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MODULE IN THEOLOGY 3: LITURGY AND SACRAMENTS

Module No. 4 Date: _____________

Title: Celebrating with Jesus

Overview
The Church has her own calendar that she follows faithfully. It is her liturgical
calendar, which marks the events in the lives and mysteries of our lord Jesus Christ, the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints. Christians and non-Christians here and
elsewhere construct buildings for divine worship. We, the Catholics, have our churches,
oratories, chapels, shrines, basilicas, and cathedrals. While, Muslims and other religious
denominations have their mosques, temples, and center for fellowship. Traditionally, the
time and place of worship also becomes the identity of a particular religion. However, our
Lord, in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, made it clear that the worship “in Spirit
and truth” (Jn 4:24) is not bound exclusively to any specific time and place (cf. CCC 1179).

This module will help the learners realize that the Church celebrates different
occasions and where it is rightly celebrated. They will understand that aside from the
church, to where liturgy is formally and appropriately celebrated, our homes are also a
place to celebrate the liturgy especially in these trying times of pandemic, where almost all
the liturgical celebrations are done virtually. The learners will also reflect and give due
reverence to the church and its celebrations, considering that mostly our homes are the
extension of every church, where we set our altars, attend virtual masses, wearing
appropriate dress code, and participating religiously in the virtual celebrations. Lastly, may
they imbibe the spirit of faith in themselves and family, as they still help promote
archdiocesan and/or parochial ministries.

Objectives
 Familiarize themselves on the different liturgical celebrations of the church, also the
different cathedrals/basilicas/shrines/parishes in the whole province of Batangas (under
the Archdiocese of Lipa), and the different parts of the church where liturgy is
celebrated.
 Develop a sense of reverence to different liturgical celebrations done virtually and
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attended at home.
 Construct a comprehensive infographic on the liturgical seasons and the places to
celebrate liturgy.
 Pray that God may strengthen their faith in their fulfillment of religious practices, even at
home and done virtually.

Christian Message
Doctrine: God is omnipresent. Wherever we are, whenever it is, God is always with us.

Moral: Be a living witness of God’s unconditional love, whenever and wherever we may be,
and on what situation we may be in.

Worship: Celebrate God’s unstoppable best, even amidst this pandemic, through our
personal prayer of confidence in the presence of the Lord.

Content
I. When to celebrate the Liturgy?

From the beginning to end, there are liturgical seasons which denote the unfolding of
the various aspects of the on Paschal mystery (cf. CCC 1171). From the time of the Mosaic
Law, the People of God have observed fixed feasts, beginning with Passover, to
commemorate the astonishing actions of the Savior God, to give him thanks for them, to
perpetuate their remembrance, and to teach new generations to conform their conduct to
them. In the age of the Church,
between the Passover of Christ
already accomplished once for all,
and its consummation in the kingdom
of God, the liturgy celebrated on fixed
days bears the imprint of the
newness of the mystery of Christ.

The actions of Jesus Christ as his words are eternal: they communicate and explain
life; that is why they do not pass, beginning with the supreme act of his sacrifice on the
cross; this is represented or renewed, as the Catechism says again, in as much as it is not
past, but is always present. And we recall it, obeying His invitation: “Do this in memory of
me.”
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Perhaps it is crucial to understand the concept of memory to understand the liturgical

season: it does not mean a recalling of the past but man’s capacity, given by God, to
understand in unity today the past and the future. In fact, a man who loses his memory, not
only forgets the past but also does not understand what he is in the present, and much less
is he able to project himself in the future. Then, in the flow of time there are the Christian
feasts – festum which recall something to which one rushes, hurries, which many frequent –
but also the ferial days in which there are not necessarily many, yet likewise Christ is
recalled, who is today and always.

It is not enough to commemorate them, or rather they are commemorated by

rendering thanks – that is why the feasts are celebrated essentially with the Eucharist –, but
it is also necessary to hand them down to the new generations and to conform one’s life to
them. Man’s morality depends on the memory of God, says Saint Augustine in
the Confessions: the more the Lord is celebrated, we could say, the more one becomes
moral. Thus the liturgical season reveals itself as season of the Church, placed between the
historical Easter and the Lord’s coming at the end of time. The mystery of Christ, across
time, makes all things new. That is why every time that we celebrate, we receive the grace
that renews and transforms us (cf. CCC, 1164).

The day of Christ, the day that is Christ, constitutes the liturgical season. Whoever
follows Him, offers himself to Him, unites himself to His living sacrifice with his whole being,
fulfills the work of God, that is, the liturgy.

The liturgical season recalls the cosmic dimension of creation and of the Redemption
of the Lord who has recapitulated all things in Himself, all time and space. Because of this
Christian prayer, the prayer of those who adore the true God is turned to the East, cosmic
point of the apparition of the Presence.

II. What are the liturgical seasons?

We may use the acronym ACOLPEO to spell out the liturgical seasons in the
Church’s calendar. This acronym stands for:

Advent
Christmas
Ordinary Time I
Lent
Paschal Triduum
Easter
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Ordinary Time II

Advent Season
It is the time of joyful expectation in
which we prepare in the spirit of
penance both for the celebration of
Jesus’ birth and for His coming
again in the glory “to judge the
living and the dead”, as we profess
in the Creed. There are four
Sundays in this season. This
season begins on the First Sunday
of Advent falling on or closest to
November 30 and ends before
Christmas. It marks the beginning
of a new year in the liturgical year.

