The Liturgy as Exercise of the Priestly Office of

Jesus Christ
THE LITURGY DEFINED
The first gospel to be written was Mark's. In its very first chapter, we find that when Jesus
began preaching, he proclaimed the Kingdom of God. There must be a reason for this!
And the only possible reason is the immense importance he puts to this central message
of his. Jesus has come for one unique purpose - to establish the Kingdom of God. To this
proclamation, he adds a twofold demand: conversion and faith. In other words, to accept
the message of the Kingdom of God, demands from the individual a change of ways and
believing in the Good News.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC, 1069) defines the liturgy as "participation of
the People of God in the work of God." It is the public worship and official prayer of the
Church. In the liturgy, we give praise and thanks to God in Jesus's name through ritual
celebrated by the community of faith.
Our Catholic liturgy celebrates the Paschal event that changed human history: the life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus. However, the liturgy is not only equated with the Sunday
Mass or Holy Eucharist. It includes the celebration of all seven sacraments, namely,
Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and
Matrimony. Also, the Liturgy of the Hours and the Rites of the Church for consecrations,
Christian burial, and a variety of blessings are liturgy, too.
One way to appreciate the liturgy is to see it as a "dialogue" between God and us (His
people). In the celebration of the liturgy, God "speaks to us in varied ways." He calls us
to gather in assembly so that we can listen intently to His Divine Word, remember His
deeds, and make them present through the power of the Holy Spirit. We, on the other
hand, come to the "dialogue" in need of conversion and salvation and make the
appropriate response to God with our hearts.
When we gather together for the liturgy, we manifest, express, renew, and deepen our
faith in God. Our active participation in the ritual actions, gestures, songs, and words
acknowledge God's goodness and power. In engaging our body, mind, senses,
imagination, emotions, and memory in worshipping God, we proclaim Him as the source
and end of all the blessings of creation and salvation. Furthermore, through the liturgical
signs and symbols, words and actions, music and holy images, we experience God's
saving grace and are made holy by the sacred rites.

CHRIST IN THE LITURGY

Jesus Christ is actively present in the Church and in the liturgy. The Constitution on the
Sacred Liturgy or Sacrosanctum Concilium (7) tells us: "Jesus Christ is present in the
sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister but especially under the
Eucharistic species. By His power, He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man
baptizes, it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He
Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly,
when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: 'Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them' (Mt 18:20)." Hence, when we fully
participate in the liturgy of the the Church, share in her mission and proclaim the Gospel
to others through our good works and deeds, we unite ourselves to our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.

Just as Jesus the High Priest (cf. Heb 4:14-16) offers himself by prayer and obedience to
the Father in the Holy Spirit, the Church who is the mystical body of Christ (cf. Lumen
Gentium, 7) is called to do the same. Through the liturgy, the people of God-the priests
and the faithful-offer their prayers along with those of Jesus Christ to the Father in the
bond of love that is the Holy Spirit. Sacrosanctum Concilium (7) tells us:
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.
We are called to fully participate in the sacred liturgy of the Church. Through our active
participation, we manifest our loving response to Christ's presence in the Church. Also,
when we engage all our human faculty (mind, body, and heart) in the official worship of
the Church, we allow ourselves to be drawn closely to God's love. By demonstrating the
appropriate faith-response to the sacred liturgy, we inspire others and encourage them to
actively participate, too.

THE EUCHARIST: SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF CHURCH LIFE

The Catechism of the Catholic Church or CCC (1407) tells us: "The Eucharist is the heart
and the summit of the Church's life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her
members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to
his Father; by this sacrifice, he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the
Church." Thus, Christ, I as our eternal High Priest, acting through the ministry of the priest,
and truly present under the Eucharistic species of bread and wine, offers the eternal
sacrifice as our worship.

