United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

174 • Part II. The Sacraments: The Faith Celebrated

Liturgy of the Hours, in which the whole Church pours out her praise to God, prolongs the Eucharistic celebration, and leads us back to it. Besides offering praise to God, the Church in the Liturgy of the Hours expresses the prayers and desires of the Christian faithful. This is evident especially in the Intercessions at Morning and Evening Prayer, the pray ing of the Our Father, and the concluding prayer. This public prayer of the Church is intended for the whole People of God. In this prayer Christ continues his priestly work and consecrates time. All God’s people can participate in it according to their calling and circumstances. In this prayer, we harmonize our voices with praying hearts, and we come to a more profound understanding of the Psalms and other parts of Scripture that make up the largest part of the Liturgy of the Hours. Even though the Liturgy of the Hours is celebrated in various ways in the Eastern and Latin Churches, the hymns, canticles, and readings from Church Fathers, other saints, and other Church writers offer us a rich meditation on God’s Word. This public prayer prepares us for private prayer. Where Do We Celebrate? In one sense, worship is not confined to any one place, for the whole earth is entrusted to God’s people. But practically, when religious free dom is not suppressed, it is customary to build churches for divine wor ship. A church is “a house of prayer in which the Eucharist is celebrated and reserved, where the faithful assemble, and where is worshiped the presence of the Son of God our Savior” (CCC, no. 1181, citing Second Vatican Council, Decree on Priestly Life and Ministry [ Presbyterorum Ordinis ; PO], no. 5). While the church building is important, the wor shiping community, “living stones built into a spiritual house” (1 Pt 2:4 5), is of greater importance. Nevertheless, church buildings should be dignified enough to reflect the importance of what takes place there. They should be beautiful places that foster prayer and a sense of the sacred.