Journey into the Heart of God explores the meanings and relationships of the seasons of the Church Year as they have developed and are now received and lived. This study, holding always in view the breadth and richness of the liturgical tradition of the whole Church, is illuminated by insightful liturgical texts of the Eucharist and also of the less familiar Daily Office; it also gives attention to the people's theology expressed in hymns from a broad spectrum of
traditions, ancient and modern. Careful attention to the liturgy and its setting in the turning of the seasons reveals a profound concern for ecology and for the whole cosmos. The liturgical year as it has developed through the centuries is a work of art, the collaborative achievement of many hands and
minds, resulting in an extraordinarily rich fabric with layers of insight and suggestion. The work of Christ celebrated and set forth in the Church's year is experienced not as mere recollection of past events in salvation history, but rather as a living reality, the appropriation of the mighty acts of God alive in his people, the experience today of the life that those great historical deeds have accomplished. The Church year, sifted and tested through centuries, even millennia, of use,
dramatizes and makes real a way of living, recognizing, accepting, and making use of the complexity and even the strangeness of human experience. In this way it encourages honesty, humility, growth, and maturity in those who live it.
Journey into the Heart of God was an interesting read. It’s very concise, the chapters broken down to each major event of the liturgical year and goes into great detail about the hymns and readings read in the Eucharistic celebrations during those times as well as the theological reasons behind all of those aspects and the celebration itself. It looks at and contrasts the celebration formats and readings from the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions, which was especially informative.
While interesting, it can be a little dry and boring if you don’t have a theological background/study or even an interest in religion and theology. However, I think it is a useful text for students and the clergy. I learned a few things about the way the liturgical year is organised and the text wraps up very nicely; it gets back to the heart of Christianity that popular culture and general society has a tendency of overlooking, of how our faith is meant to be lived and celebrated cyclically through the liturgy.
This review was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2013/09/23/review-journey-into-the-heart-of-god-living-the-liturgical-year/
