I think the Church lost a lot of people “lost” as in going way over their heads] when they started referring to everything we do as “liturgy”. Just what is “liturgy” anyway? I never heard of it in my catechism classes. Whoever heard of the “holy sacrifice of the liturgy”?
So it is a generic term. What is behind this big switch to generic terms, anyway? I can’t say my “wife”; I have to say my “spouse”. I can’t say brothers and sisters; it’s “siblings”.
Whoever heard of the holy sacrifice of the liturgy? Not me. They went past that, it’s was the “Remembrance of the Lord’s Supper” here.
That can’t be right.
Hence, “Holy Sacrifice of the Mass”.
The Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts is not equal to the Mass. There is no Consecration. It is what Westerners commonly call “Communion Service”, though it is regularly used in the East during Lent, and with good reason.
Liturgy came from the Greek term which means “priestly service”. Mass is more of a Latin term. There is nothing wrong in calling the Mass as Liturgy. In the East we call it Divine Liturgy.
Except that 99.9999999% in the Roman Rite know it as “Mass”. What meaning does “liturgy” convey that “Mass” doesn’t? When I confess that “I missed liturgy,” does it convey more meaning than “I missed Mass”? Are the “in” folks trying to be esoteric, or what? Can’t they leave anything alone?
The Liturgy is a public action of the Church. There are 2 principle liturgies: The Mass (which includes the Liturgy of the Word, also formally called the Liturgy of the Catechumens, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, also formally called the Liturgy of the Faithful) and the Divine Office (LOTH).
The Liturgy of the Hours (LOTH, also called the Divine Office) is a Liturgy, but not a Mass.
Mass is just one aspect of the liturgy - which includes all the public worship, devotions, the other sacraments and the way they are executed, and also the Liturgy of the Hours.
It was not in common use before about 5 years ago, at least not where I attended Mass !!!].
Then they flipped out like it was a new word: and, as you say, everything became liturgy, even transporting food for the poor. I suspect they discovered it and wanted to confuse the hoi polloi, or sound superior to them [my main objection]. I know other parishioners of the “old” school who don’t like its use any more than I do.
E.g., my wife !!!] and I own two cars. When I’m going to run an errand, I don’t say “I’m taking a car”; I say, “I’m taking the Toyota.”FWIW, the Latin terms (as used by the Popes) are Divinum Officium and Missa.
And it’s also Liturgia Horarum.
Cool. I guess that would make us quite Kantian then.
It doesn’t matter what 99.9999999% of people believe or know. It doesn’t change the facts.
With such a common understanding of “liturgy”, how could the people possibly misinterpret such a highly specific term? We needed this change because few knew what “Mass” was.
Nothing changed. Liturgy was and is a valid term of long usage.
That’s what everybody says, but I never heard it used as a term for “Mass” until recently, and I go to church every Sunday. No one has yet answered my question, ***what does the word “liturgy” convey that “Mass” doesn’t? ***
If I may say (lightheartedly) it seems that you have quite a strong aversion to the word liturgy. As far as I know, nobody has started calling mass “the liturgy” in general terms. The point is that the article that you originally commented on was not just talking about the mass, but about the all the different liturgies within the church that have been subject to reform.That’s what everybody says, but I never heard it used as a term for “Mass” until recently, and I go to church every Sunday. No one has yet answered my question, ***what does the word “liturgy” convey that “Mass” doesn’t? ***