In the FIRST PART of this course (lessons 1 through 16), we have spoken about the CREED where God tells us about Himself, about ourselves and about the world. Now we move on to the SECOND PART (lessons 17 through 25) where we explore the wonderful EXCHANGE between God and man--LITURGY AND THE SACRAMENTS.
1.1 What do we mean when we talk about "liturgy"?
The word "liturgy" comes from the Greek leitourgia which means a public duty, work, or service undertaken by a citizen for the state. From leitourgia comes leitourgos, a person who performs a public duty, a public servant. In the translation of the Old Testament to Greek (the so-called "Septuagint"), leitourgia is used to refer to the public service that the priests of the Old Law perform in the Temple (see, for example the book of Exodus).
This meaning carries on to the New Testament. For example, Luke 1:23, tells us that Zachary went home when "the days of his liturgy" (ai hemerai tes leitourgias autou) are over. In Hebrews 8:6, Jesus Christ, the High Priest of the New Law "has obtained a better leitourgias" (translated as "ministerium" in Latin and "ministry" in English)--Jesus Christ, the High Priest of the New Law, performs a better kind of public religious service than that of the Temple.
So, in Christian use, liturgy means the public official service of the Church (New Law), that corresponds to the official service of the Temple in the Old Law. Through the liturgy, the work of redemption (done mainly through the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ--also called the PASCHAL MYSTERY) is
The distribution of the fruits of the work of redemption gives LIFE to the faithful so that they can BEAR WITNESS to the Life, Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ in the world, in the places where they live, work and associate with other people (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 1068). The liturgy is not only a proclamation, nor only a celebration for the sake of celebrating. When properly understood and performed, it results in the TRANSFORMATION of each person who assists in it. The liturgy has the power of transforming each one who participates in it into an image of Christ, the most important sign of which is CHARITY.
1.2 Who is involved in the liturgy?
In the liturgy, both God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--and man are involved. The liturgy is not like a banquet or party that people throw together on their own initiative and which they can arbitrarily change. It is an act in which God blesses man, and man blesses God in return.
In Saint Paul's Letter to the Ephesians (1:3-6), he says:
BLESSED BE the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED US in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us before him in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
This passage, quoted in CCC 1077, shows us a two-fold meaning of the word "bless", applied on one hand to God, and on the other to man. The next point of the CCC (1078) explains:
Blessing is a DIVINE and life-giving action, the source of which is the Father; his blessing is both word and gift [Greek eu-logia, Latin bene-dictio].
When applied to MAN, the word "blessing" means adoration and surrender to his Creator in thanksgiving.
There is a beautiful passage in the Youth Catechism (marginal annotation next to point 170) which explains God's blessing as follows:
God, the Father and Creator of all being, says: 'It is good that you exist. The fact that you are is something beautiful.'
There is a two-way action, a holy exchange, that goes on in the liturgy: from God to man, and from man to God. This two-way action is mediated by Jesus Christ, the High Priest. In each liturgical act, God is ready with his blessings, but we ought to ask: "Am I ready with mine?"
Christ, the Mediator, acts in the liturgy. The CCC 1070 teaches:
In it full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and his members.
From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of his Body which is the Church, is A SACRED ACTION SURPASSING ALL OTHERS.
No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree [Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium 7 #2-3]
This point also explains the participation of all the baptised faithful in the liturgy.
In a liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one "leitourgos" [cf Heb 8:2, 6]; she shares in Christ's PRIESTHOOD (worship), which is both PROPHETIC (proclamation) and KINGLY (service of charity). [see Lesson 13, 3.2 ]
1.3 How does the Church on earth celebrate the liturgy?
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCCC 235; see also CCC 1140-1144, 1188) explains:
The Church on earth celebrates the liturgy as a priestly people in which each one acts ACCORDING TO HIS PROPER FUNCTION in the unity of the Holy Spirit. [1] The BAPTISED offer themselves in a spiritual sacrifice; [2] the ORDAINED MINISTERS celebrate according to the Order they received for the service of all the members of the Church; the bishops and priests act in the Person of Christ the Head.
The earthly liturgy is a reflection of what goes in heaven, in the heavenly liturgy. The CCCC (234; cf CCC 1138-1139) asks: "Who celebrates the heavenly liturgy?" And it replies as follows:
The heavenly liturgy is celebrated by the angels, by the saints of the Old and New Testament, particularly the Mother of God, by the Apostles, by the martyrs, and by the "great multitude which no one could number from every nation, race, people, and tongue" (Revelation 7:9). When we celebrate the mystery of our salvation in the sacraments we participate in this eternal liturgy.
