the sacraments.1 Through liturgical actions, the pilgrim Church participates in the heavenly liturgy. Those who celebrate this “action” on earth already participate in the liturgy of heaven. In heaven, the celebration is wholly communion and feast.2
11. The Celebrants of the Sacramental Liturgy
Liturgy is a cultic action of Christ and the Church in communion with him. It is the “action” of the “total Christ”--Christus totus. Through liturgy, the entire Mystical Body of Christ, body and head, performs a public worship.3
The celebrant of the sacramental liturgy is the entire community, the body of Christ united to its head.4
Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church, which is “the sacrament of unity,” namely, the holy people united and arranged under their bishops. Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the Church. They manifest it, and have effects upon it. But they also touch individual members of the Church in different ways, depending on their order, role in the liturgical services, and actual participation in them.5
It must be emphasized that rites which are meant to be celebrated in common, with the faithful present and actively participating, should as far as possible be celebrated in that way rather than by an individual and quasi-privately.6
(1) The community of the baptized people—the Church—is a priestly community (qahal Yahweh) that takes part in the liturgy. She is constituted of those who “by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through all the works of Christian men they may offer spiritual sacrifices.”7 This consecration is the “common priesthood” in which all Christians participate.
The Mother Church desires earnestly that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in the liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy and to which the Christian people—”a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people” (1 Pt 2:9; cf. 2:4–5)—have a right and obligation by reason of their Baptism.8
(2) The liturgy is an action of the Church that is hierarchically structured. “All the members do not have the same function” (Rom 12:4). God calls some to render a special service for the community. These servants are chosen and consecrated through the Sacrament of Holy Orders; this consecration is the ministerial priesthood (another way of sharing in Christ’s priesthood). By this particular consecration, the Holy Spirit makes them suitable representatives of Christ the Head in order to serve all the members of the Church.9 This is not merely to give order in the liturgical celebration, but because Christ wanted his Church to be hierarchical. In her, there exists a diversity of functions and a radical equality among all baptized.
The ordained minister (bishop, priest, or deacon) is an “icon” or image of Christ the priest. He occupies a position of presidential ministry, not in the sociological sense, but in the theological sense (in the person, name, and authority of Christ the head). The laity occupies an essentially different level. They receive the sacraments, listen to the word of God, and offer the sacrifice that unites themselves to the actions (words and gestures) of the priest.
Concelebrations of the Eucharist are held in Masses of priestly ordinations and on other occasions. Concelebrations clearly manifest the unity of the priesthood and the Church, foster the piety of the priests, and answer some practical difficulties (e.g., the difficulty of scheduling and preparing individual Masses when there are many priests gathered together in a place).10
There are also other particular ministries—not consecrated by the Sacrament of Holy Orders—that execute some pastoral and liturgical tasks (i.e., acolytes, readers, commentators, singers). “Each person, minister, or layman who has an office to perform, should carry out all and only those parts that pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the liturgy.”11
(3) The liturgy occupies a central position in the life of the Church. The Second Vatican Council teaches:
The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows. For the goal of apostolic works is that all, who are made sons of God by faith and baptism, should come together to praise God in the midst of his Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord’s Supper.12
Nevertheless, the liturgy does not constitute the entire activity of the Church. Before people can participate in the liturgy, they need to be called to the faith and to conversion. “But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?” (Rom 10:14–15).
12. Sacred Liturgy and the Laws of the Church
Every impulse of the human heart naturally expresses itself through the senses. The true worship of God, as it is the concern not merely of individuals but of the whole Church, must, therefore, be social as well. Hence, the liturgy always has a social and external dimension.
However, the chief element of the liturgy should be interior, for each one of us must always live in Christ and give ourselves to him completely, so that, through him, with him, and in him, the heavenly Father may be duly worshiped and glorified. The sacred liturgy requires, however, that its exterior and interior elements be intimately linked with each other.13
In order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions.… Pastors of souls must, therefore, realize that, when the liturgy is celebrated, something more is required than the laws governing valid and lawful celebration. It is their duty also to ensure that the faithful take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched by it.14
Christ has given the hierarchy—through the ministerial priesthood—the mission to lead the people of God toward the fullness of divine life. It does so by means of the ministry of the word, the sacraments, and the task of governing the Church. Thus, the regulation of the liturgical rites is exclusive domain of the hierarchy of the Church.
The hierarchy is responsible for issuing juridical norms to assure the sacred and communal character of the liturgical celebrations, procuring the orderly execution of the rites, and precluding any subjective or arbitrary initiative. Thus, the liturgical regulations enable Christ’s salvation to objectively and efficiently reach each member of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Liturgy and liturgical norms are not synonymous. Further, liturgical norms are not the most important part of liturgy. Still, the liturgy cannot exist without some liturgical laws. In fact, the hierarchy of the Church has always regulated the exercise of Christian cult according to the historical situation and customs.15
13. History of the Liturgy
13a) Formation of the Liturgy in Apostolic Times
Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist—the center of liturgy—within the ritual Jewish supper of Passover on Holy Thursday. The oldest account of the Last Supper is given by St. Paul (cf. 1 Cor 11:23–29) and was written at Ephesus in either a.d. 55 or 56. In the narrative, the command is given to the apostles (and implicitly to their successors) to celebrate the Eucharist until the day when Christ returns in the full glory of his second coming. St. Luke’s account (cf. Lk 22:14–20) is very similar, as might be expected from the disciple and companion of St. Paul.
