Chapter 5

HOW TO CELEBRATE
 21. SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
 The liturgical celebration includes signs and
symbols that refer to creation (light, water and
fire), human life (to wash, to anoint, to break
bread), and the history of salvation (the rites of
Easter). These human rites, gestures, or
elements are inserted in the world of faith and
assumed by the power of the Holy Spirit; thus,
they become instruments of Christ’s salvific
and sanctifying action.
 These are signs of the covenant. The chosen people
received from God specific signs and symbols that
marked their liturgical life. They were not mere
celebrations of the cosmic cycles or social events, but
signs of the covenant with God. The liturgical signs
of Old Covenant are circumcision, the anointing, and
consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands,
sacrifice, and above all, the Passover. The Church
sees these signs as prefiguration of the sacraments of
the New Covenant.
 These are signs assumed by Christ. The Lord Jesus
frequently made use of the signs of creation in his
preaching to make known the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God (cf Lk 8:10). He performed cures
and emphasized his preaching through material signs
or symbolic gestures (cf Jn 9:6;Mk 7:33-35; 8:22-
25). He gave new meaning to the events and signs of
the Old Testament, particularly to the Exodus and the
Passover (cf. Lk 9:31; 22:7-20) because he himself is
the meaning of all these signs.
 These are sacramental signs. Since Pentecost, the
Holy Spirit accomplishes the sanctification of the
faithful through the sacramental signs of his Church.
The sacraments of the Church do not nullify, but
purify and integrate all the richness of the signs and
symbols of social life. Moreover, the sacramental
signs fulfill the types and figures of the Old
Covenant, signify and accomplish the salvation
wrought by Christ, and foreshadow and anticipate
the glory of heaven
 22. WORDS, ACTIONS AND
ELEMENTS
 The Sacramental celebration is a meeting of God’s
with their Father in Christ and the Holy Spirit.
This meeting is expressed as dialogue through
actions and words. The symbolic actions are
already a language, but the word of God and the
response of faith should accompany and enliven
these actions. The liturgical actions sign if what
God’s word expresses: the gratuitous initiative of
God and the faith response of his people.
 The Liturgy of the Word is an integral part of the
sacramental celebration. To nourish the faithful, the
signs of the word of God should be taken care of well:
 the book of the word (Lectionary or Book of the
Gospels,) the ceremony of its veneration (procession,
incense, candles), the place of the proclamation
(lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading,
the homily that prolongs the proclamation, and the
responses of the assembly (acclamations, meditation
psalms, litanies, confession of faith).
 As sign and instruction, the words and liturgical
action are inseparable, and they bring about
what they signify. The Holy Spirit, in infusing
the faith, not only provides understanding of the
word of God, but also, through the sacraments,
realizes the “marvels” of God, which are
announced by the same word. It makes present
and communicates the Father’s work
accomplished by his beloved Son.
 The liturgical gestures may be a useful ceremony
(like washing the hands after the imposition of
ashes or anointing), an accompaniment to the
words (like making sign of the cross on the book
of the gospels or extending the hands during the
Eucharistic Prayer), a specially Christian symbol
(the sign of the cross ),or gesture accepted from
the socio-cultural environment (giving the
instrument in the priestly ordination).
The most important liturgical gestures are:
 The sign of the cross (used in the blessing of
persons and things),
 Striking one’s breast (a sign of repentance and
humility),
 Looking upward (used by Jesus and included
in Eucharistic prayer I),
 Anointing ( a symbol of the grace infused with
the sacrament ),
 Giving of ashes (a sign of humility, repentance,
resurrection, and trustful prayer)
 Laying on hands (signifying a supernatural
action being performed by God),
 Raising and extending hands (prayer, seeking
and expecting help from God.
 Joining one’s hands at the chest ( a gesture of
prayer when the hands are not extended), and
