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Der Geist der Liturgie
Considered by many scholars to be Cardinal Ratzinger's greatest work on the Liturgy, this profound and beautiful treatment of the "great prayer of the Church," written before Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, will help readers rediscover the Sacred Liturgy in all its hidden spiritual wealth and transcendent grandeur as the very center of the Christian life.
In his foreword to the book, Cardinal Ratzinger compares this work to a much earlier classic of the same title, written by Romano Guardini. Ratzinger seeks to help foster today what Guardini sought in his time regarding a renewed understanding of the Liturgy.
"My purpose here is to assist this renewal of understanding of the Liturgy. Its basic intentions coincide with what Guardini wanted to achieve. The only difference is that I have had to translate what Guardini did at the end of the First World War, in a totally different historical situation, into the context of our present-day questions, hopes and dangers. Like Guardini, I am not attempting to involve myself with scholarly discussion and research. I am simply offering an aid to the understanding of the faith and to the right way to give the faith its central form of expression in the Liturgy."
Among many liturgical areas he covers, the Cardinal discusses fundamental misunderstandings of the Second Vatican Council's intentions for liturgical renewal, especially the orientation of prayer at the Eucharistic sacrifice, the placement of the tabernacle and the posture of kneeling.
The Spirit of the Liturgy presents Pope Benedict XVI's vision for the role a genuine renewal of the Sacred Liturgy must play in renewal of the Church and her mission in the world today. That vision begins with a deepened sense of what it means to worship God, a sense that is the heart of the Church's Liturgy.
In his foreword to the book, Cardinal Ratzinger compares this work to a much earlier classic of the same title, written by Romano Guardini. Ratzinger seeks to help foster today what Guardini sought in his time regarding a renewed understanding of the Liturgy.
"My purpose here is to assist this renewal of understanding of the Liturgy. Its basic intentions coincide with what Guardini wanted to achieve. The only difference is that I have had to translate what Guardini did at the end of the First World War, in a totally different historical situation, into the context of our present-day questions, hopes and dangers. Like Guardini, I am not attempting to involve myself with scholarly discussion and research. I am simply offering an aid to the understanding of the faith and to the right way to give the faith its central form of expression in the Liturgy."
Among many liturgical areas he covers, the Cardinal discusses fundamental misunderstandings of the Second Vatican Council's intentions for liturgical renewal, especially the orientation of prayer at the Eucharistic sacrifice, the placement of the tabernacle and the posture of kneeling.
The Spirit of the Liturgy presents Pope Benedict XVI's vision for the role a genuine renewal of the Sacred Liturgy must play in renewal of the Church and her mission in the world today. That vision begins with a deepened sense of what it means to worship God, a sense that is the heart of the Church's Liturgy.
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First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
March 2, 2020
This was very helpful in understanding the place of the liturgy in the contemporary church. Both Ratzinger and Guardini emphasize the unity of disparate elements that make the liturgy appealing to large numbers of very different people. At the same time, there is an obvious demand to make the church more relevant and appealing. Many of the simple fixes that are proposed can jeopardize what is vital in the liturgy. Both authors propose that understanding the place and inner logic of liturgy can help renew a commitment to its essence. One funny thing about Ratzinger's contributions is how "hippie" they sound in a certain light - talking about the cosmos and eternity and love and all that. This is not the image that he has in the media - and he does complain about rock music in the book. But there is a lot of "mind-expanding" stuff in here which is fun to consider.
January 16, 2023
October 25, 2022: Rereading with Group, Catholic Thought
June 7, 2011 Update: Listened to the first podcast last night. I really like Fr. Riccardo. Thanks again for the recommendation Lynda.
May 31, 2011 Update: A friend just recommended this set of podcasts by Fr. John Riccardo as very helpful in understanding this book. Can't wait 'til I have some time to listen! Thanks Lynda!
I'm not sure if it was good or bad that it took me so long to finish this book. It isn't what I'd call a 'cover-to-cover' read anyway. By that I mean, you don't necessarily have to read it from start to finish, front to back to fully appreciate it. You certainly can do this and while it's probably the best way to read and appreciate the book, it's also possible to get a lot out of it by reading bite-sized sections of it and meditating on those. I took it with me to Adoration quite a bit. Although purportedly written for the average layperson, I found it challenging in several places. It did, however, motivate and strengthen my devotion to, and appreciation of, the Divine Liturgy tremendously!
=========================================
A very challenging book for me so far and yet it seems to be moving from the abstract to the concrete, which in my case is fortunate--as hopefully I shall be able to understand it better. The first second part of this book which I'm currently reading, Time and Space in Liturgy, is especially relevant in light of what happened today, the murder of George Tillman, a prominent late-term abortionist, as he was -- intentionally or not -- killed in a holy place on a holy day.
The first part dealt with the Essence of Liturgy and so far as I was able to gather dealt with basic questions such as: What is liturgy? What happens during the liturgy? and What kind of reality do we encounter there? The author, PBXVI, puts these questions to the reader first to allow us to consider them from our own perspective, then proceeds to answer them philosophically and theologically. This book is based on Guardini's earlier work of the same name, The Spirit of the Liturgy, although from my brief perusal of that document they are substantially different. In the next chapter, the Holy Father tells us, modern theology teaches religion may have one of two focal points: 1.) Cosmic: an appreciation of the orderly, harmonious universe, the complex self-inclusive system in which we dwell; OR, 2.) Historic: the unfolding story of man’s destiny within a mysterious and unpredictable universe. The first, Cosmic, signifies PLACE. The second, represents the essential TIME.
The idea of worship exists within both systems of belief. Worship is the act of giving and receiving on the part of God and man. It has always been more than just an opportunity for human interchange and congregation. These leads to these important terms: 1. CREATION: place; the goal of which is covenant, the love story of God and man. 2. COVENANT: relationship; God’s gift of Himself to man, but also man’s response to God.
The key to connecting the two disparate theological worldviews, the Pope gives at the bottom of page 28: ‘…the goal of worship and the goal of creation are one and the same—divinization, a world of freedom and love. But this means that the historical makes its appearance in the cosmic. The cosmos is not a closed building, a stationary container in which history may by chance take place. It is itself movement, from its one beginning to its one end. In a sense, creation is history.’ (Underlining mine.) These two world views cannot be separated, despite the teachings of modern theology. I believe he is saying that while these two perspectives may be valid, may indeed exist, they should not persist nor be cherished above the one circle of being. ‘The historical liturgy of Christendom is and always will be cosmic, without separation and without confusion, and only as such does it stand erect in its full grandeur.’ (page 34)
June 7, 2011 Update: Listened to the first podcast last night. I really like Fr. Riccardo. Thanks again for the recommendation Lynda.
May 31, 2011 Update: A friend just recommended this set of podcasts by Fr. John Riccardo as very helpful in understanding this book. Can't wait 'til I have some time to listen! Thanks Lynda!
I'm not sure if it was good or bad that it took me so long to finish this book. It isn't what I'd call a 'cover-to-cover' read anyway. By that I mean, you don't necessarily have to read it from start to finish, front to back to fully appreciate it. You certainly can do this and while it's probably the best way to read and appreciate the book, it's also possible to get a lot out of it by reading bite-sized sections of it and meditating on those. I took it with me to Adoration quite a bit. Although purportedly written for the average layperson, I found it challenging in several places. It did, however, motivate and strengthen my devotion to, and appreciation of, the Divine Liturgy tremendously!
=========================================
A very challenging book for me so far and yet it seems to be moving from the abstract to the concrete, which in my case is fortunate--as hopefully I shall be able to understand it better. The first second part of this book which I'm currently reading, Time and Space in Liturgy, is especially relevant in light of what happened today, the murder of George Tillman, a prominent late-term abortionist, as he was -- intentionally or not -- killed in a holy place on a holy day.
The first part dealt with the Essence of Liturgy and so far as I was able to gather dealt with basic questions such as: What is liturgy? What happens during the liturgy? and What kind of reality do we encounter there? The author, PBXVI, puts these questions to the reader first to allow us to consider them from our own perspective, then proceeds to answer them philosophically and theologically. This book is based on Guardini's earlier work of the same name, The Spirit of the Liturgy, although from my brief perusal of that document they are substantially different. In the next chapter, the Holy Father tells us, modern theology teaches religion may have one of two focal points: 1.) Cosmic: an appreciation of the orderly, harmonious universe, the complex self-inclusive system in which we dwell; OR, 2.) Historic: the unfolding story of man’s destiny within a mysterious and unpredictable universe. The first, Cosmic, signifies PLACE. The second, represents the essential TIME.
