LITURGY AND SACRAMENTS
I. "LITURGY" | II. LITURGY AND THE CHURCH'S SANCTIFYING OFFICE

I. "LITURGY"

"The word "liturgy" originally meant a "public work" or a "service in the name of/on behalf of the people." In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in "the work of God" (Cf. Jn 17:4). Through the liturgy Christ, our Redeemer and High Priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church." (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1069)
"In the New Testament the word 'liturgy' refers not only to the celebration of divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active charity (Cf. Lk 1:23; Acts 13:2; Rom 15:16,27; 2 Cor 9:12; Phil 2:14-17,25,30). In all of these situations it is a question of the service of God and neighbor. 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):
"The liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. It involves the presentation of man's sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible by the senses and its accomplishment in ways appropriate to each of these signs. 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 (Sacrosanctum Concilium 7 Sect.2-3)."
(CCC 1070)
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II. LITURGY AND THE CHURCH'S SANCTIFYING OFFICE

"The Church carries out its office of sanctifying in a special way in the sacred liturgy, which is an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy, by the use of signs perceptible to the senses, our sanctification is symbolised and, in a manner appropriate to each sign, is brought about. Through the liturgy a complete public worship is offered to God by the head and members of the mystical body of Christ." (Code of Canon Law (CCL) BOOK IV : THE SANCTIFYING OFFICE OF THE CHURCH, Can.834 Sect.1)
"This worship takes place when it is offered in the name of the Church, by persons lawfully deputed and through actions approved by ecclesiastical authority." (Code of Canon Law (CCL) BOOK IV : THE SANCTIFYING OFFICE OF THE CHURCH, Can.834 Sect.2)
"Although it cannot be said that this canon contains a definition of sacred liturgy, something which was intentionally avoided by the editors of the Apostolic Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, the four propositions gathered in its sect.1 provide essential information regarding the definition of this discipline, and contain the fundamental criteria for the canonical treatment of this specific area of the practice of the Church. It is thus necessary to analyze the propositions one by one and to discern the intimate unity that exists among them." (Commentary on these two sections of canon 834 by E Tejero, in Exegetical Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, vol.III/1 pp.359-365)
  1. What particular value does the liturgy have in the Church?
    • The Church fulfills "in a special way"--peculiari modo--its sanctifying function. Why? Because when doing so, it follows the command of her Founder.
    • Pius XII, in Mediator Dei says that "the Church prolongs the priestly mission of Jesus Christ mainly by means of the sacred liturgy."
    • Thus, among all the Church's activities, liturgical activity surpasses all others. "No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree" (SC 7).
    • Liturgical activity, to be sure, is not everything. There has to be a preceding call to faith and to conversion. But the ultimate goal os "to take part in the Sacrifice and to eat the Lord's Supper" (SC 10).
  2. In the Liturgy, Christ exercises His priestly office in the present.
    • "Do this in memory of me."
    • "The Divine Redeemer has so willed it that the priestly life begun with the supplication and sacrifice of His mortal body should continue without intermission down the ages in His Mystical Body which is the Church." (Pius XII, Mediator Dei)
  3. Liturgy sanctifies persons through signs perceivable by the senses
    • Patristic doctrine emphasized participation in the mystery of Christ in the sacraments, while scholastic theology gave importance to the efficacy of the sacraments to bring about grace. The two aspects should not be separated.
    • Although the sacraments sanctify ex opere operato, good dispositions (opus operantis) are still needed to bring about their full effect.
  4. In liturgy the mystical Body of Christ fully exercises its public worship of God.
    • The liturgy is "the worship rendered by the Mystical Body of Christ in the entirety of its Head and members." (Pius XII, Mediator Dei)
  5. There are three conditions for the liturgical act demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.
    1. It should be performed in the name of the Church. Liturgical services are not private functions.
    2. It should be offered by persons lawfully deputed.
    3. It must be approved by the ecclesiastical authority.
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17 July 2005
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