Prophetic Liturgy

The primary purpose of Prophetic Liturgy is to inquire into the prophetic dimension of the liturgy. Some questions addressed in the book are: How can a liturgy be prophetic? How can liturgy form and transform individuals and communities? In which sense does the liturgy facilitate a living participation in socio-political-economic life? How does the sacramental practice challenge the church to mediate God's gifts of grace, love, justice, and mercy to the world? Possible answers for these questions begin to emerge as we develop an understanding of religious praxis as an active and dynamic prophetic action, in which the community of faith claims its identity, promotes an engaged faithful Christian life, and affirms the sacramental life of the church as a source of formation and inspiration for prophetic praxis, mediating God's gift for the life of the world. There is risk in presenting an option for prophetic praxis, in that it may go beyond the comfort zone of a community and engender spiritual and political alienation. The most challenging ethical hope of this book is to provide the worshiping community with prophetic awareness of socio-economic injustice, while at the same time preserving the community's historical-cultural identity, its religious values, and its sacramental spirituality.

Throughout the year, readers proclaim and assemblies hear the words of the prophets in the liturgy. Who were they and what made them so urgent? This brief but deep and sympathetic introduction to the prophets will help readers proclaim the prophets’ words with more empathy and understanding. It will fascinate Bible study and Scripture sharing groups, and it will help interested assembly members appreciate more fully the meaning of the prophets’ messages—for their audience and for us.

An annual resource for parish ministers, liturgists, pastors, and planning committees, Living Liturgy offers a practical means for reflection on and celebration of Mass for Sundays and solemnities as well as select other days. Living Liturgy integrates spirituality and celebration, catechesis and pastoral practice, the ministry of the assembly and other ministries so that celebrating and living go hand-in-hand. Written by a pastorally experienced team with expertise in Scripture, spiritual direction, liturgy, and liturgical music, Living Liturgy teaches that we learn from each other of the fullness of God's mystery, and by learning and worshiping together we enrich each other. Living Liturgy helps people live a liturgical spirituality. This is a way of living rooted in liturgy, which opens their vision to their baptismal identity as the Body of Christ and shapes their living according to the dying and rising rhythm of the paschal mystery. The paschal mystery is the entire saving mystery of Jesus Christ--his life, mission, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Spirit, and promised second coming--and our participation in this mystery. Liturgy enacts in the here and now Christ's mystery and sends each one of us forth to live this mystery. Anyone involved with liturgical planning and preparation will benefit from using this resource, including pastoral ministers, liturgy directors, musicians, and liturgy committee members. Living Liturgy also assists those who serve the community in the visible liturgical ministries--presiders, deacons, music ministers, hospitality ministers, altar ministers, lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion--because it clearly shows thateach ministry deserves not only practical preparation but, even more important, spiritual preparation. Further, catechumens, candidates, and sponsors use Living Liturgy to support and deepen their liturgical journey within the RCIA. Members of faith-sharing groups use this resource as the focus of weekly prayer and reflection together. Parents and teachers will find that Living Liturgy can be simplified and shared with younger members of the liturgical community.

This is the fifth annual volume of the remarkably popular journal of biblical theology edited by Scott Hahn and his St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. This volume features important new works by Hahn, Brant Pitre, Matthew Levering, and Robert Barron, among others. The issue explores the biblical themes of Church and state; idolatry and power; religion and violence; worship and sacrifice; the Kingdom of God; and the Eucharist. Highlights include Hahn's new essay on the prophetic historiography of 1 and 2 Chronicles; and Pitre's essay on Jesus, the Messianic Banquet, and the Kingdom of God. The journal, which always seeks to reprint classic texts alongside groundbreaking new works, this time includes a new translation of St. Thomas Aquinas' Lectures on 2 Thessaloniansthe first time this work has been translated into English. Also included are an influential work by Louis Bouyer on Satan and Christ in the New Testament and Early Tradition. The volume concludes with a classic homily by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI on the morality of exile.

This book brings Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars from different fields of knowledge and many places across the globe to introduce/expand the dialogue between the field of liturgy and postcolonial/decolonial thinking. Connecting main themes in both fields, this book shows what is at stake in this dialectical scholarship.

Doubts about the contribution of cult-prophetic speech to psalmody remain in debate. Psalms containing first-person divine speech exhibit numerous features and suggest life settings that conform to actual prophetic speech. Alternative explanations lack comparable examples external to psalms. On the other hand, Assyrian cultic prophecies parallel the characteristics of prophetic speech found in psalms. The Assyrian sources support possible composition and performance scenarios that overcome objections raised against the compatibility of genuine prophecy with psalmody. A model of cultic prophecy remains the best explanation for the origin of psalms containing first-person divine speech.

In this volume Floyd presents a complete form-critical analysis of the last six books in the Minor Prophets: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. By looking carefully at the literary genre and internal structure of each book, Floyd uncovers the literary conventions that help shape the composition of these prophetic books in their final form. His approach yields fresh views of how the parts of each book fit together to make up the whole — particularly with respect to Nahum, Haggai, and Malachi — and provides a basis for reconsidering how each book is historically related to the time of the prophet for whom it is named. This work will be useful to scholars because it advances the discussion regarding the holistic reading of prophetic books, and useful to pastors and students because it shows how analysis of literary form can lead to a more profound understanding of the messages of the Minor Prophets.

This book introduces Liturgico-Political Theology, whose bedrock is the reality of the Paschal Mystery of Christ and the fruit it has borne for humanity: salvation. It presents this embrace of theology, liturgy and politics as part of the effects of the Christ Jesus won for humanity in His victorious death on Good Friday. It reiterates the inseparable connection between liturgy and life, in a way that liturgical celebrations do not leave those who take part passive and inactive persons. Hence, proceeding through an hermeneutic study of liturgical orations of various Masses as presented in the Roman Missal, the underlining messages and tasks given to political leaders in particular, and public servants in general, are articulated. They come to realize that the ultimate goal of politicking, is to emulate the selflessness of Jesus in serving humanity.