The idea of worship exists within both systems of belief. Worship is the act of giving and receiving on the part of God and man. It has always been more than just an opportunity for human interchange and congregation. These leads to these important terms: 1. CREATION: place; the goal of which is covenant, the love story of God and man. 2. COVENANT: relationship; God’s gift of Himself to man, but also man’s response to God.
The key to connecting the two disparate theological worldviews, the Pope gives at the bottom of page 28: ‘…the goal of worship and the goal of creation are one and the same—divinization, a world of freedom and love. But this means that the historical makes its appearance in the cosmic. The cosmos is not a closed building, a stationary container in which history may by chance take place. It is itself movement, from its one beginning to its one end. In a sense, creation is history.’ (Underlining mine.) These two world views cannot be separated, despite the teachings of modern theology. I believe he is saying that while these two perspectives may be valid, may indeed exist, they should not persist nor be cherished above the one circle of being. ‘The historical liturgy of Christendom is and always will be cosmic, without separation and without confusion, and only as such does it stand erect in its full grandeur.’ (page 34)
February 27, 2008
"The Spirit of the Liturgy" will forever be within arm's reach. This simple statement of then-Cardinal Ratzinger's theology of liturgy opened my eyes to the genius and the beauty of Catholic worship--admittedly a dry subject but one that is increasingly important for Catholics to grow in appreciation of. One might claim that it is precisely the failure to convey the intention and meaning of the Council's revision of the liturgy that has created the confusion and apathy so many Catholics now face when they take an honest look at contemporary parish life. That liturgical renewal/reform was at least the most urgent matter for the council (if not the most important) is indicated by their choice to promulgate Sacrosanctum Concilium as their first document. Ratzinger poses a challenge to the faithful to look upon the common prayer of the Church with new eyes and to discern the riches there available; it is in continuity with the Council's express intentions that he does so, though with a clear grasp of the intervening thirty years since the project was first undertaken.
Both practical and sublimely theological, "The Spirit of the Liturgy" will invite you into a "full, active, and conscious participation" that may have escaped your best efforts in the past.
Both practical and sublimely theological, "The Spirit of the Liturgy" will invite you into a "full, active, and conscious participation" that may have escaped your best efforts in the past.
May 4, 2008
Benedict XVI surely puts the "Lit" back in "Liturgy" with this fascinating and refulgent view of the recently watered down Catholic Mass. With unabashed defenses of incense, gregorian chant and literary scriptural roots, His Holiness expresses a much needed return to the basics of liturgy and provides the Cliff's Notes of how to get the Mass back on track. I for one will regurgitate at the next "Folk Mass" I am obligated to attend.
August 9, 2025
ENGLISH: In this book dedicated to Catholic liturgy, Ratzinger proves once again that he is one of the world's finest theologians. Reading it, I learned many historical and liturgical details I hadn't known before. The book is easy to read, enjoyable, and informative.
Ratzinger discusses some of the changes that have taken place in Catholic liturgy after the Second Vatican Council. Some of them he finds proper, some he critizises, and explains why. One of his suggestions is locating a crucifix in the middle of the altar, so both the priest and the congregation face the real "East" of the celebration.
Part III of the book is dedicated to the role and history of visual arts and music in Catholic liturgy. The history and the meaning of images is explained in detail.
ESPAÑOL: En este libro dedicado a la liturgia católica, Ratzinger demuestra una vez más que es uno de los mejores teólogos del mundo. Al leerlo, he aprendido muchos detalles históricos y litúrgicos que no conocía. El libro es fácil de leer, ameno e informativo.
Ratzinger analiza algunos de los cambios que se han producido en la liturgia católica tras el Concilio Vaticano II. Algunos los considera apropiados, otros los critica y explica por qué. Una de sus sugerencias es colocar un crucifijo en el centro del altar, para que tanto el sacerdote como la congregación miren hacia el verdadero Oriente de la celebración.
La tercera parte del libro está dedicada al papel y la historia de las artes visuales y la música en la liturgia católica. Se explica en detalle la historia y el significado de las imágenes.
Ratzinger discusses some of the changes that have taken place in Catholic liturgy after the Second Vatican Council. Some of them he finds proper, some he critizises, and explains why. One of his suggestions is locating a crucifix in the middle of the altar, so both the priest and the congregation face the real "East" of the celebration.
Part III of the book is dedicated to the role and history of visual arts and music in Catholic liturgy. The history and the meaning of images is explained in detail.
ESPAÑOL: En este libro dedicado a la liturgia católica, Ratzinger demuestra una vez más que es uno de los mejores teólogos del mundo. Al leerlo, he aprendido muchos detalles históricos y litúrgicos que no conocía. El libro es fácil de leer, ameno e informativo.
Ratzinger analiza algunos de los cambios que se han producido en la liturgia católica tras el Concilio Vaticano II. Algunos los considera apropiados, otros los critica y explica por qué. Una de sus sugerencias es colocar un crucifijo en el centro del altar, para que tanto el sacerdote como la congregación miren hacia el verdadero Oriente de la celebración.
La tercera parte del libro está dedicada al papel y la historia de las artes visuales y la música en la liturgia católica. Se explica en detalle la historia y el significado de las imágenes.
October 10, 2017
Even though I grew up Catholic, I had no idea how important the Liturgy and Mass was. This book brought my one-dimensional understanding of what we do at Mass into reality. There is much more meaning to the Liturgy, one that connects us with the past, present, and with the future as heaven on Earth.
January 25, 2025
my first time reading a book by Ratzinger. his style and prose call me to be the academic i aspire to be but am not. nonetheless, his articulation of the liturgy as being both physical and spiritual just as human beings are both physical and spiritual is a good reminder that the liturgy is a true treasure of the Church! EPIC!
July 22, 2020
One of the many ways COVID-19 has affected our lives is preventing the Body of Christ from gathering in person to worship Our Lord. This makes the timing of reading Pope Benedict XVI's "The Spirit of the Liturgy" less than ideal; I am grateful to have read this work by such a keen and thoughtful theologian, but it makes me wish I could experience the splendor of worship he describes in the pages of this book. Then again, I am a low-church evangelical and some of the elements of worship he takes as meet and right I would object to such as eucharistic adoration (in affirming eucharistic adoration, the pope emeritus affirms the liturgical developments of the medieval period; whereas some "paleo-orthodox" Protestants such as the late Thomas Oden privileged the first five centuries of the Church as normative over later theological innovations, clearly Benedict diverges from this view, as is understandable given Catholic thinking about doctrinal development) and vestments. Still, this is a wonderful exposition of the liturgy. I appreciated Benedict's XVI explanations of the liturgy and perhaps most of all his discussion of good vs. bad forms of inculturation (pp. 200-203).
January 13, 2024
First, it is a very heady and truly wonderful book. It takes reading in small parts (in my case, listening), and then reading it again. -- at least for me. I would refer one to booklady's review, which is excellent and well-said. Also, I love PBXVI.
January 18, 2008
As a Protestant, despite some high church leanings, I find plenty to disagree with here. But this book wasn't written for me, and I greatly respect Ratzinger's learned, devout approach to his topic. This is the best overview of Catholic worship I have found.
He named this book intentionally after his hero, Guardini's 1918 book of the same name. It is divided into four parts (The Essence of the Liturgy, Time and Space in the Liturgy, Art and Liturgy, Liturgical Form)
It is very important to note at the onset, Ratzinger clearly is NOT giving some call to return to the Medievel past, but is giving a dynamic new expressions of ancient practices. He is not a reactionary grasping for nostalia, but a modern Neo-orthodox catholic. (Conservative neoorthodox, but neoorthodox).
Conservative Catholics tend to rail against all changes in the liturgy the past 40 yrs, but w/o a theological basis to weigh the good from the bad. Ratzinger gives a helpful framework to evalute these developments, whether you agree with them or not.
For those who find RoCatholic theological discourse thin on thoughtful and intense exegesis, this book will be a pleasant surprise. Scriptures are explored often and deeply.
Sadly, there are no footnotes, but a good bibliography is provided for each chapter.
Some random notes
p. 107ff.: debunks the craziness about Christmas' date being tied to the Mithras myth and Saturn's b-day etc. He shows why Dec. 25 developed in the 3rd cent. West. Pegging Christmas to December 25th related to the time of the winter solstice. This was important as up to this day, dark days increase, but from this day, the darkness decreases! Theologically: As Jerome says in the 4th cent: "The light advances while the night retreats; Christ must increase but I must decrease."
pp. 177ff. Argues for making the sign of the cross in prayer. Goes into OT foreshadowing with the Hebrew letter Tav etc. (p. 179) Some of it is strained and weird and too clever for its own good. But bottom line - many Xians make the sign of the cross to remind ourselves and tell a watching world that our prayers are PARTICULARLY XIAN. I Co. 2:2. It is the CROSS that sets us apart from that imam that Ratzinger pretended to pray with in the Blue Mosque last week! Our prayers are to a PARTICULAR God - not some Universal god!
