English Summary – Liturgy and Liturgics 1/2016

Juan Javier Flores Arcas OSB
How to do Liturgical Theology
In this study there are listed the fundamental rules of liturgical theology, as the author sees them. They establish a synthesis of interpretation proposed in the book Introduction to the Liturgical Theology (Introducción a la teología liturgica) issued in 2003. The author understands liturgical theology as: theology drawing from the liturgy, whilst the liturgy draws from the theology; theology based on the liturgical text, since the communication tool of the Divine tidings is the Word; theology which leans on the liturgical celebration and shows liturgy as an epiphany of the Church; theology, which is based on Christ’s Paschal mystery and leads towards it; theology which transforms the liturgical celebration into permanent Easter; theology based on the history, focusing on the celebration, open to the eschaton; and finally, theology which allows us to enter into the mystery of Christ through the celebration constituting the fullness of Passover.

 

Enrico Mazza
Lex Orandi and Lex Credendi: What Can Say about Lex Agendi or Lex Vivendi?
On the Theology of the Christian Cult
The pair lex orandi – lex credendi represents a simplification of the famous sayings of the Indiculus. It has already been a long time since this maxim has become the most common way to talk about the importance of the liturgy. To avoid commonplaceness, some twenty years ago two new elements were attached – lex agendi and lex vivendi, to integrate into this expression the connection between liturgy and life. This was certainly a laudable intention, but when we critically examine the whole situation, we find that the problem is in the saying itself, because it was not formed in order to define the liturgy but to solve a very specific problem related to the dispute with the Pelagians. Today, it would be preferable to leave this saying its original meaning and for definition of the liturgy use other sources whose meaning, and our ability to understand them, would be further developed. If we want to talk about the liturgy in its relation to the life, it is better to use the New Testament concept, where the rites retain all of their meaning, and in the same time recognise that life itself constitutes the liturgy.

 

Romano Guardini
Cultic Act and the Current Duty of Liturgical Education
In 1964, Romano Guardini wrote a letter where he expressed his questions concerning the cultic, or as a matter of fact, liturgical act about which he presumed that the modern person is not really capable of. He tries to discover the heart of this act, and find the challenges related to the liturgy which stands in front of the modern person and those who are supposed to lead and educate others. To Guardini’s text then responded several contemporary theologians (V. Ventura, fr. M.-Joachim, A. Guggenheim, G. Buß) in order to express how his message is still alive and inspiring.

 

Radek Tichý
What does this Ceremony Mean?
Holy Communion in the West and Comprehension of Liturgy
The author in his article examines the question how to understand particular liturgical rites of contemporary worship. The text doesn’t constitute a theoretical methodological text but an application of comparative liturgy (liturgie comparée) to the ceremonies of the Holy Communion during Mass in the Western rites. Through historical and comparative analysis of certain elements of Roman, Ambrosian and Mozarabic rites shows what takes place, when servants of the Church distribute Body and Blood of Christ to the faithful during the Mass. The author concludes that Eucharistic rites are constructed as a sacrament of reconciliation and integration into the Church.

 

Robert Sarah – Andrea Grillo
The Current Controversy about the Liturgy
In the summer 2015, a controversy between Cardinal Robert Sarah, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, and the Professor of Liturgics Andrea Grill took place in the Italian media. Topicality and liveliness, even tempestuousness of the exchange of views between the two representatives of liturgical thoughts – one representing the Curia, the other academic theology – is a demonstration of how it is possible today to deal with the issue. The debate is conducted primarily on the way of interpretation of the Vatican II documents (especially Sacrosanctum Concilium) and their integration into contemporary liturgical practice.

 

Ondřej Koupil – Jan Šlégr
Reissue of the Czech Missal: A Report on the 2015 Edition
Text for the common memory of Czech and Moravian Church from the need for transparency of work and for interested in the subject records briefly while unofficial, partly in meditative way factors and principles of work on the re-edition of the Czech Missal completed in 2015. The report is divided to the sum of external circumstances which affected editing of the Missal (I), a structured summary of editorial principles of the re-edition (II) and finally strives to give prospect of the future edition of this liturgical book (III).

 

Benedikt Kranemann
Openness to “Shy Piety”New Christian Rituals in Religiously Pluralistic Society
The article describes new rituals, designed by Christians in the East and Middle Germany, regions with many people without any confession: a youth ritual, a blessing of people in love, Christmas with people outside the Church. These new Christian rituals are intended explicitly to people without any confession. The article examines this type of ritual in contrast to the traditional Roman liturgy. The challenges of this kind of rituals for the understanding of Christian liturgy will be discussed. Also the historical background of these new rituals, as well as the theological implications, is presented.