Catholic Liturgy: Module 1

• Theology: Module 1 is an introduction to the Catholic Church’s liturgy.
• Primary source materials include:
• Catechism of the Catholic Church (Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery)
• 1983 Code of Canon Law
• Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II
• Introductory notes to the Roman Missal, and the Rites of Baptism, Confirmation, etc.
• Our duty is to direct our lives toward God as Creator and Savior.
• Worship is honoring and praising God in private or communal lives.
• Latria is adoration or worship due to God the Holy Trinity.
• Hyperdulia is respect and veneration given to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
• Protodulia is respect and veneration given to the foster father of Saint Joseph and spouse of the blessed virgin mary.
• Dulia is respect and veneration given to all saints in heaven.
• The word "Liturgy" comes from the Greek word leitourgia from "leos" which means people and "ergon" which means work.
• Before Christ, liturgy meant any public duty or service, or service in the Jewish temple.
• Liturgy refers to the official public worship of the Church in Christian terms, especially distinct from private devotions.
• Liturgy is public worship by the mystical body of Christ, both Christ as the head and its members.
• Liturgy brings about an encounter between worshippers and the saving mystery
• Liturgy is directed toward giving proper honor to God and making us more holy and acceptable.
• It is always God-centered and directed.
• Liturgy is where Christians meet Christ in the fullness of His redeeming activity.

Key Nuances of Liturgy

• Work of the people
• Work of Christ on behalf of the people
• Work of the people imitating God
• The purpose of liturgy is to give honor to God through public, communal prayer.
• It builds up the faith of the people and teahes the meaning of Christ's words through the sacred mysteries.
• Liturgy is an act of the whole person, engaging the senses and emotions, not merely an intellectual exercise.
• Liturgy includes spoken word, music, gestures, movements, actions, and symbolic material items.
• The Eucharist is the highest form of liturgy in the sacraments.
• Liturgy is also found in celebrations of the word, liturgy of the hours, consecration of religious, rites associated with adult initiation, rites of blessing, and other public sacramentals.
• Liturgy is multi-dimensional, occurring vertically (going out of ourselves to God) and horizontally (ongoing relationships between ourselves and our neighbors).
• A Rite is an established ceremonious act usually religious.

Rites Categories

• Rites of passage change an individual’s social status.

• Examples include marriage, baptism, or graduation.

• Rites of worship involve a community coming together.

• An example is the mass.

• Rites of personal devotion include individual worship

• Examples are prayer and retreats.

• Ritual is a set of actions with symbolic value, usually prescribed by religion or community traditions.

• Kinds of rituals: public, private, secret.

Religious Rituals

• Public: Liturgy
• Private: devotions, novena
• Secret: (omitted)
• Secular:
• Public: graduation, investiture
• Private: cleansing
• Secret: (omitted)

Three Styles of Contemporary Theology (according to G. O'Collins)

• Sitting

• Description: Theoretical, Objective, Systematic (Orthodoxy, Doctrinal, Dogmatic)

• Context: Universities, Theological Studies

• Goal: Seeks Truth as Source of Divine Revelation

• Inspiration: Theological, Religious scholars,

• Sources: Scriptures, Church Documents, Other Ancient Materials.

• Walking (e.g. L.T.)

• Description: Praxis Oriented, Promotion of the Common Good and Justice

• Context: Life situation of the Poor or any dehumanizing condition

• Goal: Liberation of the Poor from their dehumanizing situation

• Inspiration: Jesus' solidarity with the Poor, Deprived, Oppressed, Exploited, Marginalized

• Sources: Immersion with the Poor, Consult the poor on matters of Doctrine, Morals and Spirituality

• Kneeling

• Description: Contemplative: focuses on Prayer and Worship

• Context: Churches at prayer both personal and communialy.

• Goal: Witness to God revealed and reflected in Liturgical

• Inspiration: Faithful Worshippers.

• Sources: Spirituality, Church at prayer, feast days.

• Compare and Contrast Classical Language (Latin): fides quaerens Intellectum...Scientificum, lustitiam socialem, adorationem

• Theological Virtues: Faith, Love, Hope.

• Truth:

• The source of theological truth can be found within oneself (reason), other people (experience),and in God (worship/ritual).

