What is Liturgical Worship?
Liturgy is the work of the people, the corporate worship of Christians who are the Body of Christ.
When referring to the Liturgy, we refer to that central and ancient part of Christian worship, the Eucharist. This is a corporate action, the Bread broken that it may be Christ in us, and we in Him. In the Chalice we are shared partakers in the Blood of Christ. There is a deep and meaningful unity through Christ’s sacrifice, with other members of the Body of Christ, with Christ himself, and thereby with God the Father.
Our daily Offices are liturgical prayer in light of the Eucharist, but without the Eucharistic sacrifice. Still, it is corporate worship in unity with all who are praying the Offices.
It is sometimes common to hear people say that they are going to read their prayers, or their Offices, or listen to the Mass. That is a convention of speech that does not truly reflect what liturgical worship represents. This convention of speech tends to make the lay person a spectator, not an active participant. In reality, the Liturgy is an action, a work of the people. As such, it would be more proper to understand that all are participants in a Mass. The Bishop celebrates, or leads, the action (or, more commonly, a Priest who has been delegated when the Bishop is not readily available). The Deacons and acolytes serve, again an action. They and the laity are active participants in the Mass, having their own function and responsibilities. These functions are a matter of the various Orders of the Church, each having its own gifts and liturgical rules.
The laity is ordained through Baptism and Confirmation (or Chrismation). They are given grace through Baptism to exercise certain gifts of the Holy Spirit for service to the Body of Christ.
The Deacons are the first level of what are called Holy Orders, that is, men who have been called by God to His specific service in the Church, as seen in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Bishops are a line from the original Apostles. The Priesthood was necessary when the Church grew. Priests have more liturgical functions than the Deacon. However, some functions are reserved exclusively to the Bishop.
Those in Holy Orders are given Grace through the laying on of hands to perform specific liturgical functions. Through Apostolic Succession, there is a continual line from Christ laying His hands on the Apostles, down to the present day, when a Bishop lays his hands on a lay person being Confirmed, or on a Deacon being ordained, or on a Priest being ordained.
One may notice that during the Mass, certain prayers by the Priest are said in a very low voice, other prayers are said in a slightly louder voice, and others said such that all in the congregation may easily hear. That is because some prayers are said by the Priest on his own behalf, some are said by the Priest on behalf of all who serve at the altar, and some are said either for the benefit of, or on behalf of the congregation, or in concert with the congregation. The liturgical responsibilities of each Order during Mass have existed from the very earliest days of the Church.
When you say your personal prayers, or pray the Daily Offices, or attend a Mass, remember that you are involved in corporate worship, and taking an active role in performing those duties of worship. The Eucharist is not valid without both the of the Order of the Laity and those ordained to Holy Orders.
