Basic Catholic Q and A's

The numbers in parenthese that follow the questions refer to related paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Celebration of the Christian Mystery
The Liturgy and the Sacraments

1. What is the liturgy?
2. What is the meaning of liturgy?
3. What is the focus of the liturgy?
4. How is the Trinity honored through the liturgy?
5. What place does the Word of God have in the liturgy?
6. Do music and art have a place in liturgy?
7. What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
8. What is the liturgical year?
9. What are liturgical colors?
10. What is Advent?
11. What is Christmas?
12. What is the Christmas season?
13. What is Lent?
14. What is Easter?
15. What is the Easter Season?
16. What is the Easter Vigil?
17. What is Pentecost?
18. What is Ordinary Time?

1. What is the liturgy?
The liturgy is the public work or service of God by which Christ continues the redemption through the Church. (1069)

May God...grant that you may live in harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that with one mind and one mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 15:5-6).

2. What is the meaning of liturgy?
As with all of God's work, the liturgy is his blessing to us. Our response is adoration and thanksgiving. (1079)

3. What is the focus of the liturgy?
The saving life and mission of Christ is the central teaching of our faith; the Church's liturgy proclaims and celebrates this same mystery. (1067-1068)

To me, the least of all the saints, was given the grace of proclaiming to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to reveal for all the plan of the mystery that was hidden for ages in God, the creator of all things, so that the multi-faceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and powers in the heavens, in accordance with the eternal plan he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 3:8-11).

4. How is the Trinity honored through the liturgy?
In the liturgy, the Father is adored as Creator; the Son as our brother and Redeemer; the Holy Spirit as the giver of all gifts. (1077-1109)

5. What place does the Word of God have in the liturgy?
The Word of God speaks of the "wonders" worked in the sacraments and expresses our response of faith. Therefore, the Word of God has an integral role in each liturgical act. (1153-1155)

Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart (Job 22:22).

6. Do music and art have a place in liturgy?
Music and art have always been used to enhance liturgies by lending beauty to the celebration and by lifting hearts and minds to God. They are best used when they illustrate the Word of God. (1156-1162)

Let the Word of God dwell in you richly; teach and admonish each other with all wisdom; sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God with thanks in your hearts (Col 3:16).

7. What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
The Liturgy of the Hours is the public and official common prayer of the Catholic Church. It is prayed daily by priests, religious and an ever-increasing number of the laity. This form of the liturgy, based on the Psalms, is meant as a complement to Eucharistic devotion. (1174-1178)

Pray at all times in the Spirit with every manner of prayer and supplication (Eph 6:18).

8. What is the liturgical year?
The liturgical year is the name given to the days and seasons within a year's time in which the Church celebrates Christ's Paschal Mystery. The liturgical seasons are Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time. Sundays and holydays, feasts of Mary, celebrations of saints' days and other feast days light the Church year with warmth to stir the devotion of God's people. (1168-1173)

He has sent me...to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk 4:18-19).

9. What are liturgical colors?
Liturgical colors, usually green, purple, red, rose and white, are colors of the priest's outer vestment, the chasuble. Each color helps to set the tone of joy, penance, etc., for particular liturgical seasons or feasts.

10. What is Advent?
"Advent" means coming. It is the short season, approximately four weeks, in which we prepare for Christmas and recall Christ's second coming at the end of time.

11. What is Christmas?
Christmas is the holy day of obligation on which we celebrate Jesus' birth.

12. What is the Christmas season?
The Christmas season is the joyful period of time from Christmas to the celebration of Jesus' baptism.

13. What is Lent?
Lent is the Church's season of preparation for Easter, in which Christians are expected to give more attention to prayer, penance and good deeds.

14. What is Easter?
Easter, the Church's greatest day of celebration, is the special Sunday on which we rejoice over Jesus' resurrection from the dead. (1169)

15. What is the Easter Season?
The Easter Season is the most joyous season of the Church's year-the fifty days from Easter to Pentecost.

16. What is the Easter Vigil?
The Easter Vigil is a celebration held at any time during the hours of darkness that precede the Easter sunrise. ("Vigil" means a night watch.) It consists of a service of light, a Liturgy of the Word, a Liturgy of Baptism and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

17. What is Pentecost?
Pentecost is the Sunday seven weeks after Easter on which we celebrate the Holy Spirit's descent upon the apostles and disciples gathered in the upper room. Pentecost is considered the "birthday" of the Church. (1076)

18. What is Ordinary Time?
Ordinary Time is the season of the Church year outside of the Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter seasons. One part of ordinary time falls between the Christmas Season and Lent and the other part falls between Pentecost and Advent.

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