 Extending hands to give the sign of peace.
 The most important liturgical body postures
are:
 Standing (a sign of joy and the freedom of
God’s children),
 Kneeling (a sign of repentance, penance, or
adoration),
 Sitting down (the attitude of a disciple listening
to the teacher),
 Bowing one’s head (reverence given to the
name of Jesus, Mary or the saint of the day),
 Bowing the body (toward the altar when there
is no tabernacle, within the Profession of Faith
at the words, “by the power of the Holy
Spirit”, during the prayers, “Almighty God,
cleans” and “Lord God, we ask you to
receive,” and in Eucharistic Prayer I at the
words, “Almighty God, we pray”),
 Prostration (only on Good Friday and in
priestly ordination), and
 Procession (a symbol of the pilgrim Church,
done several times within the Mass and in
some solemn celebrations around the church or
in the streets.
 The Church also uses some material elements
in the liturgy. Some of these elements, which
prolong and widen the meaning of the
sacramental signs are:
 Bread and wine (sharing the same bread and
wine symbolizes the unity and fraternity
among Christians),
 Oil (this means spiritual and corporal fortitude,
pouring of grace, sanctification and indwelling
of the Holy Spirit, communication of divine
power, and consecration of sacred objects),
 Ashes, water and incense (signs of penance,
purification and adoration, respectively),
 Light (sign of Christ, the light of the world,
also mark of honor),
 Sacred vestments and
 Liturgical colors.
 22a) SACRED VESSELS AND
LITURGICAL ITEMS
 It is useful to know and be able to identify the
sacred vessels and liturgical; items used in worship,
especially those used for the celebration of Mass.
 The sacred books used in the Mass are called the
Lectionary, which contains all the readings, Psalms,
and Gospel and Sacramentary. They are placed
either on the self standing lectern (or ambo) for the
readings or on a small folding bookstand on the
altar during the Mass.
 Vessels should be made from solid materials that are
considered noble in a particular region. Preference
should be given to material that do not easily break
or become unusable.
 Metal vessels should ordinarily be gilded on the
inside if the metal rusts. Vessels that serve a
receptacle for Eucharistic bread (ciborium, pyx, and
monstrance) could be made of nonmetal materials
that are prized in the region (e.g. hard word) as long
as they are suitable for sacred use.
 Sacred vessels should be blessed, thus
dedicating them to sacred use.
 The chalice is a cup used at Mass to hold the
precious blood of Christ. The bowl of chalice
and other vessels that serve as receptacles for
the blood the Lord should be made of non
absorbent material. The base, however, may
be made of any other solid and worthy
material.
 The paten is a shallow dish on which the host
is placed.
 The chalice and paten hold a place of honor
among the requisites for the celebration of
mass, since they are used in presenting,
consecrating, and receiving the sacred species.
 The ciborium is a covered cup in which the
small, consecrated hosts are kept. It is usually
covered with a veil.
 The corporal is a linen cloth, about 20 inches
square, upon which the chalice and paten are place.
It is customarily pleated in four folds overlapping
inwardly so that no fragment of the consecrated
host may be dropped. It is carried in a burse.
 The pall is stiff cardboard, typically square,
covered with linen. It is used as a cover for the
chalice to protect it from dust and other foreign
matter.
 The purificator is a small linen towel used to
dry the priest’s fingers and the chalice at the
end of the Mass.
 The communion plate is held under the chin of
the communicant (or the hands if the Eucharist
is received in the hand) to catch any particles
of the sacred host that may fall. The
Communion cloth, placed over the rail, has a
similar purpose.
 The altar bell is rung to alert those present at key
moments of the Mass.
 The cruets are two small bottles or vessels
containing the wine and water to be used for the
consecration and for the ablutions after Communion.
 A censer or thurible to burn incense is used in
solemn Masses. The incense boat is a vessel in
which incense is kept. A small spoon is used to
transfer incense from the boat to the center.
 22B) PRIESTLY VESTMENTS
 The function of sacred vestments in liturgical
worship is twofold:

