Christian Celebration:

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Christian Celebration

• The Mass

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Key Liturgy Documents

• Sacrosanctum Concilium
• Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
• Key document of Vatican II concerning the liturgy
• Liturgy as making the work of our redemption a
  present actuality
• Missale Romanum
• The Roman Missal
• Written by Paul VI after Vatican II as the text
  for the celebration of the Eucharist
• The sacrifice of the cross and the its
  sacramental renewal in the Mass, which Christ
  instituted are one and the same

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Liturgy

• Work of the people
• Admirabile commercium wonderful exchange
• The movement of human beings toward God in order
  to offer God their prayer of adoration and
  thanksgiving
• The movement of God to human beings, who look to
  God for answers to their prayers
• Active not passive
• full active conscious participation
• Key quote from Sacrosanctum Concilium about the
  importance of the all present to take part in the
  celebration

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Liturgy Quotes

• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then
  is not an act, but a habit.
• Aristotle
• You are there on the table you are the chalice.
  You are this body with us, for, collectively, we
  are this body. We drink of the same chalice
  because we live the same life.
• St. Augustine
• God hates the worship of the mere lips God
  requires the worship of the heart This is the
  true way of doing devotional service not to have
  feelings without acts, or acts without feelings
  but both to do and feel
• John Henry Newman
• The assembly, remembering Christ in a profound
  act of recollection, discovers its own mystery,
  its identity as the body of Christ in the world,
  continuing his surrender to God and to the work
  of God, until the end of time
• Mark Searle

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Sacrosanctum Concililum

• Key Themes
• The earthly liturgy (the Mass) is a foretaste and
  a participation in the heavenly liturgy of
  praising God
• Connection of the Communion of Saints
• Mass as the summit toward which the activity of
  the Church is directed the fount from which all
  the Churchs power flows
• Most effective way of achieving sanctification
• Christian spiritual life is not limited to the
  Liturgy
• Go in peace commits us to do something in the
  world

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Continued

• Key Themes
• The rites of the liturgy should be marked with a
  noble simplicity
• Understandable to the assembly without too much
  pomp and circumstance
• Rubrics should be followed, but not eliminate
  local differences
• Local communities can incorporate culture into
  the liturgy but must not lose connection with the
  Church
• Full, Active, Conscious Participation
• Liturgy must inspire the involvement of all
  present
• Members of the assembly must actively take part

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Celebration of the Eucharist

• The Eucharist
• The communal celebration of the Paschal Mystery
• Suffering, death, and Resurrection of Christ
• Celebrated with the context of the community
• Linking the human with the divine
• Mass
• 4 main parts
• Introductory Rites
• Liturgy of the Word
• Liturgy of the Eucharist
• Concluding Rite

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Introductory Rites

• Starting point
• Entrance / Processional Song
• Ending point
• Opening Prayer / Collect
• Purpose
• The faithful coming together take on the form of
  a community and prepare themselves to listen to
  Gods word and celebrate the Eucharist properly

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Introductory Contents

• Entrance Song
• Opens the celebration, focuses the attention of
  the community, highlights the season or feast
• Greeting
• Sign of the cross expresses the presence of
  Christ in the assembly
• Penitential Rite
• Assembly calling to mind its need for forgiveness
  nad mercy as it approaches the Eucharistic
  liturgy
• Gloria
• Song of praise to God Sundays outside of Advent
  and Lent and on feasts and solemnities
• Opening Prayer / Collect
• Assembly calls to mind petitions priest prays
  collect collecting the assemblys prayers and
  expressing the theme of the celebration

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Liturgy of the Word

• Starting Point
• First Reading
• Ending Point
• General Intercessions
• Purpose
• God speaks to the assembly through the readings
  from scripture and the homily through the
  chants, the assembly makes Gods word its own and
  professes faith and offers petitions

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Liturgy of the Word Contents

• Scripture Readings
• Depending on the Mass, 2 or 3 readings are
  proclaimed
• Word of God as active not passive
• Follow two different cycles
• Sunday Cycle
• Three year cycle of Gospel readings with Old
  Testament readings matching the theme of the
  Gospel
• New Testament readings usually read continuously
• Weekday Cycle
• Two year cycle of Gospel readings
• Homily
• Necessary for the nurturing of Christian life
  should connect the readings or celebration to the
  lives of the people
• Profession of Faith
• Assemblys assent to the Word of God calls to
  mind beliefs in preparation for the celebration
  of the Eucharist
• General Intercessions
• Assemblys offering of petitions to God
  interceding for all humanity

