John M. Huels
The New General Instruction of the Roman Missal:
Subsidiarity or Uniformity?, pp. 482-511.
Summary. In 2000, a revised edition of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) was released more than a year before the publication of the third edition of the Roman Missal, so that the changes in it could be publicized and the work of translating it into the vernacular languages could begin. John Huels examines the changes in the new GIRM and assesses them in light of the principle of subsidiarity. Specifically, he asks whether the changes move eucharistic discipline in the direction of subsidiarity and decentralization of authority, or whether they go in the opposite direction toward centralization and uniformity.
Huels begins with a sketch of the relevant historical background and then explains the significance of the principle of subsidiarity in the contemporary church. Next, Huels compares the text of the revised GIRM with the previous edition of 1975 with respect to the liturgical competencies of the conference of bishops and of diocesan bishops. Finally, he briefly analyzes the other new provisions of the revised GIRM to determine whether they are open to diversity and variation at the level of the worshiping assembly, or whether they impose uniform rules and standards throughout the Latin Catholic Church.
Huels' analysis leads him to conclude that overall, the revised GIRM does not foster subsidiarity but its opposite, greater uniformity of worship and centralization of liturgical authority. He goes on to say that uniformity in the liturgy is not necessarily negative; for various reasons, some degree of uniformity is necessary. Even so, the question remains whether all the changes were truly necessary, a matter about which people's opinions will differ. In conclusion, Huels points out that although the revised GIRM tends more toward uniformity than subsidiarity, it respects the practices and needs of local churches and diverse peoples, thus providing a basis for the inculturation of liturgy. He believes that, in the long run, we will continue to see the principle of subsidiarity at work in liturgical celebrations that truly reflect the diverse cultures, customs, and communities in our church while maintaining "the integrity and unity of the Roman Rite."Gerard Kelly
Baptismal Unity in the Divided Church, pp. 511-527.
Summary. Gerard Kelly observes that we are faced with the paradox that most churches, although not all, affirm that baptism creates communion and is the source of unity, yet our so-called common baptism has not in fact united us in the sense of creating full canonical communion. Kelly sets out to explore how deepening our understanding of the unity Christians share through baptism may lead us further along the road to full communion.
Kelly begins with the state of the question. Here, he notes the achievements of the emerging koinonia ecclesiology. He points out that the idea of communion has filled out the understanding of unity, and led to a deeper understanding of catholicity and apostolicity as marks of the church. Moreover, koinonia ecclesiology has created the basis for the almost universal agreement that there is a very real connection between the unity of the ecclesial body of Christ and participation in the eucharistic body of Christ, although there is not agreement as to the precise nature of that connection. Kelly comments that the discussion about intercommunion and eucharistic hospitality seems to have reached an impasse and may in fact be showing us that there was less communion between certain churches than was previously thought.
This impasse, Kelly urges, does not lessen the need to continue to articulate the vision of the unity of the church. He proceeds to outline a plan of how a focus on baptism might deepen our common understanding of the unity that we seek. Kelly also argues that a concentration on baptism may provide new insights into koinonia ecclesiology, with its focus on Eucharist, by giving us a different sacramental paradigm. Finally, he discusses how the mutual recognition of baptism can help us recognize the degree of communion we already share and draw the consequences for our life together. In conclusion, Kelly restates his conviction that a baptismal ecclesiology will help us focus less on the local church and more on the communion we share as baptized believers. Recognition at this level may help us face up to our confessional divisions.
Bruce T. Morrill
Worship as Public Act on the
American Catholic University Campus, pp. 528-543.
Summary. Drawing on his participation in Boston College's May, 1998 Baccalaureate Mass, Bruce Morrill explores the topic of liturgy on the academic campus, with the hope of stimulating questions for liturgical theologians and pastoral ministers. He provides a description of the Baccalaureate Mass and then offers his observations about this particular liturgy as it relates to the wider public life of a Catholic institution.
Relying on the work of Lawrence Hoffman for his framework, Morrill begins his analysis of the Mass with a consideration of the liturgy from the standpoint of how the ritual action of worship is an "unveiling of communal identity." Specifically, Morrill seeks to interpret the elements comprising the liturgical field of the Baccalaureate Mass in relation to its wider social field of an American Catholic university. His discussion in this regard leads him to ask, What makes the Baccalaureate as a Mass celebrated on a Sunday in Easter a distinctive event in the public activity of the Catholic university?
In the final section of his essay, Morrill raises the issue of what role liturgy plays in advancing the public mission of Roman Catholic educational institutions. Here, he asks whether there are qualities inherent to Christian liturgical tradition whereby its practice is formative of believers= public, ethical engagement in the world. Based on his present study of the Baccalaureate Mass, Morrill concludes by suggesting that it may well be that the Mass of the Roman Rite is not the type of liturgy best suited to the pastoral needs of an American Catholic university. Rather, it might better take the form of a festive evening prayer or solemn vespers. One could argue, he adds, that crafting a non-eucharistic liturgy attentive to the cultural and religious diversity of the increasingly complex academic campus might enable the American Catholic university to challenge and transform aspects of the church's tradition. Morrill says that such a proposal would break wide open the issue of how the categories "American" and "Catholic" vie for priority in shaping the mission and identity of Catholic higher education in the U.S.
Nathan D. Mitchell
The Amen Corner, pp. 545-553.
