Abstract
The social instruments of liturgy, whose incomplete qualities produce a truth, can also distribute a lie. Bad faith is not confined to existentialism. The uncheckable nature of rite could allow piety to be feigned, devoutness to be parodied, and deceits to prosper by an actor with sufficient wit to keep a holy face — with the self preserved in a condition of semi-detached doubt. He could be the deceiving beneficiary of what cannot be checked. If so dedicated, he could fool all, especially the credulous sociologist. Bowing and scraping, the liturgical actor could produce all manner of deceptions that might mislead the holy and unholy alike. The problem for the sociologist is that the ultimate sincerity or insincerity of the liturgical act is known only to God. As Romano Guardini has noted ‘the liturgy has perfected a masterly instrument which has made it possible for us to express our inner life in all its fullness and depth without divulging our secrets …’.1
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