Liturgy And Ethics

Departing from the Reformed tradition and its potential to contribute to the discussion about the connection between liturgy and ethics, this volume offers in-depth studies in how to understand God’s acting in worship, the centrality of justice, and the formative meaning of the liturgy.

This reference work incorporates the insights and expertise of leading liturgists and scholars of liturgy at work today, comprising 200 entries on important topics in the field, from vestments and offertories to ordination and divine unction. It is systematically organized and alphabetically arranged for ease of use. It also includes comprehensive bibliographies and reading lists, to bring the work fully up to date and to encourage further reading and research

The topics examined in this book include the development of 'virtue morality' and its practice in today's Catholic Church; tensions between local churches and the universal church; and the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments.

Liturgical theologian Don Saliers published an essay in 1979 challenging both the Church's and the theological academy's understanding of the relationship of liturgy and ethics. "Liturgy and the Moral Self" features Saliers' provocative essay, an introductory chapter, and sections on liturgical theology, the formation of character, and words and music--each with a single-page introduction to the chapters that follow.

What motivates practice of the liturgy and sacramental rites of the church? Does the worship of God begin and end within each ritual enactment, or does the truth and value of sacramental celebration reside in the broader context of Christian life in church and society? For more than two decades, prominent Jesuit sacramental-liturgical theologian Bruce Morrill has explored the promise and problems inherent in the Second Vatican Council’s call to renew liturgy’s basic purpose—namely, the glorification of God and the sanctification of people. Morrill’s fundamental argument is that this ancient Christian principle is of a piece, that divine glory and human holiness are, so to speak, two sides of a single coin. The value of liturgy and sacraments is depleted, if not lost, unless they function within a holistic practice of faith that seeks the upbuilding of ethical lives, personal and social. With numerous real-life examples plus references to current sociological studies, the chapters address both modern challenges to and biblical and traditional resources for the celebration of sacramental rites today.

"In this companion volume to God with Us: Critical Issues in Christian Life and Faith, Fr. John Breck continues his exploration of the ethical and moral dilemmas facing believers who live in the flesh but not for the flesh." "Throughout the book, a "holy eros," a longing for God, intersects the mundane and transfigures the ordinary, directing our gaze toward the Love we long to know beyond all else. Fr. John refracts common perceptions - media messages, politically charged statements, and even religious suppositions - through a lens that takes account of the Crucified and Risen Lord."--BOOK JACKET.