For many Protestants, Catholic Liturgy is a common source of confusion and misunderstanding. It can be overwhelming and uncomfortable for someone who doesn’t understand or know how to participate (or not participate) respectfully. Many Protestants are, in fact, drawn to the concept of liturgy because of the reverence often seen lacking in their churches.
While the term “liturgy” is rarely heard within Protestantism, it is a central
word in Catholicism. For starters: liturgical year, Liturgical Hours; heavenly
liturgy, sacramental liturgy; liturgical assembly, liturgical celebration.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “liturgy”? Monks hidden behind brown cloaks chanting Latin? Collective recitation of the Lord’s Prayer? Or perhaps candles, incense, and choirs? The word means: “a particular arrangement of worship services.” With that definition, even the most unorganized churches have some level of liturgy. Sometimes this is referred to as an “Order of Worship,” evolving out of a typical Protestant service schedule:
Opening Song and Prayer
Greeting and Announcements
Worship Set (2-3 songs)
Offering
Teaching
Closing Song
Today the word is generally reserved for reference to “High” or “Divine” Liturgy. The term originates from the Latin liturgia, meaning “public work; service done on behalf of the public.” The practice of liturgy originates from the Old Testament. At its roots, Judaism was (and remains) a very formal/liturgical religion. Specific rituals and traditions extended into almost every part of a devout believer’s life. When the Early Church was being formed, they did not ignore Jewish traditions. They continued to meet at the synagogue, follow Torah Law, and observe Jewish customs. It wasn’t Jesus OR Judaism, rather Jesus AND Judaism.
The tenets of Christian liturgy flowed from these practices into the development of the Church. Over the centuries, Protestants shed much of the formal liturgy, though some denominations retain more tradition than others. A Catholic Mass carries the form of High Liturgy and is also a source of confusion and misunderstanding for many Protestants.
According to U.S. Catholic, “Liturgy is supposed to invite you into a transcendent place where you’re in the presence of God…. And liturgy doesn’t just speak through words. It speaks through actions and music and art. That’s what gets adapted to different cultures and popular practices.” (https://www.uscatholic.org/articles/201612/what-official-liturgy-30851)
Over the next few weeks, we will lean-in for a closer look at Catholic Liturgy. As you continue your faith journey, keep your eyes and ears open for the role liturgy plays in your life. Look for patterns of proclamation, praise, confession, affirmation, and celebration. Are there aspects of liturgy that draw your heart toward God or open the door to more authentic expressions of worship?
Last week, we journeyed through Bible History from the
giving of the Law (1450BC) to the Latin Vulgate (405AD). That left us with a complete Bible canon
written in Latin. This week, we will
continue moving forward in time and see the progression of the Bible from Latin
to English.
1382 Wycliffe Bible
John Wycliffe was a Catholic Theologian who strongly
believed people should hear and read the Bible in their common language. At this time, most English-speaking people
only heard Latin Scripture read during church.
Wycliffe was criticized by both the Catholic Church and English rulers
but moved forward with his mission to translate the Vulgate into English. After his death, Wycliffe was declared a
heretic and the majority of his writings and translations burned.
Holocaust Torah Scroll US Air Force Academy (Colorado) Found in Poland (1989), hidden from the Nazis
Part 1: The Old Covenant to The New
Who authored the first written words of Scripture? Technically, God did (Exodus 31:18, 32:15-16; Deuteronomy 9:15-17). Twice. Moses got mad and smashed the original stone tablets, so God wrote them again (Exodus 32:19, 34:1; Deuteronomy 10:1-2). Have you ever wondered how we got from those stone tablets to the multitude of translations available today? The written word of God has a fascinating history spanning thousands of years. It has survived wars, destruction, and persecution. First communicated orally, it has since been written on everything from stone, papyrus, and vellum (animal skin) to tiny computer chips. In fact, the world’s smallest Bible is a translation of the Old Testament engraved on a silicon chip no bigger than a grain of sugar.*
Handwritten Copy of Bible on Parchment (13th century AD) Culross Abbey, Scotland
The Apocrypha: Part 1
At first glance, through a Protestant lens, the Table of Contents in a Catholic Bible reveals titles not found in mainstream Protestant Bibles. Without an understanding of Biblical history, it is easy to judge this “unfamiliar” at best and “heretical” at worst. Collectively, these Old Testament books are known as the Apocrypha. This post will explain the contents of the Apocrypha and the next post will explore the context within the historical timeline of the Bible.
