Christian Liturgy: The Gift of Devotional Digressions

Abstract

The article responds to a keynote address by David Brown from the 2021 Congress of Societas Liturgica hosted online from Notre Dame in July 2021. Brown's address explores liturgical constraints and freedom with regard to liturgical poesis, tradition, and art, with special attention to stained glass. The response argues for a more nuanced and panoramic view of liturgical meaning and history, especially given the twists and turns that established liturgical practices took as they came to be, such as Thomas Cranmer's Prayer of Humble Access and the Agnus Dei as mentioned by Brown. It also argues for more attention to be given to the contemporary trend of decline plaguing many congregations around the world for the sake of liturgical openness, hospitality, and suppleness. The response looks to the invention of the Common Era Time according to the liturgical calendar, the Christianization of leitourgia, and the long history of Crusade violence in order to support its recommendations for foregrounding in liturgical practice and expectations and a healthy sense of liturgical mystery and charity. The response also references the artwork of Arthur Jafa and Titus Kaphar as models for liturgists to consider in order to imagine new kinds of liturgical engagement with art that not only work within sacred genres such as stained glass, but also dare to consider the theological profundity of pieces not readily identifiable as conveying knowledge of God. The response aims to widen liturgical welcome and concludes by raising the question of English as a centralizing language for an international liturgical congress.