Maury Schepers
An Integral Spirituality of the Paschal Mystery, pp. 98 - 106.
Summary. Maury Schepers begins by describing the church's twofold endowment of Sacrament and Spirit as being designed to lead us further into the heart of the mystery of the Risen Christ. Schepers continues with a reflection on the experience of passage that characterizes Lent, Easter and the Pentecostal gift of the Spirit. He urges that the dynamism of such an experience seems to be governed by two spiritual laws, the Law of the Cross and the Law of the Resurrection.
Focusing first on the Law of the Cross, Schepers explains the two ways in which this law can be stated. He suggests that when the Law of the Cross is concretely understood, several moments can be discerned: 1. The principle that evil really is to be overcome; 2. The overcoming of evil is not and will not be the result of the exercise of naked power; 3. Suffering lovingly undergone is the only adequate response to evil; 4. Suffering lovingly undergone has the effect of converting evil into a greater good; and 5. The Law of the Cross constitutes an implicit invitation to non-violence. Schepers then reflects on the Law of the Resurrection as an invitation to constant conversion into the present moment. He also considers whether it is possible to integrate these two laws.
In conclusion, Schepers looks to the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas on law in the Summa theologiae to support his argument that the Law of the Cross and the Law of the Resurrection can indeed be integrated. Based on his analysis, Schepers suggests that although simultaneous attention to the two laws is typically "too much to handle," the intimate presence in our lives of the Crucified-One-who-is-Risen lets loose the energy that turns our hearts and minds toward non-violence and dismantles within us the overwhelming power of the past.
Angela Ashwin
Spirituality and Corporate Worship--
Separate Worlds or Vitally Connected?, pp. 106 - 129.
Summary. Angela Ashwin begins by recounting contemporary attitudes toward spirituality, liturgy, and the relationship between the two. She notes that many popular "spiritualities" emphasize self-fulfillment and self-help, without much interest in self-giving, corporate commitment or allegiance to a given pattern of belief, behavior, or religious practice. Given this, it is little wonder that church going is not often on the menu. In other words, for many people there exists a separation between personal prayer and church worship. Ashwin urges that as a result, opportunities for growth are lost, since personal spirituality and corporate worship need and nourish each other.
Ashwin continues by identifying certain factors which she believes contribute to the increasing popularity of spirituality centers and courses, with an accompanying decline in church attendance. Her analysis is followed by a consideration of how we can respond to this situation. Here, she observes that it is important to be aware of the many levels beneath the externals of corporate worship, for it is at these levels that spirituality and liturgy meet. Ashwin names these levels by looking at what we bring to church services, how we engage with what is happening, how we are formed in and through worship, and finally where we belong, i.e., the wider context. Flowing through all this, she adds, is the Holy Spirit, the wild card. Based on her conviction that the levels at which spirituality and liturgy meet are potential growthpoints, she proceeds to identify three areas where the interface between spirituality and worship comes alive.
In conclusion, Ashwin writes that if liturgy is the life-blood of the church, spirituality is its breath. There is an urgent need, she says, for renewal of the interior life of the assembly, and for a deeper awareness among Christians that the Eucharist is the wellspring of all our life in Christ. This, in turn should affect the ways in which we choreograph, lead and enter into our liturgical celebrations. On a final note, Ashwin suggests that all of this presents a strong argument for combining liturgical and spiritual formation in parishes.
Anne Y. Koester
The Reception of Baptized Christians:
A Short Course in Vatican II Ecclesiology and Ecumenism, pp. 130 - 149.
Summary. Anne Koester observes that the frequent inclusion of baptized Christians in the formational and ritual process of the RCIA, which was originally intended for the unbaptized, has generated concern. In particular, there is concern about whether joining baptized candidates with catechumens in the same catechetical and ritual events, potentially compromises the dignity of these Christians' baptism. One explanation for the heightened sensitivity to the dignity of baptism in one another's communities is the significant progress made in recent years at the ecumenical table.
Koester suggests that critical to the effort to be ecumenically aware is for catechists and liturgists to be knowledgeable about the Rite of Reception of Baptized Candidates into Full Communion, as well as the ecclesiological and ecumenical issues underlying the entire process of reception. After a brief look at the background of the present Rite of Reception, she proceeds to examine the rite in detail, paying particular attention to the ecclesiological and ecumenical themes therein.
Finally, Koester addresses certain pastoral considerations which arise, namely, the importance of both honoring a candidate=s baptism and celebrating fully his or her reception in the Catholic Church. She concludes with a discussion about the possibility of placing the Rite of Reception outside of the RCIA umbrella, in an effort to alleviate concerns about combined groups of candidates and catechumens.
Steve Nolan
Representing Realities:
Theorizing Reality in Liturgy and Film, pp. 149 - 172.