On VESTMENTS, pp. 216ff., interested me. "The liturgical attire worn by the priest during mass should make clear that he is not there as a private person, as this or that man, but stands in place of Another - Christ. What is merely private, merely individual, about him should disappear and make way for Christ." P. 216. Christ who incarnated (as a male, Ratz. notes).
Paul Gal. 2:20 "It is no longer I , but Christ who lives in me." On priests in worship "It is not he himself who is important, but Christ. It is not he himself who is communicating to men, but Christ. HE MAKES HIMSELF THE INSTRUMENT OF CHRIST, ACTING, NOT FROM HIS OWN RESOURCES, BUT AS THE MESSENGER, INDEED AS THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER - IN PERSONA CHRISTI, AS THE LITURGICAL TRADITION SAYS..."
Ratz. ties vestments to Paul in Gal. 3:27 "putting on Christ" (also in Rom. 13:14). Eph. 4, Col. 3 "putting on new nature." May overplay his hand a little there, but overall he is convincing.
ON APPLAUSE: "Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment."
232pp., but no index. GREAT binding, and cover art.
He named this book intentionally after his hero, Guardini's 1918 book of the same name. It is divided into four parts (The Essence of the Liturgy, Time and Space in the Liturgy, Art and Liturgy, Liturgical Form)
It is very important to note at the onset, Ratzinger clearly is NOT giving some call to return to the Medievel past, but is giving a dynamic new expressions of ancient practices. He is not a reactionary grasping for nostalia, but a modern Neo-orthodox catholic. (Conservative neoorthodox, but neoorthodox).
Conservative Catholics tend to rail against all changes in the liturgy the past 40 yrs, but w/o a theological basis to weigh the good from the bad. Ratzinger gives a helpful framework to evalute these developments, whether you agree with them or not.
For those who find RoCatholic theological discourse thin on thoughtful and intense exegesis, this book will be a pleasant surprise. Scriptures are explored often and deeply.
Sadly, there are no footnotes, but a good bibliography is provided for each chapter.
Some random notes
p. 107ff.: debunks the craziness about Christmas' date being tied to the Mithras myth and Saturn's b-day etc. He shows why Dec. 25 developed in the 3rd cent. West. Pegging Christmas to December 25th related to the time of the winter solstice. This was important as up to this day, dark days increase, but from this day, the darkness decreases! Theologically: As Jerome says in the 4th cent: "The light advances while the night retreats; Christ must increase but I must decrease."
pp. 177ff. Argues for making the sign of the cross in prayer. Goes into OT foreshadowing with the Hebrew letter Tav etc. (p. 179) Some of it is strained and weird and too clever for its own good. But bottom line - many Xians make the sign of the cross to remind ourselves and tell a watching world that our prayers are PARTICULARLY XIAN. I Co. 2:2. It is the CROSS that sets us apart from that imam that Ratzinger pretended to pray with in the Blue Mosque last week! Our prayers are to a PARTICULAR God - not some Universal god!
On VESTMENTS, pp. 216ff., interested me. "The liturgical attire worn by the priest during mass should make clear that he is not there as a private person, as this or that man, but stands in place of Another - Christ. What is merely private, merely individual, about him should disappear and make way for Christ." P. 216. Christ who incarnated (as a male, Ratz. notes).
Paul Gal. 2:20 "It is no longer I , but Christ who lives in me." On priests in worship "It is not he himself who is important, but Christ. It is not he himself who is communicating to men, but Christ. HE MAKES HIMSELF THE INSTRUMENT OF CHRIST, ACTING, NOT FROM HIS OWN RESOURCES, BUT AS THE MESSENGER, INDEED AS THE PRESENCE OF ANOTHER - IN PERSONA CHRISTI, AS THE LITURGICAL TRADITION SAYS..."
Ratz. ties vestments to Paul in Gal. 3:27 "putting on Christ" (also in Rom. 13:14). Eph. 4, Col. 3 "putting on new nature." May overplay his hand a little there, but overall he is convincing.
ON APPLAUSE: "Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment."
232pp., but no index. GREAT binding, and cover art.
January 23, 2015
Third (maybe fourth) time reading this, but first time reviewing. It's still five stars and always will be. Along with Introduction to Christianity, this is, in my mind, the classic Raztinger/Benedict title. Up front, it really is a Catholic insider baseball book with a tiny secular audience, so may not be everybody's cup of tea - in other words, you may want to move on from this review and book.
That being said (or his dictis since we're in a Catholic realm) it should live on the shelf of all Catholic priests and lay people interested in liturgy. Not only does Ratzinger debunk, in the most gentlemanly way possible, all the post "Spirit of Vatican II" myths around the liturgy, but it provides a solid grounding in the Mass. The history, spirituality, and theology of Catholic worship is neatly summed up in this little volume, that points always to the centrality of Christ in a Christian life.
I'm on Twitter:@Dr_A_Taubman
That being said (or his dictis since we're in a Catholic realm) it should live on the shelf of all Catholic priests and lay people interested in liturgy. Not only does Ratzinger debunk, in the most gentlemanly way possible, all the post "Spirit of Vatican II" myths around the liturgy, but it provides a solid grounding in the Mass. The history, spirituality, and theology of Catholic worship is neatly summed up in this little volume, that points always to the centrality of Christ in a Christian life.
I'm on Twitter:@Dr_A_Taubman
February 5, 2019
Absolutamente imprescindible. La falta de formación litúrgica en los fieles es cada vez mayor. Si queremos evitar subjetivismos, innovaciones arbitrarias y una liturgia que sólo se mira a sí misma e intenta "atraer a la gente" como un espectáculo más, es fundamental que conozcamos qué es la liturgia y cuál es su función, su espíritu y su contenido. Este libro debería ser de obligada lectura para todo el pueblo de Dios.
April 11, 2013
Prayers, music, postures, gestures, history, and development of the liturgy. Immensely readable. Best part: "Liturgical dance has no place in Christian worship." I feel so validated.
October 11, 2015
Remarkable book, by one of the greatest, and most unappreciated, humans of the past 150 years.
Read
February 25, 2025Jeg begynte å lese Ratzingers verk i håp om at jeg, ved hjelp av noen dypdykk innen forskjellige aspekter ved teologien, skulle kunne finne en form for vederkvegelse for den misère som jo nylig har preget min tilværelse. Men litt som den mannen som rent uforvarende fant en perle i en åker og deretter solgte alt han eide for selv å kunne eie denne åkeren, så fant jeg - heller enn den ovenfornevnte og ønskede lindring av mine sjelekvaler - den store skatten som er Ratzingers gjentatte uttalelser om alt fra popmusikk til kreativitetens farer.
Men det var liksom ikke helt det jeg så etter.
Men det var liksom ikke helt det jeg så etter.
January 15, 2025
Pope Benedict is one of the more frustrating luminaries to grace the literary sky. Reading him (and about him), I’m convinced Papa Ratzinger was a truly holy man who deeply loved the Catholic Church, its culture, and above all our Lord Jesus Christ. His writing reflects a keen intellect joined to a true love of God. He lived in an era that witnessed a collapse of faith and dignity within the very Catholic Church he loved, which he clearly perceived and wished to rectify. But he also played a key role in bringing about the very destruction of the liturgy he honestly bemoans, and any answer to our troubles that points to the “reform” as the trunk of those problems causes Ratzinger to flinch. The reform must have been necessary, but it went awry. This is clear in the Preface: the old liturgy was “whitewashed” by the Middle Ages, and Vatican II was meant to restore the original fresco, but those tasked with reconstructing the fresco are messing everything up. But the liturgy prior to Vatican II wasn’t whitewashed. Liturgists have recognized it as a clear descendent of the liturgy of St. Gregory the Great not long after the fall of the Roman Empire. And beyond that, we really do not know. For the last five centuries, Protestants have argued among themselves about which sect has reconstructed the “real” ancient worship. Fr. Ratzinger had no excuse not knowing this back in the 1960’s. No “Reformation” worship service could make any real claim to historical accuracy and the differences were largely driven by predetermined theological beliefs. Novus Ordo ends up the same way; nobody who has ever experienced it could seriously claim this is representative of the 2nd Century Christian. It screams of the 1970’s.
