The Spirit of Liturgy by Cardinal Ratzinger - Book Report/Review Example

The Spirit of Liturgy Student’s name: Institution: Instructor: Subject: The Spirit of Liturgy Most of the writings on the liturgy of the Catholic Church major on specific areas such as musical, artistic, cultural pastoral, historical or theological. Cardinal Ratzinger has demonstrated strong interest in understanding matters of the liturgy. In his book –The Spirit of the Liturgy, he explains the different aspects of worshiping by the church. In the first chapter of this book-Liturgy of Life: The Place of Liturgy in Reality, he aims to explain the place of liturgy in reality. In the first section of the chapter, Ratzinger relates liturgy to play or game. A play has sets of rules that are only unique to that game creating a totally different environment that what is known in the real world. Likewise liturgy sets up its own world which is not practiced in the real world. It creates a world that has meaning but no purpose Another element of play that relates to liturgy is anticipation. Ratzinger explains this by viewing how the children engage in games relating to their future life. Likewise, liturgy is rehearsal of our future life, eternal life or life after death. Ratzinger condemns people that live a life that has no anticipation arguing that such a life would be empty and leaden life (p. 21). However, Ratzinger cautions that not everything in the game is directly related to the liturgy. He distinguishes play with liturgy with the fact that liturgy has the element of hoping for a different world that will come once and last forever. However, with the ordinary game it happens for sometimes and then goes meaning that it is repetitive. To further explain the aspect of time in the liturgy, Ratzinger uses the events that led to Israelites fleeing from Egypt. The Israelites had two goals for leaving Egypt; to reach the Promised Land and to serve God in the wilderness. Worship is an element of liturgy. The time of worship is strongly emphasized by Ratzinger who explains that The manner in which God is to be worshipped is not a question of political feasibility. It contains its measure within itself, that is, it can only be ordered by the measure or revelation in dependency upon God. (p. 16) Any attempt by the Pharaoh to prevent the Israelites from going to worship God was strongly opposed by Him. As Ratzinger explains “the goal of Exodus was to worship God and could only take place according to the God’s measure therefore eluding the rules of the game of political compromise.” At that moment no one knew the duration that the Israelites would have taken to worship since the measure of worship is only determined by God. Furthermore, a journey that was supposed to take three days took three months. This clearly shows that the duration of worship is part of measure of worship that is further determined by God. With the relation of the story of Israelites, Ratzinger points out that there are three interconnected orders of liturgy which are worship, law and ethics. He further observes that law without moral foundation is not just and when morals and law do not have their origin from the perspective of God, then they degrade the man. Ratzinger strongly requires that we always remember the connection between the worship, law and ethics. He explains that “laws whose foundation is not moral are not just and when morality and law do not have their origin from the perspective of God, then they degrade man”. (p. 18) The life becomes real when we receives it from looking toward God and this is the reason that Cults exists. The role of cult is communicating vision and giving life in a way that glorifies God. This way, the human being is able to be close to God even if he or she does not fully understand how to do it. Ratzinger observes that It is every life of man, man himself as living righteously, that is the true worship of God, but life only becomes real life when it receives its form from looking toward God. (p.18). The first time God appears to the Israelites, he makes them know his desire for them in the Ten Commandments. It is these laws that are part of the covenant that God makes with the Israelites. Through these rules, the Israelites were able to learn the will of God and how he needs to be worshiped. Ratzinger further explains that the freedom of the Israelites was dependent on whether or not the Israelites were following the Gods Commandment. God gives freedom to people to make choices on who they want to worship. Those who worship Him are rewarded by the favorable and necessary conditions for life. God’s favors to the Israelites were as long as they were to obey His commandments. Whenever they failed to do so, they would be denied some of the rewards until they turned back to God. Though not every Israelite understood what God wanted and how, they had to get instructions from the high priest. Through this they were able to create a network of cult that promoted worshiping of God. According to Ratzinger, when cult is seen in its true depth and breadth, it goes more than the action of the liturgy. “It embraces the ordering of the whole of human life in Irenaus sense.” (p. 20) As a result, it puts God to light which is related to worshiping God. Ratzinger further observes that ethics and law do not hold together whenever they root source is not liturgical. For man to enjoy relationship with the fellow men and the surrounding, then he must first ensure that he has a good relationship with God otherwise everything else shall not work. Ratzinger strongly argues that the best way to ensure that there is a good relationship with God is through Worship. He explains that ‘worship gives us the share in heaven’s mode of existence in the world of God and allows light to fall from that divine world into ours.’ Ratzinger strongly cautions creating of wrong cults explaining that these kinds of cults would end up straining people in vain though bombastic trumpeting that would conceal to nothing. In the final part of the chapter, Ratzinger explains that man cannot by himself make the worship. The way for a man to know whether or not he is making the right worship is finding out whether God reveals himself. God would not reveal himself in a worship made by man since man does not know what is required of him to serve God with. In the real liturgy, God is able to respond and reveal how he should be worshiped. As a result of this argument, Worship cannot be imagined or created by human being rather it “remains as a cry in dark or mere self-affirmation.” (p. 22). In the liturgy, God not only reveals himself but also gives us a new direction implying that there is creation of a real relationship with God. From the old testament, with the help of high priest Aaron, the Israelites creates a golden bull calf not to serve other false gods but to make people outwardly to be attached to God. The objectives of the Israelites were to worship the God who led them from Egypt and therefore decided to represent his might using the image of the bull calf. However, God does not appreciate this. He sees it as worship of the idolatry and rejects it. This shows that God does not appreciate when people imagines what he is and worships him that way. This further shows that self generated cults are not appreciated by God. Ratzinger explains these kind of worship as ‘self seeking worship’ since they are meant for own satisfaction without involving God. In the case of Israelites, the dance around the golden calf was accompanied by eating, drinking and making of merry which were centrally to the kind of worship that God wanted. With regard to this Ratzinger strongly warns of creating of our own alternative way of living which is centrally to the plans of God. What ends up when one creates this kind of environment is a feeling of emptiness and frustration. However, when one encounters God, there is the experience of liberation and self satisfaction. In conclusion, though the chapter explains in details how one should conduct liturgy, it does not explain how a group of people are able to know if they are doing it in the right way. In the recent years, there have been rise in number of denominations all claiming to have the right cult. Furthermore, in our religious groups, there is no way of knowing whether we are performing the liturgy the right thing. Ratzinger ignore this, only focusing on what we ought to do so as to have true liturgy. All in all, this chapter contains detailed wisdom that shall no doubt help the leaders to understand how the importance and role of the Catholic liturgical traditions. References Ratzinger, Cardinal Joseph. (2000). Liturgy and Life in the Spirit of the Liturgy. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000. (pp. 13-23). Read More