Christmas Season
It begins from the vigil of the Lord’s
birth and ends with the feast of the
Baptism of the Lord. It is the long-awaited birth of the Son of God, the Word made flesh, the
promise Messiah, the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man who came
into the world to lay down His life for our redemption.

Ordinary Time
It is the period of thirty-four Sundays referring to the “hidden life of Jesus”, the stage in the
Lord’s life in which the Gospels are silent about Him. It is from the time He was found in the
temple when he was twelve years old up to the beginning of His public ministry at the age of
thirty. This period has two phases. The first phase begins after the Christmas Season and
continues until Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is resumed again on Monday after
Pentecost and ends at the beginning of Advent. It is called “Ordinary” because it refers to
the time of the year in which the Church is not celebrating the more prominent seasons of
Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.

Lent
It begins from Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. This penitential season is in
preparation for the celebration of Easter. We spend forty days of prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving commemorating the forty days spent by Jesus in the desert in preparation for
His public ministry.
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Paschal Triduum
It commences with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and ends with the
celebration of Easter Sunday. During this most sacred time, we focus on the Lord’s Paschal
Mystery, that is, His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The day of Resurrection is the apex
of the Church’s calendar. “It is called the Lord’s day because on it the Lord rose victorious
to the Father” (CCC 1166). It is the Easter Sunday. “Therefore Easter is not simply one
feast among others, but the “Feast of feasts”, the “Solemnity of solemnities” (CCC 1169).

Easter Season
It is the fifty-day celebration of the joyful exultation of the Lord’s Resurrection from Easter
Sunday to Pentecost.

The “sanctoral” in the liturgical year refers to the annual cycle of celebrating the
mysteries of Christ, the memorials of martyrs and saints, especially the Mother of God. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “by keeping the memorials of the saints – first
of all the holy Mother of God, then the apostles, the martyrs, and other saints – on fixed
days of the liturgical year, the Church on earth shows that she is united with the liturgy of
heaven” (CCC 1195).

Along with the liturgical seasons, we have mentioned earlier that there are certain
days to be observed as “holy days of obligation”. They are as follows:

January 1 – Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

December 8 – Solemnity of the immaculate Conception
December 25 – Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

III. Where to celebrate the liturgy?

“The beauty of church building directs our attention to the beauty, greatness, and love
of God. Churches are not just stone messengers of the faith, but dwelling places of God,
who is really and truly and substantially present in the sacrament of the altar” (YouCat 190).
We, Catholics, give due reverence to our church as a “house of God” when, upon entering,
we bless ourselves with the holy water and make a genuflection in front of the tabernacle.
We know our church to be a “house of prayer”, not a place where to meet friends or where
we can spend time to stand by.

A church, "a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved,
where the faithful assemble, and where is worshipped the presence of the Son of God our
Savior, offered for us on the sacrificial altar for the help and consolation of the faithful - this
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house ought to be in good taste and a

worthy place for prayer and sacred
ceremonial." In this "house of God" the
truth and the harmony of the signs that
make it up should show Christ to be
present and active in this place (cf SC
122-127; CCC 1181).

It is imperative for us, Catholics,

to be able to identify where the
sacrifice of the parts of the church that
manifest the presence and action of
Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC 1182-1185) enumerates
these parts:

The altar
It is the center of the church where the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under
sacramental signs. It is the table of the Lord to which the People of God are invited to share
in the banquet of the Lord.

The tabernacle
It is the boxlike receptacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. It is solid, inviolable,
and located always within the church in a most dignified place that is truly prominent and
conducive to prayer. The dignity, placing, and the security of the Eucharistic tabernacle
should facilitate the adoration of the Lord really present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of
the altar. The sanctuary lamp must be kept burning before the tabernacle.

The Cathedra
It is a chair at the cathedral reserved for the bishop (cathedra) or a presider’s chair in every
church for the priest to express his office of presiding over the assembly and of directing
prayer.

The lectern (ambo)

This is the suitable place in a church intended for the proclamation of the Word of God.

The baptistery
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The gathering of the People of God begins with baptism, thus a church must have an
appropriate place for the celebration of baptism.

The confessional
The renewal of the baptismal life requires penance. It is an appropriate place to receive
penitents for the expression of repentance and the reception of forgiveness.

Assessment and Evaluation

TASK 1

Make a calendar of events with which you consider important in your life. Write the date at
the upper part of each box and what is that particular event. Use the table given in the
answer sheet.

TASK 2
Have a time for yourself, and reflect. Afterwards, write a personal “Prayer of Confidence in
the Presence of God”.

References
1. Catholic Church. (1994). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice
Vaticana.
2. YOUCAT. (2010). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.

Prepared: Checked: Approved:

__________________________ ______________________ _____________________

Teacher Academic Coordinator Principal
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ACTIVITY SHEET IN Theology 3: Liturgy and Sacraments

MODULE NO. 4

NAME: _______________________________________
GRADE&SECTION: _____________________________
DATE: _______________________________________

Task #1
Make a calendar of events with which you consider important in your life. Write the date at the
upper part of each box and what is that particular event.
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ACTIVITY SHEET IN Theology 3: Liturgy and Sacraments

MODULE NO. 4

NAME: _______________________________________
GRADE&SECTION: _____________________________
DATE: _______________________________________

Task #2
Have a time for yourself, and reflect. Afterwards, write a personal “Prayer of Confidence
in the Presence of God”.
(May be in paragraph form or in a poem structure. You may also add photos or designs
in this task to better your output.)

Prayer of Confidence in the Presence of God