Moving between Liturgical Theology and Liturgical Pastoral. On Theology, Liturgy, and Christian Life

Abstract

This article has two main goals. First, it presents a brief outline of the development of both liturgical theology and pastoral liturgical studies. Both of these disciplines are important in the field of liturgical studies and both have their roots in the Liturgical Movement, an important source for contemporary liturgical reflection. One of the main themes of the Liturgical Movement was the relationship between theological reflection and pastoral praxis within the framework of the liturgy. Even to this day, this proves to be a difficult issue. Therefore, a second goal of this article is to develop new perspectives on the relationship between theology, liturgy, and Christian life. For this, I start with the definition of pastoral liturgy used by C. Vagaggini. He perceives pastoral liturgy as ‘the general way of conceiving and putting the pastoral into practice by consciously centering it in the liturgy’. In this article, I combine this insight with the liturgical-theological propositions of the relation between liturgy and theology. Using a threefold liturgical lens, a concept of liturgical theologian D. Fagerberg, I reflect on pastoral and more generally Christian praxis, understood as living a liturgical life. Subsequently, I discuss the meaning of the physical, relational, and sacrificial – understood as selfgiving – dimensions of the liturgy. It is my conviction that these three liturgical lenses show some necessary and basic attitudes for both pastoral activity as well as Christian life in general. In the end, the liturgy, perceived as the human selfgiving answer to Gods Trinitarian gift of self, brings us to the core of human existence itself. As such, this article explores living a Christian life as living a liturgical life.