 To highlight the diversity of ministries.

 To contribute to the beauty of the rite.
 The amice is a rectangular piece of white linen,
worn beneath the alb.
 The alb is a full-length white linen vestment. It
is the vestment common to ministers of every
rank. It symbolizes the garment in which
Christ was clothed by Herod and the purity of
soul with which the sacrifice of the Mass a
surplice instead of an alb. A surplice is a short,
wide leave garment of white linen.
 The cincture is a belt, girdle, or cord tied
around the waist of the alb. It symbolizes
chastity and mortification of the senses.
 The stole is a long, narrow band worn over the
neck. It should never be left off at Mass or
other rites directly connected to the Mass. It
symbolizes the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ and
the dignity of the ministerial priesthood.
 The chasuble is a sleeveless outer garment worn
by the priest at Mass. It is worn over all the other
vestments, and is made of silk or some other rich
material, usually decorated with symbols. It is
patterned after the travelling cloak used by the
ancient Greeks and Romans. Originally, it was a
large circle of cloth with an opening in the center
for the head of the priest. It symbolizes charity,
which must cover all our actions.
 At solemn Masses, the deacon wears a
dalmatic. It is an outer liturgical vestment with
short sleeves, open at the sides and made of the
same material as the vestments of the
celebrant.
 The cope is worn by the priest in procession
and other services.
 The beauty of the vestments should derive
from the materials and design, rather than
lavish ornamentation. Representations on
vestments should consist only of symbols,
images, or pictures portraying the sacred.
Anything not in keeping with sacred is to be
avoided.
 22C) COLORS OF THE LITURGICAL
VESTMENTS
 The colors of the liturgical vestments are meant
to express the specific character of the mysteries
of the faith being celebrated, symbolize
different truth, or convey sentiments.
Customarily, the color of these liturgical
vestments (the chasuble, the dalmatic, and the
stole) is repeated in other items (the chalice veil,
the tabernacle veil, the corporal burse, and even
the frontal of the altar when it is made of cloth).
 The color white is the symbol of purity, majesty,
and glory. It is used on the feats of our Lord, the
Blessed Virgin, and saints who are not martyrs
(pastors, Doctors of the Church, virgins, and holy
men and women in general).
 Red symbolizes love, fire, the blood of martyrdom
and royalty. It is used on Palm Sunday, Good
Friday, Pentecost, The Lord’s Passion and the
feasts of the apostles, evangelists, and martyrs.
 Green symbolizes hope youth, progress, life,
and continuous growth. It is used in Masses of
Ordinary Time.
 Violet symbolizes humility, penance, and
austerity. It is used in lent and Advent. It may
also be used in Masses for the dead.
 Black symbolizes mourning. It may be used in
Masses for the dead.
 Rose lightens the austerity and penitential rigor
of violet. It may be used on the Third Sunday
of Advent and on the Fourth Sunday of lent.
 Light Blue symbolizes our Blessed Mother. It
may be used on her feasts, following the
regulations of the local bishop.
 On solemn occasions, more precious vestments
may be used even if not of the color of the day.
 23. SONGS AND MUSIC
 “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 is form a necessary or integral part of
the solemn liturgy. “Song and music are closely
connected with the liturgical action. The criteria for
their adequate use are the expressive beauty as
prayer, the unanimous participation of the assembly,
and the sacred character of the celebration.
 24. SACRED IMAGES
 A sacred image or liturgical icon primarily represents
Christ; it cannot represent God invisible and
incomprehensible. The Incarnation of the Son of God,
however, has inaugurated a new “economy” of images.

 In other times, God, who did not have body or figure,

could not be represented by an image. But now he has
appeared in the flesh, and has lived among men; thus, I
can make an image of what I have seen of God…with
unveiled face we contemplate the glory of God.
 Christian iconography transcribes the evangelical message,
which the Sacred Scripture transmits through words and
images. Image and word shed light on each other:

 To express briefly our profession of faith, we conserve all the

traditions of the Church, written and unwritten, which have
been transmitted to us without alteration. One of them is the use
of images. This is in accordance with the evangelical history;
we believe that, truly and not merely in appearance, God the
Word became flesh. This is so useful and profitable, because
things that are mutually clarified have without doubt a
reciprocal significance.
 All the symbols of the liturgical celebration refer to
Christ, as do the sacred images of the Most Blessed
Mother of God and the saints. They signify, in
effect, Christ, who is glorified in them. They
manifest the “cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) that
continues participating in the salvation of the world.
We are united to them, above all, in the sacramental
celebration. Through the icons man, the image of
God is finally transfigured in his image (cf. Rom
8:29; Jn 3:2):
 Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers
and tradition of the Catholic Church (since we acknowledge
this tradition to be of the Holy Spirit who dwells in her), we
defined with all exactitude and care that the venerable and
holy images, as well as the image of the precious and life-
giving cross—either painted, in mosaic, or in other suitable
material—should be exposed in the holy churches to God, in
the sacred vessels and ornament, in the walls and in frames, in
houses and in the roads; this includes the images of our Lord
God and Savior Jesus Christ, Our Immaculate lady the Holy
Mother of God, the holy angels, and all saints and the just.
 “The beauty and color of the images inspire my
prayer. It is a feast for my eyes, in the same manner
that the sights of the fields inspire my heart to give
glory to God.” The contemplation of the sacred
images, united to the meditation of the word of God
and the singing of liturgical hymns, forms part of the
harmony of the signs of the celebration. Thus, the
mystery that is celebrated is engraved in the memory
of the heart and then expressed in the new life of the
faithful.