Summary. In his reflection on the reception of communion under both kinds, Nathan Mitchell first notes that Western theology has long defended the "single species" practice by the doctrine of concomitance; however, the intention of Sacrosanctum concilium was to restore the eucharistic cup to lay communicants -- at least some of the time. In the postconciliar period, an evolution occurred which saw communion in both species as increasingly desirable and even sacramentally "normative." The underlying principles of this evolution are contained in certain postconciliar texts. Based on these texts, Mitchell observes that the church's magisterium gave new attention to the way the Christian scriptures both describe Eucharist as "covenant sacrifice" ratified in blood and point to wine as the joyful sign of that "eschatological banquet" which will consummate human history.
Mitchell then considers Paul's treatment of the Eucharist in 1 Cor 11:17-34. He comments that Paul saw Christ's blood -- his real, historical cross and death -- as the de facto manner in which God has "solved the sin problem" and brought the blessings of reconciliation to humanity. Because Christ's blood was (and remains) an inescapable part of this "new arrangement" for dealing with sin -- and because this arrangement is what Christians celebrate in the Eucharist -- the cup is essential to what Paul calls the "Lord's Supper."
Lastly, Mitchell looks at the eschatological dimension of eating the bread and drinking the cup, commenting that Christian Eucharist not only proclaims what has been done by the blood of Christ but also what has not yet been done. Here, he says that if eating the eucharistic bread reminds us of our companionship in Christ, drinking the cup alerts us to the danger of flowing blood. Thus, Mitchell urges that at every Mass, every communicant ought to approach the cup and drink its danger. For the contents of the cup, he says, are nothing less than Christ's own blood, God's solution to sin, our chance to taste heaven.
Paul Sheppy
Forum: The Dance of Death--
Van Gennep and the Paschal Mystery, pp. 553-560
Summary. Paul Sheppy reviews the thinking which lies behind the liturgical resources prepared by the Joint Liturgical Group of Great Britain (JLG) for use in funeral rites. He focuses initially on an attempt to link a social anthropological description of death rites with a theological reflection on the death of Jesus Christ. Here, Sheppy recounts Van Gennep's theory of rites of passage and then summarizes the Christological implications of the Paschal Mystery.
Sheppy then proposes a schema for the liturgical celebration of funeral rites, which integrates ritual and Christology. Specifically, he urges that a helpful approach to Christian funerals is to suggest that what makes a funeral Christian is the presence of Christ, who in the Paschal Mystery has appropriated and sanctified the passage of the dead. Thus, Sheppy says, the emphasis shifts from how the officiant or the congregation feels about what is happening to what God in Christ has done and our appropriation of that great gift. Another benefit of this approach is that it moves the funeral from the kind of celebration of the deceased that can easily become a canonization before interment to a celebration of Christ's death and resurrection.
Sheppy ends with a consideration of the work of JLG in this field. In preparing liturgical resources for those officiating at funerals, JLG has addressed the sort of issues Sheppy raises in his essay, along with the question of whether the funeral can do it all. Sheppy adds that JLG's intention in providing these liturgical resources is to offer possibilities to Christian groups who would not normally have texts available to them. JLG's texts invite groups to offer Christian support beyond the immediate crisis for those who journey the way of death of bereavement. Sheppy concludes by underscoring that it is the Paschal Mystery which hallows human death and gives people hope; hence the Christian funeral must express that Christological emphasis.
Book Reviews
Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community. By Philip Kenneson. Downer's Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press 1999. Pages, 246. Paper, $14.99. ISBN 08-3082219-4. Review by Michael Warren, pp. 560-561.
The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought: Intellectual, Spiritual, and Moral Horizons of Christianity. Edited by Adrian Hastings, Allistair Mason and Hugh Pyper. New York: Oxford University Press 2000. Pages, xxix-777. Cloth, $55.00. ISBN 0-19-869924-0. Review by R. Kevin Seasoltz O.S.B., pp. 561-563.
The Dictionary of Historical Theology. Edited by Trevor Hart. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company/Carlisle, England: Pater Noster 2000. Pages, xx-599. Cloth, $55.00. ISBN 0-8028-3907-X. Review by R. Kevin Seasoltz O.S.B., pp. 563-564.
The Feast of the World's Redemption: Eucharistic Origins and Christian Mission. By John Koenig. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International 2000. Pages, xvii + 301. Paper, $25.00. ISBN 1563382741. Review by Luke Timothy Johnson, pp. 564-565.
Celtic Christian Communities: Live the Tradition. By Ian Bradley. Northstone: Kolowna, B.C. Canada 2001. Paper, $15.95. ISBN 1-896836437. Review by Jeanne Torrence Finley, pp. 566-567.
Daily Prayer in Christian Spain: A Study of the Mozarabic Office. By Graham Woolfenden. Alcuin Club Collections 76. London: S.P.C.K. 2000. Review by L. Edward Phillips, pp. 567-569.
Church Unity and the Papal Office: An Ecumenical Dialogue on John Paul II's Encyclical Ut Unum Sint. Ed. by Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans 2001. Pages, viii + 166. Paper, $20.00. ISBN 0-8028-4802-8. Review by Gerard Kelly, pp. 569-571.
International Handbook of Funeral Customs. By Kodo Matsunami. Westport, Connecticut and London: Greenwood Press 1998. Pages xxii + 204. Cloth, $75.00. ISBN: 0-313-30443-2. Review by Richard Rutherford C.S.C., pp. 571-572.
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