Harris C.

Acoba
Theology 1

Be a sacrament of Christ through partaking in the Divine Liturgy

( A book review of Fr. Anscar Chupuncos What, then, is Liturgy?)

The Sacrament of all goodness of the Father, of good works-love/charity is Jesus Christ.

He reveals by his exemplar the Father and his oneness with the father. He sent the Holy Spirit in

order to give strength and soul to the Church. For todays people of God, the fact is, even in the

past, the fountain or source of this goodness is best seen in the context of the Eucharist, in

general, the liturgy. According to the Second Vatican Councils Constitution on the liturgy the

liturgy is the source and summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed and

flows.(SC 10) Thus, it directs the life of the Christian, the Catholic to a faithful participation in

that salvation which God has promised. Man is called to have a foretaste of the heavenly banquet

in the Liturgy. At the same time, it is also in the liturgy that Jesus invites everyone to reminisce

and so to be a model of Jesus example. On the night he was betrayed he celebrated the great

supper which in turn was truly realized in the coming saving Christ event. Jesus reminds his

disciples either directly or indirectly to abide in him and so to remember: do this in memory of

me.(cf. Luke 22:19)

Jesus words and actions at the last supper(cf. Luke 22: 14-20, Mark 14: 22-25, Matthew

26-26-30) is already a kind of the Eucharist that we celebrate today. Jesus himself instituted the

Eucharist to be the most powerful source of strength of every Christian. He beforehand our

present liturgy has made a model- and how it must be celebrated. This inseparable connection

between the last supper and his paschal mystery is also the connection between the lex credendi,

lex orandi and lex vivendi. The faith we believe and pray is not limited to words or rituals, but far

more realized into concrete acts. Concrete acts constitute goodness/love.

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The goodness itself is instilled by the fire burning. That heartfelt realization that it is our

Lord Jesus Christ who empower every follower of him. When two disciples were walking along

the road to Emmaus, a man appeared to them and joined them in their journey. They were

discussing among themselves an event which had disappointed them. This man explained to

them the purpose of the event that is Christs passion and death and his bodys sudden

disappearance from the tomb. He even explained to them the scriptures. Then the sun descended,

darkness is soon, they decided to stop by-according to them it is getting dark. The man

pretended as if he is to go and walk away alone and does not want to stay with them longer, yet

this man stayed. They perhaps prepared a fireplace, for it might also be betting cold, to heat

themselves. They brought out food to eat- loaves. Then at a sudden their guests took the bread,

he blessed the bread, he broke the bread into pieces. At the moment the two disciples were

awaken up by this man. They recognized him. They said: Is not that Jesus? He is. But the Jesus

Christ, at a blink of an eye disappeared. They further said: Did not our hearts burn while talking

to us and explained to us the scriptures?(cf. Luke 23: 26-43)

The book What, then, is Liturgy? By Fr. Anscar Chupungco really captivates that

liturgical character. He narrates and enumerates in his book some of the developments in the

liturgy. The book can be said to be really helpful for a student of liturgy. In general the book was

historical, personal and in a way somewhat sacramental.

First, it is historical because Fr, Chupungco narrates events that had taken place in the

context of history. As part of human history, these events are never void in time and space. Its

particular date, or what we say the particular event itself is affected or influenced by events that

had direct or indirect connection, i.e. relation in time. Each event are away from each other, but it

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does not mean that because of the distance bound by time they do not affect each other. Same

with place/space of the event. The place or locus cannot be a reason for an event not to be

understood. In fact, every event is also understood or interpreted by the culture of the place

where it happened.

Chupungco tells the story what he had never forgotten since his days in 1965. It was

during the times of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. One time, a professor of liturgy

arrived just to be ready for class. This man was a famous professor- Salvatore Marsili. He made a

funny an analogy or a description of the bishops ritual of un-vesting at the altar as a kind of

liturgical striptease. Students laugh, then there was silence, he took time to stare at the faces of

each then asked: And so, what is liturgy?1

The Second Vatican Council has introduced changes in the life of the Church particularly

a renewed ecclesiology and with it a renewed, reviewed Christology. It tasked herself to preserve

tradition and while at the same time update it (aggiornamento) because of the fast approaching

changes in the world in which we are.2 According to the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in

the Modern World:

The Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and
interpreting them in the light of the Gospel in a language intelligible to each
generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this
present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other.
(Gaudium et Spes 4)

1 Cf. Anscar Chupunco, What, then, is liturgy?(Quezon City: Claretian Publication, 2010) 55.

2 Ibid. 5.

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Not only then a renewed understanding of being a Church and a deeper understanding of

Christ. But also a renewed and deeper means of gathering together as a Church under one Head-

one Body- the whole people of God, in her memorial and actualization of Christs passion, death

and resurrection.( cf. Mediator Dei 25) The Faith we celebrate, believe and live.

In conjunction to this, the Church have been alarmed with the growing clericalism inside

her beloved visible institution and consequently the clericalization of the Church. This has

tended to exclude members of the body of Christ, particularly the laity who are supposed to be

the leaven of the Church. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium never excludes someone in

Gods community even those who are not evangelized.

All men are called to belong to the new people of God. Wherefore this people,
while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and
must exist in all ages, so that the decree of Gods will may be fulfilled.(Lumen
Gentium 13) Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various
ways to the people of God.( Lumen Gentium 16)
One of the concrete acts by which the Church introduced changes particularly in the

liturgy has been inspired by the 16th century that the German Theologian and monk Martin

Luther. There was too much rubricism in the liturgy. When he introduced Protestantism, he

started to de-clericalize the liturgy. According to him, all the faithful share one priesthood. 3 The

council of Trent or the Counter Reformation responded in insecurity with the changes that Luther

introduced. They tried to secure the Church from within thus over emphasizing the priesthood of

the clergy. Consequently there would be a growing tension between the Church and the lay

faithful. The lay faithful became mute spectators () in the liturgy because they were ignorant

3 Ibid.

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and could not even understand the text of the Mass. 4 What happened became just a concert

wherein everyone enjoys watching but later on get bored and do anything one wants. Thus

responding to this, Vatican II stressed the participation of the lay faithful in the liturgy as it is

their proper function as they contribute to the Glorification of God and the sanctification of man

and creation. (cf. SC 10) From being more stuck in mere rubricism the liturgy became genuine

liturgy. According to Pius XII in Mediator Dei the liturgy is the public worship of the Mystical

Body of Christ. (cf. Mediator Dei 25)

There are more innovations in the Liturgy like inculturation. That is bringing the liturgy

in context of the Assembly. Relating the liturgy to the local culture of the place- both in words,

songs and even actions.

Second. It is personal because the words that Fr. Chupungco imparts are coming from

personal experiences of God through the liturgy. Furthermore, it is also the fruit of his personal

encounter with God-the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit by virtue of his professors

and liturgy instructors who themselves share their experience/encounter of the divine during the

liturgy and outside the liturgical celebration itself.

In the liturgy, personal as well as social salvation happens. When a person fully

participates and is edified by the Word of God one is feeling like he is burning with the zeal to

realize the liturgy. For example, the use of the human body for service is a manifestation of self-

surrender to God, of self-emptying so that God may use the body for sanctification. When the

people come to encounter God and each other and so moved to do good because of the liturgy,

they had encountered Christ personally.

4 Ibid. 185ff.

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Third. Fr. Chupungco becomes sacramental because through sharing and teaching his

experiences and his knowledge, he was able to impart not only ideas but Christ himself.

Whatever are written in the book they are results of deep reflection and prayer. Christ manifested

himself through Fr. Chupungco.

In conclusion, Fr. Chupungco challenges every reader of his book particularly I myself,

who reviewed it, not only to participate in full, active, conscious and intelligent way (cf.

Sacrosanctum Concilium 14) but to live the liturgy beyond human limitation. As in the beginning

it is no mere human affair but more of an affair with the divine. I am reminded also to live by it.

Jesus himself gives an example in the last supper. Service of mankind- in the washing of the feet-

is the best way of being liturgical, being a sacrament of Christ in the world. No one has greater

love than this, to lay down ones life for ones friends.(John 15: 13) Precisely, there is no greater

liturgy than that we commemorate and may always live by: the Liturgy of the Paschal Mystery of

Christ- the Eucharist.