Theology Of The Liturgy

This major volume is a collection of the writings of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) on the theology of the Liturgy of the Church, a subject of preeminence to him as a theologian, professor and spiritual writer. It brings together all his writings on the subject, short and long, giving his views on liturgical matters and questions over many years and from various perspectives. He chose to have his writings on the Liturgy for the first volume published of his collected works (though listed as vol. 11) because, as he says in the Introduction: "The liturgy of the Church has been for me since my childhood the central reality of my life, and it became the center of my theological efforts. I chose fundamental theology as my field because I wanted first and foremost to examine thoroughly the question: Why do we believe? But also included from the beginning in this question was the other question of the right response to God and, thus, the question of the liturgy." By starting with the theme of liturgy in this volume, Ratzinger wants to highlight God's primacy, the absolute precedence of the theme of God. Beginning with a focus on the liturgy, he said, tells us that "God is first". He quotes from the Rule of St. Benedict, "Nothing is to be preferred to the liturgy", as a way of ordering priorities for the life of the Church and of every individual. He says that the fundamental question of the man who begins to understand himself correctly is: How must I encounter God? Thus learning the right way of worshipping is the gift par excellence that is given to us by the faith. The essential purpose of his writings on the liturgy is to place the liturgy in its larger context, which he presents in three concentric circles. First, the intrinsic interrelationship of Old and New Testament; without the connection to the Old Testament heritage, the Christian liturgy is incomprehensible. The second circle is the relationship to the religions of the world. The third circle is the cosmic character of the liturgy, which is more than the coming together of a circle of people: the liturgy is celebrated in the expanse of the cosmos, encompassing creation and history at the same time.

Bad worship produces bad theology, and bad theology produces an unhealthy church. In Liturgical Theology, Simon Chan issues a call to evangelicals to develop a mature theology of the church--an ecclesiology that is grounded in the church's identity as a worshiping community. Evangelicals, he argues, are confused about the meaning and purpose of the church in part because they have an inadequate understanding of Christian worship. As a remedy for this ailment, Chan presents a coherent theology of the church that pays particular attention to the liturgical practices that have constituted Christian worship throughout the centuries. With a seasoned eye and steady hand, he guides the reader through these practices and unpacks their significance for theology, spirituality and the renewal of evangelicalism in the postmodern era. Chan's proposal advances the conversation among evangelicals regarding the relationship between theology and worship. In contrast to some theologians who have tended to emphasize a sociological analysis, Chan argues that we need to consider what is essential to the church's theological identity. Drawing on the larger Christian tradition, Chan argues that we discover that identity primarily in the structure and significance of Christian worship.

Are liturgy and prayer important in an age of political crisis and the technological manipulation of human life? Yes, declares Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Genuine worship of God involves the sacred liturgy and prayer. Only if man authentically worships God will true human dignity be protected, and the principles and the power to resolve the crises of our age be found. The Feast of Faith sets our to answer one basic question: How can we pray and praise God as we should? Written before Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope, this timeless book reflects enduring and inspirational insights regarding divine worship and the sacred liturgy.

'Liturgical Theology' is often a convenient label for any theology that has loosely to do with worship or Eucharist. In this innovative book, David Fagerberg distinguishes liturgical theology from a general theology of worship. He proposes two defining attributes of liturgical theology: (1) 'ex orandi': It is manifested in the Church's historical rites.(2) 'theologia prima': It is theology done by the liturgical community. In straightforward, clear, concise language, he dilates our definition of liturgy:Liturgy is the trysting place of truth, beauty, and goodness. Christ is the premiere liturgist, and baptism summons apprentices to his labor. Liturgy is our place of steadfast encounter with God. By this understanding, liturgical theology can be adequately defined:Liturgy is the faith of the Church in motion, and as such is the basis of the Church's 'lex credendi'. To see liturgical theology (to witness lex orandi), one must go to the deep structures of the rite. Liturgical asceticism gives us the capacity to participate in the liturgical response. The subject matter of this book is how the liturgical assembly makes theological adjustment to its encounter with God. Liturgical theology is therefore the basis for all theology, whether done by a believer in the pew, a monk in the cell, or an academic in the study. 'Theologia Prima: What Is Liturgical Theology?' is a thorough revision of Dr. Fagerberg's groundbreaking 'What Is Liturgical Theology?' (The Liturgical Press, 1992). It has been reorganized for easier reference and contains new examples as well as more anecdotal material derived from Dr. Fagerberg's extensive experience as a teacher and theologian.

The author has tried to define liturgical theology, noting especially its progress beyond liturgics, the study and comparison of texts, and showing how the dynamic realism of the Eucharistic liturgy has been often obscured in popular liturgical piety. These themes are developed in reference to the Ordo or shape of worship as it evolved in the Orthodox Church, from the very earliest years down to the 'crystallization' of worship in Byzantine Orthodoxy in the ninth-twelfth centuries.

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.

“I am increasingly convinced that the decisive question that demands an answer from us is not so much how believers experience the liturgy, but whether believers live from the liturgy they celebrate.”With these few words Goffredo Boselli captures the essence of this present work.Believers can celebrate the liturgy throughout their lifetimes without ever really drawing their lives from it. And this is true of all believers—laity, clergy, or monastics. More than a century after the start of the liturgical movement and half a century after the start of the postconciliar liturgical reform, we must ask the difficult question of whether the liturgy has or has not become the source of the spiritual life of believers. For only by living from the liturgy can they receive the nourishment necessary to maintain a life of faith in today’s world.In The Spiritual Meaning of the Liturgy, Goffredo Boselli—one of Europe’s foremost liturgical theologians—offers an accessible and important guide for both scholars and interested laypeople to understand the meaning that permeates the liturgy and its implications for daily living. Readers will find here a resource to help understand the liturgy more fully, interiorize it more effectively, and live it more authentically.

Nearly everything that theologians write on liturgy, Father Kavanagh notes, is often called liturgical theology, although on closer examination such works appear to be either dogmatic theologies about the liturgy or systematic theologies making use of liturgical data. None truly reflects how liturgy shapes theology or is theology or even relates to theology. This work is Father Kavanagh's effort to substantiate the existence of a truly liturgical theology. It will raise almost as many questions as it answers, but it will also further insight into theology and liturgy as it assays their relationship.