The Spirit of the Liturgy (Hardcover)

by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Author), Pope Benedict XVI (Author), John Saward (Translator) "WHAT is the liturgy?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Old Testament, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Considered by Ratzinger devotees as his greatest work on the Liturgy, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the "great prayer of the Church" will help readers rediscover the Liturgy in all its hidden spiritual wealth and transcendent grandeur as the very center of our Christian life.

In his own foreward to the book, Cardinal Ratzinger compares this work to a much earlier classic of the same title by Romano Guardini because Ratzinger feels that his insights here are similar with what Guardini achieved in his time regarding a renewed understanding of the Liturgy.

"My purpose here is to assist this renewal of understanding of the Liturgy. Its basic intentions coincide with what Guardini wanted to achieve. The only difference is that I have had to translate what Guardini did at the end of the First World War, in a totally different historical situation, into the context of our present-day questions, hopes and dangers. Like Guardini, I am not attempting to involve myself with scholarly discussion and research. I am simply offering an aid to the understanding of the faith and to the right way to give the faith its central form of expression in the Liturgy."

—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898707846
• ISBN-13: 978-0898707847
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,729 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

148 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spirit of the Liturgy: A Big Dose of Sanity, February 17, 2001

By	Deacon William C. Wagner, MA (Katy, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I am old enough to have witnessed what was called "Liturgical Renewal" post Vat II style as a non-liturgist amongst the many others in the pews. We scratched our heads and wondered at the nonchalance with which changes were instituted: "That's old hat and it has to go." Since that time, I was ordained a Deacon(1975), and somewhat to my own surprise, I was forced to truly become a student of Vat II because of the challenges with which I was continually being confronted.

What as an amateur I had always suspected, Cardinal Ratzinger in THE SPIRIT OF THE LITURGY has, as a professional, proven to me to be true. Full Liturgical renewal has yet to happen. And it cannot be so until all are aware of what it is that we are about when we celebrate the Liturgy.

THE SPIRIT OF THE LITURGY gives us(clergy and laity alike) the foundation and raison d'etre for our most solemn moment of prayer, the Eucharistic Sacrifice. He solidly and with obvious expertise grounds our appreciation for the Mass in Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Fathers of the Church. One example: The Eucharistic Celebration's close ties to the Jewish Synagogue Service helps tremendously to understand its division into Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist and at the same time explains the age old practice of priest and people facing in the same direction(ad orientem). One could walk through this little book citing example after example, page after page, of how ones appreciation of the Mass could not fail to be deepen with the turning of yet another page. It has hugely enhanced my own appreciation for the richness of the Liturgy.

It is a must read for all clergy; a sine qua non for Liturgists especially. At the same time, I cannot too highly recommend it to the Laity to help them understand that some of the silliness they see in the Liturgy is just that, silliness, and in some cases much worse. This book comes as a big dose of sanity and reasonableness.

The Spirit of the Liturgy is interestingly presented in a quite readable format. It is not a "Sunday afternoon" novel but for anyone with a modicum of ability and tenacity, it is very manageable.

Most of all, it is obviously written by a man of deep faith and a sense of piety; one for whom worshipping in spirit and truth is a reality. May it be so for me(and you) as well!

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spirit of the new pope, April 19, 2005

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Cardinal Ratzinger, newly elected as Pope Benedict XVI, is perhaps one of the greatest intellectuals in the Roman Catholic Church's hierarchy since the second world war. Examples of his ability in the historical and theological disciplines abound, but perhaps a more practical expression of this intelligence is contained in this book, `The Spirit of the Liturgy'. The subject of this book is the central rite of the church, the Eucharistic feast, and the liturgy - the word `liturgy' actually translates into `work of the people', and this includes clergy and laity alike.

The first section of the book works to connect liturgy in the church with the wider world, and indeed the entire cosmos. Ratzinger draws on ideas East and West, from philosophical traditions in the church as well as the biblical witness (both Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament). He sees Jesus as both a role model as well as the central figure in the Eucharist, drawing on all of these sources to make the point of the way worship is done, and what meaning can be derived from it.

Following this introductory section, Ratzinger continues to look at the practical aspects, everything from the language used and the movements done to the architectural implications and the musical elements. Ratzinger was a leading figure in the Second Vatican Council, but navigates an interesting line between some of the traditional elements and the more recent innovations in liturgical worship. He is suspicious of the idea of changing music in service to being popular forms simply for the sake of relating to the culture, seeing that as somewhat of a sell-out to changing forms; he generally disapproves of rock-concert-type music in the liturgy, for example, because it is less a part of the worship as it is a part of the general culture outside.

There is a metaphor that Ratzinger uses near the beginning of the book about the liturgy being akin to a fresco which has been uncovered from the accumulations over time. While the picture is now more visible and able to be participated in by viewers, it is also now more susceptible to damages and ravages of the elements. Ratzinger emphasises both pieces, ultimately straddling the fence between traditional and modern.

During Vatican II, Ratzinger was considered one of the liberal theologians of the church. Now, he is considered as the newly-elected pope the champion of conservative views. This book gives an insight into the way he thinks, and how we might be in for an interesting time; those who think Ratzinger a knee-jerk conservative might be in for a surprise, as may be those who are hopeful for changes in various areas of his thought.

Regardless, this book demonstrates the quality of mind and clarity of expression Ratzinger has. This is must read for those who want insight into directions of the new pope.

65 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Key To Understanding, May 20, 2001

By	James H. Dobbins "jdobbins" (Goldvein, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this book, Cardinal Ratzinger has raised and answered some of the most essential issues any Catholic, or for that matter any Christian, can face. He treads where only a deep faith founded in clear understanding can lead him, and through him, us. The essential nature of this book is seen right from the beginning. On page 17 he introduces the critial necessity of worshiping God as God desires, not as man desires. It is why God led Israel through the desert, why He prescribed precisely how He was to be worshiped, and why this is true for us today. God has an absolute right to be worshiped as He chooses. Our response is to obey. This creates the relationship between man and God. When we decide to worship God as we want, when we make worship, we clutch empty space and create a self-affirmation, a form of entertainment instead of a faithful worship of God. How God demands we worship Him, and why, is the central thread of this book, and is a critical point for every Christian to understand. If we do otherwise, we unbalance our relationship with God by injecting too much self, putting entertainment and "feeling good" ahead of the will of God, and in doing so we create disorder in all else we do. Every Christian needs this book.