Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

There can be no “fabricating” a liturgical movement of this kind, just as there can be no “fabricating” something which is alive. But a contribution can be made to its development by seeking to re-assimilate the sprit of the liturgy and by defending publicly that which was received.

The new beginning needs “fathers” who would serve as models, who would not content themselves with just showing the way . . . It is difficult to express in just a few words what is important in this diatribe of liturgists and what is not. But perhaps what I have to say will be of use. J.A. Jungman, one of the truly great liturgists of our century, offered his definition of the liturgy of his time, as it was intended in the West, and he represented it in terms of historical research. He described it as “liturgy which is the fruit of development.”

This is probably in contrast with the Eastern notion which does not see liturgy as developing or growing in history but as the reflection of eternal liturgy whose light, through the sacred celebration, illumines our changing times with its unchanging beauty and greatness. Both conceptions are legitimate and by definition they are not irreconcilable.

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