Fundamentally, the liturgy is a structured worship ritual. The Church has always been liturgical in its worship.

The word liturgy is derived from the Greek word leitourgia meaning "public work". It has its roots well before the ancient Church to the Jewish people. The liturgy was originally used in reference to the "public work" or "work" of the people of the Temple in the Old Law. For Christians, a newer understanding of liturgy is given form with reference to Christ.

The word leitourgia became associated with worship practices when the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek, in a translation called the Septuagint. The only Greek word that the translators could use to refer to worship practices in the temple was orgia, which was a reference to the practices at pagan temples, and has the same connotations in Greek that it has today in English. The word leitourgia was substituted because corporate worship is a public activity that we all participate in individually.

The liturgy is illustrated by the heavenly liturgy described in the book of Revelation, where the multitudes are gathered around the Altar where the Lamb of God "stands as though it had been slain." Liturgical worship is centered fundamentally on the themes of sacrifice (Christ's one sacrifice), communion (fellowship of the community), and covenant (remembrance of covenant). The earliest liturgies had a great amount of Jewish liturgical influence.

The Church did not receive a ready-made mass from Jesus. It was, and still is, up to the church as to how the mass will express itself.

From 100 AD to 313 AD, the church was forced to live a secret life because of persecution against Christians.

In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and the church then flourished.

During the time from 604 AD to 1517 AD, many changes were made to the liturgy. For example, the host became small, round, and white. People received it on the tongue. People went to communion less and less often, and preferred to see the Eucharist. Communion rails were added, and the priests turned their backs to the people to say mass. None of these practices were part of the traditions of the early church. The mass became very solemn and dignified. People were no longer participants in the liturgy, but became spectators. Gregorian chant was sung by the priest and the choir, and the people had no role in it.

The two basic elements of the mass - the sacrifice and the gift of Jesus as food - were undisputed realities for Christians in the Middle Ages.
Pope Paul III called the Council of Trent in 1542 and it shaped Catholicism for the next 400 years. Trent affirmed that: Christ remains in the consecrated host even after the mass is over; adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is legitimate, and the mass is truly the sacrifice of Christ.

A new missal for the mass was made official in 1570 by Pope Pius V. The missal was obligatory for the entire church and nothing could be changed or improvised in the liturgy. It was forbidden to use any language other than Latin.

In January 1959, Pope John XXIII first talked about a second Vatican council. Liturgical reform was talking place in the halfcentury leading up to Vatican II.

The Constitution of the Liturgy was adopted by the council and it emphasized the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It also said that the liturgy is an action of Christ, the priest, and of his body which is the church.

Vatican II saw liturgy as the "summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows." A keyword in the Vatican II documents on the liturgy is "participation." The faithful are called to full, active, and conscious participation in the liturgy.

The Last Supper was never named that by Jesus. "Do this as a remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19) was the only term the gospels gave to the first Eucharist which took place on the eve of Jesus' passion and death. Because Jesus did not give the apostles a strict formula for celebrating the "Breaking of the Bread" the apostles had to decide how often they were going to carry out Christ's mandate. How often would they celebrate it? Once a year with Passover or more often? Would it be a rite? What would be the ceremonial pattern? Matters like these needed to be settled by the church.

The early church's task was to give the mass form and expression. It was and still is up to the Catholic Church to decide how the liturgy will express itself.
The church has divided the mass into two parts: the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. The liturgy of the word comes from the Jewish word service, while the roots of the liturgy of the Eucharist can be traced to the Last Supper.

The liturgy of the word is divided into two parts: gather and proclaim. There are also two parts to the liturgy of the Eucharist: break and send.

The purpose of the gathering rite is to help people become a worshipping community by being ready to hear the Word of God, receive Jesus in the Eucharist, and be Christ to one another.
The church proclaims the Word of God during the liturgy in the midst of the assembly in order to assist the faithful in experiencing the life-giving presence of Jesus in his word. Proclamation in the midst of the assembly is the first purpose of all scripture.

Styled after the Jewish table blessing prayer, the Eucharistic prayer - which is the prayer of the church - is the story of all that God has done for his people with an emphasis on Christ's death and resurrection.

