Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
	Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Christians share a love for the Byzantine liturgy because it is during the Eucharist that the Church is most true to its identity, expresses its integrity, and discovers its vocation. Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Christians celebrate essentially the identical liturgy, with only very slight variations. It is a fairly complex ritual weaving together three separate layers of prayers: a liturgy prayed in the sanctuary by priests, often hidden by a curtain or screen; a liturgy sung by the assembly and led by a deacon in front of a screen formed of painted icons; and a third layer of private prayer by the priest, who prays in support of the deacon and the faithful. It is an eyes-wide-open experience, gorgeous in visuals, and filled with the sound of God’s people singing prayer. The energy of the worship centers on the presence of Christ, largely through an awareness of heaven touching earth when the Church gathers to celebrate.
	In the late twentieth century, Latin Rite Catholics were encouraged to embrace a style of worship that was “full, conscious, and active,” a value that has never been lost in the East. The liturgy has great impact in its beauty, in its poetry and contemplation, and by the actions of bowing, signing with the cross, and chanting that are required of the assembly. Contact with the Eastern Church reveals some key values that have been obscured in our own Church and are slowly being recovered.
—James Field