Practices, traditions, and forms of prayer that shape the Church’s common life.
‘The Church year gave the time its rhythm, and I experienced that with great gratitude and joy already as a child, indeed, above all as a child.’— Joseph Ratzinger, Milestones
The Sacred Liturgy extends beyond the celebration of the Mass, and unfolds throughout the whole Liturgical Year. In his memoir, Milestones, then-Cardinal Ratzinger related the many ways in which his childhood religion was inspired by the rich symbolism of the liturgies and para-liturgical elements built in to the Church’s year – the pitch-blackness of the Church when the Mass of Angels (Rorate Mass) was celebrated by candlelight during Advent, the steady growth of the family’s nativity scene, and the intense joy during Holy Saturday when the words ‘Christ is risen’ gave the signal for the curtains to be flung open to flood the Church with sunlight. The Church’s common life is enriched when the faithful are encouraged to live the liturgy in their daily lives and throughout the year.
Part of living the liturgical year is learning to follow the seasons and feasts, and to allow our Churches, our homes, the way we dress, and even the way we eat, to be influenced by them. This can be as simple as reading the Roman Martyrology to learn from the saints of the day, or as intricate as setting up a room or a special corner of the home for prayer and decorating it according to the season.
The Divine Office (or Liturgy of the Hours) is prayed by priests and religious every day, several times a day. It is the ‘prayer of the whole Church’ – praying the psalms and the canticles of the bible in the morning, during the day, and at night. The purpose of the Divine Office is to offer prayers for the Church and the World, and to sanctify the whole day through prayer. The lay faithful have often joined in with this prayer, especially with the major hours of Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer). Often, the Office of Vespers was joined to Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament – a short period where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in the Monstrance and a blessing imparted over the people. Below are resources to help lay people pray the office, and to help parishes celebrate Vespers and Benediction.
Throughout the year, the Church suggests that the Faithful walk to or from the Church in procession, as a public witness to the Faith. The major processions, still taking place in many countries, are on Palm Sunday of the Passion (the Sunday before Easter Sunday) and Corpus Christi (a few weeks after Easter). Processions have also traditionally been held on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (14 September) on Good Friday, and on the 25 April (the Major Rogation day).
Pilgrimages to Holy Places are another way of making a public witness to the Faith, and undertaking a penance – by walking to a particular holy site, praying and celebrating the Mass and the Divine Office along the route. The most popular pilgrimage routes today are the Camino to Santiago de Compostela, the Via Francigena between Canterbury and Rome, the Pilgrims Way between Winchester and Canterbury, and the Way of St Francis between Rome and Assisi. There are many other pilgrimage routes to walk.
The Sacramentals are sacred signs, objects, or actions given by the Church which dispose those who receive them to receive the Grace of the Sacraments, and help them to sanctify their daily lives. When objects and places are blessed by a Priest, through the prayer of the Church, they are sanctified and protected from the influence of the evil one. Houses, cars, schools, holy objects, foods, candles, and many other things may be blessed by a priest. The following resources are to help priests and the lay faithful to avail themselves of these precious gifts from the Church.