What does the liturgy of the church include?

Answer 1

Catholic AnswerLiturgy includes above all, the Mass, plus the other sacraments, sacramentals, and the Divine Office, the Breviary, prayed in the name of the church.

from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Liturgy. A public service, duty, or work. In Scripture it refers to the religious duties to be performed by priests and Levites in the Temple, especially those related to the Sacrifice; in Christian use among the Eastern Churches it means the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

In present day usage liturgy is the official public worship of the Church and it thus distinguished from private devotion. It is the special title of the Eucharist, and the administration of the sacraments with the annexed use of the sacramentals.

From a theological viewpoint, the liturgy is the exercise now on earth of Christ's priestly office, as distinct from His role as teacher and ruler of His people. Christ performs this priestly office as Head of His Mystical Body, so that Head and members together offer the sacred liturgy. Its function therefore, is twofold: to give honor and praise to God, which is worship, and to obtain blessings fro the human race, which is sanctification.