What’s so bloody frustrating about Ratzinger is that he knows this; this whole book screams of a rich understanding and deeply held belief in the seriousness of liturgy as the worship of God rather than as a sort of community service. He clearly understands what troubles both individual man and his society far better than any political schemer or scrivener does. I’ll copy my notes down below; he touches on the very things modern man is dying to have and constantly blasting the goofiness of the Novus Ordo. The clericalism of the New Mass, removing the Crucifix from the altar, ad populum services a society facing its own navel rather than God, the myth of the community meal, the iconoclasm of the New Mass, creativity is not a standard for authenticity, the ridiculous idea of “active participation” meaning the folks in the pews need to keep moving or saying things, the uniquely Christian aspect of kneeling…Michael Davies could have written this stuff. And outside of the criticism, how many deep thoughts about what the liturgy actually is: an encounter with God. The strange unity of time with eternity, of the cosmos with the here and now, our exit from God and our return to Him…I loved this.
But I also know that as Fr. Ratzinger, he played a key role in destroying this, and as Pope Benedict XVI, he failed to restore it.
As much as I do not want to, I might have to read Bugnini next. After reading Seewald’s biography of the Pope, one cannot read Benedict XVI without realizing how influential he was in basically upturning the entire Second Vatican Council from the very get-go, a move that put radicals in the driver’s seat. Benedict’s hesitance to resist this even while occupying the Chair of St. Peter has an answer, but I don’t know what it is. Was he too timid? Despite being a clear proponent of a liturgical reform, what exactly was wrong with the liturgy before? Did he seriously believe the likes of Bugnini, Rahner, and Kung were going to preserve any aspect of transcendence, of Truth beyond their immediate desires? Was he too proud to admit he could err so poorly? Was he too ashamed to recognize that this was a mistake, one that could not be salvaged?
I don’t know. All I know is that we, Modern Man, desperately needed what Benedict was saying in this book, but he would never hear it if his first reaction to his first Mass is “goofy.” Or cringe. Or banal, assuming he knows that word. More likely boring.
It’s difficult not to make a final comparison to his contemporary, the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. I hope both are in Heaven together. Papa Ratzinger clearly knew more, far more, than the Archbishop could have dreamed of knowing in terms of theology, history, and a bunch of other fields. But the Archbishop loved the worship of God enough to suffer for it.
*********************(Roman numerals: my comments)
1. Preface
a. Old liturgy a whitewashed fresco; too many forms and regulations and private prayers; VII removed the whitewash to show original beauty of liturgy, but now it’s in danger by “restorations and reconstructions”
i. This is a bad start. We could have removed some private prayers without starting over. We did NOT “rediscover” a new painting underneath by removing the old liturgy entirely and starting from scratch in a committee.
2. PART 1: The Essence of the Liturgy (Chap 1: Liturgy and Life: the Place of the Liturgy in Reality)
a. Analogy of play: need rules, but can’t take them too seriously. Usually play is for children pretending to do adult things, a looking forward to; liturgy should be the same, worship of God in eternity
b. In leaving Egypt, Israel had the goal of the promised land, but before that, it was to worship God.
c. True worship of God is to live correctly; this both improves our worship in liturgy and the liturgy improves our ability to live well; mutually supportive
d. ‘A people without a common rule of law cannot live. It destroys itself in anarchy, which is a parody of freedom…” (pg 18)
e. Worship, law, and ethics are bound together
i. My recent thought that there is no throne without an altar
f. “Sinai gives Israel, so to speak, it’s interior land without which the exterior land would be a cheerless prospect”
i. A good description of us, I’m afraid
g. Law is essential for freedom and community; worship is essential for law (beyond mere power politics)
i. Worship allows us to participate in a divine plan far above ourselves; makes us both hopeful, charitable, and humble
h. No society exists without a cult
i. “Man himself cannot simply “make” worship. If God does not reveal Himself, man is clutching empty space…it cannot spring from imagination, from our own creativity, then it would remain a cry in the dark or mere self-affirmation.”
i. I could hardly criticize the NO better, I’m afraid
j. Liturgy is not “as you please”; example of Aaron and the golden calf; people want to see their God, so God is brought down rather than the people raised up. Using God rather than worshipping Him. A self-generated cult, a community event; self seeking and banal; all that is left is emptiness and frustration, because no real God is worshipped
i. My goodness, a solid shot at the NO…but from a guy who defends the NO. By what command of God did He say scrap the old liturgy and start a new one? Ratzinger’s life seems to be one of saying “look at the abuses of the golden calf worship; not that we should turn back to Sinai, but let’s improve on the liturgy of the calf.”
3. Chap 2: Liturgy- Cosmos- History
a. Cosmos oriented vs historical oriented religion dichotomy overwrought
b. Creation meant to worship God- good example of Exodus- Moses does the word seven times, Lord fills the tabernacle
c. Sacrifice as more than destruction; uniting ourselves to God (see Little on “sacrifice of praise”)
d. Creation as history
i. St Bonaventure influence
e. Exitus and reditus: in Gnosticism, exitus is a fall of some sort into finitude, reditus back to infinitude of ourselves. Need for special knowledge and/or reincardnation. In Christianity, a different story: exitus from God into His Creation of which we are a part, reditus a return to Him. Creation as a positive thing rather than negative. Ability to love God freely in reditus.
f. Worship as healing our Fall, return to the reditus; the sacrifice of Christ as more than destruction, as a redemption of Creation.
4. Chap 3: From Old Testament to New- The Fundamental Form of the Christian Liturgy- Its Determination by Biblical Faith
a. The Lamb of God; “first-born” an important role to be offered to God, not merely a numerical counting
b. Constant reminders in OT that the Temple is an aid, not an end; we are to live lives of holiness to God and that is what God desires, not animal blood
c. Eventual replacement of the Temple with the sacrifice of God, who redeems both soul and body
d. Worship/liturgy is not local, not just here; it must be a participation of worshipping God, which is beyond bounds. We worship with the entire Church, militant/suffering/triumphant
i. Schemmann
e. Not a meal, not an assembly; an act whereby we commune with the Logos
f. Still a liturgy in time; hopeful for the great liturgy of eternity
5. PART TWO- TIME AND SPACE IN LITURGY (Chap 1: The Relationship of the Liturgy to Time and Space: Some Preliminary Questions)
a. Christ’s physical sacrifice in time, His sacrifice in us and through us is eternal; semel/semper
b. The past (the Cross), the present (the current liturgy), the future (our participation in Christ): all united in the liturgy
c. Not representative sacrifice, but neither are we in Paradise yet; need for symbols to express this in our worship
6. Chapter 2: Sacred Places- The Significance of the Church Building
a. Synagogue not independent, but directed to the Temple; without the Ark, Holy of Holies a sign of expectation
b. Christian liturgy no longer physically oriented to Jerusalem, rather ad orientem (Psalm 18); the altar replaces the focus of the Holy of Holies; Torah completed by the Gospels, from which the officiant derives authority, not his own personal value
7. Chapter 3: The Altar and the Direction of Liturgical Prayer
a. Ad orientem an inclusion of the cosmos in the worship of God, symbolism of the risen Sun
b. St Peter’s weird arrangement facing West; VII does not say priest must face people, but that has been the result, followed by the “community meal” nonsense
i. Benedict XVI saw this at least
c. Rightly points out that no meal in the ancient world would have the officiant facing the people!
d. Passover symbolized the coming Eucharist; we do not need the previous symbol anymore, for the reality is here and has a more fitting form.
e. Ironically, the “new” Mass is guilty of clericalism; the focus is on him, not the altar.
f. Symbolism: a closed society facing itself, instead of the entire society facing God on the altar
g. Benedict says the reforms should not be removed wholesale; the Liturgy of the Word makes sense facing the people, the Eucharistic Prayer toward a common point
i. But those earlier words are also prayers. This is not a Bible lesson. And nearly every priest will, during the sermon, read those passages in the vernacular and discuss them. But they should still be prayed, together.
h. Pg 82: Benedict does get that the liturgy evolved organically over the ages and was not corrupted by the Middle Ages, leading to the Protestant problem of an eternal “reform” to a past nobody knows, hence chaos
i. Very unhappy that anyone would remove the Cross from the altar to see the priest better!
8. Chapter 4: The Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament
a. Corpus Mysticum and Corpus Verum; originally the former was the Eucharist which produced the latter in us; terms were latter reversed
i. Similar commentary found in his book on St. Bonaventure
b. Reverse them back if you like; one must still participate in the Corpus Mysticum to be part of the Corpus Verum; no real loss of meaning, save that the communal aspect was clearer in the original.
c. The Eucharist is a gift, the gift of God himself to us. There is no gift apart from it that makes it “not Him but his gift to us.” It is a personal exchange, a communion.
d. Extreme respect always showed to the Blessed Sacrament, East and West. It is God’s physical presence here; our nature cries out to us to build a home worthy of such dignity
e. This is not ordinary bread, but spiritual. The need for adoration, not just eating.
i. This isn’t magic; we are called to commune with God, to join Him, to worship Him. This is far more than mere digestion!
