An Introduction to Liturgy and the Sacraments

1. An Introduction to Liturgy and the Sacraments Liturgy… The Church’s official, public, communal prayer. It is God’s work, in which the People of God participate. The Church’s most important liturgy is the Eucharist, or the Mass. This is a leitourgia—a liturgy. The literal meaning of leitourgia is “the people’s work.”

2. Let us define a few terms. **When we say “the liturgy,” we mean the liturgy as a whole—all the Sacraments, including the Eucharist, as well as liturgies that are not Sacraments, such as the Liturgy of the Hours , Liturgical Books and Catholic funerals. **When we say “a liturgy,” we mean a particular Mass or liturgicalcelebration.**The liturgy is primarily the work of God (in Latin, Opus Dei), in which we participate.**The liturgy is the “action” or work of the whole Christ: “It is the whole community, the Body of Christ united with its Head, that celebrates” the liturgy (CCC, 1140).

3. So where does liturgy as we know it today come from? It comes through Scripture, and Tradition. The essential elements of the liturgy have been handed on to us through Scripture and Tradition, while other elements that we call traditions (lowercase t) have emerged over time. Scripture and Tradition are distinct, yet very closely related. Both transmit the Word of God. Together they form a single sacred Deposit of Faith. The Deposit of Faith, the treasure of the Church handed on from the time of the Apostles and contained in Scripture and Tradition The Magisterium, the living teaching office of the Church (all bishops in communion with the Pope) is responsible, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for interpreting the deposit of faith.

4. Handed On from Christ…Tradition • The word Tradition comes from a significant word in our lives of faith: “traditio.” • It is a Latin word, meaning “to hand on or to give over.” Our liturgy has been handed on to us from Jesus, first when he “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples, said ‘“Take and eat; this is my body’” (Matthew 26:26), and then later, when he died and “gave up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50) to his Father, and to us. • Tradition, which began with the oral communication of the Gospel by the Apostles, was written down in the Scriptures, is handed down and lived out in the life of the Church, and is interpreted by the Magisterium under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

5. The Church’s liturgy is Trinitarian. • In the liturgy the three Divine Persons of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—are at work, and through the liturgy the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the central mystery of the Christian faith, is more deeply revealed. • As a sign of this, every liturgy begins, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And every liturgy ends with the celebrant’s asking for the blessing of the Holy Trinity. • This Trinitarian dimension of liturgical prayer is summed up in the Concluding Doxology (from the Greek doxa, meaning “praise”) that we are invited to affirm with the Amen: “Through him [Jesus Christ], and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, for ever and ever. People: Amen. (Roman Missal)

6. Several elements of the Liturgy: An entrance procession, with an Entrance Chant or song, is usually part of the Introductory Rites of the liturgy. 1) The Introductory Rites prepare our hearts and minds to participate fully in the celebration. 2) Liturgy of the Word: Liturgical books are indispensable to the liturgy. In keeping with the solemnity and significance of the liturgy, liturgical books are beautifully designed and printed, sometimes with gold or red leather covers. You may have noticed at least a few of the following books: a) Roman Missal (or Sacramentary): This is the book the priest uses at the altar and at his chair. It includes all the prayers of the Mass. b) Lectionary for Mass: This book contains the readings of the Mass, including the Gospels, with the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel acclamations. c) Book of the Gospels: This is a large book, containing only the Gospel readings from the Lectionary. It is often carried in procession. The Gospel is read from this book.

7. 3) Liturgy of the Eucharist: At the Concluding Doxology, we pray with the priest, “Through him, and with him, and in him . . .” and proclaim our Amen. 4) Rite of Baptism for Children: You may have seen this used at Baptism. This rite and other rites are taken from The Rites of the Catholic Church, volume I and volume II. Volume I contains the rites for all the Sacraments (except the Eucharist and Holy Orders). Volume II contains the rites for ordinations, blessings, and consecrations of persons, and blessings of objects and places. If used in the liturgy, each of these rites is bound as a separate book. 5) Liturgy of the Hours: This is printed in various forms, but is usually several volumes, one for each Church season of the year. It includes the hymns, readings, and prayers for each of the seven “hours” (or prayer times) of each day.