Liturgy in the Postmodern Period
C.BASTINANITO
Date : 18-1-12
General Introduction:
The liturgy is gift of god to the church. We cannot separate liturgy from church. Liturgy makes the people actively participate in the church activities. In the postmodern age the essence of liturgy becomes very week. The new postmodern world is a world in which people now reject truth claims, which are expressed in the form of a dogma or absolutes. It is a world in which dignity is granted to emotions and intuition, and where people are accustomed to communicating through words linked to images and symbols rather than through plain words of simple statements. It is a world in which people have come to feel a close affinity with the environment, and where there is a strong sense of global unity and perhaps most importantly of all, it is a world in which the spiritual dimension is once again talked about with great ease.
Through this background, sometimes liturgy is wrongly understood by the people. ‘What is the understanding of the liturgy in the post-modern period?’. To answer to this question, the liturgy is identified with not only rituals but also social justice and social concern. The liturgy ideas of liturgical problems in the postmodern period, church documents on liturgy in the life of human being and liturgical aspects of social justice.
Chapter 1
Modern and Postmodern Thinking
1.1. Introduction
Modern and Postmodern are seems to be the same but there are some diffirences between them which this chapter is going to deal about. it deals with the liturgical challenges of Today postmodern world
1.2. Modern Thinking
Modern thinking can be said to have started when Isaac Newton Newton Newton Newton
Modern thought is where we get ideas like rugged individualism, scientific method, and grade-based, hierarchical public education. Modern thought is linear and tells us that history is meaningful, words are meaningful, and truth is definable in absolute terms. Modern thought tells us that science and technology are capable of eventually solving all our problems because, as rational individuals, we can think our way out of anything.[1]
1.3 Post-modern Thinking
Science, technology and education did not seem to solve our problems. They solved some problems, but they caused new difficulties as well. As more people began to observe this, they began to question the value of modern thinking.These post-modern thinkers were not interested in directly refuting modern thought as much as challenging the absoluteness of it. So, for example, history may have really happened the way most textbooks say it did. But it is also possible it happened in a number of other ways. The scientific method may be a valuable tool for observing reality, but so are intuition and instinct.
In a post-modern world, there is no supreme, rational individual that is distinct and apart from the rest of society. The individual is a product of a community or even several communities. We learn values within our various communities that contribute to our own success as well as to the unbuilding of the community.[2]
1.4 Liturgical Challenges in the Post-modern Period:
The challenges regard the concept of inculturation. The liturgy regarded as a cultural, symbolic world. The scope of liturgical inculturation includes not only sacred texts and rituals but also music, songs musical instruments; gestures dance art and architectures at the local cultures. The problem of in culturation is a recent phenomenon. It was texted in a remarkable document produced by the sacred congregation for the sacraments and divine worship in 1994.
“If the liturgy is an incarnational fact then it is an inherent requirement that it be inculturated in the various cultures of humanity. Such is evident. Liturgy must be in culturated or rather liturgy will in culturate itself if it is lived with faith and love of Christ by people of all cultures”[3]
The liturgy must correspondent with our daily life. Pope Leo the great says, “The Christian mysteries have crossed over in to the liturgy then it is equally true that liturgy must cross over into the moral and the spiritual life of Christians.”[4]
Not every religious practice can be used as vehicle for Christian liturgy. There are some prayers and practices, which are not appropriate for use in the Christ and liturgy. The Christian liturgy should be based on faith, which makes people to unite with Christ
1.5 Conclusion
This chapter dealt with the basic differences of modern and postmodern thinking. the modern thinking is based on science but the postmodern is based on the society in which the human being lived.
Chapter 2
The Church and Sacred Liturgy
2.1. Introduction
This chapter deals with the church documents on sacred liturgy. This chapter consists on two important encyclical on liturgy and its important future. These two documents insisted on celebration of the liturgy in a meaningful way.
2.2. Sacrosanctum Concilium
One of the first issues considered by the council, and the matter that had the immediate effect on the lives of individual Catholics, was the revision of the liturgy. The central idea was that there ought to be greater lay participation in the liturgy. In the mid-1960s, permissions were granted to celebrate most of the Mass in vernacular languages, including the Canon from 1967 onwards.
The sacred Council establishes the following general norms:
(1) Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See, and, as laws may determine, on the bishop.
(2) In virtue of power conceded by law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of bishops' conferences, legitimately established, with competence in given territories.
(3) Therefore no other person, not even a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.
2.3 Mediator Dei:
The encyclical Mediator Dei (25) defines liturgy as “public worship which our redeemer as head of the church renders to the father, as well as the worship which the community of faithful renders to its founder, and through him to heavenly Father. In short, it is the worship rendered by the mystical body of Christ in the entirety of its head and members.”[6]
Important points are added to Mediator Dei:
1) The Liturgy, which is the comprised of the sacraments, is in its entirety a sacred sign, as is the church itself. The visible elements of the Liturgy are an efficacious sign of the supernatural reality. The liturgy is therefore a sacramentum or mystery.
