Chapter 8 The Church Sanctifying - Worship Review from Last Week: Chapter 7 : Authority in the Church Teaching and Obedience How does the Church heal its members today? The 7 Sacraments Baptism, Confession, Confirmation, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. The Sacraments of Initiation are: Baptism, the Eucharist, and Confirmation. 1. Baptism: It frees us from original sin and fills us with divine life. Baptism makes one a member of Christ s Church. Without baptism we are not part of the Catholic Church and are unable to receive the graces given to us in the other sacraments. 2. The Eucharist: It is the most important sacrament we receive because it is the actual Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ! It means Thanksgiving. 3. Confirmation: We receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit at confirmation. We become spiritually mature adults Our life of Grace is strengthened... Is it the last step to our spiritual life? No! Rite way of worship and practicing your faith by a particular group of Catholics. There are two main rites, the Roman and Byzantine rites. Do the different rites believe different truths? NO! Do the different rites have different practices? YES! Introduction to Chapter 8 Liturgical Worship We have seen that throughout history many civilizations had elaborate forms of public worship. The pagan religions recognized the need to offer up something to their god s and in return they believed that they would be given good fortune in return. The word Liturgy comes from the Greek language and means public work. We use the word Liturgy to mean the official way we offer public worship in the Catholic Church. We worship God both privately and publically Individually and as a group of people.
The Liturgy, since it is a public display of worship has a formal aspect to it unlike private prayer which can have many various forms. Through the Liturgy we are united to Christ in His priestly role to give honor and praise to God. Class Question: Why do we have to give God honor and praise? To show God our love and appreciation for everything He has done and will do for us. Imagine if we didn t show our parents any thankfulness for everything they do for us. There are three elements that make up the liturgy: o Mass/The Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At each Mass the sacrifice of Calvary is offered up to the Father. It s not a new sacrifice but the very timeless sacrifice Jesus offered up for our salvation over 2000 years ago. Through the Eucharist we are all united to Jesus. o The Sacraments The remaining six sacraments make up the 2 nd element. These are the special channels of grace God offers us through His Church. They allow us to one day participate in a supernatural life. Heaven! o And the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Daily recitation of various prayers, Psalms, petitions, and scripture readings. The divine office is divided up into segments which are prayed at certain times of the day. By doing this the entire day is devoted to praising God. Priests and other religious have an obligation to pray the Divine Office. Many Lay People pray it as well. It s important to realize that the Liturgy is fixed for proper celebration. For example the Mass can only be celebrated by following the universal rules founded by the Church. A priest cannot change the order of the Mass or the words said. This is done to ensure that the liturgy is done with reverence and is worthy of being offered to God.
The Liturgical Year As we all know the earth has natural seasons and our lives are affected by them. As we pass through the seasons we might dress warmer or cooler. We might even change the types of food we eat. We see the colors change around us. The life of the Church is similar to what we see in nature. We call the Church s seasons the Liturgical Year. Each division or season has its own special prayers for the Mass and the Divine Office. Throughout the year we look at the great mysteries of God. The Church has three great mysteries we call major feasts in which we reflect upon during Mass Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Of these Christmas and Easter are most important and we see this in the longer periods of preparation. Easter is the most important of the seasons. Advent and Christmas The liturgical year starts on a Sunday in late November or early December 4 weeks before Christmas Day. We call this period Advent. During Advent we meditate on the coming of Christ. It s a season of penance since this is the best way to prepare our hearts for Christ. Despite the penitential theme Advent is a joyful time since we are awaiting the celebration of the incarnation. The season of Advent ends on the Christmas Vigil Mass. Lent and Easter The next season is called Lent and it is a preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. Ashes remind us of our mortality. It last for 40 days. It represents the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert preparing for His public life. Lent is time of fasting, prayer, and repentance.
Since Lent reflects upon the death of Jesus the Liturgy does not express the sense of expectant joy that we see during Advent. The final week of Lent (Holy Week) is very important because we concentrate on the events leading up to our lord s crucifixion. The season of Lent ends with the announcement of our Lords resurrection at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday Evening. Easter Season ends with a sense of triumphant joy that Jesus overcame death and rose from the dead. Pentecost Pentecost is the season that celebrates the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Recall that Jesus promised His apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit to guide His Church. With Pentecost we see the beginning of Christ s Church! Ordinary Time Falls between Christmas and Lent and Easter and Advent. It s called ordinary time because it s not marked by one of the principle events of our faith. It s still an important part of the Liturgical Year. During OT we have special set aside days (Holy Days) on which we commemorate other significant elements of our faith, Jesus, and Mary.
Church Feasts Throughout the year the Church calls to mind special events and celebrates special events. These feasts are divided up into three main groups. 1. Holy Days 2. Sunday Feasts 3. Feasts of the Saints and Mary Holy Days of Obligation: Special Feast days on which the Church requires us to go to Mass. If a Holy Day falls on a Monday or Saturday it gets transferred to Sunday. January 1,- Solemnity of Mary May 10 - Ascension of Jesus August 15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary November 1 - All Saints' Day December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 25 - Christmas Liturgical Colors Purple Symbolizes penance and sorrow. Advent & Lent White Symbolizes purity and joy. Christmas & Easter Green Symbolizes life and hope Ordinary Time Less used Liturgical colors: Red Symbolize fire, love and blood Pentecost & The Passion Rose Symbolize joy & peace Used during special Sunday during joyful penitential seasons (lent). Black Symbolize mourning Funerals, Masses for the Dead.
Lesson Review: 1. What does the word Liturgy mean? We use the word Liturgy to mean the official way we offer public worship in the Catholic Church. 2. Can the Liturgy of Mass be changed? No! No priest is allowed to change the format or words during Mass. Sadly we sometimes see priests doing this. 3. Name the four Liturgical Times of the year starting with the Church s New Year: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time 4. What is the Divine Office? Special ordered prayers which the priests and religious life must pray every day. Daily recitation of various prayers, Psalms, petitions, and scripture readings. The divine office is divided up into segments which are prayed at certain times of the day. 5. What are Holy Days of Obligation? Special very important feast days on which we must attend Mass. Activity Book Questions Page 31.