9. Chapter Five: Sacred Time
a. The connection between time and eternity
b. The Resurrection: a past event and future hope
c. Interesting discussion the interplay of time in cosmic and historical themes; lunar and solar calendars combined to date Easter
d. Christmas has its natural illusions in the northern hemisphere, but we should not change Christmas for the southern; ours is a historical religion, not a naturalistic one.
10. PART 3: ART AND LITURGY (Chap 1: The Question of Images)
a. Images of the Bible taken as sacramental foreshadowing of Christ and His resurrection
b. The Good Shepard
c. Iconoclast; possible to be fighting idolatry, but also used to placate Muslims/Jews in Byzantine Empire
d. To see with a new sight; the Apostles did not physically recognize Jesus until they were enlightened; similar attitude towards images
i. The images of, say, Mary might take many forms, and yet be true
e. Pg 122: the whole problem…
i. Moderns blind to the interior or spiritual
f. Iconoclasm denies the Incarnation, of God made Man; God became Man to lead us to Him.
g. God is not matter, nor is matter independent of God
i. Sts. Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas
h. Shift in images of Christ from the Resurrection to the Passion
i. The concrete historical reality inspires a sense of mystery no less than the focus on the Resurrection
j. Renaissance: shift to an “emancipated” man and art liberated from form; no longer points to any beauty but itself
k. Enlightenment sent religious artwork to the ghetto; the faithful either merely copied their past or tried to compromise with the present, both failed
i. He saw this much at least: we have to generate the old faith anew; not copy the old faith old, or create a new faith.
l. Blasts V2 for destroying images, calls it almost mandated iconoclasm
m. We now suffer a crisis of art, which is tied up with a crisis of man himself
n. Paragraph from bottom 130 could be Richard Weaver
o. Art is either photography or a formless mass; both mock their supposed creator Man
p. The historical narrative centers in Christ; who is also the source of the Sacraments; they are connected in a sense, and images help promote that understanding
q. All images will give precedence to some part of the narrative, but all must include the all; a crucifixion without the Resurrection is a horror, a Resurrection without a crucifix is a joke.
r. Art is a gift, not a production.
11. Chapter Two: Music and Liturgy
a. “To sing” is one of the most common verbs in the Bible
i. Again, Richard Weaver/Christine Mohr- need to express in words, not just communicate
b. Combines the “new song” of our final deliverance with the old song of our current valley of tears
c. Jewish psalms combined with Greek music; beautiful but also a potential danger; entry point of Gnosticism; severe reaction to remove all “psalma idiotica” and nearly all 1st century Christian hymns lost
d. Renaissance onward: return of secular music influencing liturgy, where the music was the end, not worship; high middle ages saw a lot of this, had to be checked by Trent
i. Think Bach, Beethoven, most composers who creates “masses”
e. Sacred music touches the Logos: it must refer back to the story of redemption, it must be uplifting (not cringe, but not debasing us to mere elemental passions…cathartic perhaps), and participate in the cosmic liturgy (should be something we could sing without shame with the angels chanting Holy, Holy, Holy…)
f. Music is beautiful when it respects the forms; there is order in Creation, and our music should reflect that. It is ordered to the Creator. Not mere subjectivity, not mere will.
12. PART FOUR: LITURGICAL FORM (Chapter 1: Rite)
a. Ritus- approved form for sacrifice (Roman origin)
b. Broader than the liturgy; part of a culture, ecclesiastical organization
i. Think of the difference between East and West; different devotions, different structure of church, divine office, etc
c. Rome/Alexandria and Byzantium/Antioch
d. Brief history of liturgical rites
i. Weirdly claims V2 removed the Gallican elements and “restored purity” of Roman Rite; not exactly honest here.
e. Believed V2 was trying to create a uniformity of the rite, but somehow ended up the exact opposite and threatens the whole thing
i. We had unity before V2!!! And this passes over Bugnini entirely…it’s not like people didn’t know him.
f. Pg 166; the Pope does not have authority to make up liturgies wholesale; bound to protect that which came before
i. No small amount of irony here
g. Rite includes connection to apostolic tradition, excludes spontaneity
h. Creativity, therefore, cannot be a standard of the authenticity of liturgy.
i. Weird praise of the “Congo rite” (which strangely ends this chapter)
13. Chapter 2: The Body and the Liturgy
a. Ratzinger is rightly trying to get away from “active participation” as “everyone do something”; rightly sees the “action” as God coming to us and that we participate by asking the Sacrifice to be made our own; but what Ratzinger fails to do is show the traditional Mass failed in this in any way, shape, or form.
b. Rightly sees the state of “liturgical education”, or knowing what we are even doing here, as “deplorable” in 2000. Hard to say that of pre-1955.
c. Kneeling as a uniquely Christian thing
i. He’s not wrong about any of this, but it’s shocking that he has to explain it. Guardini sure didn’t even feel the need. Perhaps we took it all for granted…
d. “Dancing is not a form of expression for the Christian liturgy.” Applause in liturgy is for the human and breaks our attention to the Divine.
e. The brilliant liturgist have been trying to introduce moments of silence into the service, but without success
i. Well, good Lord, no kidding. After the homily and after communion? How about before communion, rather than interrupting the whole service with a shall “how you doing?”
f. Keeps referring to the need for “liturgical education”
i. If this is “for the people”, it should be something they can grasp. You know, like simple folks have done for centuries with the Mass of St. Gregory
g. On Vestments
i. Honestly, Weaver understood this better in Ideas Have Consequences; the uniform denotes a role to be fulfilled
What’s so bloody frustrating about Ratzinger is that he knows this; this whole book screams of a rich understanding and deeply held belief in the seriousness of liturgy as the worship of God rather than as a sort of community service. He clearly understands what troubles both individual man and his society far better than any political schemer or scrivener does. I’ll copy my notes down below; he touches on the very things modern man is dying to have and constantly blasting the goofiness of the Novus Ordo. The clericalism of the New Mass, removing the Crucifix from the altar, ad populum services a society facing its own navel rather than God, the myth of the community meal, the iconoclasm of the New Mass, creativity is not a standard for authenticity, the ridiculous idea of “active participation” meaning the folks in the pews need to keep moving or saying things, the uniquely Christian aspect of kneeling…Michael Davies could have written this stuff. And outside of the criticism, how many deep thoughts about what the liturgy actually is: an encounter with God. The strange unity of time with eternity, of the cosmos with the here and now, our exit from God and our return to Him…I loved this.
But I also know that as Fr. Ratzinger, he played a key role in destroying this, and as Pope Benedict XVI, he failed to restore it.
As much as I do not want to, I might have to read Bugnini next. After reading Seewald’s biography of the Pope, one cannot read Benedict XVI without realizing how influential he was in basically upturning the entire Second Vatican Council from the very get-go, a move that put radicals in the driver’s seat. Benedict’s hesitance to resist this even while occupying the Chair of St. Peter has an answer, but I don’t know what it is. Was he too timid? Despite being a clear proponent of a liturgical reform, what exactly was wrong with the liturgy before? Did he seriously believe the likes of Bugnini, Rahner, and Kung were going to preserve any aspect of transcendence, of Truth beyond their immediate desires? Was he too proud to admit he could err so poorly? Was he too ashamed to recognize that this was a mistake, one that could not be salvaged?
I don’t know. All I know is that we, Modern Man, desperately needed what Benedict was saying in this book, but he would never hear it if his first reaction to his first Mass is “goofy.” Or cringe. Or banal, assuming he knows that word. More likely boring.
It’s difficult not to make a final comparison to his contemporary, the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. I hope both are in Heaven together. Papa Ratzinger clearly knew more, far more, than the Archbishop could have dreamed of knowing in terms of theology, history, and a bunch of other fields. But the Archbishop loved the worship of God enough to suffer for it.
*********************(Roman numerals: my comments)
1. Preface
a. Old liturgy a whitewashed fresco; too many forms and regulations and private prayers; VII removed the whitewash to show original beauty of liturgy, but now it’s in danger by “restorations and reconstructions”
i. This is a bad start. We could have removed some private prayers without starting over. We did NOT “rediscover” a new painting underneath by removing the old liturgy entirely and starting from scratch in a committee.