St. Matthew and St. Mark (cf. Mt 26:26–29; Mk 14:22–25) give a similar narrative of the events but report a slightly different formula for the chalice: “This is my blood of the new covenant.”
The Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of St. Paul describe the primitive community as already “devoted … to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “Prayers” and the “breaking of bread” constituted the liturgy of the earliest Mass. It employed the Jewish ritual of religious gatherings. To the prayers and readings inherited from the synagogue, it added the Eucharist—the work of salvation realized by Christ.
The Didache, or Doctrine of the Apostles (a valuable short treatise from the first half of the second century), gives evidence of a real meal (a love feast, or agape) connected with the celebration of the Eucharist. The connection between the Eucharistic celebration and the agape did not continue for long. It still existed at Corinth in the time of St. Paul. There, the faithful brought provisions to the supper but did not always share them in common, to the Apostle’s great chagrin. The agape was soon relegated to a position of secondary importance before it disappeared altogether. At that time, the term “Eucharist” had replaced the terms “the Lord’s supper” and “breaking of bread.”
The term Eucharist means “thanksgiving” and takes its name from the prayer of consecration pronounced by the main celebrant. The early Christians did not merely attend the Mass; they offered it with their bishop and priests. They took an active part, answered the response, said their part aloud in chorus, contributed gifts, answered the celebrant’s invitation, gave the kiss of peace, and, when the celebrant ended the consecration, they all responded in a solemn “Amen” of assent. All Christians, even the absent ones (thanks to the deacons), received the Eucharist.
13b) A Second Century Mass
St. Justin Martyr (c. a.d. 150) is among the first to furnish us with a complete description of the celebration of the Eucharist:
On the day called Sunday all who live in the cities or country assemble in one place. The Acts of the Apostles are read, or the writings of the prophets, as long as time permits. When the reading has ended the president instructs by word and exhorts us to imitate these good teachings. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we have said already, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought in. The president also offers prayers and thanksgivings according to his ability and all the people respond by exclaiming “Amen.” Then the Eucharist is distributed to each and a portion is sent to those absent through the deacons.16
Some of the main elements of the Roman liturgy are present in this description.
13c) The Third Century: The Anaphora of St. Hippolytus
Up to the third century, the celebrant improvised some prayers while the most solemn prayers were carefully prepared in advance, not left to chance or the inspiration of the moment.
St. Hippolytus was a Roman priest who was martyred in 235. His tract, The Apostolic Tradition, throws considerable light on the primitive character of the Anaphora—what we call the Eucharistic Prayer or Canon of the Mass.
Except for the Sanctus and the Intercessions, one does not find difficulty in recognizing in St. Hippolytus’s Anaphora the elements of the present Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass. Besides, the faithful offered different gifts, e.g., oil, cheese, and olives. Milk and honey were presented to the newly baptized, symbols of the Promised Land, which they reached through the Eucharist. In receiving the Eucharist, Christians answered “Amen” to express their assent to the mystery in which they were participating. They then returned to their everyday life to put into practice the works they had presented as a service of God.
13d) The Fourth Century: Two Liturgical Traditions
During the fourth century, the liturgies of the east and west sides of the Roman Empire began to vary, the western liturgy having a greater variety of formulations. The patriarchal sees of Antioch and Alexandria had their own liturgies. All other eastern liturgies are derived from these two primitive roots. In the western liturgy, Latin replaced Greek.
The prayers said by the celebrant were recorded in small books called sacramentaries. Three of these documents—the Leonine, the Gelasian, and the Gregorian—particularly stand out.
The celebration is divided in two parts: the Liturgy of the Word (or of the Catechumens), and the Liturgy of the Bread. The celebration began with a processional entry and continued with the greeting of the congregation, the readings, and the homily. In the East, the homily was longer (one hour at times) and the preachers tended to be more rhetorical, more given to the use of imagery, and more theological. In the West, the homily was shorter, simpler, more direct, and practical. Before the Liturgy of the Bread, the catechumens were blessed and dismissed.
13e) Development of the Roman Liturgy
The Roman liturgy of the Mass continued unchanged during the Middle Ages (save small additions). In the West, Pope St. Gregory the Great (590–604) reformed the Roman liturgy of the Mass and gave it its definitive form. There was a new set of reforms in the time of Charlemagne (ninth century). In the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII, with the help of the abbey of Cluny, made the Roman liturgy uniform.
According to the express wishes of the Council of Trent, the liturgical formularies were revised, and Pope St. Pius V published and made the Missal obligatory in 1570. There was the so-called “liturgical movement” at the end of the fourteenth century, which influenced Pope Pius X’s small revisions at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Missal of St. Pius V was utilized until the publication of the new Roman Missal, following the Second Vatican Council, in 1970.
14. The Rites or Liturgical Traditions
The different liturgical traditions were a consequence of the universal mission of the Church. Churches of a cultural and geographical area began to celebrate the mystery of Christ through particular expressions that were suited to their culture.
