Un-spontaneous

In The Spirit of the Liturgy, Benedict XVI says that liturgy is un-spontaneous… Maybe that’s a little awkward, but it's right on. The point is that “creativity” in the liturgy in the sense it’s usually meant is exactly wrong. The liturgy is a gift from beyond us. Not that it doesn’t grow and change and develop, but it does so organically—over time—under the guidance of the Spirit, not according to the idiosyncratic sensibilities of individuals or dioceses or national Churches. Episcopalians (in seizing on the liturgy as our “added value” over other churches while at the same time losing confidence in the truth and power of the received forms as evidenced in its need to “tweak” it*) have largely forgotten that.

Anyway, see the section called “Rite” in The Spirit of the Liturgy. Benedict says it much better than I did/can.


*I'm not talking about the 1979 Prayer Book, BTW, which I think is a very Catholic book overall, restoring the Triduum (and the rhythms of the Church year in general) and Baptism and Eucharist to their proper, central place.