In heaven, Christ is the one who personally presides in the liturgy. He is the one "who offers and is offered, who gives and is given." [Revelation 5:6; Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Anaphora; cf. Jn 1:29; Hebrews 4:14-15; 10:19-2] (This point is explained more in detail in Scott Hahn, The Lamb's Supper.)
1.4 Why is there a need for external signs and symbols? Why can each one not just worship in his heart?
Man is body and soul. He is not, as some philosophers have thought, a soul imprisoned in a body. The body is part of man's being. Hence, in everything that man does, the body is somehow involved, whether it be in PERCEIVING realities outside of himself (input), or EXPRESSING his feelings and thoughts (output). The CCC (no 1146) explains:
[1] As a being at once BODY and SPIRIT, man EXPRESSES and PERCEIVES spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols.
[2] As a SOCIAL being, man needs signs and symbols to COMMUNICATE with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God.
Furthermore, the next two points (nos 1147 and 1148), add a third reason:
[3] God speaks to man through the visible creation. The material cosmos is so presented to man's intelligence that he can read there traces of its Creator [cf Wisdom 13:1; Romans 1:19f; Acts 14:17]. Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth, the tree and its fruit speak of God and symbolise both his greatness and his nearness.
Inasmuch as they are creatures, these perceptible realities can become MEANS of EXPRESSING [a] the action of GOD WHO SANCTIFIES MEN, and [b] the action of MEN WHO OFFER WORSHIP TO GOD. The same is true of signs and symbols taken from the social life of man: washing and anointing, breaking bread and sharing the cup can express the sanctifying presence of God and man's gratitude toward his Creator.
Pope Benedict XVI, before his election as Roman Pontiff, gave an example of a symbol where men offer worship to God--kneeling. In The Spirit of the Liturgy (pp 190-191, 194), he wrote:
The bodily gesture itself is the bearer of the spiritual meaning, which is precisely that of worship. Without the worship, the bodily gesture would be meaningless, while the spiritual act must of its very nature, because of the psychosomatic unity of man, express itself in the bodily gesture. ... When kneeling becomes merely external, a merely physical act, it becomes meaningless. On the other hand, when someone tries to take worship back into the purely spiritual realm and refuses to give it embodied form, the act of worship evaporates, for what is purely spiritual is inappropriate to the nature of man. Worship is one of those fundamental acts that affect the whole man. That is why bending the knee before the presence of the living God is something we cannot abandon.
... Where it has been lost, kneeling must be rediscovered, so that, in our prayer, we remain in fellowship with the apostles and martyrs, in fellowship with the whole cosmos, indeed in union with Jesus Christ Himself.
What are the criteria for the proper use of singing and music in liturgical celebrations?
The CCCC (239; cf CCC 1156-1158, 1191) replies:
Since song and music are closely connected with liturgical action they must respect the following criteria. [1] They should CONFORM TO CATHOLIC DOCTRINE in their texts, drawn preferably from Sacred Scripture and liturgical sources. [2] They should be a beautiful expression of PRAYER. [3] The music should be of a HIGH QUALITY. [4] Song and music should ENCOURAGE the PARTICIPATION of the liturgical assembly. [5] They should EXPRESS the CULTURAL RICHNESS of the People of God and the SACRED AND SOLEMN CHARACTER of the celebration. "He who sings, prays twice" (Saint Augustine).
And do sacred images have any function?
The CCCC (no 240; cf CCC 1159-1161; 1192) says:
The image of Christ is the liturgical icon par excellence. Other images, representations of Our Lady and of the Saints, signify Christ who is glorified in them. They PROCLAIM the SAME GOSPEL MESSAGE that Sacred Scripture communicates by the word and they help to awaken and nourish the faith of believers.
1.5 When is the liturgy carried out? Does it have any special times and seasons?
1.5.1 Yearly Rhythm
Easter is the most important feast of the liturgical year. CCC 1169 teaches:
Easter 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).
What is the function of the liturgical year?
The CCCC (242; cf CCC 1168-1173; 1194-1195) says:
In the liturgical year the Church [1] celebrates the whole mystery of Christ from his Incarnation to his return in glory. On set days the Church [2] venerates with special love the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. The Church also [3] keeps the memorials of saints who lived for Christ, who suffered with him, and who live with him in glory.