There are several liturgical traditions or rites:
· The Latin rite, mainly the Roman rite, but also the Ambrosian rite (in Milan), the Visigothic—also called Mozarabic or Hispanic—rite (in Spain), and the private rites of some religious orders are in use in their areas
· Eastern rites: Byzantine, Alexandrian, or Coptic, Syrian (including the Syro-Malabar rite of India), Armenian, Maronite, and Chaldean17
WHEN TO CELEBRATE
15. Liturgical Time
Since the time of the Mosaic Law, the people of God had fixed feasts (beginning with the Passover), to commemorate the marvelous actions of God, thank him for those acts, perpetuate his memory, and instruct the new generations. In the Church’s time, the liturgy, celebrated according to a fixed calendar, is impregnated by the newness of the mystery of Christ.
The holy Mother Church believes that it is for her to celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse in a sacred commemoration, on certain days throughout the course of the year. Once each week, on the day which she has called the Lord’s Day, she keeps the memory of the Lord’s resurrection. She also celebrates it once every year, together with his blessed passion, at Easter, that most solemn of all feasts. In the course of the year, moreover, she unfolds the Mystery of Christ.… Thus recalling the mysteries of the redemption, she opens up to the faithful the riches of her Lord’s powers and merits, so that these are in some way made present for all time; the faithful lay hold of them and are filled with saving grace.18
The liturgical time is a reality related to salvation (it has a certain timelessness, kairos) that is divided into chronological units (it is within time, chronos): day, week, and year.19
16. The Lord’s Day
The third commandment of the Decalogue states, “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.” It commands us to honor God with acts of worship on prescribed days.
In the Old Testament, God commanded the chosen people to keep holy the Sabbath day (Saturday). This precept reminded them that God rested on the seventh day when his work of creation was complete, and that he blessed and sanctified that day (cf. Gn 2:2–3).
Testimonies from the very beginning of the life of the Church prove that the Christians celebrated the Holy Mass on Sunday, the day that the Lord triumphed by rising from the dead.
We read in the Acts of the Apostles: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread …” (Acts 20:7). The verb used for “gathered together” has synaxis for its noun, which is Greek for Eucharist.
The Second Vatican Council offers us a deep theological explanation of the Sunday precept:
By a tradition handed down from the apostles, which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s resurrection, the Church celebrates the paschal mystery every seventh day; which day is appropriately called the Lord’s day or Sunday. For on this day Christ’s faithful are bound to come together into one place. They should listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist, thus calling to mind the passion, the resurrection, and glory of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks God who “has begotten them again, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, unto a living hope” (1 Pt 1:3).20
Since the days of the New Testament, then, Sunday is the Lord’s day (dies dominica). On that day, we celebrate the new creation—the re-creation—of humanity as children of God by grace. The beginning of man’s birth into the life of grace, the Lord’s Resurrection, was on such a day. This supernatural new creation is far superior to the material creation of the world.
To assure and facilitate the proper sanctification of Sundays and other chief feasts, the Church prescribes attendance at Holy Mass on these days. This is prescribed in the Church’s first commandment.
The precept to attend Holy Mass obliges us to hear a complete Mass either on Sunday (or holiday) or in the last hours of the previous day. Attending a complete Mass entails following at least its essential parts with bodily presence and pious attention.
The correct and pious observance of the first precept of the Church guarantees the fulfillment of God’s third commandment. The Church requires us to attend Sunday Mass under the pain of mortal sin.21
17. The Liturgical Year
Salvation was accomplished with Jesus’ paschal mystery and the effusion of the Holy Spirit. Thereafter, the economy of salvation becomes effective for each person as history proceeds according to God’s plan. Nevertheless, the liturgical year anticipates, as a foretaste, the objective of history.
The liturgical year is the development of the various aspects of the paschal mystery.22 By means of the yearly cycle, the Church celebrates the whole mystery of Christ, from his Incarnation to the day of Pentecost and the expectation of his coming again. The yearly cycle includes the Sundays, solemnities, and weekdays (ferial days).
The liturgical year begins with the cycle of feasts centered on the mystery of the Incarnation (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany), which commemorates the beginning of our salvation.
17a) Advent
Advent has a twofold character:
i) A season of preparation for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered
ii) A season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s second coming at the end of time
Advent is, thus, a period of devout and joyful expectation.
Advent begins on the Sunday falling on or closest to November 30 and ends before Christmas. There are four Sundays in this season.
The last part of Advent, the weekdays from December 17 to December 24 inclusive, serve as more direct preparation for the Lord’s birth.23
17b) Christmas Season
Next to the yearly celebration of the paschal mystery, the Church holds the memorial of Christ’s birth and his early manifestations as most sacred. This is the purpose of the Christmas season.
The Christmas season begins with the vigil of the Lord’s birth. In addition to Christmas Day, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In this feast, the Church offers the virtues of the family of Nazareth as a model for the Christian family. It is celebrated on the Sunday within the octave of Christmas. On January 1, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On January 3 the conferral of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated. Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 unless it is assigned to the Sunday between January 2 and 8. Its celebration focuses on the universality of the salvation accomplished by Christ. The Christmas season ends with the feast of the Baptism of our Lord.
