LITURGICAL FORMATION & RENEWAL PROGRAM

What is Liturgy?
Featuring Sr Kerry Willison RSM

07 March, 2023  

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Welcome to the second video for the Liturgical Formation and Renewal Program for the Archdiocese of Perth.

In this second video, Centre for Liturgy Director, Sr Kerry Willison RSM, explains What is Liturgy?

In Pope Francis’ recent document Desiderio Desideravi, which means ‘I have earnestly desired’, he shares his reflections on the central nature of the Liturgy in the life of the Church.

He goes on to say that he is simply offering prompts or cues for reflection that can aid in the contemplation of the beauty and truth of the Christian celebration.

The video ‘What is Liturgy?’ is offered in the spirit of Desiderio Desideravi, to be a prompt for further reflection on the essence of liturgical rituals with a focus on the Eucharist.  

Each time we celebrate a liturgical ritual of the church, it is an opportunity for us to open ourselves to the words and actions of each part of the ritual and allow ourselves to be transformed by the presence of Jesus.

In Baptism our body is washed, and we are spiritually cleansed. In Confirmation, hands are laid on the head of a person and the Spirit comes alive in our hearts.

In the Eucharist, we eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ and we are nourished with the spirit to live out our faith in our day to day lives.

Just as the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, when we receive the risen Jesus in the Eucharist, we are transformed and become the Body of Christ in the world.

Through our words, by sharing of our faith in the way we live, Jesus Christ is alive and present in the world.

By belonging to a community of worship and prayer, we can make a difference within the church community and be an example to the wider community in which we live.

In the spirit of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, this video reflects the call for fully conscious, and active participation in the liturgy (SC 14). So that by listening to God’s Word and receiving the Body and Blood of the risen Christ, we can live a Eucharistic life beyond the ritual.

In Christ Jesus,

Very Rev Fr Vincent Glynn

Episcopal Vicar for Education and Faith Formation