Journey into the Heart of God: Living the Liturgical Year

by Philip H. Pfatteicher

Journey into the Heart of God is a captivating exploration of the history and evolution of the Church Year: the cycle of seasons in the Christian tradition that begins with Advent and culminates with Easter and is marked by the celebrations of saints, feast days, and the reading of Scripture as appointed by the Church.

Primarily through deft examination of the Western Church, Philip H. Pfatteicher reveals how the liturgical calendar has been transformed over thousands of years. It is a work of art--the collaborative achievement of generations of hands and minds. He shows how the church year dramatizes and grounds the strange complexity of the human experience and how it encourages honesty, humility, growth, and maturity in those who live by it.

Pfatteicher also offers insight into the liturgical texts of the Eucharist, the less familiar Daily Office, and the people's theology voiced in hymns from a broad spectrum of ancient and modern traditions. It will be an indispensable resource for both clergy and laity in the liturgical denominations, including Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.

Genres: Christianity, Theology

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Rick Stuckwisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent book, thoroughly covering the scope of the Church Year. At times quite beautiful and eloquent in its descriptions and discussions. Historical and theological in its considerations, as well as thoughtful and poetic in its treatment of the topic. Could have been better, perhaps, if the author had not tried so hard to be "all things to all people." Trying to give attention to Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions, especially while dealing with specific propers and texts, results in a sometimes rather sprawling, meandering, happenstance look at various Sundays and Seasons. It actually struck me as odd that a Lutheran author would invest as much time as he does in modern, post-Vatican II Roman materials, mainly because he doesn't give the same kind of attention nor address the same kind of detail with his own tradition. The end result is uneven and inconsistent. But for those who are interested in the Church Year, it is certainly an important resource to consider.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a Lutheran pastor, this book looks at the liturgical year, and compares Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican approaches to the liturgical seasons and holidays. He describes how various Scripture verses and other practices are designed to promote liturgical understanding. He also describes how these practices have changed and developed over time. The book is well-written, and easily readable, although the material is dense in some places. An excellent introduction to liturgical practices for anyone who is new to them, or perhaps not so new, but would like a greater understanding.

[Lianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Journey into the Heart of God was an interesting read. It’s very concise, the chapters broken down to each major event of the liturgical year and goes into great detail about the hymns and readings read in the Eucharistic celebrations during those times as well as the theological reasons behind all of those aspects and the celebration itself. It looks at and contrasts the celebration formats and readings from the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions, which was especially informative.

While interesting, it can be a little dry and boring if you don’t have a theological background/study or even an interest in religion and theology. However, I think it is a useful text for students and the clergy. I learned a few things about the way the liturgical year is organised and the text wraps up very nicely; it gets back to the heart of Christianity that popular culture and general society has a tendency of overlooking, of how our faith is meant to be lived and celebrated cyclically through the liturgy.

This review was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/201...

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to align reading this with the liturgical year.