The assembly prays the Eucharistic prayer over bread and wine with the belief that through this prayer the elements of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. Following the presider's words of consecration, Jesus is fully present in the bread and wine.

The Catholic Church offers the Eucharistic prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit. Not only is the bread and wine transformed into Christ's body and blood, but it is the hope of the church that people's hearts are transformed in Jesus as well.

The dismissal or sending rite sends each member of the community to go forth to do good works while giving praise and thanksgiving to God. The goal at the end of the liturgy is not to get out of the parking lot as soon as possible. We are commissioned and blessed to bring the gospel message of Christ to a waiting world.

Vatican II tells us that the Eucharistic response of the assembly does not stop when mass is over. The ultimate and most important Eucharistic response is what is done after one goes home.

As the assembly we are sent out as the Lord's disciples, not just individuals, but as "church" to proclaim the Good News of Jesus' love for all. Each Catholic at liturgy has a role in evangelization.

In summary, the Mass can be thought of as: -Prefigured by the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, slain and then eaten in remembrance of Covenant. -A representation of and participation in Christ's (the Lamb of God) once and for all sacrifice, a perpetual sacrifice. -A communion of His Body, the Church. -A remembrance of the New Covenant of Christ, through His once and for all Sacrifice. -A participation in the Liturgy of Heaven. -A participation in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. -where Christ's death is proclaimed, His resurrection confessed, and He is remembered until He comes again. -Finally, a sending forth of the Body of Christ into the World, after having been nourished at the Lord's table with His own Body and Blood.

The word liturgy comes from the Greek which means the people's work. It is a public work done for the service of others. In ancient Greek, it originally meant the cooperation of all citizens to make society work.

The Catholic church defines liturgy as the public worship for the service of others. Liturgy is public prayer and ritual; it is communal in nature. There is nothing private about the mass.

As Christians we are called to be Christ to others. We are called by Jesus to be of service, and this attitude is required of us at liturgy.
The specific purpose of the mass is to serve the community. We come to mass to be of service, to give praise and worship to God, and to bring others to Christ. As Catholics we do not come to liturgy just for ourselves, but for others, so that others can experience Jesus through the Word, the Eucharist and us. Like Jesus, it is in our doing that others experience new life.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy desires that all the faithful would be led to full, active, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations (14), and yet if one were to observe the assembly during liturgy, there are still many Catholics who are not singing or participating in the liturgy. Full participation means that a person does not mentally weave in and out of the liturgy. Our duty is not just to be present; our duty is to be fully present. The songs are meant for singing (Gather Faithfully Together, 91, 92).

The Catholic Church asks that our liturgies be life-giving and that each of us play a vital role in it. We do this by being on time for mass, reaching out to others in a spirit of Christian hospitality, actively praying and singing, and staying for the entire liturgy.

The goal of liturgy is the transformation of people's lives to Jesus. It is about the conversion of hearts. The Catholic Church teaches that good liturgy builds faith, and poor liturgy destroys it. (Music in Catholic Worship, 6).

The importance of the liturgical environment is vital to good liturgy. From where one sings and participates during the liturgy greatly enhances or distracts from the celebration.
In the minds of many modern Christians, the Gothic cathedral represents the ideal architectural form for worship. The liturgy it makes possible differs greatly from the church's present understanding of itself and liturgical theology.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says that when churches are built, great care must be taken so that they are suitable for the celebration of liturgical services and for the active participation of the faithful. (124). The primary symbols of the liturgy -- the assembly, the altar, the ambo, and the presider's chair -- should be positioned in a way so they are prominent.

Narthex or vestibule of the Church Baptismal font Ambo Presiders chair The Altar Tabernacle Ambry Reconciliation chapel Saints

The liturgical traditions or rites presently in use in the Church are the Latin (principally the Roman rite, but also the rites of certain local churches, such as the Ambrosian rite, or those of certain religious orders) and the Byzantine, Alexandrian or Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite and Chaldean rites. In "faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity, and that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way."[69]

That in all things, God may be glorified!