17c) Lent
The Lenten season is a time of preparation for Easter. The faithful prepare themselves for the celebration of the paschal mystery by means of an inner conversion, recalling their Baptism, and participating in the Sacrament of Penance, or Reconciliation.24 To facilitate these objectives, a series of practices are common during this season: listening to and meditating on the word of God, prayer, abstinence, fasting, and almsgiving.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. The imposition of ashes reminds the faithful of their sinful and weak condition, invites them to pray, and announces that Christ’s Resurrection will follow the mystery of the cross. There are 40 days of Lent. The sixth Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, is called Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday). This day’s procession highlights the praise due to Christ, the king, while the Mass underscores Christ’s Passion.
The purpose of Holy Week is to remember Christ’s passion, beginning with his Messianic entrance into Jerusalem.25
17d) The Easter Triduum
The mystery of the Resurrection, through which Christ overcame death, penetrates our time with its powerful energy, until everything is subjected to him. Easter, its apex, “is not simply one feast among others, but the ‘Feast of feasts,’ the ‘Solemnity of solemnities,’ just as the Eucharist is the ‘Sacrament of sacraments’ (the Great Sacrament). St. Athanasius calls Easter ‘the Great Sunday’ and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week ‘the Great Week.’”26
Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God, primarily through his paschal mystery: Dying, he destroyed our death, and rising, he restored our life. Therefore, the entire liturgical year culminates in the Easter Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. Further, the solemnity of Easter has the same preeminence in the liturgical year that Sunday has in the week.
The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, whose theme centers on the institution of the Holy Eucharist. After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is carried through the church in procession and transferred to a place of reposition, which has been prepared in a chapel that is suitably decorated for the occasion. Then, the altar is stripped and, if possible, the crosses in the church are either removed or covered. The faithful are encouraged to spend time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
The Good Friday liturgy is comprised of three parts:
i) The readings, Psalms, and prayers of intercession
ii) The adoration of the cross
iii) Communion with the hosts reserved on Holy Thursday
On Good Friday and, if possible, also on Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil, the Easter fast is observed.
The Easter Triduum reaches its zenith in the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil, commemorating the holy night when Christ rose from the dead, ranks as the “vigil of all vigils.” Keeping watch, the Church awaits Christ’s Resurrection and celebrates it in the sacraments. Accordingly, the entire celebration of this vigil should take place at night; it should either begin after nightfall or end before dawn on Sunday.27 The liturgy of this solemn vigil is comprised of four parts:
i) The service of light with the blessing of the fire and lighting of the candle, preparation of the candle, procession, and the Easter proclamation (Exsultet)
ii) The Liturgy of the Word
iii) The Liturgy of Baptism including the blessing of the water and the renewal of the baptismal promises
iv) The Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Easter Triduum closes with the evening prayer of Easter Sunday.
17e) Easter Season
The 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful exultation. These, above all others, are days for singing the Alleluia.
On the 40th day after Easter, the Ascension is celebrated. The weekdays from the Ascension until the Saturday before Pentecost are preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.28
Easter season ends with the great feast of Pentecost, in which the faithful celebrate the visible descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
17f) Ordinary Time
Apart from those seasons with a distinctive character, 33 or 34 weeks remain in the yearly cycle that do not celebrate a specific aspect of the mystery of Christ. Rather, particularly on Sunday, these weeks are devoted to the mystery of Christ as a whole. This period is known as Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Time begins after the Christmas season and continues until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is resumed on the Monday after Pentecost and ends with the beginning of Advent.29
There are three important feasts in this period: the Most Holy Trinity, the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
18. Celebrations of the Saints
The Church also includes memorial days of our Blessed Mother, the martyrs, and other saints in the yearly cycle. These celebrations constitute the yearly cycle of the saints (or Proper of the Saints).
In celebrating this annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, Holy Church honors the blessed Mary, Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably linked with her Son’s saving work. In her the Church admires and exalts the most excellent fruit of redemption, and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be.30
Thus:
· Mary is venerated on certain feast days, and she is mentioned in the liturgy throughout the year;
· liturgical texts highlight Mary’s role in the history of salvation, which is united to her Son’s work;
· Mary is the model of the Church. The faithful are encouraged to imitate her virtues in order to be united to Christ on earth (Christological aspect) and achieve complete union with him in heaven (eschatological aspect).
When the Church, in the annual cycle, brings to memory the martyrs and all the other saints “she proclaims achievement of the paschal mystery in the saints who have suffered and have been glorified with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful as examples, who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God’s favors.”31 Thus, the devotion that is due to the saints is:
· an expression of the communion of the saints,
· a channel of petitions through which their intercession is entreated,
· a means of providing the faithful with examples to emulate.
The celebrations of saints of universal significance are obligatory throughout the entire Church. Other saints are either listed in the general calendar for optional celebration or left to the veneration of some particular Church, region, or religious family.
According to their importance, celebrations are distinguished from each other and named as follows: solemnities, feasts, and memorials.
· Solemnities are the principal days in the calendar. Some have their own vigil Mass for use when Mass is celebrated on the evening of the preceding day.
