The original minister of Confirmation is the Bishop. 128 In the East, ordinarily the Priest who baptizes also immediately confers Confirmation in one and the same Celebration. But he does so with sacred chrism consecrated by the patriarch or the bishop, thus expressing the apostolic Unity of the Church whose bonds are strengthened by the Sacrament of Confirmation. In the Latin Church, the same discipline applies to the Baptism of adults or to the reception into full Communion with the Church of a person baptized in another Christian Community that does not have valid Confirmation. 129

The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every Celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the Unity of the universal Church. the Bishop of the place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a Priest presides; the bishop's name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. the Community intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice:

The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of Communion with the Lord's body and blood. But the Celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the Faithful with Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered himself for us.

The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the Celebration of the Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same Mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the Assembly of his Faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. "For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?" 212 asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, "The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar." 213 The Liturgy expresses this Unity of sacrifice and Communion in many Prayers. Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:

Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example, idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this "order of penitents" (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the "private" practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on, the Sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and Priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental Celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to our day.

Beneath the changes in discipline and Celebration that this Sacrament has undergone over the centuries, the same fundamental structure is to be discerned. It comprises two equally essential elements: on the one hand, the acts of the man who undergoes conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit: namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction; on the other, God's action through the intervention of the Church. the Church, who through the Bishop and his Priests forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the manner of satisfaction, also prays for the sinner and does penance with him. Thus the sinner is healed and re-established in ecclesial Communion.

Like all the Sacraments, Penance is a Liturgical action. the elements of the Celebration are ordinarily these: a greeting and blessing from the Priest, reading the word of God to illuminate the conscience and elicit contrition, and an exhortation to repentance; the confession, which acknowledges sins and makes them known to the priest; the imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest's absolution; a Prayer of thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the blessing of the priest.

The Sacrament of Penance can also take place in the framework of a communal Celebration in which we prepare ourselves together for confession and give thanks together for the forgiveness received. Here, the personal confession of sins and individual absolution are inserted into a Liturgy of the word of God with readings and a homily, an examination of conscience conducted in common, a communal request for forgiveness, the Our Father and a thanksgiving in common. This communal celebration expresses more clearly the ecclesial character of penance. However, regardless of its manner of celebration the sacrament of Penance is always, by its very nature, a Liturgical action, and therefore an ecclesial and public action. 90

In case of grave necessity recourse may be had to a communal Celebration of reconciliation with general confession and general absolution. Grave necessity of this sort can arise when there is imminent danger of death without sufficient time for the Priest or priests to hear each penitent's confession. Grave necessity can also exist when, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors to hear individual confessions properly in a reasonable time, so that the penitents through no fault of their own would be deprived of Sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time. In this case, for the absolution to be valid the Faithful must have the intention of individually confessing their sins in the time required. 91 The diocesan Bishop is the judge of whether or not the conditions required for general absolution exist. 92 A large gathering of the Faithful on the occasion of major feasts or pilgrimages does not constitute a case of grave necessity. 93

In the sense of Sacred Scripture the memorial is not merely the recollection of past events but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for men. 182 In the Liturgical Celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real. This is how Israel understands its liberation from Egypt: every time Passover is Celebrated, the Exodus events are made present to the memory of believers so that they may conform their lives to them.

The anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving and consecration - we come to the Heart and summit of the Celebration:

All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic Assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high Priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic Celebration. It is in representing him that the Bishop or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings, those who give Communion, and the whole people whose "Amen" manifests their Participation.

In the Latin Rite, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is the Bishop. 130 Although the bishop may for grave reasons concede to Priests the faculty of administering Confirmation, 131 it is appropriate from the very meaning of the Sacrament that he should confer it himself, mindful that the Celebration of Confirmation has been temporally separated from Baptism for this reason. Bishops are the successors of the apostles. They have received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. the administration of this sacrament by them demonstrates clearly that its effect is to unite those who receive it more closely to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ.

Finally, by the Eucharistic Celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly Liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all. 137

The memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection. The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. the terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, "sacrifice of praise," spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used, 148 since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. The Holy and Divine Liturgy, because the Church's whole liturgy finds its center and most intense expression in the Celebration of this Sacrament; in the same sense we also call its celebration the Sacred Mysteries. We speak of the Most Blessed Sacrament because it is the Sacrament of Sacraments. the Eucharistic species reserved in the tabernacle are designated by this same name.

