Formation for Liturgical Prayer
2002 Reston, Virginia
2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002
Convener 2002
Gerald Chinchar, S.M. (campus minister for catechetical programs at the University of Dayton, part-time instructor in the Religious Studies Department)
Seminar Participants 2002
Stanislaus Campbell, F.S.C., James Challancin, Paul Colloton,O.P., Joseph Dougherty, F.S.C., Jeremy Gallet, S.P., Kenneth Hannon, O.M.I., Gabe Huck, John Huels, O.M.I., Paul Janowiak, S.J., Donna Kelly, C.N.D., Jeffrey Kemper, Theresa Koernke, I.H.M., Jovian Lang, O.F.M., Anne McGuire, Sharon McMillan, S.N.D. de N., Scott O’Brien, O.P., Roc O’Connor, S.J., Sr. Mary Alice Piil, C.S.J., Rodica Stoicoiu (visitor), Gordon E. Truitt, and Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.PP.S.
Seminar Report 2002
A summary of the papers:
Scott O'Brien
Scott O’Brien’s paper focused on understanding sacrifice from the perspective of the paschal mystery. The metaphor of sacrifice has been applied to the death of Christ, to the life of discipleship, and to the Eucharist from the very beginning of the Church’s theological reflection. Many theologians have claimed that the use of the metaphor of sacrifice in shedding light on the Christ event has pointed to a new and revolutionary religious development which severely critiques the ancient practice of ritual sacrifice. While ritual sacrifice was understood as a form of symbolic gift exchange offered to divinity, such sacrifice was always prone to distortion when it was understood in light of a market economy. In religious practice sacrifice seen in this way was a bartering or bargaining with God which unduly emphasized the worshipers’ initiative which placed restraints on the sovereignty and freedom of a loving God. Sacrifice was seen as propitiation—a way of negotiating with God for desired results. The Christian use of sacrifice was intended to underscore not humankind’s initiative but God’s gracious and free offer of self in Christ which could not be bargained, bartered, or merited but only shared with others. Unfortunately, through the centuries this insight was lost and increasingly the Eucharist was seen as something which could be offered by the Church without regard to Christ’s offer. This reinterpretation of Eucharist as propitiation was often seen to secure goods but which prevented the liturgy from being the vehicle by which the Church was transformed or brought into Christ’s paschal mystery. To retrieve sacrifice as an apt and central metaphor in eucharistic theology today we must recognize the power of the metaphorical in our liturgy. Sacrifice as metaphor and not as literal exchange of goods will enable us to ground our spirituality in an attitude of reception and thanksgiving rather than giving or offering. Such a humble stance before God will result in our gift of self to the world.
Donna Kelly
Donna Kelly’s paper entitled “Surrender of Grateful Hearts: Eucharist as Thanksgiving” connected the notion of thanksgiving with paschal mystery and focused on the attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving that is the heart of eucharistic praying and as something which brings us more deeply into the paschal mystery. A spirit of gratitude is important for our daily living with one another and is especially important in our relationship with God. As we grow in developing a grateful heart we bring that attitude to our celebration of the Eucharist where, with the community, we give thanks to God. Here we offer thanks and in that offering go forth with a deeper sense of gratitude in our hearts. The paschal mystery is the central act for which we give thanks at our celebrations of the Eucharist and it is the lens through which we view all of God’s gifts. The article then looks at the eucharistic prayers and how they are built around this theme of thanksgiving and gratitude. From the opening dialogue to the doxology, the eucharistic prayer is one great prayer of thanksgiving, especially for the Christ’s passion, death, resurrection, and ascension—the paschal mystery. The preface is the part of the eucharistic prayer which most clearly expresses the motive for our thanks and praise. This is accomplished by focusing on one aspect of the liturgical year, one single act of God’s goodness, or one aspect of the paschal mystery. The eucharistic prayers themselves often use the words “praise” and “bless” which are understood to be synonymous with “thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving and paschal mystery together form one single act of self-surrender to God—all I have is God’s, I am God’s.
Roc O'Connor
Roc O’Connor’s paper focused on the danger or threat of the paschal mystery and the notion of surrender as essential to our appreciation of entering the paschal mystery. When the Church acts in liturgy it is caught up in the paschal mystery. This mystery is both personal (the transhistorical presence of the Risen Christ) and trinitarian (Christ’s kenosis is the icon for the outpouring love of the persons of the Trinity). Thus, the Church is schooled in this life of self-donation and self-surrender as it acts in its worship of God in the Spirit and through the Risen Christ. It is one thing, however, to talk about self-surrender and another to do it in real life or in real liturgy. Two assumptions organize this presentation: (1) because the liturgy proclaims and expresses the paschal mystery it necessarily deals with life and death matters; (2) to put it simply, the paschal mystery threatens the security, ambition, need for control, and prideful pretense of every Christian who enters into the eucharistic liturgy. If the people of God are to bring their whole selves to the liturgy, it is important to make a place for their personal response to the paschal mystery as a threat.
Gabe Huck
Gabe Huck presented a brief paper beginning to explore our Sunday practice and the Christian’s identity: “The Eucharist will make Christians when Christians make the Eucharist.” Much of this is in the details and the paper looks at several very different kinds of “details” including Communion and the tabernacle, singing by heart, why people need to see each other. Why, so many years after Vatican II, are we still struggling with such problems and how can we begin to move forward? The paper concluded by mentioning a number of areas for such forward movement that we might consider: mentor presiders, concentrated programs to help leaders, achieving clarity about the role of ministers, learning to preach from the liturgy, making use of parishes with excellent practice, and engaging assemblies in reflection on the liturgy.
Papers for 2003
- Jeffrey Kemper: “Paschal Mystery and Inititation: Conversion & the Catechumenate” and “Paschal Mystery and Initiation: Sacramental Celebration”
- Anne McGuire: “Holy Week and the Paschal Mystery”
- Theresa Koernke: “Shifting Language and Liturgical Catechesis”
- Rodica Stoicoiu: “Eschatology and the Holy Spirit in the Paschal Mystery”
- Gabe Huck: “A Demonstration that Liturgy Is Formative”
- Mary Alice Piil, CSJ: “Report on Liturgical-Catechetical Method in Use at Seminary”
- John Huels: “Canonical Implications of Baptism and Holy Orders"