The Sacred Liturgy
The liturgy is the language of the Sacred Mass, when Catholics gather to receive the Word of God through Scripture and to commemorate Christ's sacrifice on the cross through the Eucharistic celebration. Although largely criticized as borrowing from pagan rituals by Fundamentalists (who would be quite unpleasantly surprised to learn that they themselves are guilty of this), the Sacred Mass has lately also come under attack by unfaithful Catholics. A movement within the Church has begun to change liturgical practices in a manner that would deemphasize the meaning of the Eucharist and blur the line of distinction between the priest and the congregation. The alleged purpose is to emphasize the congregation as "the living body of Christ" (which, when taken in its proper context, is a good thing. IF taken in its proper context.) and they justify their unauthorized changes to the liturgy by hiding behind the veil of "the spirit of Vatican II." Vatican II is a topic for another time and place, but we'll say this much: while the Second Vatican Council was a momentous and positive event in the history of the Church, its teachings are more often than not misrepresented, and in their misrepresented form are often used as justification for beliefs and practices that run contrary to Catholic teaching and which, if they were addressed at all, were actually condemned by Vatican II.
Apologetics Links Relating to the Sacred Mass and the Sacred Liturgy
Unless otherwise stated, link are taken from the website of the Adoremus Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy (www.adoremus.org)
Back