It contains its measure within itself, that is, it can only be ordered by the measure or revelation in dependency upon God. (p. 16) Any attempt by the Pharaoh to prevent the Israelites from going to worship God was strongly opposed by Him. As Ratzinger explains “the goal of Exodus was to worship God and could only take place according to the God’s measure therefore eluding the rules of the game of political compromise.” At that moment no one knew the duration that the Israelites would have taken to worship since the measure of worship is only determined by God.

Furthermore, a journey that was supposed to take three days took three months. This clearly shows that the duration of worship is part of measure of worship that is further determined by God. With the relation of the story of Israelites, Ratzinger points out that there are three interconnected orders of liturgy which are worship, law and ethics. He further observes that law without moral foundation is not just and when morals and law do not have their origin from the perspective of God, then they degrade the man.

Ratzinger strongly requires that we always remember the connection between the worship, law and ethics. He explains that “laws whose foundation is not moral are not just and when morality and law do not have their origin from the perspective of God, then they degrade man”. (p. 18) The life becomes real when we receives it from looking toward God and this is the reason that Cults exists. The role of cult is communicating vision and giving life in a way that glorifies God. This way, the human being is able to be close to God even if he or she does not fully understand how to do it.

Ratzinger observes that It is every life of man, man himself as living righteously, that is the true worship of God, but life only becomes real life when it receives its form from looking toward God. (p.18). The first time God appears to the Israelites, he makes them know his desire for them in the Ten Commandments. It is these laws that are part of the covenant that God makes with the Israelites. Through these rules, the Israelites were able to learn the will of God and how he needs to be worshiped.

Ratzinger further explains that the freedom of the Israelites was dependent on whether or not the Israelites were following the Gods Commandment. God gives freedom to people to make choices on who they want to worship. Those who worship Him are rewarded by the favorable and necessary conditions for life. God’s favors to the Israelites were as long as they were to obey His commandments. Whenever they failed to do so, they would be denied some of the rewards until they turned back to God. Though not every Israelite understood what God wanted and how, they had to get instructions from the high priest.

Through this they were able to create a network of cult that promoted worshiping of God. According to Ratzinger, when cult is seen in its true depth and breadth, it goes more than the action of the liturgy. “It embraces the ordering of the whole of human life in Irenaus sense.” (p. 20) As a result, it puts God to light which is related to worshiping God. Ratzinger further observes that ethics and law do not hold together whenever they root source is not liturgical. For man to enjoy relationship with the fellow men and the surrounding, then he must first ensure that he has a good relationship with God otherwise everything else shall not work.

Ratzinger strongly argues that the best way to ensure that there is a good relationship with God is through Worship. He explains that ‘worship gives us the share in heaven’s mode of existence in the world of God and allows light to fall from that divine world into ours.’ Ratzinger strongly cautions creating of wrong cults explaining that these kinds of cults would end up straining people in vain though bombastic trumpeting that would conceal to nothing. In the final part of the chapter, Ratzinger explains that man cannot by himself make the worship.

Read More