2. PART 1: The Essence of the Liturgy (Chap 1: Liturgy and Life: the Place of the Liturgy in Reality)
a. Analogy of play: need rules, but can’t take them too seriously. Usually play is for children pretending to do adult things, a looking forward to; liturgy should be the same, worship of God in eternity
b. In leaving Egypt, Israel had the goal of the promised land, but before that, it was to worship God.
c. True worship of God is to live correctly; this both improves our worship in liturgy and the liturgy improves our ability to live well; mutually supportive
d. ‘A people without a common rule of law cannot live. It destroys itself in anarchy, which is a parody of freedom…” (pg 18)
e. Worship, law, and ethics are bound together
i. My recent thought that there is no throne without an altar
f. “Sinai gives Israel, so to speak, it’s interior land without which the exterior land would be a cheerless prospect”
i. A good description of us, I’m afraid
g. Law is essential for freedom and community; worship is essential for law (beyond mere power politics)
i. Worship allows us to participate in a divine plan far above ourselves; makes us both hopeful, charitable, and humble
h. No society exists without a cult
i. “Man himself cannot simply “make” worship. If God does not reveal Himself, man is clutching empty space…it cannot spring from imagination, from our own creativity, then it would remain a cry in the dark or mere self-affirmation.”
i. I could hardly criticize the NO better, I’m afraid
j. Liturgy is not “as you please”; example of Aaron and the golden calf; people want to see their God, so God is brought down rather than the people raised up. Using God rather than worshipping Him. A self-generated cult, a community event; self seeking and banal; all that is left is emptiness and frustration, because no real God is worshipped
i. My goodness, a solid shot at the NO…but from a guy who defends the NO. By what command of God did He say scrap the old liturgy and start a new one? Ratzinger’s life seems to be one of saying “look at the abuses of the golden calf worship; not that we should turn back to Sinai, but let’s improve on the liturgy of the calf.”
3. Chap 2: Liturgy- Cosmos- History
a. Cosmos oriented vs historical oriented religion dichotomy overwrought
b. Creation meant to worship God- good example of Exodus- Moses does the word seven times, Lord fills the tabernacle
c. Sacrifice as more than destruction; uniting ourselves to God (see Little on “sacrifice of praise”)
d. Creation as history
i. St Bonaventure influence
e. Exitus and reditus: in Gnosticism, exitus is a fall of some sort into finitude, reditus back to infinitude of ourselves. Need for special knowledge and/or reincardnation. In Christianity, a different story: exitus from God into His Creation of which we are a part, reditus a return to Him. Creation as a positive thing rather than negative. Ability to love God freely in reditus.
f. Worship as healing our Fall, return to the reditus; the sacrifice of Christ as more than destruction, as a redemption of Creation.
4. Chap 3: From Old Testament to New- The Fundamental Form of the Christian Liturgy- Its Determination by Biblical Faith
a. The Lamb of God; “first-born” an important role to be offered to God, not merely a numerical counting
b. Constant reminders in OT that the Temple is an aid, not an end; we are to live lives of holiness to God and that is what God desires, not animal blood
c. Eventual replacement of the Temple with the sacrifice of God, who redeems both soul and body
d. Worship/liturgy is not local, not just here; it must be a participation of worshipping God, which is beyond bounds. We worship with the entire Church, militant/suffering/triumphant
i. Schemmann
e. Not a meal, not an assembly; an act whereby we commune with the Logos
f. Still a liturgy in time; hopeful for the great liturgy of eternity
5. PART TWO- TIME AND SPACE IN LITURGY (Chap 1: The Relationship of the Liturgy to Time and Space: Some Preliminary Questions)
a. Christ’s physical sacrifice in time, His sacrifice in us and through us is eternal; semel/semper
b. The past (the Cross), the present (the current liturgy), the future (our participation in Christ): all united in the liturgy
c. Not representative sacrifice, but neither are we in Paradise yet; need for symbols to express this in our worship
6. Chapter 2: Sacred Places- The Significance of the Church Building
a. Synagogue not independent, but directed to the Temple; without the Ark, Holy of Holies a sign of expectation
b. Christian liturgy no longer physically oriented to Jerusalem, rather ad orientem (Psalm 18); the altar replaces the focus of the Holy of Holies; Torah completed by the Gospels, from which the officiant derives authority, not his own personal value
7. Chapter 3: The Altar and the Direction of Liturgical Prayer
a. Ad orientem an inclusion of the cosmos in the worship of God, symbolism of the risen Sun
b. St Peter’s weird arrangement facing West; VII does not say priest must face people, but that has been the result, followed by the “community meal” nonsense
i. Benedict XVI saw this at least
c. Rightly points out that no meal in the ancient world would have the officiant facing the people!
d. Passover symbolized the coming Eucharist; we do not need the previous symbol anymore, for the reality is here and has a more fitting form.
e. Ironically, the “new” Mass is guilty of clericalism; the focus is on him, not the altar.
f. Symbolism: a closed society facing itself, instead of the entire society facing God on the altar
g. Benedict says the reforms should not be removed wholesale; the Liturgy of the Word makes sense facing the people, the Eucharistic Prayer toward a common point
i. But those earlier words are also prayers. This is not a Bible lesson. And nearly every priest will, during the sermon, read those passages in the vernacular and discuss them. But they should still be prayed, together.
h. Pg 82: Benedict does get that the liturgy evolved organically over the ages and was not corrupted by the Middle Ages, leading to the Protestant problem of an eternal “reform” to a past nobody knows, hence chaos
i. Very unhappy that anyone would remove the Cross from the altar to see the priest better!
8. Chapter 4: The Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament
a. Corpus Mysticum and Corpus Verum; originally the former was the Eucharist which produced the latter in us; terms were latter reversed
i. Similar commentary found in his book on St. Bonaventure
b. Reverse them back if you like; one must still participate in the Corpus Mysticum to be part of the Corpus Verum; no real loss of meaning, save that the communal aspect was clearer in the original.
c. The Eucharist is a gift, the gift of God himself to us. There is no gift apart from it that makes it “not Him but his gift to us.” It is a personal exchange, a communion.
d. Extreme respect always showed to the Blessed Sacrament, East and West. It is God’s physical presence here; our nature cries out to us to build a home worthy of such dignity
e. This is not ordinary bread, but spiritual. The need for adoration, not just eating.
i. This isn’t magic; we are called to commune with God, to join Him, to worship Him. This is far more than mere digestion!
9. Chapter Five: Sacred Time
a. The connection between time and eternity
b. The Resurrection: a past event and future hope
c. Interesting discussion the interplay of time in cosmic and historical themes; lunar and solar calendars combined to date Easter
d. Christmas has its natural illusions in the northern hemisphere, but we should not change Christmas for the southern; ours is a historical religion, not a naturalistic one.
10. PART 3: ART AND LITURGY (Chap 1: The Question of Images)
a. Images of the Bible taken as sacramental foreshadowing of Christ and His resurrection
b. The Good Shepard
c. Iconoclast; possible to be fighting idolatry, but also used to placate Muslims/Jews in Byzantine Empire
d. To see with a new sight; the Apostles did not physically recognize Jesus until they were enlightened; similar attitude towards images
i. The images of, say, Mary might take many forms, and yet be true
e. Pg 122: the whole problem…
i. Moderns blind to the interior or spiritual
f. Iconoclasm denies the Incarnation, of God made Man; God became Man to lead us to Him.
g. God is not matter, nor is matter independent of God
i. Sts. Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas
h. Shift in images of Christ from the Resurrection to the Passion
i. The concrete historical reality inspires a sense of mystery no less than the focus on the Resurrection
j. Renaissance: shift to an “emancipated” man and art liberated from form; no longer points to any beauty but itself
k. Enlightenment sent religious artwork to the ghetto; the faithful either merely copied their past or tried to compromise with the present, both failed
i. He saw this much at least: we have to generate the old faith anew; not copy the old faith old, or create a new faith.
l. Blasts V2 for destroying images, calls it almost mandated iconoclasm
m. We now suffer a crisis of art, which is tied up with a crisis of man himself
n. Paragraph from bottom 130 could be Richard Weaver
o. Art is either photography or a formless mass; both mock their supposed creator Man
p. The historical narrative centers in Christ; who is also the source of the Sacraments; they are connected in a sense, and images help promote that understanding
q. All images will give precedence to some part of the narrative, but all must include the all; a crucifixion without the Resurrection is a horror, a Resurrection without a crucifix is a joke.
r. Art is a gift, not a production.
