Liturgical prayer is self-expressive of who we are now, but prayer is also a means of conveying tradition, of giving a sense of stability and rootedness, of being confronted with something that might at first seem slightly alien, which are things that can be undercut if our prayers are too much prayers-of-the-moment.
Read moreAuthor: Fritz Bauerschmidt
I am a professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, assigned to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.
Ars Praedicandi: Preaching Church History
As often happens when a new bishop comes to town and tells everyone that they have been doing things wrong, particularly with regard to prayer and liturgy, the people of Constantinople would have none of this. They had called Mary “Mother of God” for years and were not about to change because of some bishop’s theological qualms.
Read more“The body/blood of Christ” vs. ***** [crickets]
Should concelebrants “take” communion or “receive” it?
Read moreDe-siloing the Church
What we must seek is a Church in which the most volatile and painful issues can be discussed in such a way that our divided world can look at us and say, “See how they love one another!”
Read moreLiturgical (Reform of the) Reform and “Neighborhood People”
Liturgical “neighborhood people” are those who love the liturgy they grew up with and are attached to it not for the richness of its theology or the beauty of its words or music or vestments or architecture, but simply because it is theirs, and has been theirs through moments of great sorrow and moments of great joy, marking milestones in their lives and recalling for them the presence of God at those milestones.
Read morePope Francis Continues Updating Papal Style
Is this a 21st-century Fanon?
Read moreArs Praedicandi: The Reckless Shepherd and Remembering 9/11/2001
Jesus begins his parable with a question: “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?” In fact nobody with an ounce of shepherding sense would leave ninety-nine sheep alone in the desert in order to look for a single missing one. Even the most basic form of risk assessment would tell you that this is a very, very, very bad idea.
Read moreWomen and the Diaconate: Threading the Historical Needle
Reading Cipriano Vagaggini’s essay “The Ordination of Deaconesses in the Greek and Byzantine Traditions” has prompted me to reflect on the difficulties posed in mounting historical arguments of either side in the debate, and what might count as sufficient historical precedent in changing Church practice.
Read morePrayer and/as Political Speech
The prayer offered at the Democratic Convention by the Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, in a perhaps odd way, put me in mind of some of the things that get said in the debate over the orientation of the priest in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Read moreLiturgy and Patriotism
A recent survey of Protestant pastors found that 61% felt it was important to incorporate patriotic elements into July 4th worship, even though 53% suspect that their congregations love America more than God.
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