· Feasts are less important than the solemnities.
· Memorials can be either obligatory or optional. Their observance is integrated into the celebration of the occurring weekday in accord with the norms set forth in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal.
Obligatory memorials falling on Lenten weekdays may be celebrated only as optional memorials.
Should more than one optional memorial fall on the same day, only one may be celebrated; the others are omitted.
On Saturdays in Ordinary Time when there is no obligatory memorial, an optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary is allowed.32
19. The Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours)
The mystery of Christ, his Incarnation, and his Resurrection, which we celebrate in the Eucharist (especially in the Sunday assembly), permeates each day of the year through the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office. This celebration, faithful to the apostolic recommendation to “pray constantly” (1 Thes 5:17; cf. Eph 6:18), “is so devised that the whole course of the day and of the night is made holy by the praise of God.”33 It is the public prayer of the Church; in it, the faithful (clergy, religious, and laity) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in the approved form, the Liturgy of the Hours “is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer that Christ himself, together with his Body, addresses to the Father.”34
The Liturgy of the Hours is called the prayer of the people of God. In it, Christ “continues his priestly work through his Church.”35 Each individual participates in the Liturgy of the Hours according to one’s place in the Church and the circumstances of one’s life. “Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and solemn feasts. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the Divine Office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.”36
Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmony of the voice with the heart that prays, but also “To achieve this more fully, they should take steps to improve their understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the psalms.”37
The reading of the word of God at each hour (with the responses, or troparia, that follow) and reading from the Fathers and spiritual teachers at certain hours reveals the meaning of the mystery celebrated on that day, helps one to understand the Psalms, and prepares for silent prayer. The lectio divina, in which the word of God is read and meditated, becomes prayer rooted in the liturgical celebration.
The Liturgy of the Hours is a sort of extension of the Eucharistic celebration. It does not exclude; rather, it gathers the diverse devotions of the people of God, particularly the adoration and the cult of the Most Holy Sacrament.38
The whole office begins with an invitatory, with its Psalm. The Office of Readings seeks to provide God’s people—in particular those consecrated to God in a special way—with an ample selection of passages from Sacred Scripture for meditation, together with the finest extracts from spiritual writers.
“By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer, and Vespers as evening prayer, are the two hinges on which the daily office turns. They must be considered the chief hours and celebrated as such.”39 Morning Prayer, celebrated as the light of a new day is dawning, recalls the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the true light illuminating all mankind (cf. Jn 1:9) and the “sun of righteousness” (Mal 4:2) “dawn[ing] upon us from on high” (Lk 1:78).
When evening approaches and the day is already far spent, Evening Prayer is celebrated so that “we may give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well during the day.”40 We also recall the redemption in the prayer that we send up “like incense in the Lord’s sight,” and in which “the raising up of our hands” becomes “an evening sacrifice” (cf. Ps 140:2).
The Daytime Hours are Midmorning, Midday, and Midafternoon Prayer. These hours are linked to the commemoration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the crucifixion of our Lord, and the first preaching of the Gospel.
Night Prayer is the last prayer of the day. An examination of conscience may suitably follow. In a celebration in a group, this may take place either in silence or as part of a penitential rite. Finally, one of the antiphons in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary is recited.41
WHERE TO CELEBRATE
20. The Place of the Celebration
The worship “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24) of the New Covenant is not limited exclusively to a place. All the earth is holy and has been entrusted to humanity. Wherever the faithful gather, they are “living stones … built into a spiritual house” (1 Pt 2:5). The body of the risen Christ is the spiritual temple from which the spring of living water flows. Incorporated to Christ through the Holy Spirit, “we are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16).42
When the exercise of religious freedom is not impeded, Christians should build edifices designated for divine worship. These visible churches are not simply places of gathering but signify and manifest the Church in that place.
The church is the house of prayer in which the Holy Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful gather, and where our Savior is worshiped. This house of prayer should be beautiful and appropriate for prayer and sacred celebrations.43 The truth and harmony of the elements that constitute this house of prayer should manifest Christ, who is present and acts in this place.44
The altar of the New Covenant is the cross of the Lord (cf. Heb 13:10), from which the sacraments of the paschal mystery flow. Under sacramental signs, the sacrifice of the cross is made present over the altar—the center of the Church. The altar is also the table of the Lord to which the people of God is invited.45 It must be covered with an altar cloth. There should be candles and a cross either on the altar or somewhere near it.
There may be a reredos or altarpiece (a richly painted or ornamented screen), usually figural, at the back of the altar.
The tabernacle is a boxlike receptacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. It should be solid, inviolable, and always located within the church in a prominent, most dignified place that is conducive to prayer. The name is derived from the word “tent.” It is covered with a tabernacle veil. The nobility, disposition, and security of the Eucharistic tabernacle46 should facilitate the adoration of the Lord, who is really present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
The sanctuary lamp must be kept burning before the tabernacle.
The holy chrism (myron), whose anointing is the sacramental sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit, is traditionally reserved and venerated in a safe place in the sanctuary. It may be kept with the oil of the catechumens and that of the sick.