11. Chapter Two: Music and Liturgy
a. “To sing” is one of the most common verbs in the Bible
i. Again, Richard Weaver/Christine Mohr- need to express in words, not just communicate
b. Combines the “new song” of our final deliverance with the old song of our current valley of tears
c. Jewish psalms combined with Greek music; beautiful but also a potential danger; entry point of Gnosticism; severe reaction to remove all “psalma idiotica” and nearly all 1st century Christian hymns lost
d. Renaissance onward: return of secular music influencing liturgy, where the music was the end, not worship; high middle ages saw a lot of this, had to be checked by Trent
i. Think Bach, Beethoven, most composers who creates “masses”
e. Sacred music touches the Logos: it must refer back to the story of redemption, it must be uplifting (not cringe, but not debasing us to mere elemental passions…cathartic perhaps), and participate in the cosmic liturgy (should be something we could sing without shame with the angels chanting Holy, Holy, Holy…)
f. Music is beautiful when it respects the forms; there is order in Creation, and our music should reflect that. It is ordered to the Creator. Not mere subjectivity, not mere will.
12. PART FOUR: LITURGICAL FORM (Chapter 1: Rite)
a. Ritus- approved form for sacrifice (Roman origin)
b. Broader than the liturgy; part of a culture, ecclesiastical organization
i. Think of the difference between East and West; different devotions, different structure of church, divine office, etc
c. Rome/Alexandria and Byzantium/Antioch
d. Brief history of liturgical rites
i. Weirdly claims V2 removed the Gallican elements and “restored purity” of Roman Rite; not exactly honest here.
e. Believed V2 was trying to create a uniformity of the rite, but somehow ended up the exact opposite and threatens the whole thing
i. We had unity before V2!!! And this passes over Bugnini entirely…it’s not like people didn’t know him.
f. Pg 166; the Pope does not have authority to make up liturgies wholesale; bound to protect that which came before
i. No small amount of irony here
g. Rite includes connection to apostolic tradition, excludes spontaneity
h. Creativity, therefore, cannot be a standard of the authenticity of liturgy.
i. Weird praise of the “Congo rite” (which strangely ends this chapter)
13. Chapter 2: The Body and the Liturgy
a. Ratzinger is rightly trying to get away from “active participation” as “everyone do something”; rightly sees the “action” as God coming to us and that we participate by asking the Sacrifice to be made our own; but what Ratzinger fails to do is show the traditional Mass failed in this in any way, shape, or form.
b. Rightly sees the state of “liturgical education”, or knowing what we are even doing here, as “deplorable” in 2000. Hard to say that of pre-1955.
c. Kneeling as a uniquely Christian thing
i. He’s not wrong about any of this, but it’s shocking that he has to explain it. Guardini sure didn’t even feel the need. Perhaps we took it all for granted…
d. “Dancing is not a form of expression for the Christian liturgy.” Applause in liturgy is for the human and breaks our attention to the Divine.
e. The brilliant liturgist have been trying to introduce moments of silence into the service, but without success
i. Well, good Lord, no kidding. After the homily and after communion? How about before communion, rather than interrupting the whole service with a shall “how you doing?”
f. Keeps referring to the need for “liturgical education”
i. If this is “for the people”, it should be something they can grasp. You know, like simple folks have done for centuries with the Mass of St. Gregory
g. On Vestments
i. Honestly, Weaver understood this better in Ideas Have Consequences; the uniform denotes a role to be fulfilled
September 19, 2023
"The Spirit of the Liturgy" by Pope Benedict XVI is a magnum opus that delves deep into the heart of Christian worship, offering readers an insightful exploration of the theology and spirituality that underpin the liturgical practices of the Catholic Church. In this thought-provoking book, Pope Benedict XVI (formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) demonstrates his profound understanding of the liturgy, its history, and its profound significance for the life of the Church.
The book is divided into two main parts. The first part lays the foundation for the discussion by addressing the historical and theological aspects of the liturgy. Pope Benedict XVI skillfully navigates through the evolution of Christian worship, highlighting the organic development of the liturgy and its roots in the Jewish tradition. He stresses the importance of understanding the liturgy not as a human invention but as a divine gift handed down through the ages.
One of the book's most captivating aspects is Pope Benedict XVI's explanation of the liturgy's intrinsic connection to the incarnation of Christ. He argues that the liturgy is not merely a collection of rituals but a living encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. Through his insightful analysis, he reiterates the centrality of Christ in the liturgical celebration, emphasizing how the liturgy draws the faithful into a deeper relationship with Christ.
The second part of the book focuses on various elements of the liturgy, including the Eucharist, the importance of silence, and the role of art and music in worship. Pope Benedict XVI's discussion of the Eucharist is particularly enlightening, as he explores the profound mystery of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. His insights on the need for silence and reverence in the liturgy are a refreshing reminder of the sacredness of worship, inviting readers to reflect on the distractions that can sometimes diminish the spiritual experience of the Mass.
Throughout the book, Pope Benedict XVI's writing is clear and erudite, making complex theological concepts accessible to a wide audience. His deep love for the liturgy and his desire to see it celebrated with the utmost reverence and authenticity shine through in every page.
"The Spirit of the Liturgy" is a book that not only informs but also inspires. It calls on Catholics and Christians of all denominations to reevaluate their understanding of the liturgy and to approach it with a renewed sense of awe and devotion. Pope Benedict XVI's scholarly approach, coupled with his deep spirituality, makes this book a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Christian worship and its significance in the life of the Church.
In conclusion, "The Spirit of the Liturgy" is a theological masterpiece that invites readers on a profound journey into the heart of Christian worship. Pope Benedict XVI's wisdom and insight make this book a valuable resource for theologians, clergy, and laypeople alike, and it stands as a timeless contribution to the study of liturgy and spirituality within the Catholic tradition.
The book is divided into two main parts. The first part lays the foundation for the discussion by addressing the historical and theological aspects of the liturgy. Pope Benedict XVI skillfully navigates through the evolution of Christian worship, highlighting the organic development of the liturgy and its roots in the Jewish tradition. He stresses the importance of understanding the liturgy not as a human invention but as a divine gift handed down through the ages.
One of the book's most captivating aspects is Pope Benedict XVI's explanation of the liturgy's intrinsic connection to the incarnation of Christ. He argues that the liturgy is not merely a collection of rituals but a living encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. Through his insightful analysis, he reiterates the centrality of Christ in the liturgical celebration, emphasizing how the liturgy draws the faithful into a deeper relationship with Christ.
The second part of the book focuses on various elements of the liturgy, including the Eucharist, the importance of silence, and the role of art and music in worship. Pope Benedict XVI's discussion of the Eucharist is particularly enlightening, as he explores the profound mystery of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. His insights on the need for silence and reverence in the liturgy are a refreshing reminder of the sacredness of worship, inviting readers to reflect on the distractions that can sometimes diminish the spiritual experience of the Mass.
Throughout the book, Pope Benedict XVI's writing is clear and erudite, making complex theological concepts accessible to a wide audience. His deep love for the liturgy and his desire to see it celebrated with the utmost reverence and authenticity shine through in every page.
"The Spirit of the Liturgy" is a book that not only informs but also inspires. It calls on Catholics and Christians of all denominations to reevaluate their understanding of the liturgy and to approach it with a renewed sense of awe and devotion. Pope Benedict XVI's scholarly approach, coupled with his deep spirituality, makes this book a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Christian worship and its significance in the life of the Church.
In conclusion, "The Spirit of the Liturgy" is a theological masterpiece that invites readers on a profound journey into the heart of Christian worship. Pope Benedict XVI's wisdom and insight make this book a valuable resource for theologians, clergy, and laypeople alike, and it stands as a timeless contribution to the study of liturgy and spirituality within the Catholic tradition.
February 12, 2017
The more I read of Pope Emeritus Benedict Ratzinger the more I love and appreciate him.
I learned so much about the liturgy and I am a Catholic priest! I think the lay faithful would benefit as well. He writes so clearly with great wisdom, insights and understanding. It's helping me to pray the mass with even more reverence and awareness.
I wanted more when it ended!
I learned so much about the liturgy and I am a Catholic priest! I think the lay faithful would benefit as well. He writes so clearly with great wisdom, insights and understanding. It's helping me to pray the mass with even more reverence and awareness.
I wanted more when it ended!
May 9, 2025
Pope Benedict argues that the liturgy is both historical and cosmic, existing in between shadow and reality.
It is historical in virtue of it being developed out of the synagogue and temple worship systems which are specific to a time and place in history.
It is cosmic in that it traditionally was ordered with the whole cosmos in mind through praying ad orientem, invoking the Trinity in the sign of the cross, and by having beautiful music which is in harmony with the harmonic movements of the heavenly spheres.