• The Creed is a summary of faith.

• Law: laws of believing, living, and praying (the lex credendi for knowledge, the lex vivendi for behavior, and the lex orandi for worship)

• LC: encyclical, Church Docs (VAT II docs), church fathers, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, etc.

• LV: Commandments, Beatitudes, moral theology, social justice (CST)

• LO: Liturgy, Lectio Divina, spirituality

• Munus Triplex (3-fold mission of Jesus): prophetic interpreters of revealed truth and work pastorally for the good of those who suffer. They share in Christ's priestly ministry to promote prayer and worship

• Use of Scriptures: a book for study, action, and prayer.

• Transcendentals: The first style of theology searches for truth, the second for the good that justice demands to alleviate human suffering, and the third for the divine beauty encountered in common worship and personal prayer.

• Risks and Possibilities: A one-sided approach can produce deficient results, an inclusive approach is needed to ensure the theology is complimentary to the others.

• Guidelines (Inclusive Approach to Theology):

• Be scriptural: Scripture should be the norm and inspiration for all theology.

• 'Be historical': theologians should 'be traditional' because Tradition conveys the collective experience of previous generations.

• Be philosophical: All theology should have clarity and substance. Philosophical reason sharpens questions, organizes material, illuminates human nature, and brings conceptual clarity to biblical texts.

• Be provisional: Affirmations about God must be qualified, recognizing that God transcends human categories.

• Be ecumenical: Apply ecumenism in the widest sense: to relations with Jews, Christians of different denominations, and all those others who are not Christians.

• Be local: Theological concern should focus on the need to inculturate theology in particular settings.

• 'Be converted': Practice the Christian faith to attune to God, engage with the divine mystery, and see value

• Be prayerful: Pray to God with humility and earnestness to receive the Holy Spirit for enlightenment, guidance, and understanding.

• The catechism defines a sacrament as an outward sign of inward grace, a sacred and mysterious sign or ceremony, ordained by Christ, by which grace is conveyed to our souls.

• The Incarnation occurred to deal with people in a manner that suits them.

• The Church established by the Saviour must be visible, and should have external ceremonies and symbols of things sacred.

• St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that humans require tangible things to understand the spiritual.

• Sacraments are corporeal and sensible signs that provide salvation for men.

• The sacraments of the Church signify and cause Divine grace by Divine institution.

• Grace signifies the good will and benevolence of our creator, and it is a supernatural free gift from God

Definitions

• Efficacious symbol: effective, efficient. A symbol performs or gives what it signifies.

• Performative symbols: Exchange of vows are efficacious symbols.

• Water is an efficacious symbol.

• Catholic doctrines must be proved through both Scripture and Tradition.

• The Holy Spirit comes down from heaven and hovers over the waters, sanctifying them (Tertullian).

• Baptism is the expiation of sins, the cause of renovation and regeneration (St. Gregory of Nyssa).

• One who passes through Baptism rises to new life (St. Ambrose).

• Water touches the body and cleanses the soul (St. Augustine).

• Baptism consists in its own sanctity and truth, on account of the One who initiated it (St. Augustine).

• Scholastic writers used Aristotelian philosophy to explain the sacraments.

• The sacramental rite has two elements: matter (the undetermined element) and form (the determining element).

• Water for drinking or cleansing is the matter, the words said when administering the water is the form.

• The external rite contains special significance and efficacy from the institution of Christ

• The Council of Trent defined the New Law's seven sacraments were instituted by Christ, settling the question for Catholics.

• Original cause of the sacraments must come from God

• Because man cannot sanctify himself, but God sanctifies what He determines through Divine institution (Thomas Aquinas).

• Only God can give external material rites the power to confer grace on creation.

• There is a role for human in achieving power by which St. Thomas calls "the power of the principal ministry" or "the power of excellence."

• Christ produced the interior effects of the sacraments by meriting and effecting them

• The passion of Christ is the cause of our justification through His Humanity was the instrument of His Divinity.

• The Council of Trent solemnly defined that there are seven sacraments of the New Law: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony

• Thomas Aquinas explained the fitness the number seven exists because of Christ alone not from the will of those on earth.

• Through Baptism we are born again.

