9th International Congress on the Liturgy - S Anselmo

[musicus]

Sounds like reductio ad absurdum to me.

[NorthernTenor]

Sounds like reductio ad absurdum to me.

Only for those who wish it to be, Musicus [cf my remarks above on elements of both houses].

[JW]

If they are talking about "Intra-Catholic ecumenism" and the old rite being an "ecumenical bridge", would it be an idea to have an ordinariate for old rite adherents?

As has been pointed out here very often, the Church has historically accepted a variety of rites and it could be that Pope Benedict would not be totally averse to creating more. The essential thing is for folk to be happy within their branch of the Catholic Church and to allow variety in liturgy, so long as it adheres to generally acceptable norms for Divine Worship.

I often feel that, for some, there is too much preoccupation with liturgy in the Church and not enough preoccupation with saving souls!

[Calum Cille]

I often feel that, for some, there is too much preoccupation with liturgy in the Church and not enough preoccupation with saving souls!

What else can we expect, with documents producing an oft-quoted catch-phrase such as the following.

"Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows."

Well, that scuppers religious art which isn't intended for the liturgy; obviously well-intended but misdirected "toward" God instead of the liturgy. And I thought love of God and neighbour was what it was all about, not love of singing qadosh, qadosh, qadosh in heaven. People from other denominations please feel free to chip in.

There is a problem with viewing all "Church" activity as aimed "toward" liturgy. Healing is obviously only to be accomplished primarily for the sake of liturgy, not primarily out of love for the person, as the person is evidently created for the sake of liturgical activity, not merely for a life with God. The rite of marriage is likewise an end or summit in itself. In my view, the quoted sentence is one of the most inadvised quotable statements ever sanctioned, presenting, as it does, the liturgy as "a/the summit", rather than presenting a "share in His own blessed life" as a/the summit. It could have been so different.

"Nevertheless the liturgy is" an essential "activity of the Church" "directed" "toward" making "man" "share in His own blessed life". "The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church" which includes "all the works of charity, piety, and the apostolate". "It is by what they have done for the poor that Jesus Christ will recognize his chosen ones" rather than by whatever liturgy they actively participate in.

[mcb]

There is a problem with viewing all "Church" activity as aimed "toward" liturgy.

Maybe the important thing is to consider liturgy not just in the sense of an earthly event, but also the heavenly one. Perhaps the Catechism gets us a bit further? -

1110 In the liturgy of the Church, God the Father is blessed and adored as the source of all the blessings of creation and salvation with which he has blessed us in his Son, in order to give us the Spirit of filial adoption.

1111 Christ's work in the liturgy is sacramental: because his mystery of salvation is made present there by the power of his Holy Spirit; because his Body, which is the Church, is like a sacrament (sign and instrument) in which the Holy Spirit dispenses the mystery of salvation; and because through her liturgical actions the pilgrim Church already participates, as by a foretaste, in the heavenly liturgy.

1112 The mission of the Holy Spirit in the liturgy of the Church is to prepare the assembly to encounter Christ; to recall and manifest Christ to the faith of the assembly; to make the saving work of Christ present and active by his transforming power; and to make the gift of communion bear fruit in the Church.

So there's a purpose to liturgy that goes beyond a mere end-in-itself: to meet Christ, to do his work, and to make it bear fruit.

[NorthernTenor]

What mcb said. The liturgy is not the only means given to us through which we encounter God, but it is the chief one.