CCC (1419) further explains: "Christ gives us in the Eucharist the pledge of glory with
him. Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart, sustains our strength
along the pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for eternal life, and unites us even now to
the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints." Hence, when we fully
participate in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, we join with all the saints in heaven in
worshipping God. We also praise and give thanksgiving to Christ as we commemorate
His sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension. Empowered by the Eucharist, we
participate in the building of God's Kingdom through our words and deeds. Inspired by
the liturgy, we go to the "peripheries" and bring God's mercy and compassion to "the
least, the last, and the forgotten."
SACRED TIMES AND SEASON
In our Christian faith, we too celebrate the sacred times and seasons designated in a liturgical
year. The liturgical year consists of liturgical seasons which recall and celebrate various events
in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. The mystery of Jesus Christ which is unfolded through the
cycle of the liturgical year calls us to live His mystery in our own lives.
The liturgical year is made up of six periods, namely:
• Advent – which is the season of four weeks of preparation before the celebration of Jesus
birth.
• Christmas Time – wherein we recall the Nativity of Jesus Christ and his manifestation to
the people of the world.
• Lent – which is six-week season of penance before Easter.
• Sacred Paschal Triduum – which are considered as the holiest “Three Days” of the
Church’s year wherein we recall the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.
• Easter Time – which is the season composed of 50 days of joyful celebration of the Lord’s
resurrection from the dead and His sending forth of the Holy Spirit.
• Ordinary Time – which is divided into two sections: one span 4-8 weeks after Christmas
Time and another that lasts about six months after Easter Time. In the Ordinary time,
Catholics consider the fulness of Jesus’s teaching and works among His people.
ADVENT
Have you experienced preparing for an important celebration like a family member's coming of
age party or debut? Whether the debut celebration is extravagant or simple, most families (and
especially the debutant) prepare in hopeful anticipation of the event. In a way, Advent is also
like that. However, the difference is that during Advent we prepare ourselves for the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Advent allows us to reflect and direct our mind and heart to Christ's
second coming at the end of time. Advent also prepares us for the anniversary of the Lord's
birth on Christmas. Advent (from the Latin "ad venire" which means "to come to") begins the
Church's liturgical year. It is composed of the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the
celebration of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS
Do you have a special family tradition during Christmas? Like most families, perhaps you also
exchange gifts with your love ones. This tradition of giving gifts honors God's gift to us who is
Jesus Christ.
Second to Easter, the Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church year. During
the Christmas season, we commemorate the "feast of the incarnation" or "feast of God
becoming flesh." God chose to become one of us (Emmanuel or God-with-us). The Christmas
season begins with the vigil masses on Christmas eve and concludes with the Feast of the
Baptism of the Lord.

LENT
The Lenten season starts every year on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day
before Easter Sunday. Lent covers a period of approximately six weeks. Have you joined friends
or relatives on a "Visita Iglesia?"A "Visita Iglesia" or "Seven Churches Visitation" is a lenten
tradition wherein seven churches or religious sites are visited by the pious to pray the Stations
of the Cross. Traditionally, the Visita Iglesia is done during Holy Thursday. However, the Visita
Iglesia is just one of the devotions that Catholics can participate in during Lent. In preparation
for Easter, Catholics can also pray, do penance, go for confession, practice almsgiving, and
exercise self-denial.

SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM

From the evening of Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates the Easter Triduum
which is the summit of the liturgical year. While it is three calendar days, the Easter Triduum is
considered liturgically as "one day" of unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery.
The Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday Celebration of the Lord's Passion,
and the Easter Vigil Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord are the liturgical services that take
place during the Sacred Paschal Triduum.

EASTER TIME
Have you ever wondered where the term Easter originated? The term Easter came from the Old
English meaning "East." Just like every new morning where the sun rises from the East, Easter
also reminds us of our light and our hope who is Jesus Christ.
Easter is the celebration of the Lord's resurrection from the dead, culminating in his Ascension
to the Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. There are 50 days of Easter
from the Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter Sunday to the second Sunday of Easter is
called the "Octave of Easter" or "eight days" which allows us to celebrate the Easter joy. During
Easter time, the Paschal candle is kept near the ambo and lit during liturgical celebrations.

ORDINARY TIME
While Christmas Time and Easter Time highlight the central mysteries of the Paschal Mystery,
the Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time take us through the life of Christ. Inspired by the
words and deeds of our Lord and Savior and nourished by the sacraments, we persevere to live
each day in joyful friendship with Him