Book Discussion: An Introduction to Prayer by Bishop Robert Barron

Part 5 Liturgical Prayer- Personal Reflections

Here's Part 5 of 7—my personal reflections on Bishop Robert Barron’s section on Liturgical prayer, including three chapters on the Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, and the Creed.

When I started RCIA, now OCIA (I still don't know the unabbreviated form of either acronym, so it makes no difference to me), there were several vocabulary words that were alien to me, at least in terms of the new context I found them in in the Catholic Church. Words like "Eucharist," "genuflect," "adoration," "sacrament," "holy orders," "prayer intentions," "catechesis," etc. "Liturgy" was one of those words. As a person who has lived in places outside of my culture of origin, I acquired one skill I am proud of: I have learned how to learn. Whether it's a language or a culture or organizational core values, I have learned how to learn what the clues are to find the meaning of things. I can't sell my method, because it's not quick, easy, or painless. It requires becoming like a child and letting the people around you feed you what "normal" is, give you words to speak, and impart what is important. It is a collective, relational process that cannot be achieved by textbook learning.

So when I sought to understand what "liturgy" is, I did not first look up the definition, because that's not how children learn. In fact, I'm sure I couldn't tell you the definition even if I tried. Unfortunately, as an adult trying to become like a child and understand what this thing called liturgy is, there are some hurdles. All the years of my life have fed me misconceptions or incomplete truths about what it is, so I not only have the task of acquiring the meaning, but also identify and rid myself of the false meanings I had previously assigned it.

Previous assumptions, in word salad form:

Liturgy

Boring, rote, memorization, religiosity, tradition, rigid, form over function, work, hypocrisy, tiring, a form of religion devoid of power, pious exterior, empty, meaningless, puffed up, arrogant, rich and pompous, rejection of the poor and broken, old, fake, where is Jesus?

Then, there are some misconceptions I acquired upon becoming Catholic. Have you ever played a word association game? Someone says a word and what is the first word that comes to mind?

Liturgy.

Wars.

If I had to explain what "Liturgy" means to me now in my current understanding of it, it would go something like this:

There is something very important happening in heaven right now. There is music: "Holy, holy, holy," and joining in the chorus are myriad angels and there are elders and souls of Christians and the Mother of God. Their worship is directed toward someone very important. A throne. An altar. A Lamb that is slain and yet stands. There are prayers and songs and incense and movement. It is a dance, like a ballet, with "similar prescribed movements and gestures” as Bishop Barron quotes Thomas Merton on the Mass. God is pleased with this pure offering of love to Him in response to His offering of His Son to us. But who exactly is this Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? I have a Creed that gives me a starting place. But my longing draws me back to the beginning of the story, so that my understanding, my knowing of Him can deepen my worship of Him. And so when I go to Mass, I join with the heavenly dance on earth and I experience through the Liturgy the whole mystery of Christ, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 over time, over a lifetime.

Liturgy is not primarily about my preferences. It is about joining with the Body of Christ and moving together as one as we collectively, all over the world--the earth as our altar--kneel and worship the Lamb, because He is worthy of our worship.

Liturgy is the activity we do as the family of God. It is the Love God Love Neighbor stuff that finds its climax in the Mass. It is serving the poor, praying for the sick, proclaiming the gospel, teaching, preaching, doing good, blessing our enemies, and becoming more like the One we behold in the breaking of the bread. It is us becoming more conformed to our primary vocation--to be worshipers now unto eternity.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7