The chair of the bishop or the priest “should signify his office as president of the assembly and director of prayer.”47
The dignity of the word of God demands that a place in the church is reserved for its proclamation: the lectern (or ambo).
The gathering of the people of God starts with Baptism. Therefore, the church should have an appropriate place for the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism (baptistry). Also, there should be a holy water font to remind the faithful of the baptismal promises.
The renewal of the baptismal life demands penance. Thus, the church should have a place for the faithful to express repentance and receive the Sacrament of Penance (confessional).
The church should also be a space that invites recollection and silent prayer, which prolongs and internalizes the Eucharist.
Finally, the church has an eschatological significance. When entering the house of God, one ordinarily crosses a threshold, symbolizing the passing from a world wounded by sin to the world of new life to which all people are called. The visible Church symbolizes the paternal home toward which God’s people are going and where the Father “will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rv 21:4). Thus, the Church is also the house of all the children of God, open wide and welcoming.
HOW TO CELEBRATE
21. Signs and Symbols
The liturgical celebration includes signs and symbols that refer to creation (light, water, fire), human life (to wash, to anoint, to break bread), and the history of salvation (the rites of Easter). These human rites, gestures, or elements are inserted in the world of faith and assumed by the power of the Holy Spirit; thus, they become instruments of Christ’s salvific and sanctifying action.48
These are signs of the covenant. The chosen people received from God specific signs and symbols that marked their liturgical life. They were not mere celebrations of the cosmic cycles or social events, but signs of the covenant with God. The liturgical signs of the Old Covenant are circumcision, the anointing, and consecration of kings and priests, the laying on of hands, sacrifices, and, above all, the Passover. The Church sees these signs as a prefiguration of the sacraments of the New Covenant.
These are signs assumed by Christ. The Lord Jesus frequently made use of the signs of creation in his preaching to make known the mysteries of the Kingdom of God (cf. Lk 8:10). He performed cures and emphasized his preaching through material signs or symbolic gestures (cf. Jn 9:6; Mk 7:33–35; 8:22–25). He gave new meaning to the events and signs of the Old Testament, particularly to the Exodus and the Passover (cf. Lk 9:31; 22:7–20) because he himself is the meaning of all these signs.
These are sacramental signs. Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit accomplishes the sanctification of the faithful through the sacramental signs of his Church. The sacraments of the Church do not nullify, but purify and integrate all the richness of the signs and symbols of social life. Moreover, the sacramental signs fulfill the types and figures of the Old Covenant, signify and accomplish the salvation wrought by Christ, and foreshadow and anticipate the glory of heaven.
22. Words, Actions, and Elements
The sacramental celebration is a meeting of God’s children with their Father in Christ and the Holy Spirit. This meeting is expressed as a dialogue through actions and words. The symbolic actions are already a language, but the word of God and the response of faith should accompany and enliven these actions. The liturgical actions signify what God’s word expresses: the gratuitous initiative of God and the faith response of his people.49
The Liturgy of the Word is an integral part of the sacramental celebrations. To nourish the faithful, the signs of the word of God should be taken care of well: the book of the word (Lectionary or Book of the Gospels), the ceremony of its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of the proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the homily that prolongs the proclamation, and the responses of the assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, confession of faith).
As signs and instruction, the words and liturgical action are inseparable, and they bring about what they signify. The Holy Spirit, in infusing the faith, not only provides understanding of the word of God, but also, through the sacraments, realizes the “marvels” of God, which are announced by the same word. It makes present and communicates the Father’s work accomplished by his beloved Son.
The liturgical gestures may be a useful ceremony (like washing the hands after the imposition of ashes or anointing), a sign of veneration toward persons (bowing) or things (kissing the altar), an accompaniment to the words (like making the sign of the cross on the Book of the Gospels or extending the hands during the Eucharistic Prayer), a specifically Christian symbol (the sign of the cross), or a gesture accepted from the socio-cultural environment (giving the instruments in the priestly ordination).
The most important liturgical gestures are:
· the sign of the cross (used in the blessing of persons and things),
· striking one’s breast (a sign of repentance and humility),
· looking upward (used by Jesus and included in Eucharistic Prayer I),
· anointing (a symbol of the grace infused with the sacrament),
· giving of ashes (a sign of humility, repentance, resurrection, and trustful prayer),
· laying on of hands (signifying a supernatural action being performed by God),
· raising and extending hands (prayer, seeking and expecting help from God),
· joining one’s hands at the chest (a gesture of prayer when the hands are not extended), and
· extending hands to give the sign of peace.
