The Meaning of our Liturgy
Liturgy, in its original meaning, was a "public work" or service done on behalf of the people. Through the liturgy, Christ continues the work of our redemption through the Church's celebration of his passion, death, and resurrection.
The liturgy represents the mystery of the Church to us, in the sacraments and the Word of God, and makes us responsive to God's gift of grace. The liturgy of the Eucharist is composed of the liturgy of the Word and the Paschal Mystery. The mystery of God's great design for the salvation of the world is revealed in the liturgy. The design would not be known unless revealed to us by God. He reveals His design through the scriptures. The whole encounter of God with humanity is perpetuated in the liturgy. There, God speaks to us, intervening in our lives through His word and nourishing us through His Body and Blood.
Liturgy is ritual with theological dimensions. There are five theological characteristics:
- It is trinitarian. We praise God the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit who enables us to pray.
- It is christological. Christ prays and the Church prays and we are invited to participate.
- It is ecclesiological in that it is an action of the Church in the Body of Christ. It identifies us as a people of praise because praise is a part of our nature. Therefore the activity of praising God flows from our being.
- It is eschatological in that we participate in Christ in the ongoing heavenly liturgy, worshiping with the angels and saints. It enables us to see this fullness of life that is promised in the future.
- It is incarnational. It always passes through our bodiliness affirming that God speaks and acts through the human person.
The face of liturgy is ritual. There are three aspects of ritual:
- Repeated patterns, actions, and gestures through which we celebrate
- Symbols such as bread, wine, water and oil. People don't have to think about what they are because they can experience them through their senses. These symbols take on a sacred meaning in liturgy when, for example, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit, invoked by the presiding presbyter, or the water is blessed and used to bless the assembly, or the child being baptized etc.
- Words are the third aspect of ritual. The scriptures used literary forms such as metaphors and parables which act to tell the stories of humanity's relationship with God. The language of prayer continues the process of remembering.
The Church desires full, active, conscious participation of everyone present in the liturgy. The Liturgy Committee helps to make the Church and the assembly ready to participate in liturgy. If you are a member of the Liturgy Committee preparing for liturgy, you have knowledge of the liturgical year, music, the environment, the lectionary, the composition of the assembly (youth, adults). You have to be aware of the various rites of the church. The various ministries also play key roles. The Altar Society prepares the altar and sanctuary. The Liturgy Committee and Altar Society prepare the church for celebrations such as Christmas. Members of the Hospitality Committee greet people as they arrive at church, welcoming them, making them feel at home. The Ushers lead people to their seats and take up the collection. The Choir sings the refrain of the psalm and the organist plays the hymns before mass, so that the assembly is familiar with the melody and can sing at the appropriate time during the liturgy. The Lectors proclaim the Word of God to the assembly. The Liturgy Assistants ensure the lights are turned off and on, make sure that there are clean purificators and corporals for each mass, etc. The Servers assist at mass. The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Body and Blood of Christ to the assembly and to the sick, who are unable to come to church. All these ministries create an atmosphere in which the assembly participates by listening attentively to and reflecting on the Word of God, responding at the appropriate times, exchanging the sign of peace etc. This in turn will create fellowship among members of the church.
The assembly strengthened by the Word of God and nourished by His Body and Blood are called to go out into the world and live the gospel in their everyday lives.
Adapted from: Archbishop William J. Levada, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Glossary," to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/glossary.htm#l