At the Heart of the Eucharistic Celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread...." "He took the cup filled with wine...." the signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine, 152 fruit of the "work of human hands," but above all as "fruit of the earth" and "of the vine" - gifts of the Creator. the Church sees in the gesture of the king-Priest Melchizedek, who "brought out bread and wine," a prefiguring of her own offering. 153

The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and words "until he comes" does not only ask us to remember Jesus and what he did. It is directed at the Liturgical Celebration, by the apostles and their successors, of the memorial of Christ, of his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his intercession in the presence of the Father. 165

It was above all on "the first day of the week," Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection, that the Christians met "to break bread." 167 From that time on down to our own day the Celebration of the Eucharist has been continued so that today we encounter it everywhere in the Church with the same fundamental structure. It remains the center of the Church's life.

Thus from Celebration to celebration, as they proclaim the Paschal Mystery of Jesus "until he comes," the pilgrim People of God advances, "following the narrow way of the cross," 168 toward the heavenly banquet, when all the elect will be seated at the table of the kingdom.

As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic Celebration. They have stayed the same until our own day for all the great Liturgical families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians did:

Like all the Sacraments the Anointing of the Sick is a Liturgical and communal Celebration, 131 whether it takes place in the family home, a hospital or Church, for a single sick person or a whole group of sick persons. It is very fitting to celebrate it within the Eucharist, the memorial of the Lord's Passover. If circumstances suggest it, the celebration of the Sacrament can be preceded by the sacrament of Penance and followed by the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the sacrament of Christ's Passover the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey, the "viaticum" for "passing over" to eternal life.

Word and Sacrament form an indivisible whole. the Liturgy of the Word, preceded by an act of repentance, opens the Celebration. the words of Christ, the witness of the apostles, awaken the Faith of the sick person and of the Community to ask the Lord for the strength of his Spirit.

The Eucharistic Sacrifice. When the Celebration takes place in Church the Eucharist is the Heart of the Paschal reality of Christian death. 189 In the Eucharist, the Church expresses her efficacious Communion with the departed: offering to the Father in the Holy Spirit the sacrifice of the death and resurrection of Christ, she asks to purify his child of his sins and their consequences, and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the table of the Kingdom. 190 It is by the Eucharist thus Celebrated that the Community of the Faithful, Especially the family of the deceased, learn to live in communion with the one who "has fallen asleep in the Lord," by communicating in the Body of Christ of which he is a living member and, then, by praying for him and with him.

The moral life is spiritual worship. We "present (our) bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God," 73 within the Body of Christ that we form and in Communion with the offering of his Eucharist. In the Liturgy and the Celebration of the Sacraments, Prayer and teaching are conjoined with the grace of Christ to enlighten and nourish Christian activity. As does the whole of the Christian life, the moral life finds its source and summit in the Eucharistic sacrifice.

The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.") requires the Faithful to participate in the Eucharistic Celebration when the Christian Community gathers together on the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord. 82

The Celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human Heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship "as a sign of his universal beneficence to all." 109 Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.

The Sunday Celebration of the Lord's Day and his Eucharist is at the Heart of the Church's life. "Sunday is the day on which the paschal Mystery is Celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church." 110

"A parish is a definite Community of the Christian Faithful established on a stable basis within a particular Church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan Bishop." 115 It is the place where all the Faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday Celebration of the Eucharist. the parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the Liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ's saving doctrine; it practices the Charity of the Lord in good works and brotherly love:

Participation in the communal Celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being Faithful to Christ and to his Church. the Faithful give witness by this to their Communion in faith and Charity. Together they testify to God's holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

"If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the Faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is Celebrated in the parish Church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan Bishop, or engage in Prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families." 120

In the Sacramental Liturgy of the Church, the mission of Christ and of the Holy Spirit proclaims, makes present, and communicates the Mystery of salvation, which is continued in the Heart that prays. the spiritual writers sometimes compare the heart to an altar. Prayer internalizes and assimilates the liturgy during and after its Celebration. Even when it is lived out "in secret," 6 prayer is always prayer of the Church; it is a Communion with the Holy Trinity. 7

The greeting of the Community. A greeting of Faith begins the Celebration. Relatives and friends of the deceased are welcomed with a word of "consolation" (in the New Testament sense of the Holy Spirit's power in hope). 187 The commUnity assembling in Prayer also awaits the "words of eternal life." the death of a member of the community (or the anniversary of a death, or the seventh or fortieth day after death) is an event that should lead beyond the perspectives of "this world" and should draw the Faithful into the true perspective of faith in the risen Christ.

