Liturgy succeeds because it maintains a prayerful atmosphere in worship.
In the Roman rite (full text available here), the Gloria, the Alleluia, the Preparation Prayers, the Preface, Sanctus, the Memorial Acclamation, and several responses are almost entirely dedicated to the praise of God. The opening words to most other prayers (the Eucharistic Prayers, the Proper prayers, etc.) also glorify God and recount His deeds in salvation history:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name. (Euch. Prayer III)
When one considers the rest of the Mass (i.e., those parts not consumed with the explicit praise of God), one recognizes that the Mass maintains a vertical orientation throughout. God is directly addressed throughout the Penitential rite, the Proper prayers, the Prayers of the Faithful, the Eucharistic Prayers, the prayers of the Communion rite (including the Our Father), and the Agnus Dei. Most of the Mass directly addresses God. The entire Mass is structured as a prayer, with great unity and logical progression.
Of course, this is true of the other Western rites adapted from, or influenced by, the Roman Mass (e.g., Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, other Latin Catholic rites and uses, etc.). The other great liturgical families of Christianity (including my personal favorites: the West Syriac and Byzantine) also structure their worship as an extended prayer action. (I highlight the former in the Youtube video at right.)
This prayerful, vertical orientation offsets the glaring shortcomings of contemporary Roman Catholic liturgy. (For instance, I find the musical choices of the modern Roman Catholic parish shallow, dated in their "contemporary" quality, and often of much poorer technical quality than the hymns included in the Adventist hymnal. Happily, Catholic worship is not as reliant upon its hymnody as Adventist worship is; nevertheless, I believe the Church must improve this aspect of its modern liturgical life, even precisely by looking to Protestant worship.)
Finally, it is worth noting that the vertical dimension of Catholic worship is exhibited many other ways. It is evident in genuflections when entering or exiting a pew, bows when moving through the nave or sanctuary, the raised hands of the celebrant, an ad orientam position (especially among Eastern Catholics), gazes of adoration at the elevations of communion, long periods of kneeling, the offering of incense, and bows before receiving communion. Of course, iconography also plays a signal role in drawing attention to divine realities.
Now, Adventists will not be able to emulate all aspects of Catholic worship. Anglican, Lutheran or Methodist liturgy would serve as a far more appropriate template. A few hymns and responses in the Adventist Hymnal also provide some tantalizing possibilities for Adventist liturgy. I will develop these ideas in my next two posts.
2 comments:
Hugo, I am currently reading Scott Hahn's, The Lamb's Supper. It suggests that Revelation is liturgical. It was John's vision of how the Catholic liturgy plays out before us the end times--from the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 through to the Second Coming. That each time we go to mass we are actually walking through the Apocalypse and "proclaiming Christ until He comes again." Really fascinating.... I think you would appreciate it.
Every since I began studying the early church, (I was utterly shocked we even had writings from the first few centuries!! No one in Adventism certainly spoke about them....) I began to notice how Jewish and formal it was (liturgical) I had always had this mistaken idea that the early church was casual, no formalities, potluck, simply a gathering of like minded people singing and praising. (chuckle) Then I actually read the history. That was stunning.
Today, I still marvel at how Catholic worship is based directly on the early church worship. Much of the wording is similar (and next year will be exactly like) the texts of what they said. It is just amazing to know you are believing and saying the same things the apostles taught people to say in church. I have come to love liturgy. It takes a little effort to actually go and read and understand what it all means but then Catholic worship becomes heavenly!
The mass is actually God bringing us into heaven.... amazing....
Theresa,
Scott Hahn is absolutely correct. SDA scholars recognize that John wrote Revelation in the context of the Temple, i.e. the liturgical center of the Jewish religion.
The Catholic Church is the Jewish religion lived out in the light of Christ. If the religious leaders had not rejected Jesus the Catholic Church is what their religion would look like.
So it only makes sense that you have the Old Testament Temple in Jerusalem, the New Testament Temple - the Catholic Church and the in the New Heavens and the New Earth no Temple at all and no Sabbath because Rev. 21:22And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
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