The Catholic Church welcomes you to inquire about our rich tradition. As our spiritual leaders proclaim, the Church "desires that all the faithful be led to full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy. . . In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, this full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else." (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 14). We believe that the true Christian spirit is absorbed into our hearts through the mind and the body. When we celebrate, we maintain relationships with one another through gesture, dialogue prayer, song, procession, and rites. The priest and the people actively pray together. The Catholic liturgy on Sunday is comprised of two basic parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The people proclaim scripture from the Old Testament and the Letters of St. Paul. The priest or deacon proclaim the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John throughout the year. The homily, delivered by the priest or deacon, "breaks open" the Word of God and calls all to follow the ways and the life of Jesus. Then, we pray for the needs of the world and the local community. The Liturgy of the Eucharist, occurring at the Table of the Lord, draws us to remember our journey in the wonderful relationship God established with us through our Jewish ancestors and made evident in human life through the divine and human life of Jesus. We hear the institution narrative during which the bread and wine we offer becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus whom we receive in communion. We believe that we are renewed in our covenant with God as we carry the presence of Christ, now in our bodies -temples of the Holy Spirit- into the world to transform the world. With the presence of Christ in the world, chaos can be tamed through our Christ-like behaviors of love. The sacramental celebration of the Eucharist is just one of the seven sacramental encounters with the Holy One we gather to celebrate in our tradition. Our local Catholic parish is near your home throughout the world. Come and see.
