Belgian cardinal reflects on understanding, experiencing the liturgy

Published: 2007-10-29

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Understanding the liturgy begins with experiencing and living it, said a Belgian cardinal. "Understanding the liturgy is far more than a cognitive exercise; it is a loving 'entering in,'" said Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, in a talk on liturgical renewal Oct. 25 at The Catholic University of America. "The uniqueness of the liturgy is that it gives pride of place to experience. ... First experience, first live the liturgy, then reflect and explain it," said the cardinal, who as a young theologian and liturgical expert in the 1960s was involved in drafting the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. He said those who did not experience the liturgy before the council must have difficulty now imagining how much it has changed in less than half a century, since today "the new liturgical model is evident practically everywhere." He noted that one major change after the council was in the "the relationship between the minister and the people." Even church architecture, with the Communion rail separating priest and people, emphasized a distance between priest and people before the reforms, he said. The separation was so great that the liturgy often consisted of two parallel celebrations, with the priest celebrating the "official liturgy" in Latin while the people "set about their personal devotions," he added. "The active involvement of the people in the liturgy is an unparalleled gift of the council to the people of God," he said.

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