Liturgy As Revelation

This volume argues that in the twentieth century, Catholic theology increasingly recognized the centrality of Christologyparticularly the person of Christas the locus of revelation and drew out the crucial implications for that which occurs within the space of liturgy and the sacraments. Examining the specific contributions of Ren Latourelle, Avery Dulles, Salvatore Marsilli, and Gustave Martelet against a background of pre-conciliar ressourcement theology, this volume provides a comprehensive account of why a Trinitarian and Christological construal of liturgy and sacraments as revelation is key to the vision that informed Vatican II and offers constructive theological and ecclesial possibilities for the future.

"An exploration of the Book of Revelation as a celebration of the perennial and ongoing effects of Jesus' death and resurrection"--

The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

How can we do dogmatics when there is an absolute difference between the Creator and the creature? God is literally indescribable: "not-able-to-be-written-down." We dare not say anything about God without his permission. We receive this permission in the liturgy that he has given us to celebrate. God is incomprehensible, but he is not unapproachable. What cannot be fully comprehended by dogma can be approached when we liturgize God. Here God has given us access to himself, encourages our advance, attracts our deepest selves, elevates our natural desire, and amplifies our longing. But he must be approached correctly, and this is also taught us in liturgy. What knowledge cannot fasten together, love can unite. There is a movement occurring between God and his children, and this divine economy is the subject matter of dogmatics. It is also exactly the definition of liturgy that this work assumes. Liturgy is the perichoresis of the Holy Trinity kenotically extended to invite our synergistic ascent into deification. The Trinity's circulation of love turns itself outward, and in humility the Son and Spirit work the Father's good pleasure for all creation, which is to invite our ascent into participation in the very life of God, which consists of glory, love, beatitude. All chapter topics in this volume are subdivisions of this single story stretching from alpha to omega, and they all turn out to be liturgical verities. What dogma stammers to state, liturgy celebrates in mystical participation. Liturgical Dogmatics therefore examines dogma in light of liturgy. The whole sweeping, saving activity of God, as described by dogma, is the subject of this book.

As seen on EWTN, bestselling author Scott Hahn unveils the mysteries of the Mass, offering readers a deeper appreciation of the most familiar of Catholic rituals. Of all things Catholic, there is nothing that is so familiar as the Mass. With its unchanging prayers, the Mass fits Catholics like their favorite clothes. Yet most Catholics sitting in the pews on Sundays fail to see the powerful supernatural drama that enfolds them. Pope John Paul II described the Mass as "Heaven on Earth," explaining that what "we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy." The Lamb’s Supper reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: The early Christians' key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament Book of Revelation. With its bizarre imagery, its mystic visions of heaven, and its end-of-time prophecies, Revelation mirrors the sacrifice and celebration of the Eucharist. Beautifully written, in clear direct language, bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn's new book will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before.

Perhaps no book in the history of the world has been as misunderstood and misappropriated as the Book of Revelation. Those people versed in the methods of scholarly interpretation (exegesis) may understand the symbolism of this work, but what about the general reader? How is he or she to know whether this book is being soundly interpreted or misinterpreted? Father Chapman writes for the general reader, for the many who need to understand the truth of The Message of the Book of Revelation -both its historical message and its message for Christians today. He explains, phrase by phrase, in clear, direct terms what has been learned about the genre of writings called apocalyptic literature - of which Revelation is a part - and how that knowledge can be properly used to interpret the images and symbols of Revelation. Faithful to the teaching of the Church, this explanation of Revelation "reveals" this biblical book to be an inspiring, hope-filled, poetic portrayal of the triumph of Christ and his followers over the powers of evil. The Rev. Charles T. Chapman, Jr., was raised and educated as a Southern Baptist. He joined the Episcopal Church in 1980 and was ordained priest in 1987. He holds degrees from Union University and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with further training at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. With Bible teaching and writing among his principle interests, Fr. Chapman offers this commentary in the hopes that reason and scholarship can shed light on a biblical work where baseless, extravagant imagination has long cast its shadow.

Full of awesome and gruesome scenes that seem to provoke more fear than faith, the Book of Revelation is often read as a roadmap through the doom and gloom of the end time. Correctly understood, however, this grand finale of the New Testament is aloud and clear call to conversion as well as a message of hope and consolation for Christians of every age. Catherine Cory carefully explains the variety of Visions that unfold in kaleidoscopic fashion throughout the book. Scenes from the Old Testament form collages that convey the central theme; namely, that God is in control and evil is being conquered. The breathtaking conclusion resounds with God's promise, Behold, I make all things new." Cory's lucid style reveals the true message of the Book of Revelation. Catherine Ann Cory, PhD, is an associate professor in the theology department, at the University of Saint Thomas, St.Paul, Minnesota.

This is no book for biblical beginners, and one suspects it is a work more often misinterpreted than correctly understood. Unless a person is extraordinarily familiar with all the rest of Holy Scripture, understanding very much of the Book of Revelation will be an extremely arduous task. Since the book s arcane symbolism is so rich and subtle, Christian humility will especially prompt the devout reader to be more than usually careful and tentative in his study of it, bearing in mind that the book s purpose is not to satisfy our curiosity about the final times (inasmuch as not even the angels in heaven and therefore certainly no one on earth truly know the day and hour, as our Lord insisted in the Gospels) but to summon our ongoing repentance. Fr Patrick Henry Reardon argues that the Book of Revelation is “liturgical prophecy.” Like the prophets of old, it is not a work of theological abstraction, but grounded in particular historical realities: it is only timeless by being timely. Revelation conveys the call to repentance in all times with equal immediacy. Likewise, the Apocalypse is liturgical. The vision begins during the Sunday liturgy, and it conveys the profound meaning of Christian worship. When Christians gather together in the liturgy, they do not escape from the painful history of the world. On the contrary, they go to the very source of that history, the eternal throne of God. Surrounded by the seeming chaos of the world and the events of men, threatened by social and political forces dominated by the direction of hell, Christians are strengthened by John’s vision of their worship being assumed into the very worship that takes place before God’s throne.