1.5.2 Weekly Rhythm
The CCC (1193) teaches us:
Sunday, the "Lord's Day," is the principal day for the celebration of the Eucharist because it is the day of the Resurrection. It is the pre-eminent day of the liturgical assembly, the day of the Christian family, and the day of joy and rest from work. Sunday is "the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year" (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium 106).
1.5.3 Daily Rhythm
In the life of a Christian, the hours of each day are marked with specific periods for prayer. Each person can have a spiritual plan of life which assures a certain rhythm of prayer throughout the day. The Church also has her own specific periods of prayer. This is called the "Liturgy of the Hours" or the "Divine Office". The CCCC (no 243; cf CCC 1174-1178, 1196) explains it briefly as follows:
The Liturgy of the Hours, which is the public and common prayer of the Church, is the prayer of Christ with his body, the Church. Through the Liturgy of the Hours the mystery of Christ, which we celebrate in the Eucharist, sanctifies and transforms the whole of each day. It is composed mainly of psalms, other biblical texts, and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters.
The Liturgy of the Hours is divided into parts meant to be prayed at different hours of the day. When a person prays the Divine Office, he is praying with the entire Church, he is praying with Christ. For priests and religious, the prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours is a serious obligation.
1.6 Where is the liturgy held? Can one just pray anywhere?
Yes, one not only can but must pray wherever he finds himself. Nonetheless, the celebration of the liturgy requires a place dedicated for the purpose. The CCCC (no 244; cf CCC 1179-1181, 1197-1198) explains:
The worship "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24) of the New Covenant is not tied exclusively to any place because Christ is the true temple of God. Through him Christians and the whole Church become temples of the living God by the action of the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, the people of God in their earthly condition need places in which the community can gather to celebrate the liturgy.
This is why the Church requires sacred places, sacred buildings. The CCCC (no 245; cf CCC 1181, 1198-1199) says:
They are the houses of God, a symbol of the Church that lives in that place as well as of the heavenly Jerusalem. Above all they are places of prayer in which the Church celebrates the Eucharist and worships Christ who is truly present in the tabernacle.
There are certain fixtures that are essential in these sacred places (cf CCCC 246; CCC 1182-1186). They are:
The church is a sacred place, a place set apart for the worship of God. Hence, it is necessary that the way it is designed and built should remind the faithful that it is a place for praying. The construction of the church and everything that is in it should help the faithful focus their attention on the One whom they come to worship.
The church is a sacred place, and materials used for its construction should be noble, not cheap, materials worthy of the Lord of heaven and earth. It is enough to remember the instructions God gave Moses for the construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:1-9):
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me an offering; from every man whose heart makes him willing you shall receive the offering for me. 3 And this is the offering which you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen, goats' hair, 5 tanned rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood, 6 oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 9 According to all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. ..."
The church is a sacred place, and everything that is in it should be kept clean and tidy. Altar linen, vessels, books, vestments, church walls and floors should be a visible sign to all the faithful that exquisite care has been taken to show the deepest respect and the highest honour to God. Quoting again the book of Exodus (28:2-39), where God specifies how the priests should be dressed:
2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 And you shall speak to all who have ability, whom I have endowed with an able mind, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle; they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 "They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached to its two edges, that it may be joined together. 8 And the skillfully woven band upon it, to gird it on, shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen. 9 And you shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones upon the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for remembrance. 13 And you shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings. 15 "And you shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and double, a span its length and a span its breadth. 17 And you shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 And you shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold; 23 and you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece; 25 the two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod. 26 And you shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod, at its joining above the skillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may lie upon the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment upon his heart, when he goes into the holy place, to bring them to continual remembrance before the LORD. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the LORD; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. 31* "And you shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have in it an opening for the head, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment, that it may not be torn. 33 On its skirts you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet stuff, around its skirts, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, round about on the skirts of the robe. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, lest he die. 36 "And you shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to the LORD.' 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a lace of blue; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take upon himself any guilt incurred in the holy offering which the people of Israel hallow as their holy gifts; it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. 39 "And you shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a girdle embroidered with needlework.
The LITURGY, through which the work of redemption is proclaimed, celebrated and accomplished, is woven around seven important signs. These seven sacred signs are God-given--they were instituted by Jesus himself. Through these seven sacred signs, God gives man [1] life for his soul, [2] light for his mind, and [3] strength for his will. These signs are called SACRAMENTS.
2.1 What is a sacrament?
Let us take the definition from the CCC (no 1131) and then analyse it.
