Understanding Liturgy: Making Sense of the Rites and Rituals of the Catholic Church

By Charlie Dispenzieri, M.A.P.T.

Understanding Liturgy is a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of the rites and rituals of the Catholic Church. This book is designed for anyone who wants to delve deeper into their Catholic faith and appreciate the beauty of the liturgy. Many Catholics experience the rites and rituals of the Catholic Church without fully understanding their meaning and significance. For these people, the sacraments and other liturgical rites are not relatable to their everyday life. They come to church to pray and encounter God, but often leave the church unfulfilled and unable to make the connections between liturgy and life. Understanding liturgy will draw each person into a more meaningful relationship with God by guiding them in their appreciation of: -liturgical art and environment; -the celebration of feasts and solemnities; -church devotions; -the Mass and the other sacraments; -the liturgical year. Understanding Liturgy is organized into sections, allowing the reader the opportunity to learn the material and put it into use immediately. The content is presented in a practical fashion to explain why the Church prays as it does, drawing upon Catholic Church documents published since the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Charlie Dispenzieri makes sense of these rites and rituals in a very accessible style. He is a master teacher, presenting throughout the country in formal classroom settings, retreats, and seminars. As a liturgist with a vast educational background and an abundance of practical experience, he has mentored priests, deacons, and laypeople to be more successful and effective liturgical ministers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098010843

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Understanding Liturgy

Making Sense of the Rites and Rituals of the Catholic Church

Charlie Dispenzieri, M.A.P.T.

Copyright © 2019 by Charlie Dispenzieri, M.A.P.T.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Incense

Liturgical Colors

Liturgical Vestments

The Altar

The Ambry

The Liturgical Environment

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day

Christmas Proclamation

Epiphany Proclamation

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe

Presentation of the Lord

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Blessings

Holy Water

Inaudible Prayers

Liturgical Books

Liturgical Participation

Liturgy and Devotions

Liturgy and Social Justice

O Antiphons

Exposition vs. Adoration

Red, White, and Blue Masses

Sacred Silence

Understanding LiturgyLiturgical Books (History and Quality)

The History of Liturgical Books

The Sign of Peace

The Universal Prayer

The Introductory Rites of the Mass

The Liturgy of the Word

The Preparation of the Altar and Gifts

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Communion Rite

The Concluding Rites

The Sacrament of Baptism

The Sacrament of Confirmation

The Sacrament of Eucharist

The Sacrament of Holy Orders

The Sacrament of Matrimony

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick

Advent

Christmas

Winter Ordinary Time

Lent—A Liturgical Overview

Holy Week

The Easter Season

Summer Ordinary Time

Fall Ordinary Time

The College of Cardinals

The Order of Christian Funerals

The Rites of Acceptance and Welcome

The Scrutinies

To Charlie Gardner, Fr. Rick Ginther, David Groeller, Fr. Pat Beidelman, and Fr. Julian Peters, OSB. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to these liturgical mentors who have shared their wisdom, time, and patience with me as they helped form me into the liturgist I am today. Their willingness to guide and support me has had a massive influence on my life and on those whom God has allowed me to serve throughout the years.

To all those family, friends, clergy, and parishioners who have supported me throughout the years in liturgical ministry.

All of these people have enriched my life, and I trust this book will serve you in understanding and appreciating the rites and rituals of the Catholic Church.

Introduction

When people talk about liturgy, they are willing to share their opinions about how Mass should be celebrated, the length of the service, the type of music that should be sung, and if the homily was good or bad. People really do get animated about liturgy! Understanding Liturgy is written for all who want to learn more about the Catholic liturgy. There is much to learn, and in the following pages we will explore many facets of what makes up the church’s rites and rituals.

This book is not a comprehensive text on every aspect of liturgical theology. It encompasses topics that have come from questions I have received from parishioners and clergy. The chapters will give you a starting point for more reflection on each individual topic, and help you gain a better understanding of sacramental and pastoral liturgy without too much in-depth theology. Understanding Liturgy encompasses specific aspects of celebrating the liturgy and the ritualistic components of the rites.

It could also serve as the introductory text for a course on Liturgy, a resource for adult education programs at either the parish or diocesan level, and could be used for formation and enrichment for liturgical minister training. Understanding Liturgy is also suited as a resource for parish liturgy committees.

Liturgy is the communal prayer of the church. It is first and foremost the work of God, celebrated together as the body of Christ assembled in his church. As ritual prayer, it happens over and over again, so much so that sometimes we don’t understand fully the power of the ritual being celebrated. We pray together as the people of God, coming together to be changed, transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Christ. We come to church to celebrate liturgy with full, conscious, and active participation during our prayer. When we leave church, we should be changed; transformed to be of service to the world and to each other because we are called to build up the kingdom of God.

The vision of this text is to be a vehicle for liturgical formation for all Catholics and those who are interested in learning about the Catholic faith and its prayer. Understanding Liturgy is written to help all appreciate the Catholic liturgy and to enter into it deeper, not just as an obligation, but as a part of the believer’s life, helping them become as Pope Francis teaches a missionary disciple. It is my hope that you will come away with a better appreciation for the heritage we have as Catholics—a tradition we hold dear to our hearts—and a better understanding of what we do and why we do it. I pray you will gain a greater appreciation for liturgical rites and rituals and experience God’s presence in the prayer of the Church.

Charlie Dispenzieri

Liturgical Art and Environment

The church is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community, especially the celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday. Churches, therefore, must be places suited to sacred celebrations, dignified, and beautiful.

—Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar: chapter 2, no. 3

Incense

The Church teaches that incense is an expression of reverence and prayer. The Bible records many instances when people used incense to enhance prayer. Aaron presented a bull as a sin offering for himself, placing two handfuls of sweet incense on the fire (Leviticus 16:11–13). Zechariah offered incense at the altar of the Lord (Luke 1:9). We pray in Psalm 141, Let my prayer be incense before you; uplifted hands an evening offering. In John’s vision, an angel with a golden censor offered a great quantity of incense with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne of God (Revelation 8:3).

Incense was used at Mass starting around the sixth century. By the twelfth century, the rules for the use of incense became more elaborate during the time following the Council of Trent.

Incense is a sacramental sign that can be seen, smelled, and even heard. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) teaches us, Thurfication or incensation is an expression of reverence and of prayer, as signified in Sacred Scripture (GIRM, #276). In the liturgy, incense directs our attention to the holy, to the presence of God.

Incense may be used during the entrance procession; at the beginning of Mass, to incense the cross and altar; at the procession before the Gospel and the proclamation of the Gospel itself; during the preparation of the altar and gifts, after the bread and wine have been placed on the altar, to incense the offerings, the cross, and the altar, as well as the priest and the people; and at the elevation of the host and chalice after the Consecration.

Since incense is a sign of reverence to honor people or sacred objects, Holy Mother Church gives us instruction on how each incensation should be carried out. Three swings of the thurible or censer (the vessel where the incense is burned over lighted charcoal) are used to incense the most Blessed Sacrament, a relic of the holy cross and images of the Lord expressed for public veneration, the offerings for the sacrifice of the Mass, the altar cross, the books of the Gospels, the paschal candle, the priest, and the people. Two swings of the censer are used to incense relics and images of the saints. The altar is incensed with single swings of the thurible. Before and after each of these incensations, a profound bow (deep bow of the waist) is made to the person or object being incensed except for the altar and offerings.

Incense is also used during the dedication of a church. The incensation of the main body of the church indicates that the dedication makes it a house of prayer. But the People of God are incensed first, for they are the living temple in which each faithful member is a spiritual altar (The Order of the Dedication of a Church, #17).

Incense is usually a combination of organic materials, which when burned release a fragrant aroma. These consist of aromatic gums from trees (frankincense and myrrh fall into this category), some woods, barks, seeds, fruits, and flowers can be burned as incense also. There are dozens of incense blends available including hypo-allergenic incense blends. Some of the most popular are Holy Night Incense and Pontifical (Three Kings) Incense.

When I was working with the Office of Worship in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, a monk from St. Meinrad Abbey taught me how to make my own mixture of incense to be used during each liturgical season. He also mentored me on the importance of creating a proper mixture associated with each liturgical rite. For example, during the entrance procession we need a long period of smoke, during Eucharistic benediction a shorter burst of smoke is better.

Powder-like or sawdust-like incense produces aroma immediately and burns for a brief time. Grains usually burn longer after a slower start, very large grains or pellets often take time to produce smoke, but they burn for a very long time with a rich fragrance. The mixture of the incense used is of great importance!

Brother Howard’s liturgical wisdom still inspires me today to create a different fragrance of incense for each liturgical season. Incense truly does help us lift our prayers to God. Incense adds a sense of solemnity to the Mass. The visual imagery of the smoke and the smell remind us of the transcendence of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which links heaven and earth and allows us to enter into the presence of God.

Liturgical Colors

In our everyday life we associate certain colors with particular celebrations, such as red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July and the color of our favorite sports teams. In our religious life, colors also have a meaning. Liturgically they suggest a mystery or feast, or the significance of the occasion for which Mass is celebrated. Since the altar linens are always white, the liturgical color refers to vestments and the environment.

The early church used only one liturgical color—white—symbolizing new life attained in Christ. In those days, colored clothing was so expensive that only the wealthy could afford it. Not until twelfth-century Jerusalem, when dyes were more commonplace, did liturgical colors start to become law. In the thirteenth century we find the guidelines for the liturgical colors that we basically follow today: white for festive days and saints, red for martyrs and the Holy Spirit, green for ordinary time, and violet for the penitential seasons.

The list of vestment and environment colors for Masses and for other liturgies is found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (#346–#347). This document states that traditional usage should be retained. Here is a brief summary of what the missal states about liturgical colors:

The color white is used in the offices and Masses during Easter time and Christmas time; on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity; and on celebrations of the Lord other than of his Passion, celebrations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Holy Angels, and of Saints who were not Martyrs; on the Solemnities of All Saints and of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist; and on the Feasts of St. John the Evangelist, of the Chair of St. Peter, and of the Conversion of St. Paul.

The color red is used on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, on Pentecost Sunday, on celebrations of the Lord’s Passion, on the birthday feast days of Apostles and Evangelists, and on celebrations of Martyr Saints. The color green is used in the offices and Masses of ordinary time. The color violet is used in Advent and Lent. The color rose may be used on the third Sunday of Advent and on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

The variety of liturgical color is meant to give an outward expression to the specific character of the mysteries of faith being celebrated during the course of a liturgical year.

Liturgical Vestments

The liturgical vestments at Mass worn by lay people, priests, deacons, and bishops express the rich diversity of the ministries we have in the Catholic Church. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) is very clear on the importance of this distinctive vesture: In the Church, which is the Body of Christ, not all members have the same function. This diversity of offices is shown outwardly in the celebration of the Eucharist by the diversity of sacred vestments, which must therefore be a sign of the function proper to each minister (GIRM # 335).

The vestment we commonly see worn as an outer garment by altar servers and those who serve as a master of ceremonies is known as the alb. This is really a baptismal garment and is white in color. Bishops, priests, and deacons also wear albs, but as their inmost vestment layer. The cincture is an