Ratzinger, Joseph. The Spirit of the Liturgy. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2020. Part One: The Essence of the Liturgy. Chapter 1: Liturgy and Life: The Place of the Liturgy in Reality.
Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), Promulgated by Paul VI, Rome, 4 December 1963, nn. 5-20.
This initial chapter explores what the liturgy is. Etymologically the word means ‘public work’ or ‘service on behalf of the people’, from the Greek leito (public, referring to the people) and ourgos (work or service), originally referring to the sponsoring by wealthy citizens of public functions such as dramatic, musical or poetic presentations.
The Jewish scholars who translated the Old Testament to Greek (Septuaginta translation) used the word ‘liturgy’ in reference to the public service, or ministry performed by Levitical priests in the Temple. The term was adopted by early Christianity to describe the gatherings of the new communities, especially the Eucharist and other sacraments.
Initially Ratzinger touches on one possible explanation of the meaning of liturgy by using the analogy of play, or a game. Guardini too, in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy has a chapter on ‘The Playfulness of the Liturgy’. The liturgy could be an anticipation on earth of the big heavenly celebration. However, while acknowledging this possible path, Ratzinger soon turns to ground his understanding of the liturgy on Holy Scripture, as he often does for nearly all topics he deals with.
To that end he goes to the Book of Exodus, reflecting on the reasons and purpose for Israel to leave Egypt. At first sight it would seem as if the only reason is to escape from the oppression of the Egyptians and to reach the Promise Land.
However, as Ratzinger convincingly shows, the reason Moses and Aaron give to Pharaoh is a call from God to worship him, to serve him in a way he will reveal: ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness’ (Ex 7:16). ‘Israel departs’, points out Ratzinger, ‘not in order to be a people like all others; it departs in order to serve God’ (p. 30).
They are the Chosen People not on account or their future political or military power, but because God has singled them out to have a special relationship with him. The Promised Land is, in this context, ‘given to the people to be a place for the worship of the true God...It only becomes a true good, a real gift, a promise fulfilled, when it is the place where God reigns...where God’s will is done and the right kind of human existence developed ’ (p. 31).
Ultimately ‘...it is man himself...living righteously, that is the true worship of God, but life only becomes real life when it receives its form from looking toward God’. The liturgy ’exists in order to communicate this vision’ (p. 32). And this gives us a distinction between worship, that embraces all aspects of our relationship with God, and liturgy, which denotes the public and formal aspect of that ‘looking toward God’.
Ratzinger outlines the relation between worship, law and ethics. In Mount Sinai, the Jewish people receive instructions about worship, but also a rule of life which is what constitutes them as a nation, and according to the Covenant they must live, enact that rule. Law needs grounding in morality, and the cornerstone of morality is God.
Worship, continues Ratzinger, is ‘the right kind of...relationship to God’ and ‘gives us a share in...the world of God, and allows light to fall from that divine world into ours’. Worship advances to us the vision of the ‘perfect life and, in so doing, gives our present life its proper measure’ (p. 35).
One last point that is essential to the liturgy: Israel doesn’t create or design the way to worship God publicly (liturgy) or the law by which their people must live . Rather, they learn ‘how to worship God in the way he himself desires’. That is why there is a ‘right’ kind of cult which is worship and a specific way to celebrate the liturgy. Because of this, ‘real liturgy implies that God...reveals how we can worship him’ (p. 36).
In the passage of the calf we can see what happens when man takes in his own hands to decide the supposed worship of God which ends up being, at best, a self-celebration, a secularisation, a worship of self to the detriment of God, and because of that an empty and meaningless exercise.
In Sacrosanctum Concilium the Council Fathers outline the reason why they advocate for a ‘reform and promotion of the liturgy’ (1). Because ‘..the liturgy, "through which the work of our redemption is accomplished," most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church’ (2).
The Church is ‘both human and divine, visible and yet invisibly equipped, eager to act and yet intent on contemplation, present in this world and yet not at home in it’. ‘While the liturgy daily builds up those who are within into a holy temple of the Lord, into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit, to the mature measure of the fullness of Christ, at the same time it marvelously strengthens their power to preach Christ, and thus shows forth the Church to those who are outside as a sign lifted up among the nations’ (2).