Liturgy

Liturgy (Greek: Λειτουργία) is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions.

The word, sometimes rendered by its English translation "service", may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy (Greek: Θεία λειτουργία) and Catholic Mass, or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish services. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy is a communal response to the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication, or repentance. Ritualization may be associated with life events such as birth, coming of age, marriage and death. It thus forms the basis for establishing a relationship with a divine agency, as well as with other participants in the liturgy. Methods of dress, preparation of food, olication of cosmetics or other hygienic practices are all considered liturgical activities.

The familiar sense of the word is an extension of the technical term in ancient Greek, leitourgia, signifying the often expensive offers of service to the people, and thus to the polis and the state. Through the leitourgia the rich carried a financial burden and were correspondingly rewarded with honours. The leitourgia became both mandatory and honorific, supporting the patron's standing among the elite. The holder of a Hellenic leitourgia was not taxed a specific sum, but entrusted with a particular ritual, which could be performed with greater or lesser magnificence. The chief sphere remained that of civic religion, embodied in the festivals: M.I. Finley notes "in Demosthenes' day there were at least 97 liturgical appointments in Athens for the festivals, rising to 118 in a (quadrennial) Panathenaic year." Eventually, under the Roman Empire, such obligations, known as Monera, devolved into a competitive and ruinously expensive burden that was not avoided^{[clarification needed]} when possible.

Saudi Arabia may be in for a nasty shock when Obama steps down

Edit The Independent 22 Apr 2016

Foreign leaders visiting King Salman of Saudi Arabia have noticed that there is a large flower display just in front of the 80-year-old monarch ... Of course, King Salman is not the only world leader past or present whose inability to cope has been artfully concealed by aides and courtiers ... ....

photo: Creative Commons / Jimieye

File - Prince performing during his Nude Tour in Ireland, 1990.

Prince: postmortem to be held after death of singer

Edit The Guardian 22 Apr 2016

Star who sold 100m records during rich and unpredictable career found collapsed at Paisley Park home outside Minneapolis. A postmortem examination will take place on Friday on the body of Prince, who died at his Paisley Park home aged 57, leaving behind him a gaping hole in musical genres as diverse as R&B, rock, funk and pop ... “Yes, it’s Prince” when asked if he was with the person ... Sorry, your browser is unable to play this video ... ....

photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster

From left, Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said, Saudi Arabia's King Salman, U.S. President Barack Obama and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa participate in the Leaders Photo with these and other Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at the Diriyah Palace during the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 21, 2016.

Arc Of Moral Universe Doesn’t Bend Towards Riyadh, Let Alone Washington D.C.

Edit WorldNews.com 22 Apr 2016

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling President Barack Obama’s conciliatory pilgrimage to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, doesn’t necessarily mean “the arc of the moral universe that is long and bends towards justice” curves towards Riyadh, let alone Washington DC ... In fact, Saudi leaders are using Washington’s petroleum dollars to fund their own extreme brand of militant Islam, Wahhabism, and to combat Iran’s Islamic Republic....

photo: Creative Commons / Antti Havukainen

MS Gabriella in Kustaamiekka strait, Helsinki.MS Gabriella is a cruise ferry sailing on a route connecting Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden for Viking Line.

Cuba reversal appears to clear way for Carnival cruise

Edit CNN 22 Apr 2016

Havana, Cuba (CNN)The Cuban government said it would scrap a long-standing ban on letting people born in Cuba come to the island by cruise ship, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported Friday. The change in policy appears to remove barriers to the first visit by a U.S. cruise ship to the island scheduled for next month. The Carnival Cruise Corp ... Obama calls for change and freedom in Cuba. JUST WATCHED ... Replay ... ....

photo: AP

This undated file photo shows al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

Journalist Says Saudis Paid Pakistan To Hide Bin Laden From Americans

Edit WorldNews.com 21 Apr 2016

because the Saudis didn’t want the Americans to interrogate him.“The money was from the government … what the Saudis were doing, so I’ve been told, by reasonable people (I haven’t written this) is that they were also passing along tankers of oil for the Pakistanis to resell ... They were very unhappy about the attention paid to that because they went in and it was just a hit,” Hersh said ... That was the plan,” Hersh said....

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A day in the park to promote vocations (Diocese of Camden)

Edit Public Technologies 22 Apr 2016

(Source. Diocese of Camden). On a sun-filled, cloudless day, faithful of all ages filled Washington Lake Park in Sewell on Sunday 17 for the fifth annual iRace 4 Vocations ... The day began with a 1 p.m ... After the liturgy, participants took part in the 5K run/1.3 mile walk ... Bishop Dennis Sullivan distributes Communion to the faithful on the lawn of Washington Lake Park April 17 during the liturgy for the iRace4Vocations ... After the 1 p.m....

Spreading the Lord’s message through music (Diocese of Camden)

Edit Public Technologies 22 Apr 2016

(Source. Diocese of Camden) ... Visiting Notre Dame de la Mer Parish in Wildwood you are able to witness this effect before your eyes when the Spiewak family is there ... 'The people love when they see the Spiewak family at one of our liturgies,' Father Wallace said ... When she was 2 years old she stood next to her mom at Mass, grabbed the microphone, and belted out the songs with her parents during the liturgy that day ... Written by Siobhan M....

Men and boys have role in fight for gender justice (The Anglican Communion)

Edit Public Technologies 22 Apr 2016

(Source. The Anglican Communion) ... ... And they called too for an exploration of 'how liturgies, contextual Bible study and existing ministries such as preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage can serve in the promotion of right relationship and intergenerational teaching about the God-given dignity and status of all persons.' ... Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 22 April 2016 12.17.01 UTC. Original Document ... (noodl....

Cardinal Wuerl Celebrates Mass for Life to Promote the Gospel Teaching on the Sanctity of Life (Archdiocese of Washington)

Edit Public Technologies 22 Apr 2016

(Source. Archdiocese of Washington). Thursday, April 21, 2016 ... Cardinal Wuerl began his homily by reminding the faithful that every liturgy, which all gathered are a part of, 'speaks to us.' He continued, 'At every Mass the Word of God is announced so that we can hear that Word and seek to have it form our lives. What does God say to us? What does the Word of God, announced in this Liturgy, say to us tonight?' ... What is it you choose?'....

Where Did We Come From?

Edit National Geographic News 22 Apr 2016

Where did we come from? What happened “in the beginning”? Humanity’s first question remains one of its most intensely debated ... Morgan Freeman tackles these questions and more in the new episode of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, airing Sunday April 24 at 9/8c. Several Patheos.com bloggers provide their thoughts on the topic of Creation ... Watch Related. Street Spirituality ... And the great words of liturgy still have power ... ....