Liturgical reform has often been described as "the most tangible outcome" of the Second Vatican Council. Emerging from a long process of liturgical reflection within the Church that began in the nineteenth century, this reform was conceived with the explicit aim of promoting greater participation of the faithful in liturgical life. Accordingly, it entailed extensive modifications to ritual practice as a whole, particularly with regard to the Eucharist. More fundamentally, however, it required a concerted effort to involve the entire "People of God" in a "Christian mystery" that had previously been largely reserved to the clergy. This process affected the celebration of all the sacraments and brought about a redefinition of the role of the priest in relation to the lay faithful, as well as a reconsideration of the various ecclesial functions that laypersons could assume. From a broader perspective, liturgical reform constituted a significant rethinking of the roles of the Church's hierarchical members and of the relationships among them and with the wider body of the faithful. Consequently, it also reshaped the modes and spheres of Catholic action in the period following the Council. These dynamics, which have perhaps received limited attention from historians, are nonetheless crucial for understanding both change and continuity within the Church since the Second Vatican Council. Given that liturgical celebration occupies a central place in the life of the Church, the implications of its reform represent a key dimension in the management of the tension between the fundamental equality of the Christian vocation and the structural inequality inherent in hierarchical ecclesiastical functions.