The Order of Christian Funerals (Ordo exsequiarum) of the Roman Liturgy gives three types of funeral Celebrations, corresponding to the three places in which they are conducted (the home, the Church, and the cemetery), and according to the importance attached to them by the family, local customs, the culture, and popular piety. This order of celebration is common to all the Liturgical traditions and comprises four principal elements:

The Christian funeral confers on the deceased neither a Sacrament nor a sacramental since he has "passed" beyond the sacramental economy. It is nonetheless a Liturgical Celebration of the Church. 185 The ministry of the Church aims at expressing efficacious Communion with the deceased, at the Participation in that communion of the Community gathered for the funeral and at the proclamation of eternal life to the commUnity.

The Celebration of the Sacrament includes the following principal elements: the "Priests of the Church" 132 - in silence - lay hands on the sick; they pray over them in the Faith of the Church 133 - this is the epiclesis proper to this sacrament; they then anoint them with oil blessed, if possible, by the Bishop. These Liturgical actions indicate what grace this sacrament confers upon the sick.

Deacons share in Christ's mission and grace in a special way. 55 The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (“character") which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the "deacon" or servant of all. 56 Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist the Bishop and Priests in the Celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of Charity. 57

Given the importance that the ordination of a Bishop, a Priest, or a deacon has for the life of the particular Church, its Celebration calls for as many of the Faithful as possible to take part. It should take place preferably on Sunday, in the cathedral, with solemnity appropriate to the occasion. All three ordinations, of the bishop, of the pRiest, and of the deacon, follow the same movement. Their proper place is within the Eucharistic Liturgy.

As in all the Sacraments additional rites surround the Celebration. Varying greatly among the different Liturgical traditions, these rites have in common the expression of the multiple aspects of Sacramental grace. Thus in the Latin Church, the initial rites - presentation and election of the ordinand, instruction by the Bishop, examination of the candidate, litany of the saints - attest that the choice of the candidate is made in keeping with the practice of the Church and prepare for the solemn act of consecration, after which several rites syrnbolically express and complete the Mystery accomplished: for bishop and Priest, an anointing with holy chrism, a sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit who makes their ministry fruitful; giving the book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier to the bishop as the sign of his apostolic mission to proclaim the Word of God, of his fidelity to the Church, the bride of Christ, and his office as shepherd of the Lord's flock; presentation to the priest of the paten and chalice, "the offering of the holy people" which he is called to present to God; giving the book of the Gospels to the deacon who has just received the mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ.

In the Latin Rite the Celebration of marriage between two Catholic Faithful normally takes place during Holy Mass, because of the connection of all the Sacraments with the Paschal Mystery of Christ. 120 In the Eucharist the memorial of the New Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united himself for ever to the Church, his beloved bride for whom he gave himself up. 121 It is therefore fitting that the spouses should seal their consent to give themselves to each other through the offering of their own lives by uniting it to the offering of Christ for his Church made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by receiving the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same Body and the same Blood of Christ, they may form but "one body" in Christ. 122

"Inasmuch as it is a Sacramental action of sanctification, the Liturgical Celebration of marriage . . . must be, per se, valid, worthy, and fruitful." 123 It is therefore appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare themselves for the celebration of their marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance.

The Priest (or deacon) who assists at the Celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the name of the Church and gives the blessing of the Church. the presence of the Church's minister (and also of the witnesses) visibly expresses the fact that marriage is an ecclesial reality.

When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. 176 In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the Celebration of Baptism. the solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a Priest and with the permission of the Bishop. the priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, Especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness. 177

The Prayer of the Church, nourished by the Word of God and the Celebration of the Liturgy, teaches us to pray to the Lord Jesus. Even though her prayer is addressed above all to the Father, it includes in all the Liturgical traditions forms of prayer addressed to Christ. Certain psalms, given their use in the Prayer of the Church, and the New Testament place on our lips and engrave in our Hearts prayer to Christ in the form of invocations: Son of God, Word of God, Lord, Savior, Lamb of God, King, Beloved Son, Son of the Virgin, Good Shepherd, our Life, our Light, our Hope, our Resurrection, Friend of mankind....