The most important liturgical body postures are:
· standing (a sign of joy and the freedom of God’s children),
· kneeling (a sign of repentance, penance, or adoration),
· sitting down (the attitude of a disciple listening to the teacher),
· bowing one’s head (reverence given to the name of Jesus, Mary, or the saint of the day),
· bowing the body (toward the altar when there is no tabernacle, within the Profession of Faith at the words, “by the power of the Holy Spirit”, during the prayers, “Almighty God, cleanse” and “Lord God, we ask you to receive,” and in Eucharistic Prayer I at the words, “Almighty God, we pray”),
· prostration (only on Good Friday and in priestly ordination), and
· procession (a symbol of the pilgrim Church, done several times within the Mass and in some solemn celebrations around the church or in the streets).50
The Church also uses some material elements in the liturgy. Some of these elements, which prolong and widen the meaning of the sacramental signs, are:
· bread and wine (sharing the same bread and wine symbolizes the unity and fraternity among Christians),
· oil (this means spiritual and corporal fortitude, pouring of grace, sanctification and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, communication of a divine power, and consecration of sacred objects),
· ashes, water, and incense (signs of penance, purification, and adoration, respectively),
· light (sign of Christ, the light of the world, also a mark of honor),
· sacred vestments, and
· liturgical colors.51
22a) Sacred Vessels and Liturgical Items
It is useful to know and be able to identify the sacred vessels and liturgical items used in worship, especially those used for the celebration of Mass.
The sacred books used in the Mass are called the Lectionary, which contains all the readings, Psalms, and Gospels, and the Sacramentary. They are placed either on the self-standing lectern (or ambo) for the readings or on a small folding bookstand on the altar during the Mass.
Vessels should be made from solid materials that are considered noble in a particular region. Preference should be given to materials that do not easily break or become unusable.
Metal vessels should ordinarily be gilded on the inside if the metal rusts. Vessels that serve as receptacles for Eucharistic bread (ciborium, pyx, monstrance) could be made of nonmetal materials that are prized in the region (e.g., hard wood) as long as they are suitable for sacred use.
Sacred vessels should be blessed, thus dedicating them to sacred use.
The chalice is a cup used at Mass to hold the precious blood of Christ. The bowl of chalices and other vessels that serve as receptacles for the blood of the Lord should be made of nonabsorbent material. The base, however, may be made of any other solid and worthy material.
The paten is a shallow dish on which the host is placed.
The chalice and paten hold a place of honor among the requisites for the celebration of Mass, since they are used in presenting, consecrating, and receiving the sacred species.
The ciborium is a covered cup in which the small, consecrated hosts are kept. It is usually covered with a veil.
The corporal is a linen cloth, about 20 inches square, upon which the chalice and paten are placed. It is customarily pleated in four folds overlapping inwardly so that no fragment of the consecrated host may be dropped. It is carried in a burse.
The pall is a stiff cardboard, typically square, covered with linen. It is used as a cover for the chalice to protect it from dust and other foreign matter.
The purificator is a small linen towel used to dry the priest’s fingers and the chalice at the end of the Mass.
The chalice veil covers the chalice before and after its use at Mass.
The Communion plate is held under the chin of the communicant (or the hands if the Eucharist is received in the hand) to catch any particle of the sacred host that may fall. The Communion cloth, placed over the rail, has a similar purpose.
The altar bell is rung to alert those present at key moments of the Mass.
The cruets are two small bottles or vessels containing the wine and water to be used for the consecration and for the ablutions after Communion.
A censer or thurible to burn incense is used in solemn Masses. The incense boat is a vessel in which incense is kept. A small spoon is used to transfer incense from the boat to the censer.
22b) Priestly Vestments
The function of sacred vestments in liturgical worship is twofold:
i) To highlight the diversity of ministries.
ii) To contribute to the beauty of the rite.
The amice is a rectangular piece of white linen, worn beneath the alb.
The alb is a full-length white linen vestment. It is the vestment common to ministers of every rank. It symbolizes the garment in which Christ was clothed by Herod and the purity of soul with which the sacrifice of the Mass should be offered. In some other liturgical ceremonies, the minister may wear a surplice instead of an alb. A surplice is a short, wide-sleeve garment of white linen.
The cincture is a belt, girdle, or cord tied around the waist of the alb. It symbolizes chastity and mortification of the senses.
The stole is a long, narrow band worn over the neck. It should never be left off at Mass or other rites directly connected to the Mass. It symbolizes the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ and the dignity of the ministerial priesthood.
The chasuble is a sleeveless outer garment worn by the priest at Mass. It is worn over all the other vestments, and is made of silk or some other rich material, usually decorated with symbols. It is patterned after the traveling cloak used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Originally, it was a large circle of cloth with an opening in the center for the head of the priest. It symbolizes charity, which must cover all our actions.
At solemn Masses, the deacon wears a dalmatic. It is an outer liturgical vestment with short sleeves, open at the sides and made of the same material as the vestments of the celebrant.
The cope is worn by the priest in processions and other services.
The beauty of the vestments should derive from the materials and design, rather than lavish ornamentation. Representations on vestments should consist only of symbols, images, or pictures portraying the sacred. Anything not in keeping with the sacred is to be avoided.
22c) Colors of the Liturgical Vestments
The colors of the liturgical vestments are meant to express the specific character of the mysteries of the faith being celebrated, symbolize different truths, or convey sentiments. Customarily, the color of these liturgical vestments (the chasuble, the dalmatic, the stole) is repeated in other items (the chalice veil, the tabernacle veil, the corporal burse, and even the frontal of the altar when it is made of cloth).
The color white is the symbol of purity, majesty, and glory. It is used on the feasts of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and saints who are not martyrs (pastors, Doctors of the Church, virgins, and holy men and women in general).
Red symbolizes love, fire, the blood of martyrdom, and royalty. It is used on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, the Lord’s Passion, and the feasts of the apostles, evangelists, and martyrs.