The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.
2.3 What effects do the sacraments impart?
2.3.1 Sanctifying grace
Sanctifying grace is a gratuitous gift of God by which He makes us share in His nature and gives us the right to heaven. Sanctifying grace gives man a status that is beyond his nature. (See the discussion on grace in Lesson 28.)
2.3.2 Sacramental grace
Aside from giving sanctifying grace, the sacraments also give sacramental grace. The CCCC (no 231; cf CCC 1129, 1131, 1134, 2003) teaches us:
Sacramental grace is the grace of the Holy Spirit which is given by Christ and is PROPER TO EACH SACRAMENT. This grace helps the faithful in their journey toward holiness and so assists the Church as well to grow in charity and in her witness to the world.
2.3.3 Sacramental character or "seal"
Three of the sacraments--BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION and HOLY ORDERS--also imprint a mark--called the SACRAMENTAL SEAL--on the soul that can never be erased. Because the seal is indelible, the sacraments that confer the seal cannot be repeated. Once we are baptised, we are Christians for all eternity. Once a priest is ordained, he is a priest forever. The CCCC (no 227; CCC 1121) teaches:
It is a spiritual "seal" bestowed by the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. It is a promise and guarantee of divine protection. By virtue of this seal the Christian is configured to Christ, participates in a variety of ways in his priesthood and takes his part in the Church according to different states and functions. He is, therefore, set apart for divine worship and the service of the Church. Because this character is indelible the sacraments that impress it on the soul are received only once in life.
2.4 Ex opere operato
The CCCC (no 229; cf CCC 1127-1128, 1131) teaches:
The sacraments are efficacious ex opere operato ("by the very fact that the sacramental action is performed") because IT IS CHRIST WHO ACTS in the sacraments and communicates the grace they signify. The efficacy of the sacraments does not depend upon the personal holiness of the minister. However, the fruits of the sacraments do depend on the dispositions of the one who receives them.
Regarding the last sentence, it is worthwhile remembering the Latin maxim "Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur" -- Whatever is received is received in the manner of the recipient. If a person prepares himself well to receive the sacrament, he will receive more grace than the person who has little preparation. Imagine two persons taking water from a tap. The one who has a bigger container will ACTUALLY get more, even though in principle, both can POTENTIALLY get the same amount of water.
2.5 Are the sacraments necessary for salvation? Can a person be saved without them?
The CCCC (230; cf CCC 1129) says:
For believers in Christ the sacraments, even if they are not all given to each of the faithful, are necessary for salvation because they confer sacramental grace, forgiveness of sins, adoption as children of God, conformation to Christ the Lord and membership in the Church. The Holy Spirit heals and transforms those who receive the sacraments.
We ought to remember always the words of Jesus (John 15):
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
We are connected to the vine through SACRAMENTS and PRAYER. A Christian who wishes to be saved has to pray and to receive the sacraments. A Christian who wishes to be holy has to pray ALWAYS and to receive the sacraments FREQUENTLY.
2.6 Sacramentals
What are the sacramentals?
The CCCC (351; cf CCC 1667-1672; 1677-1678) says:
These are sacred signs INSTITUTED BY THE CHURCH to sanctify different circumstances of life. They include a prayer accompanied by the sign of the cross and other signs. Among the sacramentals which occupy an important place are: blessings, which are the praise of God and a prayer to obtain his gifts, the consecration of persons and the dedication of things for the worship of God.
The effectiveness of the sacramentals does not depend on the sacramentals themselves (unlike the sacraments), but on the faith of those who do them. They do not give grace ex opere operato ("by the mere fact of being done"), but ex opere operantis ("by the work of the one doing it").
What is an exorcism?
The CCCC (352; cf CCC 1673) tells us:
When the Church asks with its authority in the name of Jesus that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called an exorcism. This is done in ordinary form in the rite of Baptism. A solemn exorcism, called a major exorcism, can be performed only by a priest authorized by the bishop.
What forms of popular piety accompany the sacramental life of the Church?
According to CCCC (353; cf CCC 1674-1676, 1679):
The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in the various forms of piety which accompany the sacramental life of the Church such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross and the rosary. The Church sheds the light of faith upon and fosters authentic forms of popular piety.
Since these are sacramentals, they do not give grace ex opere operato. By the mere fact of joining a procession, one does not automatically obtain grace. Faith and the proper dispositions are needed. The most important disposition and motive of all is personal holiness and the glory of God.