Part 1 of a series on the liturgy: We Gather, We Pray, We Go Forth given at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Port Neches, TX.

1. We Gather, We Pray,
We Go Forth
Deepening our Understanding of the Liturgy
Session 1:
We Gather

3. What’s on the Agenda?

4. What’s on the Agenda?
Session 1:
We Gather
In this session we will focus on the
Gathering & Introductory Rites and
the Liturgy of the Word and discuss
how they are important to our
liturgy and in our lives.

5. What’s on the Agenda?
Session 1:
We Gather
In this session we will focus on the
Gathering & Introductory Rites and
the Liturgy of the Word and discuss
how they are important to our
liturgy and in our lives.
Session 2:
We Pray
In this session we will focus on the
Eucharistic Prayer and discuss how
it is the climax of the liturgy and
how it is important in our lives.

6. What’s on the Agenda?
Session 1:
We Gather
In this session we will focus on the
Gathering & Introductory Rites and
the Liturgy of the Word and discuss
how they are important to our
liturgy and in our lives.
Session 2: Session 3:
We Pray We Go Forth
In this session we will focus on the In this session we will focus on the
Eucharistic Prayer and discuss how concluding rite and discuss the
it is the climax of the liturgy and important challenge for us as a
how it is important in our lives. Christian community.

8. What is Liturgy?

9. What is Liturgy?
Leitorgia - “Work of the people.”

10. What is Liturgy?
Leitorgia - “Work of the people.”
“The Liturgy is the source and summit toward
which the activity of the Church is directed; at
the same time it is the fount from which all the
Church’s power flows” (SC, no.10)

11. What is Liturgy?
Leitorgia - “Work of the people.”
“The Liturgy is the source and summit toward
which the activity of the Church is directed; at
the same time it is the fount from which all the
Church’s power flows” (SC, no.10)
The primary prayer of the Church. (SC, no.13)

13. Modern Day Liturgy:

14. Modern Day Liturgy:
Vatican II

15. Modern Day Liturgy:
Vatican II
Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on
Sacred Liturgy)

16. Modern Day Liturgy:
Vatican II
Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on
Sacred Liturgy)
Principals of Reform

18. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium

19. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Christ is present in the liturgy

20. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Christ is present in the liturgy
The earthly liturgy is a foretaste of the heavenly
liturgy

21. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Christ is present in the liturgy
The earthly liturgy is a foretaste of the heavenly
liturgy
The liturgy is the source and summit of the
Church’s activity

22. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Christ is present in the liturgy
The earthly liturgy is a foretaste of the heavenly
liturgy
The liturgy is the source and summit of the
Church’s activity
Participation in the Liturgy is the highest aim

23. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium

24. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Any revisions must be based on sound
theological, historical, and pastoral
investigations.

25. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Any revisions must be based on sound
theological, historical, and pastoral
investigations.
Scripture -- Key element in Liturgy

26. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Any revisions must be based on sound
theological, historical, and pastoral
investigations.
Scripture -- Key element in Liturgy
Catechesis needed on the Liturgy

27. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Any revisions must be based on sound
theological, historical, and pastoral
investigations.
Scripture -- Key element in Liturgy
Catechesis needed on the Liturgy
Use of Vernacular

28. The Principles of
Sacrosanctum Concilium
Any revisions must be based on sound
theological, historical, and pastoral
investigations.
Scripture -- Key element in Liturgy
Catechesis needed on the Liturgy
Use of Vernacular
Cultural adaptations may be allowed

30. First Principle:
Presence of Christ in the Liturgy

31. First Principle:
Presence of Christ in the Liturgy
“Christ is always present in his Church,
especially in its liturgical celebrations.” (SC 7)
Priest
Eucharistic Elements
The Sacraments
Scripture
The people/congregation

33. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit

34. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit
The liturgy is the summit toward which the
activity of the Church is directed; at the same
time it is the font from which all the Church’s
power flows. (SC 10)

35. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit
The liturgy is the summit toward which the
activity of the Church is directed; at the same
time it is the font from which all the Church’s
power flows. (SC 10)
The Source: Origin, cause, bud, germ, egg,
rudiment, genesis, beginning, birth, starting
point, entrance, mainspring, groundwork,
foundation, well, reservoir, reason..... The liturgy
is the source of the Church’s power.

36. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit

37. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit
The Summit: highest point, apex, top, zenith,
pinnacle, culmination, utmost, maximum,
climax, peak, crest, paramount, unsurpassed

38. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit
The Summit: highest point, apex, top, zenith,
pinnacle, culmination, utmost, maximum,
climax, peak, crest, paramount, unsurpassed
The liturgy is the summit toward which the
work of the Church is directed.

39. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit

40. Third Principle:
The Source and Summit
Why is liturgy the source and summit?
Because the liturgy is the “most effective way
possible” for achieving human sanctification
and God’s glorification, and these are “the
end to which all the Church’s other activities
are directed.” (SC 10)

42. Fourth Principle:
Participation is the Highest Aim

43. Fourth Principle:
Participation is the Highest Aim
“The Church earnestly desires that all the
faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active
participation in liturgical celebrations called for
by the very nature of the liturgy.” (SC, no.14)

44. Fourth Principle:
Participation is the Highest Aim
“The Church earnestly desires that all the
faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active
participation in liturgical celebrations called for
by the very nature of the liturgy.” (SC, no.14)

45. Fourth Principle:
Participation is the Highest Aim
“The Church earnestly desires that all the
faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active
participation in liturgical celebrations called for
by the very nature of the liturgy.” (SC, no.14)
“The aim to be considered above all else”
(SC, no.14)

48. We Gather
The Communal Nature of The Liturgy

49. We Gather
The Communal Nature of The Liturgy
99% of the pronouns that the Church uses in
our liturgy to name who we are and our need
for God are in the plural: ‘we’, ‘our’, and ‘us’.

50. We Gather
The Communal Nature of The Liturgy
99% of the pronouns that the Church uses in
our liturgy to name who we are and our need
for God are in the plural: ‘we’, ‘our’, and ‘us’.
Essentially, all liturgy is about the enactment of
the paschal Mystery in and among the
community that is the Church. God invites and
we respond.

53. We Gather
What We Bring to the Liturgy

54. We Gather
What We Bring to the Liturgy
We bring to the liturgy the circumstances of
our human lives -- both the joys and successes
and the challenges, defeats and even tragedies.

55. We Gather
What We Bring to the Liturgy
We bring to the liturgy the circumstances of
our human lives -- both the joys and successes
and the challenges, defeats and even tragedies.
We bring to the liturgy the entire life of the
Church: the different missions, projects, and
universal intentions that need our intercession.

57. We Gather
How do we prepare ourselves for Liturgy?

58. We Gather
How do we prepare ourselves for Liturgy?
The Gathering Rite actually begins in the
home.

59. We Gather
How do we prepare ourselves for Liturgy?
The Gathering Rite actually begins in the
home.
Liturgy calls for changes in our lives and
attitudes in life. We gather at God’s initiative,
we enact the sacred mysteries at his initiative,
and are sent forth by him from the gathered
assembly to continue our mission in the world.

61. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?

62. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession

63. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
The Sign of the Cross and Greeting

64. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
The Sign of the Cross and Greeting
The Penitential Rite

65. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
The Sign of the Cross and Greeting
The Penitential Rite
Kyrie

66. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
The Sign of the Cross and Greeting
The Penitential Rite
Kyrie
Gloria

67. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
The Sign of the Cross and Greeting
The Penitential Rite
Kyrie
Gloria
Opening Prayer (Collect)

69. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?

70. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession

71. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
Brings us together as a community
through the universal language of music.

72. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Opening Hymn/Procession
Brings us together as a community
through the universal language of music.
Communal voices lifting songs of praise.

74. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?

75. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Sign of the Cross & Greeting
Reminder that we were baptized in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

76. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Sign of the Cross & Greeting
Reminder that we were baptized in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Current Translation:
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.

77. Gathering & Introductory Rites
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Sign of the Cross & Greeting
Reminder that we were baptized in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Current Translation:
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
New Translation:
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with your spirit.

78. Why the Change?
More direct translation of Latin “Et Cum
Spiritu tuo”
Biblical allusions
Galatians 6:18
2 Timothy 4:22
Deeper theological understanding of the Spirit
of Christ present among the people in the
Eucharist.