Green symbolizes hope, youth, progress, life, and continuous growth. It is used in Masses of Ordinary Time.
Violet symbolizes humility, penance, and austerity. It is used in Lent and Advent. It may also be used in Masses for the dead.
Black symbolizes mourning. It may be used in Masses for the dead.
Rose lightens the austerity and penitential rigor of violet. It may be used on the Third Sunday of Advent and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
Light blue symbolizes our Blessed Mother. It may be used on her feasts, following the regulations of the local bishop.
On solemn occasions, more precious vestments may be used even if not of the color of the day.52
23. Songs and Music
“The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.”53 Song and music are closely connected with the liturgical action. The criteria for their adequate use are their expressive beauty as prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly, and the sacred character of the celebration.
24. Sacred Images
A sacred image or liturgical icon primarily represents Christ; it cannot represent God invisible and incomprehensible. The Incarnation of the Son of God, however, has inaugurated a new “economy” of images.54
In other times, God, who did not have body or figure, could not be represented by an image. But now he has appeared in the flesh, and has lived among men; thus, I can make an image of what I have seen of God … with unveiled face we contemplate the glory of God.55
Christian iconography transcribes the evangelical message, which the Sacred Scripture transmits through words and images. Image and word shed light on each other:
To express briefly our profession of faith, we conserve all the traditions of the Church, written or unwritten, which have been transmitted to us without alteration. One of them is the use of images. This is in accordance with the evangelical history; we believe that, truly and not merely in appearance, God the Word became flesh. This is so useful and profitable, because things that are mutually clarified have without doubt a reciprocal significance.56
All the symbols of the liturgical celebration refer to Christ, as do the sacred images of the Most Blessed Mother of God and the saints. They signify, in effect, Christ, who is glorified in them. They manifest the “cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) that continues participating in the salvation of the world. We are united to them, above all, in the sacramental celebration. Through the icons, man, the image of God, is finally transfigured in his image (cf. Rom 8:29; 1 Jn 3:2):
Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (since we acknowledge this tradition to be of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her), we defined with all exactitude and care that the venerable and holy images, as well as the image of the precious and life-giving cross—either painted, in mosaic, or in other suitable material—should be exposed in the holy churches of God, in the sacred vessels and ornaments, in the walls and in frames, in houses and in the roads; this includes the images of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, our Immaculate Lady the holy Mother of God, the holy angels, and all the saints and the just.57
“The beauty and color of the images inspire my prayer. It is a feast for my eyes, in the same manner that the sight of the fields inspire my heart to give glory to God.”58 The contemplation of the sacred images, united to the meditation of the word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, forms part of the harmony of the signs of the celebration. Thus, the mystery that is celebrated is engraved in the memory of the heart and then expressed in the new life of the faithful.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 1137–1139.
2. Cf. Ibid., 1136.
3. Cf. Ibid., 1136–1144.
4. Cf. Ibid., 1140–1144.
5. SC, 26.
6. Ibid., 27.
7. LG, 10.
8. SC, 14.
9. Cf. PO, 2, 15.
10. Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 153ff.
11. SC, 28.
12. Ibid., 10.
13. Cf. Pius XII, Enc. Mediator Dei, 3, 20, 23–24.
14. SC, 11.
15. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia.
16. St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 65–67.
17. Cf. CCC, 1200–1203.
18. SC, 102; cf. CCC, 1164.
19. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia.
20. SC, 106.
21. Cf. CCC, 1166–1167.
22. Cf. CCC, 1168–1171.
23. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
24. Cf. SC, 107.
25. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
26. CCC, 1169.
27. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
28. Cf. Ibid.
29. Cf. Ibid.
30. SC, 103.
31. Ibid., 104; cf. 108, 111; CCC, 1173.
32. Cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar.
33. SC, 84.
34. Ibid.; cf. CCC, 1174.
35. SC, 83.
36. Ibid., 100; cf. CCC, 1175.
37. SC, 90; cf. CCC, 1176.
38. Cf. CCC, 1177–1178.
39. SC, 89.
40. St. Basil the Great, Regulae Fusius Tractatae, PG 31, 1015.
41. Cf. General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours.
42. Cf. CCC, 1179–1186.
43. Cf. PO, 5; SC, 122–127; CCC, 1181.
44. Cf. SC, 7.
45. Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 259; CCC, 1182, 1383.
46. Cf. SC, 128; CCC, 1183, 1379.
47. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 271; cf. CCC, 1184
48. Cf. CCC, 1189, 1145–1152.
49. Cf. Ibid., 1153–1155.
50. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia, pp. 62ff; CCC, 1148.
51. Cf. J.A. Abad Ibañez and M. Garrido Bonaño, O.S.B., Iniciación a la Liturgia de la Iglesia, pp. 71ff; CCC, 1147.
52. Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 306–309.
53. SC, 112, cf. CCC, 1156–1158, 1191.
54. Cf. CCC, 1159–1162.
55. St. John Damascene, Imag., 1.16.
56. Third Council of Nicaea, a.d. 787.
57. DS 600.
58. St. John Damascene, Imag., 1.27.