Eucharistic Prayer and Theology
2005 Louisville, Kentucky
2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002
Convener 2005
Robert J. Daly, S.J. (professor of theology ereritus at Boston College)
Seminar Participants 2005
Seminar participants: Robert J. Congdon, Robert J. Daly, S.J., Barbara Green, Jerome M. Hall, S.J., Hoyt L. Hickman, John Foley, S.J., John Kroeger, Amy Schifrin
Visitors: Daniel Benedict, Edward Phillips
Seminar Report 2005
The seminar discussed four presentations:
- John Kroeger presented new EPs for the third, fourth, and fifth (RCIA-Scrutiny) Sundays of Lent, year A, demonstrating what can be gained when the rich themes, language, and imagery of the (in this case RC) Lectionary readings are taken up into the preface and EP. The main purpose is to draw the members of the assembly into the imagery so that it can work on them. After praying the EPs together with Kroeger, the seminar members were in fact, as became obvious in the ensuing discussion, drawn up into the themes, language, and imagery of the Lectionary readings.
- Barbara Green led us into discussion by way of her “Notes to Draw Upon in Discussion of Liturgies for Women Presiding at the Table.” Her research had revealed that women, in thinking about presiding, are working out of images which are all male. In their preaching they saw themselves as “feeding the people.” Significantly, they saw their preaching as flowing into—in effect, becoming the same thing as—the Eucharist. Green noted that the lack of similar studies regarding the self-awareness of men in their presiding and preaching makes it difficult to assess what new and perhaps very important dynamics may be developing as more and more women preside at table.
- Robert Daly’s “Trinitarian Theology in Early Christian Anaphoras” introduced the lex-orandi/lex credendi question, namely, Does doctrine shape liturgy or does liturgy shape doctrine? The study was based on the exegetical and historical findings (granted that the liturgical data from the first few centuries are quite meager) that there exists no textual or historical support for the traditional assumption that there is a continuous line of development from the Last Supper/NT to the theologically mature liturgies of the patristic golden age. At the chronological outset—of what meager evidence does not allow one to call “development”—one is at theologically undeveloped stages which could be classified as pre-eucharistic, pre-christological, pre-trinitarian. As for the “shaping” question, there is evidence in the anaphoras which come from or come after the Arian crisis, that doctrine can have a shaping influence on liturgy. However, in this obviously preliminary study, no evidence was uncovered to support the common assumption that liturgy also shapes doctrine. One (further) lesson which the discussion drew from this study: respect for the sources.
- Edward Phillips and Daniel Benedict introduced the seminar to the recently completed document (the seminar discussed a draft of it two years ago) “This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion.” After sharing their euphoria that the document was so welcomingly adopted by the 2004 United Methodist Annual Conference, Phillips and Benedict led the seminar in an illuminating discussion of how the drafting committee worked to produce, not something radically new, but an interpretive document that could become a practical source document for “best practices” which, in accord with current Methodist polity and traditional Wesleyan theology, would invite pastors and presiders to lead their communities into a deeper appropriation of “this holy mystery.”
The seminar concluded its work by appointing Jerome M. Hall, S.J., to succeed Robert Daly as convener and by looking ahead to the work projected for the coming year. The still-developing list includes such topics as theological shifts in the understanding of Church and Eucharist in John Paul II; the presence of Christ in the celebration and especially in the one who presides; studies of pastoral effectiveness with United Methodist men; and continued work by various seminar members on women presiding at the table/EP, new EPs for the Sundays of Lent, and sacrifice in the EPs.