The liturgy is central to the mission of the church. We are currently living in a time of growing secularisation as numbers attending weekly: Importance of Religious Liturgies Assignment, DCU, Ireland

The liturgy is central to the mission of the church. We are currently living in a time of growing secularisation as numbers attending weekly services are diminishing while the ‘anti-church’ sentiment grows. “The ecclesial and social context in which celebration takes place today in broad stretches of Western Europe has altered profoundly in the decades since the council”. It is now more than ever that the liturgy must be evaluated and its’ purpose, role and effect in the life of a Christian assessed. We must also analyse the implications that liturgy has for society as a whole and for the future of the world.

Sacrosanctum Concilium gives a good insight into what the church believes the liturgy is about. “For the liturgy, through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the church” (SS, 2).

The church emphasises the importance of the liturgy as well as highlighting the significance of the Eucharist. The church stresses the significance of the liturgy when it says 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” (SS, 3).

The purpose of the liturgy can be open to interpretation by each individual person. In the life of a Christian, liturgy can be simply classified as anything from morning or evening prayer, a person’s personal prayer relationship with God as well as all the sacraments, and the Eucharist which is regarded as the most important sacrament.

“The central symbolism of the Eucharist is the blessing of and sharing of food that Catholics call the body and blood of Christ” (Martos, 2009). Christians experience the presence of Christ through the Eucharist when it becomes a sacrament during mass. The Eucharist also reminds Christians of the importance of table fellowship as we hear so regularly throughout the four gospels.

“The whole liturgy, including the sacraments, is a manifestation of the mystery of God in Christ which takes place by means of anamnesis, and inseparable from it, by epiclesis” (O’Shea, 2021). The agent of the Liturgy is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is prevalent when we look at both the concept of memory and Epiclesis. Mysterium is defined as “the showing forth of God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit” (O’Shea, 2021). Epiclesis is linked once again to the Eucharist, as “we call on the Father to send the Holy Spirit down on the elements of bread and wine and on the gathered community” (O’Shea, 2021).

While studying the liturgy, it would be remiss not to delve into the sacraments. “Sacraments are signs, and they function as symbols” (Martos, 2009). For John, the sacraments “come from above, allow us to live in deep communion with the Lord and so introduce us to the life and knowledge of God” (BD, 1991). For Paul, “the sacraments are a way of living out the Pasch” (BD, 1991). Similar to the sacraments, “Catholic theology today gives the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ as the centre of all liturgy, thus making it clear that all liturgical celebrations are linked to the passion, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ” (Gerhards, 2017).

As teachers, we promote the Catholic ethos in our schools by encouraging children to live as Jesus did. The pinnacle of religious education each year is when the children learn about the Paschal Mystery and the unconditional love that Jesus showed when he gave himself up for us. By learning about the Pasch, children get an insight into what love entails.

The implications and the role that liturgy has to play in our society today have to be re-evaluated. It is no surprise that religion as a powerful influence in individual or societal life seems to be in serious trouble. A shortage of priests, huge decreases in numbers attending mass, fewer young people going to Church and a rise in non-denominational schools and organisations are to name a few realities we face today.

In Sacrosanctum Concilium, the document outlines that “the study of sacred liturgy is to be ranked among the compulsory and major courses in seminaries and religious houses of studies” (SS, 5). The problem however is that the number of men entering seminaries nationally as well as internationally are dwindling significantly. “With increasing unavailability of priests to preside at liturgy, it is necessary to consider lay-led liturgy” (limerickdiocese.org). There are people currently training as part of the ‘Lay Pastoral Ministry Programme’ but it is vital they receive adequate training in order to lead the liturgy. It is also important that lay people show a keen interest in the programme as the sustainability of our Church in Ireland could depend on it.

The role of the Bishop as well as the sermons preached each weekend can also have an impact on society. The character of the sermons “should be that of a proclamation of God’s wonderful works in the history of salvation, the mystery of Christ, ever made present and active within us, especially in the celebration of the liturgy” (SS, 9). I understand and agree that the Church must stick to its roots, but I also believe it must show adaptability when preaching sermons.

Many young people will testify that they do not attend mass because they struggle to see the relevance of the mass and sometimes the sermon. From my own experience, I have found that the younger priests in my parish have been more successful at making their sermons relevant by speaking about current issues such as the mental health crisis and climate change. The Bishop also has a role to play in the leading liturgy. “All should hold in great esteem the liturgical life of the diocese centred around the bishop” (SS, 10). While the position of Bishop is a challenging, busy and time-consuming role, I believe he should be more familiar to people who are going to mass rather than just a sporadic appearance at a mass or a sacrament

In recent times, the church has shown adaptability with the rolling out of programmes such as the ‘Lay Pastoral Ministry Programme’. It is vital however that they take a closer look at church documents such as Sacrosanctum Concilium which are the cornerstone of the church, but were written at a time that is very different to the reality we face in Ireland today. The liturgy still has an important role to play in society but the Church must keep moving with the times as well as staying true to its traditions.