Summary. Steve Nolan suggests that the ideological operation of theo-liturgical aesthetics can be illuminated by a study of film as an aesthetic parallel to liturgy. He observes that until now religious film-analysis has largely been restricted to finding religious interpretation in or for films. In contrast to this approach, Nolan argues that religious film-analysis must treat film qua film and engage with the thinking of film theorists.
Nolan points out that a significant contribution of film theory has been concerned with the implication of film in the construction of subjectivity in relation to the aesthetics of cinematic representation. He urges that this particular interest offers a common ground where religion and cinema, theology and film, can fruitfully dialogue. Significantly, Nolan says, they offer parallel theories of presence, the one a theo-liturgical theory, the other a cinematic theory. He goes on to consider more extensively the operations of these parallel theories of presence. Nolan=s approach leads him to question the ontological "givenness" of the sacramental-anamnetic reality and argue that because this reality is constructed by collusion with convention, facilitated by subjective psychology, theo-liturgical aesthetics can be understood as an ideological mechanism of the presbytarchy, that is, the rulership of a community by a professional sub-class of religious élite.
In conclusion, Nolan notes that because his analysis deconstructs the ideology of theo-liturgical realism, some may regard it to be motivated by a non-realist agenda arising from a negative theology perspective. Rather, he says, his concern is with ecclesiastical ideology. His hope is that in exposing the operations of that ideology, and its effects in constructing subjectivity, it might be possible to bracket out the operations of ideology and construct liturgies that facilitate the worshiping experience, while at the same time being less implicated in the power politics and ideologies of institutional religion.
Nathan D. Mitchell
The Amen Corner, pp. 173 - 182.
Summary. Nathan Mitchell's essay, "Liturgy as Lingua Franca," is prompted by certain recent events--the release of a new edition of GIRM, its flawed translation, the chilling effect of Dominus Jesus upon ecumenical dialogue, and the dissatisfying process leading up to episcopal approval of Built of Living Stones. In Mitchell's opinion, the volume and intensity of reaction to GIRM and Built of Living Stones should perhaps remind us about the danger of taking church documents too seriously. He then invites readers to revisit the nature and significance of liturgical "legislation" and its impact on pastoral practice.
Mitchell begins his discussion of liturgical "legislation" by commenting that liturgical changes do not happen primarily through documents issued by dicasteries. Rather, as the lingua franca ("language serving as a medium between different nations, etc., whose languages are not the same") of the people of God at prayer, liturgy resists what Mitchell refers to as the dictionary-making of curial bureaucrats. He proceeds to make the case that the Tridentine reform succeeded as a dictionary but failed as a lingua franca.
Finally, Mitchell considers lay participation in the liturgy from the late medieval period to present day. In doing so, he notes that Vatican II emphasized ritual clarity and intelligibility, as well as the "full, conscious, active participation" of the people. He further contends that Vatican II also backed away from Trent's heavy emphasis on instruction and "cognitive" understanding, a move evidenced by the texts in Sacrosanctum concilium (SC 37-38) on "inculturation." Mitchell concludes that by affirming the role of "the qualities and talents of the various races and nations" in the liturgy, SC 37-38 provides the magna charta of participation and reaffirms liturgy as lingua franca, as access to the means of participation. He adds that this might be bad news for dictionary-makers, but it shows that the strength of the liturgy is in the hearts and bodies of all God's holy people.
Book Reviews
The Divine Deli: Religious Identity in the North American Cultural Mosaic. By John H. Berthrong. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 1999. Pages, xxvi + 163. Paper, $16.00. ISBN: 1-57075-268-0. Review by John Borelli, pp. 183 - 184.
Two Faces of Elizabethan Anglican Theology, Sacraments and Salvation in the Thought of William Perkins and Richard Hooker. By Bryan D. Spinks. Drew University Studies in Liturgy 9, Lanham, Maryland and London: Scarecrow Press 1999. Pages, xvi + 192. Cloth, $49.50. ISBN: 0810836777. Review by Leonel L. Mitchell, pp. 184 - 186.
The Religious Art of Andy Warhol. By Jane Daggett Dillenberger. New York: Continuum 1998. Pages, 128. Cloth, $39.95. ISBN 0-8264-1112-6. Review by Mark E. Wedig O.P., pp. 186 - 187.
Like His Brothers and Sisters: Ordaining Community Leaders. By Fritz Lobinger. New York: Crossroad 1999. Pages, 208. Paper, $17.95. ISBN: 0-8245-1831-4. Review by Paul Philibert O.P., pp. 187 - 189.
A Confessor's Handbook. By Kurt Stasiak O.S.B. New York/Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1999. Pages, xi + 153. Paper, $11.95. ISBN: 0-8091-3914-6. Review by Daniel P. Grigassy O.F.M., pp. 189 - 190.
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