Catholic Liturgical worship

The nature of Catholic liturgical worship

* Weekly liturgical worship celebrating the death/resurrection of Jesus.


* Celebrated on a Sunday as the gospels state Jesus resurrected on a Sunday; this is the Christian Sabbath day and should be a day of rest.


* It is the ^^duty of Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days,^^ but most parish priests celebrate Mass daily for lay people who wish to go.


* Mass is the c^^entre of Catholic community^^ life as the Body of Christ come together to worship, hear the gospel and receive the Eucharist.

importance of liturgical worship

* One time a week ^^catholics feel connected to God^^
* Jesus instructed to his desciples to ^^“ do this in memory of me “^^
* reminds Catholics that ^^Jesus sacrificed himself so that we could achieve salvation^^

SOWAS catholic liturgical worship

* ^^Catechism “ source and summit of Christian life”^^
* ^^catechism teaches that knowingly missing Mass is a sin^^
* ^^Lumen Gentium says when we take the concecrated host we become one with Christ and are untied with eachother^^
* ^^“ in this way we are all made in ncommunion with his body^^”

The introductory rite

* The priest welcomes the congregation and everyone makes the sign of the cross.
* The Penitential Rite takes place, where Catholics confess they have sinned and ask for God’s forgiveness.
* reminder to continue the apostolic mission

The liturgy of the word

* Thematic readings from the Bible are read (Old Testament, responsorial psalm, New Testament, gospel).
* Whilst the laity can read some passage, only the priest reads the gospel (= first high point of Mass) and his homily follows.
* All Catholics stand to say the Nicene Creed together as a declaration of faith.
* the priest modernises scripture in his homily

The liturgy of the Eucharist

* The offertory are brought to the altar by the laity.


* Eucharistic prayers are said calling the Holy Spirit to consecrate the bread and wine, transubstantiating it into Christ’s body and blood.
* The priest (Christ at the altar) repeats the words said by Jesus at the last supper to re-enact this event.
* Catholics receive the Eucharist during the Rite of Communion (= second high point of Mass). Consecrated hosts not given out are stored in the tabernacle

The concluding rite

* The congregation give thanks for what has been received.
* The priest conducts a final blessing and reminder of the mission before making the sign of the cross and dismissing the laity.

divergent beliefs about liturgical worship

* Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican (Church of England) Christians prefer liturgical worship as the set format helps worship to become a repeated, familiar and consistent ritual invoking a sense of belonging.
* Other protestant churches (e.g. Pentecostal Christians) prefer non-liturgical worship as they are more flexible and freer in style. They believe the presence of the Holy Spirit should allow worship to be more spontaneous. Extempore prayers and music are major features.