A liturgy of the Word and the words of the liturgy

These are scripta for a college theology class on the sacraments taught to undergraduate seminarians. This unit discusses the Liturgy.

This article considers two recent debates about the reform of the liturgy in the light of the principle of lex Orandi lex Credendi. Liturgy is important because it nourishes and sustains belief, but a didactic approach to liturgy does not do full justice to the dynamic nature of the liturgy and its relation to the community. It examines the development of the canon of scripture from a phenomenological perspective, as a paradigmatic example of the dynamic relationship between the liturgy and the community. As "full, active and conscious" participants in the liturgy, the faithful also has a part to play in the recognition and acceptance of these reforms.

Antiphon, 2020

In the Christian literature of the Latin West there was a distinct and widespread type of writing that interpreted the liturgy in its broadest sense (sometimes including the space where the liturgy was celebrated) using contemporary methods of scriptural exegesis. It fell from favor in the early modern period, but in recent decades there has been a small revival of interest among scholars in a variety of disciplines. This article aims to assist this new interest by defining the genre of "liturgical interpretation" more closely through attention to its origins, method, history, and theoretical underpinnings. Given the genre's important place in medieval and early modern culture, students of these periods should have an understanding of liturgical interpretation; but it is even possible that the genre's symbolic and flexible mode of thinking about public worship may be able to contribute to future liturgical theologies. 1

Theology, 2015

Bibliotheca Victorina XXIX, 2021

Imbued with the thought of Hugh of St. Victor, though inauthentic, the Speculum Ecclesiae gives both an allegorical and theological explanation of the mysteries of the Church, i.e. the liturgy, the Scriptures and the principal mysteries of the Christian faith. This contribution focuses primarily on the comparison between the Speculum Ecclesiae and the Sententiae de divinitate of Hugh of St. Victor. These two texts share a description of the genera veri, which is not found - except for the Miscellanea - in any other Hugh’s work. But also the question of the senses of scripture, which highlights a singular attempt to reconcile a threefold and a fourfold subdivision that would culminate in the anagogic sense, the highest and most spiritual.

The aim of this p ap e r is to shed light on the question of liturgy from the philosophical view point. We w ill first exam ine it in anthropological p er spective th ro u g h the eyes of Rene G irard an d his m im etic theory, secondly in ontological perspective as opened by existential thought of Dostoyevsky, Sartre an d H eidegger, an d finally in the perspective of the linguistic tu rn as perform ed by h erm eneutics an d philosophy of speech acts. C ontrary to Jam es K. A. Smith, w ho considers m an a "liturgical anim al"1 by nature, w e will presen t the idea that m an is by very n atu re a ritual being and th at he is a liturgical being only inasm uch as reborn in C hrist, w ho is the Incarnate W ord present in liturgy. 1 "We are, u ltim a tely , liturgical an im als b eca u se w e are fu n d am en tally d esir in g crea tures. We are w h a t w e lo v e, and ou r lo v e is sh ap ed , p rim ed , and aim ed by liturgical practi-Ces that take h o ld o f ou r g u t and aim o u r heart to certain en d s. [...] W e are m ore con cretely hom o liturgicus; h u m a n s are th o se a n im als that are relig io u s a n im als n o t b eca u se w e are Primarily b e liev in g a n im a ls b u t b eca u se w e are prim arily b e lie v in g an im als b u t b eca u se w e are liturgical a n im a ls -em b o d ie d , practicing creatu res w h o se lo v e /d e sir e is aim ed at so m e thing ultim ate". J. K. A. Sm ith, D esiring the kingdom: worship, w orldview , and cultural form ation, Grand R apids, M ich. 2009, p. 40. I R ob ert P e tk o v š e k CM

Most churches with a regular liturgical pattern of worship face falling numbers and a sense among those participating that the Liturgy of the Word / Ministry of the Word does not 'work'. This paper looks at some of the underlying theological issues of such a liturgy. It was the J.D. Crichton Memorial Lecture for 2015. It appeared in Music and Liturgy 41/3(2016)27-38

2001

In his apostolic constitution defining the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, Pope Pius XII states that "the liturgy of the Church does not engender the Catholic faith, but rather springs from it, in such a way that the practices of the sacred worship proceed from the faith as the fruit comes from the tree." 1 Such a notion, apart from the context, sounds reasonable to many contemporary Christians. As the recent liturgical reforms have proceeded throughout the churches, there has been a liturgical ressourcement that has kept pace with the similar "return to the sources" in theological disciplines. The theological articulation of the churches has itself been reviewed and reformed, through ecumenical encounter and conciliar reflection. The liturgical reform movement has reflected the considerable rapprochement of the churches. From an ecumenical perspective, one can appreciate the great advances towards Christian unity that have been made visible through the liturgical reforms.

Studia Liturgica, 2019

The relationship between scripture and Christian liturgy is one that was discussed and assumed in much of the liturgical and ecumenical literature in the twentieth century. The majority of that work focused on the use of the Bible within liturgical rites in general and not within the text of specific liturgical rites. This article is a constructive proposal of a comprehensive taxonomy to describe all the possible ways that a liturgical text can appropriate scripture as a source. Such attention to the ways biblical texts and exegesis are reflected in euchological texts not only has the potential to provide clarity on how the early Christians related to the Bible in general and within their liturgical rites. It may also provide an additional source for answering questions about the dating and provenance of particular rites by identifying the overlap with strains of patristic exegesis, for which we possess significant evidence.

International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church, 2021

The study deals with the question of how liturgical theology, articulating the close interconnections between liturgy and church, can contribute to a contemporary theory of church. It works with reflections on the church as expressed by two Protestant theologians, the American liturgical theologian Gordon W. Lathrop (1939) and the Czech practical theologian Pavel Filipi (1936–2015). The main theses of this study are that liturgy is a place where the joint vision of the church is formed, with the help of biblical imagination. Therefore, the perspective of liturgical theology can be beneficial for contemporary studies of churches, especially as they consider church reforms. This perspective reminds us of the theological view on the substance, function, and mission of the church in the contemporary world.

To immerse oneself in Dom Dix " s magisterial The Shape of the Liturgy 1 is a holy experience. The work indeed is imposing, and no doubt many students, upon looking at its thick binding, small print, and 752 pages, trembled before it like the children of Israel before Mount Sinai. However, if we let him, this scholarly monk will take us to sacred places no one else can, even into the very primal beginnings of our Christian faith. It is true that he is an academician and is very careful in his analysis of countless documents in various antiquated languages, but his heart is touched with the fire of God, and this lightens the potential heaviness of his topic. In fact, at times he is absolutely inspired, inviting us who persevere with him into hidden places and moments clouded by ancient mists, bringing us before the very altars of the saints who first experienced the holy Eucharist with the Apostles. Having said this, it is acknowledged that not everyone, for one reason or other, is able to plow through these dense pages. I thought it might be helpful to write a synopsis of the book, not only for the sake of those who might benefit from it, but also for my own sake to clarify in my own thinking what the great liturgist is trying to say. It must be carefully noted by the reader that I am not a liturgist and that I make no claim to follow fully all the subtle arguments that run through the work. I would gladly accept corrections by any who are acquainted with the book. It is my hope that after reading this, some might be motivated to read this mighty classic for themselves.