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Liturgy of the Eucharist

• Starting Point
• Preparation of the Gifts
• Ending Point
• Prayer after Communion
• Purpose
• Sacrifice of the cross continuously present in
  the Church
• Participation in the heavenly liturgy of unending
  praise to God

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Preparation of the Gifts

• Preparation of the Gifts
• Bread and wine symbolizing the offering of
  peoples lives to God through the fruit of the
  earth and work of human hands
• Preparation of the Altar
• The table which is the center of the whole
  eucharistic liturgy
• Collection
• Ancient tradition of the Church supporting the
  poor Acts 2
• Assent of the Assembly
• May the Lord accept the sacrifice

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Eucharistic Prayer

• Center and summit of the entire celebration
• Prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification
• Assembly joins itself to Christ
• Different prayers used for different occasions
• Four main Eucharistic Prayers
• 85 Prefaces

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Chief Elements

• Thanksgiving (Preface)
• Priest praises the Father and gives thanks for
  salvation focusing on a specific aspect according
  to the season / celebration
• Acclamation (Holy, Holy)
• Joining with the angles, the assembly signs or
  recites praise of God
• Epiclesis
• Church calls on Gods power and asks that the
  gifts offered by human hands be consecrated
• Institution Narrative and Consecration
• The celebration commanded by Christ is carried
  out using his words
• Anamnesis
• Fulfillment of the command Church actively
  remembers the passion, death, resurrection and
  ascension
• Offering and Intercessions
• Local community praying for its members and the
  entire Church
• Final Doxology
• The praise of God is expressed to which the
  assembly gives its assent

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Communion Rite

• Our Father
• Petition both for daily food and forgiveness of
  sin
• Rite of Peace
• Assembly shares a sign of peace importance of
  unity in preparation for receiving the sacrament
  of unity
• Breaking of the Bread
• Recalls Christ breaking bread at the Last Supper
  demonstrates unity that as individuals, we are
  connected through the Eucharist
• Lamb of God Agnus Dei
• Prayers before Communion
• Personal preparation before receiving the
  Eucharist
• Communion Procession
• The assembly comes forward to receive the
  Eucharist while singing a Eucharistic hymn or
  song
• Prayer after Communion
• Priest petitions for the effects of the mystery
  just celebrated

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Concluding Rite

• Starting Point
• Greeting
• Ending Point
• Recessional Song
• Purpose
• Blessing and dismissal to send the assembly into
  the world to do good works while praising and
  blessing the Lord

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Concluding Rite Contents

• Greeting
• The Lord be with you And also with you
• Blessing
• Simple
• May the Lord bless you in the name
• Solemn
• Added petitions by the priest for special
  blessing to be given to the assembly
• Bow your heads and pray for Gods blessing
• Ending with the simple blessing
• Dismissal
• Assembly sent forth to continue the celebration
  of Gods love
• Recessional Song
• Theme of sending forth and carrying out Christian
  discipleship

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Liturgical Colors

• White
• Easter Season and Christmas Season
• Feasts and memorials of the Lord, Mary, angles,
  saints (not martyrs or apostles)
• Red
• Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost
• Feasts of Apostles, Evangelists, and Martyrs
• Green
• Ordinary time
• Violet
• Advent Season and Lent Season
• Rose
• Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent)
• Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent)

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Liturgy and Justice

• This holy Mass, this eucharist, is clearly an
  act of faith. This body broken and blood shed
  for human beings encourages us to give our body
  and blood up to suffering and pain, as Christ did
  not for self, but to bring justice and peace to
  our people. Let us be intimately united in faith
  and hope at this moment.
• Archbishop Romero
• There is not one of us, individually, racially,
  socially, who is fully complete in the sense of
  having in himself all the excellence of humanity
  I am not therefore not completely human until I
  have found myself in my African and Asian and
  Indonesian brother because he has the part of
  humanity which I lack.
• Thomas Merton
• The eucharistic table presents itself as the one
  place in our society where at least this much of
  Gods kingdom is anticipated where everyone is
  welcome, where those who are elsewhere unwelcome,
  outcasts, despised, oppressed, shunned, excluded
  are the most welcome of all.
• Robert W. Hovda