The Language of Thirst: What's the Point of Liturgy?

Many Protestants have a problem with Roman Catholic liturgy; they call it dead ritual, prescribed rites that separate Catholics from the Lord’s presence. But whatever is done in a Protestant service: someone sings a song, the minister says a prayer, the minister reads and interprets a particular piece of Scripture, then another prayer, a parting hymn, are all vestiges of Roman Catholic liturgy. From where would Protestants think that they received their service format? The difference between most Protestant services and Roman Catholic liturgy is the difference between talking about God, singing about God, and actually worshiping God. As we Catholics know, God is really present in the Roman Catholic Mass in the form of the Eucharist, according to the things Jesus told us in the Gospel of John, Chapter 6. This liturgical action, however, goes way back, long before the Church and long before human beings even understood that there was only God.

Ancient human beings sought to understand the natural world in order to increase their chances for survival. Lacking rational explanations, an unseen force, later anthropomorphized into a superior being that could control the natural world was thought responsible. This is humankind’s natural quest for the numen, the deity, the god or goddess to explain existence.

As these ancient human beings advanced in knowledge and reason, book after book was closed on the individual gods and goddesses; the monotheistic God of Jacob and Abraham was inevitable.

Our desire for the numen is unrelieved thousands of years later. The natural sciences, both life and physical have provided us with an explanation of many things, and our quest, our thirst for the numen continues to expand, because the ultimate questions, particularly in cosmology, physics, and biology continue to elude us. How did the universe begin? How does the universe operate? What is the underlying reason and cause of all things? How did life begin? Why are humans sentient?

This then, is what Roman Catholic Liturgy, indeed any true and valid liturgy is – a thirst for the numen.

Thus, it is not dead ritual in any way; it is not simply a set of prescribed rites that keep us separated from God. Liturgy is what brings us in direct contact with the Living God.

The Roman Catholic Liturgy is a cyclical thing, moving through from beginning to end. Every single thing done in the liturgy is interpretation of what Christ meant for us. We have music as part of the language of thirst, poetic movement, dance, posture, the sacred environment and art to help us on our way. Any one of these liturgical elements is part of that language. Each element is honed and clarified and made richer in order to fight the drabness of the world.

Remember, Roman Catholics do not simply talk about God; they don’t just sing about God, or even pray about God. At that moment of consecration, the Divine breaks into the world and floods us with His Real Presence.

Dead rituals? We should think not.