80. Penitential Rite / Kyrie
Its Function in the Liturgy?

81. Penitential Rite / Kyrie
Its Function in the Liturgy?
Recalling our faults and sins, in preparation for the unity
of the Eucharist, is an ancient tradition in the Church. We
recall our common need for salvation and God's merciful
compassion.

82. Penitential Rite / Kyrie
Its Function in the Liturgy?
Recalling our faults and sins, in preparation for the unity
of the Eucharist, is an ancient tradition in the Church. We
recall our common need for salvation and God's merciful
compassion.
The Kyrie is the triple invocation which concludes our
penitential rite is one of the oldest known prayers of the
Mass. In Greek, the Church's first official language, "Lord,
have mercy" is "Kyrie eleison" - and even throughout all
the centuries when Latin became the Church's language,
the "Kyrie" was prayed in Greek, as a sign of our unity
with the past.

84. New Translation Update:

85. New Translation Update:
Current Translation: New Translation:
I confess to almighty God and to
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I
you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned In my
have sinned through my own thoughts and in my words, in
fault, in my thoughts and in my what I have done and what I have
words, in what I have done, and failed to do, through my fault,
what I have failed to do; And I ask through my fault, through my
blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the most grievous fault; therefore I ask
angels and saints, and you my blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the
brothers and sisters to pray for me Angels and Saints, and you my
to the Lord, our God. brothers and sisters to pray for me
to the Lord, our God.

86. Why the Change?
“I have greatly sinned”
Biblical allusion to 1 Chronicles 21:8 when
the prophet Nathan confronts David.
“Through my fault…”
More direct translation of the Latin.
Biblical allusion to Luke 18 when Jesus
tells the story of the tax collector and the
Pharisee.

88. The Gloria
Its Function in the Liturgy?

89. The Gloria
Its Function in the Liturgy?
This joyful prayer - The Gloria - is really a song of
praise, a "canticle". The earliest Christians copied
the Jewish practice of singing canticles based on
Scripture during their liturgy.

90. The Gloria
Its Function in the Liturgy?
This joyful prayer - The Gloria - is really a song of
praise, a "canticle". The earliest Christians copied
the Jewish practice of singing canticles based on
Scripture during their liturgy.
In this tradition, early Christian Communities
created their own songs of praise. The Gloria - in
the very same words we use today - is found in
Christian prayerbooks as early as the year 380! At
first, it was sung only on special feasts, but later it
was included in every Sunday celebration.

92. New Translation Update:

93. New Translation Update:
Current Translation: New Translation:
Glory to God in the highest, and Glory to God in the highest, and on
peace to his people on earth. Lord earth peace to his people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we
God, heavenly King, almighty God
glorify you, we give you thanks for
and Father, we worship you, we
your great glory. Lord God, heavenly
give you thanks, we praise you for King, O God, almighty father.
your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ,only Begotten Son,
Lord Jesus Christ,only Son of the Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Father, Lord God, Lamb of Father,you take away the sins of the
God,you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you take
world: have mercy on us;you are away the sins of the world, receive
seated at the right hand of the our prayer; you are seated at the right
hand of the Father; have mercy on us.
Father: receive our prayer. For you
For you alone are the Holy One, you
alone are the Holy One, you alone
alone are the Lord, you alone are the
are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the
Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the
Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Father. Amen.

94. Why the Change?
More direct translation of the Latin.
Build in intensity present in the original Latin that is
characteristic of scripture and the tradition of prayer.
Dynamic equivalence collapsed much of the prayer in the 1973
version
Biblical Allusions
“people of goodwill…” – Luke 2:14
“you take away the sins…” –John 1:29
More emphasis on the theological concept of “Only
Begotten” (Latin: Unigenitus)

96. Liturgy of the Word
Its Function in the Liturgy?

97. Liturgy of the Word
Its Function in the Liturgy?
The Word challenges us to evaluate our lives
before God and invite God to act among us in
new ways. The Christian faith is so often about
paradoxes (death giving way to life, suffering
leading to glory); the challenge is to welcome
these paradoxes into our lives and to celebrate
them. (Dies Domini, no. 41)

98. Next Week...
Session 2: We Pray...
Understanding prayer and the liturgy by
looking at the Creed, Prayers of the Faithful, and
the Eucharistic prayer.