It is evident from its Celebration that the effect of the Sacrament of Confirmation is the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.

While not being formally identified with them, catechesis is built on a certain number of elements of the Church's pastoral mission which have a catechetical aspect, that prepare for catechesis, or spring from it. They are: the initial proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse Faith; examination of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; Celebration of the Sacraments; integration into the ecclesial Community; and apostolic and missionary witness. 9

Together with the anamnesis, the epiclesis is at the Heart of each Sacramental Celebration, most Especially of the Eucharist:

The epiclesis is also a Prayer for the full effect of the Assembly's Communion with the Mystery of Christ. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit" 28 have to remain with us always and bear fruit beyond the Eucharistic Celebration. the Church therefore asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit to make the lives of the Faithful a living sacrifice to God by their spiritual transformation into the image of Christ, by concern for the Church's Unity, and by taking part in her mission through the witness and service of Charity.

The whole Liturgical life of the Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Sacraments. 29 There are seven Sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. 30 This article will discuss what is common to the Church's seven sacraments from a doctrinal point of view. What is common to them in terms of their Celebration will be presented in the second chapter, and what is distinctive about each will be the topic of the Section Two.

As she has done for the canon of Sacred Scripture and for the doctrine of the Faith, the Church, by the power of the Spirit who guides her "into all truth," has gradually recognized this treasure received from Christ and, as the Faithful steward of God's mysteries, has determined its "dispensation." 34 Thus the Church has discerned over the centuries that among Liturgical Celebrations there are seven that are, in the strict sense of the term, Sacraments instituted by the Lord.

The catechesis of the Liturgy entails first of all an understanding of the Sacramental economy (Chapter One). In this light, the innovation of its Celebration is revealed. This chapter will therefore treat of the celebration of the Sacraments of the Church. It will consider that which, through the diversity of Liturgical traditions, is common to the celebration of the seven sacraments. What is proper to each will be treated later. This fundamental catechesis on the sacramental celebrations responds to the first questions posed by the Faithful regarding this subject: - Who celebrates the liturgy? - How is the liturgy Celebrated? - When is the liturgy celebrated? - Where is the liturgy celebrated?

Liturgy is an "action" of the whole Christ (Christus totus). Those who even now celebrate it without signs are already in the heavenly liturgy, where Celebration is wholly Communion and feast

It is the whole Community, the Body of Christ united with its Head, that celebrates. "Liturgical services are not private functions but are Celebrations of the Church which is 'the Sacrament of Unity,' namely, the holy people united and organized under the authority of the Bishops. Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole Body of the Church. They manifest it, and have effects upon it. But they touch individual members of the Church in different ways, depending on their orders, their role in the liturgical services, and their actual Participation in them." 7 For this reason, "rites which are meant to be Celebrated in common, with the Faithful present and actively participating, should as far as possible be celebrated in that way rather than by an individual and quasi-privately." 8

In the Celebration of the Sacraments it is thus the whole Assembly that is leitourgos, each according to his function, but in the "Unity of the Spirit" who acts in all. "In Liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an office to perform, should carry out all and only those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the Liturgy." 15

A Sacramental Celebration is woven from signs and symbols. In keeping with the divine pedagogy of salvation, their meaning is rooted in the work of creation and in human culture, specified by the events of the Old Covenant and fully revealed in the person and work of Christ.

Signs of the covenant. the Chosen People received from God distinctive signs and symbols that marked its Liturgical life. These are no longer solely Celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant, symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and Priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. the Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the Sacraments of the New Covenant.

Christian Liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present. the Paschal Mystery of Christ is Celebrated, not repeated. It is the Celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery present.

Anamnesis. the Liturgical Celebration always refers to God's saving interventions in history. "The economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with each other.... (The) words for their part proclaim the works and bring to light the Mystery they contain." 22 In the Liturgy of the Word the Holy Spirit "recalls" to the Assembly all that Christ has done for us. In keeping with the nature of liturgical actions and the ritual traditions of the Churches, the celebration "makes a remembrance" of the marvelous works of God in an anamnesis which may be more or less developed. the Holy Spirit who thus awakens the memory of the Church then inspires thanksgiving and praise (doxology).

The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual understanding of the Word of God to those who read or hear it, according to the dispositions of their Hearts. By means of the words, actions, and symbols that form the structure of a Celebration, the Spirit puts both the Faithful and the ministers into a living relationship with Christ, the Word and Image of the Father, so that they can live out the meaning of what they hear, contemplate, and do in the celebration.

