Blog 3: Liturgical Theology as Asthetic
The liturgy is often a point of tension for Catholics with other Christians, and even with each other. Many people do not have a proper understanding of the liturgy and why it is so important. Romano Guardini, in The Spirit of the Liturgy, writes excellently on liturgical theology. I would make the claim that Guardini’s liturgical theology is aesthetic, in that it helps to reveal the liturgy as beautiful. His theology does this in many ways, but notably in the explanation of fellowship of liturgy and the symbolism of liturgy.
Looking first at the fellowship of liturgy, it is important to acknowledge the social conditions many of us encounter and live with. We live in a highly individualized society, one in which we are not just encouraged, but almost demanded to do only what is pleasing and fulfilling to YOU, the individual. A sense of community and of being a part of something bigger than yourself is looked at as alien. I spent much of my undergraduate experience surrounded by peers and professors who advocated this type of thought process. Individualism is extremely prevalent in our world. So when we turn to the liturgy, the knee-jerk reaction is to ask “what do I get out of this?” Guardini challenges this line of thinking, and rightfully so. He reminds his reader that the liturgy is not about the individual’s experience, but rather that liturgy is about a concrete way to give proper worship to God. We are not meant to have an overwhelmingly emotional response that makes us feel better. Liturgy is designed in such a way that it brings to light that which is beautiful: the body of Christ. In my last blog, I spoke at length about how at the center of our faith is the bloodied Body of Christ. Well, Guardini reminds us that “every individual Catholic is a cell of this living organism or a member of this Body” (Guardini 37). So the liturgy by its very nature, calls us to let go of our individual desires and needs, and come together as that one Body, the Church. We do this in order to give proper praise to God, who reveals this beauty to us. It is the proper response to the invitation of grace God extends to us by way of the Cross.
To understand the liturgy, you also have to understand the relationship between the physical and the spiritual. Guardini writes about two different misinterpretations of these two “planes” so to speak. There are those who try to separate the two, but in doing so fail to see the importance of the cohesion of the two, and also those who see the two as entangled together, but in doing so fail to see the distinction between them. To Guardini, both the sense of cohesion and the power of discrimination are vital to the creation of a symbol. A symbol originates when “the spiritual element transpose[s] itself into material terms because it is vital and essential that it should do so” (57). He goes even further to say that the medium of expression is unable to represent anything else whatsoever. This understanding is key, as the body is the natural emblem of the soul. So there is reason for the motions we perform, the words we speak in liturgy. All of it is oriented toward proper worship of God. That is truly beautiful, as it allows us to take our places as parts of the whole, cells of the Body of Christ.
