This podcast explores the Liturgical Movement in the Catholic Church and how it changed after Vatican II. It discusses the origin and impact of the movement, efforts to restore the Roman right and study of liturgy in France, restoration of Guru Arrhenchand and active participation in liturgy, modern founding of the movement, involvement in ecumenism and Eastern liturgies, migration of ideas and professionalization of the movement, and the impact of the movement on the mass.
The Liturgical Movement aimed to restore the Roman rite and promote active participation, but faced criticism for neglecting historical and doctrinal aspects of the liturgy.
The movement believed in the power of liturgy to induce a psychological experience and foster unity, sparking debates about authenticity and historical accuracy.
The professionalization of the liturgical movement led to a detached approach from the needs of the ordinary faithful and played a role in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Deep dives
The Liturgical Movement and its Goals
The Liturgical Movement, which originated in the 19th century and gained traction in the 20th century, focused on reforming the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. It aimed to restore the Roman rite and promote active participation in the liturgy. The movement believed that by emphasizing the importance of liturgical practices, it could bring spiritual growth and unity among the faithful. However, there were differing opinions about the success of the movement, with some traditionalists arguing that the reforms did not fulfill their original aims. The movement also faced criticism for its emphasis on personal experience and the neglect of historical and doctrinal aspects of the liturgy.
The Influence of Romanticism and Idealism
The liturgical movement was influenced by the romantic and idealistic ideas prevalent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Romanticism brought an increased focus on the emotional and experiential aspects of worship, while idealism emphasized the holistic view of the world and the belief in the power of the liturgy to overcome societal divisions. This led to the idea that the liturgy should induce a psychological experience and foster a sense of unity among worshippers. However, these ideals also sparked debates about the authenticity and historical accuracy of the liturgy.
Professionalization of the Liturgical Movement and Reform Efforts
As the liturgical movement developed, it became more professionalized with specialized knowledge and academic studies of the liturgy. This professionalization led to a sense of authority and a mission to reform the liturgy based on historical and scholarly research. There was a growing consensus among the movement that changes were needed to revitalize the liturgical life of the Church. However, some of these proposed reforms, such as the revision of the Roman Canon, later faced criticism and were seen as misguided by some traditionalists. The movement's professional and scholarly approach also led to a sense of detachment from the understanding and needs of the ordinary faithful.
Influence of German scholarship and historicism on the study of liturgy
During a time of significant changes in the secular academic world, the liturgical movement in the Church emerged. Influenced by German scholarship in the interwar period, the movement embraced the idea of historicism, which emphasized the uniqueness of each historical era and the need for the liturgy to adapt with the times. This perspective challenged the concept of a fixed and essential form of the liturgy. The movement also believed that corruption had occurred during the Middle Ages, leading to a desire to restore the liturgy to its true essence. These ideas from German scholars like Romano Guardini influenced the liturgical movement and led to experiments such as the dialogue mass, aiming to awaken people's consciousness of the liturgy's true mystery by introducing changes.
The professionalization and institutionalization of the study of liturgy
After World War II, the study of liturgy became professionalized and separate from its practice in monastic settings. This led to the establishment of liturgical centers and conferences focused on the academic study of the liturgy. While the need for scholarly study was recognized, this separation of knowledge from practice introduced certain dangers. The adoption of modern academic methods, such as historicism and an emphasis on written sources over oral tradition, posed challenges to the holistic nature of the liturgy. Additionally, the development of an expert class within the liturgical movement, coupled with a sense of superiority, led to the belief that the liturgy needed to be changed according to their specialized knowledge. This institutionalization eventually played a role in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, where some of the ideas of the liturgical movement were adopted.
In this episode, we take a look at the Liturgical Movement of the early
twentieth century in the Catholic Church. The Liturgical Movement's
original aim was to make the Catholic faithful partake of the Church's
liturgy more deeply and fruitfully. However, it did not originally
envision a radical revision of the liturgy as actually occurred after
Vatican II. I try to answer the question of what might have changed
between the early twentieth century and the Second Vatican Council in
the Liturgical Movement that might account for this. Pax!
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