So second attempt at posting first one lost in the fleshpots of the interweb. So I have to prepare for a tutorial on the first two chapters of Fr Vargese's book Intro to the above for Monday. Only class I have so far. The Spirituality and Counselling MA looks pretty intensive. Hope I can't join till next June that will save making a decision.
First two chaps are about definition of liturgy as public work. The secular pagan definition applied to politicians and can be seen as the sub-text of the Roman Rite's (via the Portugese) oppresion of the indigenous older and more authentically Indian liturgy. Liturgy itself is a Biblical construct. God saves the world as spoken in the Bible. He does this accompanied by liturgy in the text, and the Bible accompanies worship. It is more than just a sociological initiation into culture and society though it fulfills that part in helping Indian Christians become more truly Indian rather than wogs for Rome. It is more than personal transformation Eliade's hierophanies sacred space time and meaning. Being God's transformative act via communication of his Word it has built into it boredom, incompetence, power struggles, and all the failure of frail humanity. Communication is a two way process. I had wondered why the Rosary wasn't liturgy. Or why something far more effective isn't adopted. This is the economy of salvation. This is how God chooses to communicate through us with God. Built into the liturgy also is a gentleness, a giving up of power and control. All part of the dance. I'll ask whether Malayalam has replaced Syriac as the main liturgical language in India. If so there is a danger that the provincial language of Kerala will try to take over from the language of Jesus in the same way as Latin had done in the past.
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