• Confirmation makes us strong Christians.

• The Eucharist furnishes our daily spiritual food.

• Reconciliation heals the soul wounded by sin.

• Anointing of the Sick removes human frailty and prepares the soul for eternal life.

• Holy Orders provides ministers to the Church.

• Matrimony gives graces to raise children in the love and fear of God, members of the Church militant, future citizens of heaven.

• Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, the Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick primarily benefit the individual.

• Holy Orders and Matrimony primarily affect man as a social being, and sanctify him in the fulfillment of his duties to the Church and society.

• "Sacraments of the dead" refers to Baptism and Reconciliation

• They bring the "first grace" of life to those spiritually dead due to original or actual sin

• The other five sacraments are "sacraments of the living" because receipt requires the recipient to be in a state of grace.

• They provide a "second grace," increasing sanctification.

• Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist lay the foundation for Christian life, increasing the fullness of Divine life and leading it towards divine perfection.

• Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders produce an indelible spiritual mark, so those consecrated are servants of God, soldiers, and ministers.

• These sacraments can only be received once

• The Holy Spirit is the living and working source of all sacraments.

• The sacraments give people "new life," associating the Church to Christ.

• Eucharistic prayer for reconciliation states that although the human race is divided by dissension, God can help prepare them for reconciliation.

• Sacraments are not traditions and rituals, but have the power to bring heaven and earth, allowing humanity and eternity to unite

• Through the sacraments, heaven comes to live with us and grace us, where each day is meant to be living out the sacramental and actual grace.

Living a Sacramental Life

• Be immersed in the life and prayer of the church.

• Fully engage in the heart of the church.

• Participate fully in the Mass- in both body and spirit, with a deep understanding and engagement.

• Live the graces of the Mass and sacraments throughout life

• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours to extend and respond to graces received in the Mass.

• Enter into the Liturgical year to reflect knowledge and participation in prayer

• Utilize saints and sacramentals as signs of worship and intentions to receive grace, approaching them without superstition.

• The sacraments provide a glimpse of heaven and eternity.

• Popular religiosity expresses diverse local culture, traditions, and faith.

• Popular devotions should not be equal with the liturgy or substitute it. Devotion should be approached harmoniously and subordinate to the Liturgy

Devotions

• Devotions are the popular prayers, rituals, and practices used to worship God or venerate Mary and the saints through individual or group worship.
• Devotions express a particular belief such as the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
• They express confidence in the role of saints as companions, guides, and mediators.
• Devotional practices help the faithful pray and fill life with prayer.
• Examples of devotions include
• The Rosary
• Chaplet of Divine Mercy
• celebrations honoring Mary and other saints
• The Stations of the Cross
• Angelus
• Use of sacramentals
• With proper use devotional practices can extend the graces from the sacraments into daily life.
• Marian devotions honor Mary and seek her intercession with Jesus and his Father

Marian Devotion Examples

• Multi-day prayers such as novenas
• Canonical coronations granted by the Pope
• the veneration of icons in Eastern Christianity
• pious acts which do not involve prayers, such as the wearing of scapulars or maintaining a Mary garden.

Popular Marian Devotions

• First Five Saturdays devotion

• Holy Rosary

• Marian Medals

• Scapulars

• Angelus

• Novenas and prayers to Mary

• Processions

• Apparitions like Lourdes and Fatima have emphasized the Rosary and scapular.

Marian Devotions in the Philippines

• Baclaran – Our Lady of Perpetual Help

• Pangasinan – Our Lady of Manaoag

• Naga - Our Lady of Penafrancia

• Antipolo – Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage

• Cagayan Valley – Our Lady of Piat

• Filipino popular religiosity, especially its Marian dimensions, has been recognized for its significant contribution in preserving and promoting the faith-life of local Christians.

• Pope John Paul II urged Filipino Catholics to continue being the beloved people of Mary, confident that turning to her intercession will not be in vain.

• Jesus wills devotion to Mary as our Mother.

• Devotion to Mary is founded on her status as Mother and our status as her children.

• Jesus asks us to receive Mary "into our home" and learn from her.

• The Church encourages all the faithful to develop a personal and community devotion to the Blessed Virgin through approved pious exercises.