The Christian liturgy is not a shadow like that of the Old Covenant, but neither is it the fullness of the Heavenly Liturgy found in Revelation. Rather, it is in between both as an image of what is to come. It is just as Christ is the image (icon) of the Father whom we cannot see yet in His fullness until we pass from this world.
It is these themes that undergird the entire book. Each chapter explores the particular instances these concepts are employed in the liturgy, whether it is making the sign of the cross or praying ad orientem. Everything in the liturgy is ordered toward uplifting the earth and all its people to the Heavenly reality.
This book was immensely edifying as it has caused me to appreciate different aspects of the Mass which I did not before. Anyone who reads this book can attend Mass with a renewed appreciation and understanding of the many things within it as well as a desire for it to be elevated further.
It is historical in virtue of it being developed out of the synagogue and temple worship systems which are specific to a time and place in history.
It is cosmic in that it traditionally was ordered with the whole cosmos in mind through praying ad orientem, invoking the Trinity in the sign of the cross, and by having beautiful music which is in harmony with the harmonic movements of the heavenly spheres.
The Christian liturgy is not a shadow like that of the Old Covenant, but neither is it the fullness of the Heavenly Liturgy found in Revelation. Rather, it is in between both as an image of what is to come. It is just as Christ is the image (icon) of the Father whom we cannot see yet in His fullness until we pass from this world.
It is these themes that undergird the entire book. Each chapter explores the particular instances these concepts are employed in the liturgy, whether it is making the sign of the cross or praying ad orientem. Everything in the liturgy is ordered toward uplifting the earth and all its people to the Heavenly reality.
This book was immensely edifying as it has caused me to appreciate different aspects of the Mass which I did not before. Anyone who reads this book can attend Mass with a renewed appreciation and understanding of the many things within it as well as a desire for it to be elevated further.
August 18, 2025
In this book, Cardinal Ratzinger describes in bite-size chapters each aspect of the liturgy (historical, musical, the role of the voice, posture, vestments, etc...) and their foundation in scripture. His explanations are clear and illuminating, and help one see the Mass with fresh eyes, as well as in continuity with history and tradition.
July 8, 2021
compulsory reading for all diocesan and parish ‘liturgists’
June 10, 2011
Liturgy is the heart and apex of Christian life. And even though it is not true that we take away from it as much as we are willing to give (we always gain more than we could ever hope to give), it behooves us to know and understand deeply and thoughtfully the significance and importance of liturgy's various parts. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now pope Benedict XVI) has set out in this relatively slim volume to examine and meditate on various aspects of the Liturgy, and to defend it from various challenges that have been raised in recent years. Although he clearly comes from Catholic perspective, this book is general enough that can be used and appreciated by all Christians who hold to the importance of Liturgy.
Cardinal Ratzinger uses his entire intellectual prowess in guiding us through various aspects of Liturgy. He is equally at home as a biblical scholar, a theologian, an exegete and a pastor. This combination of talents and worldviews makes him uniquely qualified to take a look at the liturgy that is both deep and wide. Although a teacher and a guardian of faith, his statements are not "dogmatic" in the pejorative sense of the term. Throughout the book one gets the impression that the ideas and the statements promulgated are ultimately propositional in nature, although they come with all the authority that he has. This frees him to make statements about many contemporary topics, such as the use of modern music and dance for which he doesn't seem to have much use. Nonetheless he presents his views in a tone of voice and with an attitude that implies that he would be open for discussion, although it is not very likely that he would be much swayed from his positions.
All of Pope Benedict's writings have an imprint of a careful and systematic thinker, who has a lot to offer to the modern world. This book is a further testament to this, and a wonderful and worthwhile read for anyone interested in deeper exploration of our Christian heritage.
Cardinal Ratzinger uses his entire intellectual prowess in guiding us through various aspects of Liturgy. He is equally at home as a biblical scholar, a theologian, an exegete and a pastor. This combination of talents and worldviews makes him uniquely qualified to take a look at the liturgy that is both deep and wide. Although a teacher and a guardian of faith, his statements are not "dogmatic" in the pejorative sense of the term. Throughout the book one gets the impression that the ideas and the statements promulgated are ultimately propositional in nature, although they come with all the authority that he has. This frees him to make statements about many contemporary topics, such as the use of modern music and dance for which he doesn't seem to have much use. Nonetheless he presents his views in a tone of voice and with an attitude that implies that he would be open for discussion, although it is not very likely that he would be much swayed from his positions.
All of Pope Benedict's writings have an imprint of a careful and systematic thinker, who has a lot to offer to the modern world. This book is a further testament to this, and a wonderful and worthwhile read for anyone interested in deeper exploration of our Christian heritage.
December 30, 2022
This was fascinating on so many levels! He certainly has a beautiful way of connecting the different parts of the Liturgy, as well as explaining the origins of many aspects. I have been a Roman Catholic my entire life, but I realized after reading this book how little I actually know. There's a surprise! The older I get, the more ignorant I seem to be.
I am so grateful that my Catholic Thought book club selected this one to read. Excellent resource for fellow Catholics, and well worth reading.
This was the first book by Pope Benedict Emeritus that I've read, but it won't be the last!
I am so grateful that my Catholic Thought book club selected this one to read. Excellent resource for fellow Catholics, and well worth reading.
This was the first book by Pope Benedict Emeritus that I've read, but it won't be the last!
October 25, 2009
This book was wonderful. I've taken several classes on liturgy and though I had a firm grasp of the mysteries, but there were chapters that really amazed me. The stuff about cosmology and the liturgy is facinating. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about history. This is a wonderful read if you want to learn to love liturgy more.
June 2, 2016
The following sections were strong ones in the text: the cosmic and historical dimensions of the liturgy; liturgical art; corporal gestures in the liturgy.
Well written, but can be challenging for those who have not had much experience in academic and theological writings (though this book isn't so much theological as theoretical about liturgy...).
Well written, but can be challenging for those who have not had much experience in academic and theological writings (though this book isn't so much theological as theoretical about liturgy...).
April 8, 2015
This book was awesome even if it was a deep study. I understand so much more
October 6, 2015
The liturgy is a pretty big deal. This is a nice introduction/meditation on it.
May 8, 2023
This was super. A real review to come in the future.
March 11, 2025
In the Catholic world, Liturgy is often a hot topic that is often brought up. People argue for tradition against modern movements and some division can be caused because of it. Pope Benedict XVI, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, wants to help settle some of these issues while also going into depth about the beauty of the liturgy, which is how we give God His due worship.
While the book started out theologically difficult to understand, especially with the liturgy in relation to the cosmos, Benedict is so good at explaining and organizing his points of thought. I also love how at the end of a difficult section of reading, he summarized his points. He also provides a full list of sources he uses and gives proper credit to other theologians and authors that he took ideas from.
The former Pope takes historical fact and cultural importance and applies it into good and bad liturgical practice he has seen today. While he does clearly take a side, he doesn’t make it blatantly obvious most of the time, often taking a neutral stance on an issue. My personal favorite sections were about the direction of prayer being towards the east and the history of the use of images in the church.
As I was reading this book, I began experiencing Mass in a whole new way. If anyone feels as though Mass is boring, I promise you you’re super wrong. This book will help you see just how beautiful our worship of the Lord is and will help you spot small details. This book is easily a 5/5 and I hope to read more of Ratzinger’s books in the future.
While the book started out theologically difficult to understand, especially with the liturgy in relation to the cosmos, Benedict is so good at explaining and organizing his points of thought. I also love how at the end of a difficult section of reading, he summarized his points. He also provides a full list of sources he uses and gives proper credit to other theologians and authors that he took ideas from.
The former Pope takes historical fact and cultural importance and applies it into good and bad liturgical practice he has seen today. While he does clearly take a side, he doesn’t make it blatantly obvious most of the time, often taking a neutral stance on an issue. My personal favorite sections were about the direction of prayer being towards the east and the history of the use of images in the church.
As I was reading this book, I began experiencing Mass in a whole new way. If anyone feels as though Mass is boring, I promise you you’re super wrong. This book will help you see just how beautiful our worship of the Lord is and will help you spot small details. This book is easily a 5/5 and I hope to read more of Ratzinger’s books in the future.
April 13, 2023
On the use of olive oil, wine, and wheaten bread (distinctively Mediterranean things) for the sacraments: "[The Incarnation] binds us to the history of a particular time. Outwardly, that history may seem fortuitous, but it is the form of history willed by God, and for us it is the trustworthy trace he has imprinted on the earth, the guarantee that we are not thinking up things for ourselves but are truly touched by God and come into touch with him."
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