2) In the liturgical action, not only does the church’s prayer of adoration and petition arise to God, but the graces of redemption also descend upon the church and its members.
3) The liturgy belongs to the Christian people, whose Baptism authorizes them to take an active part in it under the direction and presidency of the ministerial priesthood.
2.4 Conclusion
This chapter dealt with some of the basic idea of the church about the liturgy. It is very important that liturgy be not only celebrated by the priest but also together with the faithful who received the sacrament of baptism.
Chapter 3
Liturgy and Social Justice
3.1. Introduction
This chapter deals with the real meaning of liturgy. Liturgy is not only a ritual but also concern on social justice, which is the basic concern of the church. Liturgy is not only relating with God but also related with human community.
3.2. Justice in Liturgy
Liturgy refers to the actions of a gathered community in hearing the word of , breaking bread , initiating new members, anointing the sick, celebrating conversion and renewal, marrying and giving in marriage , ordaining its leaders or joining together in the praise and acknowledgement of God.[7] Justice comes down to what the law defines as just or unjust. It is called legal justice and the struggle for justice means seeking legal redress or constitutional amendment for situations felt to be unjust. Here the question is “what shall all this liturgical activity to do with the cause of justice?.” The answer would be, the liturgy celebrates the justice of God himself, as revealed by him in history, recorded in the scriptures and proclaimed in the assembly of the faithful. The justice of god the liturgy proclaims is the kingdom of God Jesus and we have further suggested that such justice prevails when the Will of God is done.
3.2.1 Relationship with God
Every Eucharistic Liturgy contains at least one clear and apodictic statement about justice; it occurs at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
In the view of this statement, which belongs to the original and indispensable core of the Eucharistic liturgy, it is hardly surprising that St. Thomas Aquinas should have seen the virtue of religion as a part of the moral virtue of justice.
“He is our unfailing source and to him more than to any other we must be bound; he is our last end and to him our choice must be constantly directed; it is God whom we spurn and lose when we sin; it is God whom we must regain once more by believing in him and pleading our loyalty to him.” [8]
Pious XII took this quotation from St. Thomas
3.2.2 Relationship with Humanity
Liturgy presupposes a group of people who can reach across the social, political and economic barriers we recite the prayer of Jesus “Our Father” which brings unity among all people. It unites the people under one umbrella. The liturgical assembly reflects not only the justice of kingdom but also his division of social grouping justice is a mark of the church. Like her being one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. This statement refers to bring unity among the peoples. Liturgy is not only a relationship with God but also it is a relationship with humanity. Liturgy is based on human expectation and suffering.
3.3 The Mass and Social Justice
3.3.1 Gaudium et Spes
Gaudium et spes(29) says, “ The equal dignity of human being in virtue of their divine calling and destiny, demands that excessive economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples be eradicated.”
GS (30) says, “The best way to fulfill one’s obligations of justice and love is to contribute to the common good according to one’s means and the needs of others…” Jesus manifests himself in the mass in the form of bread and wine. While we share his blood and flesh from one cup and distributed equally to all without any partiality.[9]
3.3.2 Lumen Gentium
The dogmatic constitution on the church Lumen Gentium pointed out that “… the church, in Christ , is in the nature of sacrament-a sign and instrument which is of communion with God and of unity among all men (LG1).
“Taking part in the Eucharist scarifies the source and summit of the Christian life offer the divine victim to God and themselves along with it (LG11).”[10]
The mission of the church to work for the social justice should be manifested and realized in the celebration of the Eucharist. The mass is the memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ , the consecration of the Christ and of the community in Christ to the father is proclaimed through the great prayer of praise and thanks giving.
3.3.3. Conclusion
This chapter dealt with the Liturgy is not only a ritual but also concern on social justice, which is the basic concern of the church. Liturgy is not only relating with God but also related with human community. Mass is also concern with human community.
General Conclusion
Liturgy in a postmodern world grapples with the future of liturgy at a time of exceptional confusion and uncertainty in the Christian churches. Liturgy is at the very centre of the redemptive work Christ exercises through the ministry of the church. A community that does not concern about human being, it cannot claim to be Christian community. Anyone who does not celebrate and live the liturgy of the church according to the mind of the church, cannot pretend to be true to the church because the liturgy of the church is based on the human realization of God through the social justice and social concern. Here, I conclude that liturgy is not only concern on rituals but also human life in the postmodern period.
Bibliography
1. Chupungco, J., ed. Introduction to the Liturgy. Pilippines: Cleritian Publication, 2004.
2.Gelineau, Joseph . The Liturgy Today and Tomorrow.Translated by Danish Livingstone . London
3.Keith Pecklers ed .,. Liturgy in the Postmodern World. New York
4.Searle, Mark , ed. Liturgy and Social Justice. MInnesta: The Liturgical Press, 1980.
5.Wagner.,Nick.http://www.rpinet.com/ml/2604post.html.Jan20,2011.http://www.rpinet.com/`ml/2604post.html (accessed Aug 26, 2011 ).
