The word liturgy comes from the Greek which means the people's work. It is a public work done for the service of others. In ancient Greek, it originally meant the cooperation of all citizens to make society work.

The Catholic church defines liturgy as the public worship for the service of others. Liturgy is public prayer and ritual; it is communal in nature. There is nothing private about the mass.

As Christians we are called to be Christ to others. We are called by Jesus to be of service, and this attitude is required of us at liturgy.

"I don't get anything out of it" is an attitude held by some people. It is important to note that this attitude of "me first" is never found in scriptures as part of the sacred tradition of the church. Where is it taught that Jesus did not do something until he got something out of it?

The specific purpose of the mass is to serve the community. We come to mass to be of service, to give praise and worship to God, and to bring others to Christ. As Catholics we do not come to liturgy just for ourselves, but for others, so that others can experience Jesus through the Word, the eucharist and us. Like Jesus, it is in our doing that others experience new life.

In Art and Environment in Catholic Worship, the United States Bishops state, "among the symbols with which liturgy deals, none is more important than the assembly of believers. The entire congregation is an active component. There is no audience, no passive element. The most powerful experience of the sacred is found in the celebration and the person celebrating." (28, 29)

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy desires that all the faithful would be led to full, active, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations (14), and yet if one were to observe the assembly during liturgy, there are still many Catholics who are not singing or participating in the liturgy.

Full participation means that a person does not mentally weave in and out of the liturgy. Our duty is not just to be present; our duty is to be fully present. The songs are meant for singing (Gather Faithfully Together, 91, 92).

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states that great importance should be attached to the use of singing at mass (19). The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says "liturgical music takes on a more dignified character when the rites are celebrated solemnly in son, with sacred ministers taking part and with the active participation of the people" (113).

Liturgy is our song. We sing the liturgy. Song is not a frill but is part of the central action itself. What we do in the liturgy is too vast and deep to be left to our speaking voices. We need music so that we can fully express what we are about (Guide for the Assembly, 31).

The Catholic Church asks that our liturgies be life-giving and that each of us play a vital role in it. We do this by being on time for mass, reaching out to others in a spirit of Christian hospitality, actively praying and singing, and staying for the entire liturgy.

The goal of liturgy is the transformation of people's lives to Jesus. It is about the conversion of hearts. The Catholic Church teaches that good liturgy builds faith, and poor liturgy destroys it. (Music in Catholic Worship, 6).

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