The Forgotten Connection Between Liturgy and Theology

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.

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

Mitropolia Olteniei, 2016

In this critical paper, I will outline some remarks in connection with one of the most well-known concepts of Orthodox mission developed in the ecumenical framework. More precisely, this concept is summarized by the expression liturgy after the Liturgy. The structure of the present study and its aims are as follow. Because I already nominated the Orthodox theologian Ion Bria, I will shortly present his biography. I think that very often we write/read theology without connecting the author with his ideas. The second part of the paper will be focused on the historicalcontext of the modern ecumenical movement, context in which our theologian developed his ideas and promoted this concept of liturgy after the Liturgy. Secondly, I will explain how this concept came into existence. The most important aim in this section is to establish the author or authors of this concept. It is to be understood that the paternity of the idea is not clear, as such, I will go back to the sources in order to clarify this misunderstanding. The last but not least part of this study will be concerning the principal theological ideas of this typology of mission. In view of the historical elements I will outline some reflections in connection with this concept which can be used for our problems within the Churches. It is my inner belief that if we understand the idea of this expression of the liturgy after the Liturgy our missionary/pastoral activity will have a better application.

Philosophy Compass, 2018

In this article, I summarise recent philosophical work on the philosophy of liturgy. In part 1 of this article, I consider how liturgy can provide a way of acting. I outline the importance of a liturgical script for enacting a liturgy, as well discussing the role of the body in acting liturgically. I conclude by considering the corporate dimension of liturgical action.

2001

For us Christians, the communities of the disciples of Jesus, all liturgy must be an encounter with him and his prayer to the Father. This is the mysterium constituting our liturgy: it is not a matter of imposed rites performed as a matter of obeying divine commands nor fulfilling the demands of the virtue of religion. This is the reality of anamnesis echoing in the words 'do this in memory of me', which encounters the presence of the Father's Anointed among us: it is not a matter of repetitious imitation. This is our re-hearing the Scriptures which, through the Spirit, lead us into the truth: it is neither attention to, nor study of, a set of sacral 'spiritual' texts. Indeed, such is our liturgy's nature that we often describe it as the encounter hodie with the One we confess as incarnate: the Christ is the sacrament of our encounter with God; and the encounter's privileged moment is the liturgy. As such, the liturgy takes place within the creation and addresses the Father from the creation: it is must not be seen as an esoteric activity. Over 60 years after Pope Pius XII's encyclical Mediator Dei, this view of the liturgy is hardly new; and, indeed it should be a moment of thankfulness for Catholics, that the 'Liturgical Movement' which took official form with Pius and inspired those who worked for the reforms of Vatican II, is now having an influence far beyond the bounds of Catholicism. But if this theological position-the encounter with the liturgy is a moment in the incarnation of the Lord-is widely accepted when we think abstractly of liturgy'; does it inform our practice, the actual way we celebrate liturgy?

Liturgia Sacra, 2019

The Church and the Liturgy in the Contemporary World In the contemporary world, when we talk about liturgy and people, we are faced with a potentially complex issue. Both the people and the liturgy, two essential subjects of this work, present a whole wealth of meanings that cannot be exhausted in a simple way. When we talk about liturgy, we should put questions about its theological content or about the various forms by which it is celebrated. Similarly, when we try to look at its participants, i.e. the people, we should scrutinize the diversity of their age, their mentality and their maturity of faith of faith (or lack thereof). This paper is an attempt to indicate certain intuitions that will allow us to look at more specific points of contact between contemporary culture and the liturgy. For this reason, this study will outline the cultural context in which modern people live. Following this line, we will also try to look at the inadequacy of certain pastoral forms that we can observe in regular pastoral activities. Such a perspective will allow us to highlight important features that belong to the nature of the liturgical celebration. Among them, we will list those points that correspond to the content, form and participants of the liturgy. Pytanie o kształt celebracji liturgicznej często powraca w dyskusji pastoralnej. Odpowiedzi jednak, które prowokuje, nie zawsze wynikają z refleksji, która uwzględniałaby zarówno kontekst kulturowy, jak i wymiar teologiczny liturgii. Niniejszy artykuł jest próbą takiego poszukiwania odpowiedzi na pytanie o liturgię we współczesnym świecie, które uwzględniałoby zarówno aktualną kulturę i właściwą mu mentalność, nie pomijając zarazem tego, co istotne dla celebrowanego misterium. Wobec tego, w artykule zostaje zarysowana charakterystyka współczesnej epoki i jej wpływ na myślenie kościelne. Dopiero na tak zarysowanym tle przedstawione jest to, co wydaje się dzisiaj nieodzowne dla celebracji, a co wynika z samej jej treści teologicznej: bezinteresowność, wolność, piękno i witalność.

Philosophy Compass, 2018

In this article, I summarise recent philosophical work on the philosophy of liturgy. In part 2 of this article, I consider how liturgy can provide a way of knowing God personally. I outline accounts of acquiring phenomenal-knowledge, practical-knowledge and propositionalknowledge by participating in liturgy.

Roczniki Teologiczne

REV. BOGUSŁAW MIGUT * THE LITURGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THEOLOGY A b s t r a c t. An important help in finding the right place for the liturgy in theology and the manner of practicing theology is the new document of the Congregation for the Clergy The Gift of the Priestly Vocation. Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis issued on December 16, 2016. This document provides a new order for the subjects taught in seminaries. Sacred Scripture is put in the first place as the soul of theology (Dei Verbum 24). It is followed immediately by the study of the sacred liturgy, which "must be considered a fundamental discipline." This is because Scripture and the liturgy constitute a living theology, meaning that they are the first and primary locus for all of theology. The fact that the liturgy immediately follows Sacred Scripture is also influenced by a new, in-depth understanding of the liturgy found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and among contemporary theologians (J. Corbon, A.M. Triacca, A. Schmemann, J. Ratzinger) and a deeper connection of the liturgy with Divine Revelation and its transmission. The author of the article recognizes the particular significance of liturgical theology focused on the joint presentation of the three components of the liturgy, which are the salvific mystery of God, the liturgical celebration and the Christian life. Liturgical theology can be done from the perspective of each of these elements of the liturgy (Mysterium-Actio-Vita). Liturgical theology is the most perfect fulfillment of the liturgical perspective of theology.

Igwebuike: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2018

The worship of God connects the material with the spiritual sphere. It also presents human beings with the opportunity of relating with God in a more profound manner. For Christians, the finest expression of faith is found in the liturgy especially the celebration of Holy Mass. However, many Catholics are yet to understand the Eucharist as communication. This paper, " An Appraisal of Liturgy as Communication " examined the matter using the qualitative method of study. It discovered that from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Holy Mass is essentially a communication between human beings and God. The study recommended active participation, reverential disposition and effective-communication with God as recipes. It concluded that understanding Liturgy as Communication is crucial to appreciating the Eucharist more and the interaction that flows from that act of worship which is directed to God who alone is worshipped and glorified.