This Mary Queen of Scots’ Rosary is displayed at Traquair House in Scotland. Mary took refuge here in 1566.
The Rosary: Part 3
Do most Catholics pray the Rosary every day? No. “Devout Catholics” (Monks, Nuns, etc.) often pray a daily Rosary. “Lay Catholics” more often pray through it once a week.
Is the Rosary part of the Mass? No. It is not a regular part of Mass, but it is common practice for a group of people to gather before Mass to pray a Rosary. When a Rosary is prayed as a group, it is often structured as a “Call and Response.”
Last week we looked at the history and purpose of the Rosary. This week, we’ll look at how Catholics use it to pray.
In his book, Let’s Pray (Not Just Say) the Rosary, Richard Rooney, SJ writes: “The traditional rosary consists of a cross, five beads (two large and three small), a medal, and five ‘decades’ (groups containing ten beads each). Each decade is separated from the others by a single bead; these are usually larger or more decorative than others.” (Rooney, Richard. Let’s Pray (Not Just Say) the Rosary. Kindle, Liguori Publications, 2007.)
Praying the Rosary follows a pattern of basic steps. (Definitions of words in bold will follow.)
Many people could identify this picture as a Rosary (even if they didn’t know the word). Rosaries are sometimes worn as fashion accessories (necklaces or bracelets), hung from rear-view mirrors, or displayed as home décor. All Rosaries follow a common pattern but are fashioned from diverse materials. They may be as ornate as precious gemstones or as simple as a knotted rope. Nowadays, there are even Rosary apps for smartphones.
Simply speaking, a Rosary is a
string of prayer beads. Meditative
prayers are recited and counted along the string of beads. The word rosary comes from the Latin rosarium (“rose garden”) because the
prayers were originally viewed as a bouquet of spiritual roses given to Mary in
Heaven.
Both Catholics and Protestants agree the Rosary is not directly taught in Scripture. The history of the Rosary may have roots that reach back as far as the Old Testament, when Jews would use knotted ropes and prayer shawls to help guide their prayers and recitations of Scripture. The traditional Rosary used today is traced back to the year 1206. It is said a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic and taught him to use the Rosary as a witnessing tool. Throughout the years since, various priests, saints, and popes promoted using the rosary as a tool of contemplative prayer (meditation on specific Scripture). Some histories even teach the rosary was used as a substitute for Catholics who couldn’t go to Mass (especially in places where Catholicism was forbidden).
Billy
Graham once said something like: Some day you will read or hear that Billy
Graham is dead. Don’t believe it. I shall be more alive than I am now.
Most
would agree Billy Graham could carry some clout in Heaven, so why don’t
Protestants ask him to intercede? Looking
through a Protestant-lens, some
reasons include:
La Conquistadora Brought to Santa Fe, NM in 1625 Cathedral Basilica St. Francis of Assisi
Praying to Saints: Part 2
Viewed through a Catholic Lens, it is accurate to say Catholics don’t “pray to dead people.” Some of the prayers are what Protestants call “intercessory,” because someone is standing in the gap for another. When the prayers slide from intercession to supplication, the lens becomes blurry. Asking a saint or angel to provide something may seem like God is excluded and His divine attributes transferred to created beings.
In
hope of clarifying these issues, my future-son-in-law wrote the following
analysis of The Hail Mary Prayer:
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among
women,
and blessed is the fruit of
your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now,
and at the hour of our
death, amen.
“Hail
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.This is the greeting of
Gabriel to Mary in Luke’s Gospel, so simply quoting Scripture (Luke 1:28). The Greek word for ‘full
of grace’ is often translated by Protestants as ‘highly favored,’ but at that
point it’s a matter of tradition. Many of the early writers of the Church
(within the first 300 years of Christ) translated it as ‘full of grace,’ and it
is their early witness that Catholics look to.