And so the readings of the Easter Vigil, the Celebration of the new creation in Christ, begin with the creation account; likewise in the Byzantine Liturgy, the account of creation always constitutes the first reading at the vigils of the great feasts of the Lord. According to ancient witnesses the instruction of catechumens for Baptism followed the same itinerary. 119

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming of the kingdom that the King-Messiah was going to accomplish by the Passover of his Death and Resurrection. It is with the Celebration of that entry on Palm Sunday that the Church's Liturgy solemnly opens Holy Week.

What are these bonds of Unity? Above all, Charity "binds everything together in perfect harmony." 265 But the unity of the pilgrim Church is also assured by visible bonds of Communion: - profession of one Faith received from the Apostles; -common Celebration of divine worship, Especially of the Sacraments; - apostolic succession through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, maintaining the fraternal concord of God's family. 266

"The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic Faith in its entirety or have not preserved Unity or Communion under the successor of Peter." 322 Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church." 323 With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound "that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common Celebration of the Lord's Eucharist." 324

"Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvellously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit maybe produced in them. For all their works, Prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the Celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. and so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives." 434

In the New Testament the word "Liturgy" refers not only to the Celebration of divine worship but also to the proclamation of the Gospel and to active Charity. 6 In all of these situations it is a question of the service of God and neighbor. In a Liturgical celebration the Church is servant in the image of her Lord, the one "leitourgos"; 7 she shares in Christ's Priesthood (worship), which is both prophetic (proclamation) and kingly (service of charity):

Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the Mystery of Christ (It is "mystagogy." ) by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing signified, from the "Sacraments" to the "mysteries." Such catechesis is to be presented by local and regional catechisms. This Catechism, which aims to serve the whole Church in all the diversity of her rites and cultures, 15 will present what is fundamental and common to the whole Church in the Liturgy as mystery and as Celebration, and then the seven Sacraments and the sacramentals.

"To accomplish so great a work" - the dispensation or communication of his work of salvation - "Christ is always present in his Church, Especially in her Liturgical Celebrations. He is present in the Sacrifice of the Mass not only in the person of his minister, 'the same now offering, through the ministry of Priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross,' but especially in the Eucharistic species. By his power he is present in the Sacraments so that when anybody baptizes, it is really Christ himself who baptizes. He is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. Lastly, he is present when the Church prays and sings, for he has promised 'where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them."' 11

In the Liturgy of the New Covenant every Liturgical action, Especially the Celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church. the liturgical Assembly derives its Unity from the "Communion of the Holy Spirit" who gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ. This assembly transcends racial, cultural, social - indeed, all human affinities.

The Assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become "a people well disposed." the preparation of Hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, Especially of its ministers. the grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken Faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the Celebration itself and the fruits of new life which the celebration is intended to produce afterward.

A Sacramental Celebration is a meeting of God's children with their Father, in Christ and the Holy Spirit; this meeting takes the form of a dialogue, through actions and words. Admittedly, the symbolic actions are already a language, but the Word of God and the response of Faith have to accompany and give life to them, so that the seed of the Kingdom can bear its fruit in good soil. the Liturgical actions signify what the Word of God expresses: both his free initiative and his people's response of faith.

The Liturgy of the Word is an integral part of Sacramental Celebrations. To nourish the Faith of believers, the signs which accompany the Word of God should be emphasized: the book of the Word (a lectionary or a book of the Gospels), its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of its proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the minister's homily which extends its proclamation, and the responses of the Assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, and profession of faith).

From the first Community of Jerusalem until the parousia, it is the same Paschal Mystery that the Churches of God, Faithful to the apostolic Faith, celebrate in every place. the mystery Celebrated in the Liturgy is one, but the forms of its Celebration are diverse.

The Celebration of the Liturgy, therefore, should correspond to the genius and culture of the different peoples. 70 In order that the Mystery of Christ be "made known to all the nations . . . to bring about the obedience of Faith," 71 it must be proclaimed, Celebrated, and lived in all cultures in such a way that they themselves are not abolished by it, but redeemed and fulfilled: 72 It is with and through their own human culture, assumed and transfigured by Christ, that the multitude of God's children has access to the Father, in order to glorify him in the one Spirit.

This initiation has varied greatly through the centuries according to circumstances. In the first centuries of the Church, Christian initiation saw considerable development. A long period of catechumenate included a series of preparatory rites, which were Liturgical landmarks along the path of catechumenal preparation and culminated in the Celebration of the Sacraments of Christian initiation.

Today in all the rites, Latin and Eastern, the Christian initiation of adults begins with their entry into the catechumenate and reaches its culmination in a single Celebration of the three Sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. 37 In the Eastern rites the Christian initiation of infants also begins with Baptism followed immediately by Confirmation and the Eucharist, while in the Roman rite it is followed by years of catechesis before being completed later by Confirmation and the Eucharist, the summit of their Christian initiation. 38

The meaning and grace of the Sacrament of Baptism are clearly seen in the rites of its Celebration. By following the gestures and words of this celebration with attentive Participation, the Faithful are initiated into the riches this sacrament signifies and actually brings about in each newly baptized person.

The sign of the cross, on the threshold of the Celebration, marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the redemption Christ won for us by his cross.

The solemn blessing concludes the Celebration of Baptism. At the Baptism of newborns the blessing of the mother occupies a special place.

In the first centuries Confirmation generally comprised one single Celebration with Baptism, forming with it a "double Sacrament," according to the expression of St. Cyprian. Among other reasons, the multiplication of infant baptisms all through the year, the increase of rural parishes, and the growth of dioceses often prevented the Bishop from being present at all baptismal celebrations. In the West the desire to reserve the completion of Baptism to the bishop caused the temporal separation of the two Sacraments. the East has kept them united, so that Confirmation is conferred by the Priest who baptizes. But he can do so only with the "myron" consecrated by a bishop. 100

"The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. the main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as a combination of sacred music and words, it forms a necessary or integral part of solemn Liturgy." 20 The composition and singing of inspired psalms, often accompanied by musical instruments, were already closely linked to the Liturgical Celebrations of the Old Covenant. the Church continues and develops this tradition: "Address . . . one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your Heart." "He who sings prays twice." 21

Song and music fulfill their function as signs in a manner all the more significant when they are "more closely connected . . . with the Liturgical action," 22 according to three principal criteria: beauty expressive of Prayer, the unanimous Participation of the Assembly at the designated moments, and the solemn character of the Celebration. In this way they participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory of God and the sanctification of the Faithful: 23

All the signs in the Liturgical Celebrations are related to Christ: as are sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as well. They truly signify Christ, who is glorified in them. They make manifest the "cloud of witnesses" 29 who continue to participate in the salvation of the world and to whom we are united, above all in Sacramental celebrations. Through their icons, it is man "in the image of God," finally transfigured "into his likeness," 30 who is revealed to our Faith. So too are the angels, who also are recapitulated in Christ:

"The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God." 32 Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the Word of God and the singing of Liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of Celebration so that the Mystery Celebrated is imprinted in the Heart's memory and is then expressed in the new life of the Faithful.

The Mystery of Christ, his Incarnation and Passover, which we celebrate in the Eucharist Especially at the Sunday Assembly, permeates and transfigures the time of each day, through the Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, "the divine office." 46 This celebration, Faithful to the apostolic exhortations to "pray constantly," is "so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God." 47 In this "public Prayer of the Church," 48 The Faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people) exercise the royal Priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in "the form approved" by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father. 49

The Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying Heart, but also a deeper "understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, Especially of the Psalms." 52

The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the Prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the Liturgical season, or the feast being Celebrated. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each Hour (with the subsequent responses or troparia) and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal more deeply the meaning of the Mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and prepare for silent prayer. the lectio divina, where the Word of God is so read and meditated that it becomes prayer, is thus rooted in the liturgical Celebration.

The Liturgy of the Hours, which is like an extension of the Eucharistic Celebration, does not exclude but rather in a complementary way calls forth the various devotions of the People of God, Especially adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament.

The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a Church must have a place for the Celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font). The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. A church, then, must lend itself to the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness, which requires an appropriate place to receive penitents. A church must also be a space that invites us to the recollection and silent Prayer that extend and internalize the great prayer of the Eucharist.

The consecration of the sacred chrism is an important action that precedes the Celebration of Confirmation, but is in a certain way a part of it. It is the Bishop who, in the course of the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, consecrates the sacred chrism for his whole diocese. In some Eastern Churches this consecration is even reserved to the patriarch: