Cally Hammond looks at how words function as carriers of semantic content (communicating facts and doctrines; telling stories; articulating emotions and spiritual perceptions) and then contrasts this with words as they function as physical entities striking the ear, so as to evoke emotions, memories and spiritual perceptions. This basic antithesis between words as carriers of meaning and words as evokers of feeling, emotion, and memory leads to four chapters that explore in fascinating detail the four main aspects of liturgical speech: posture, repetition, rhythm and punctuation.

“I am increasingly convinced that the decisive question that demands an answer from us is not so much how believers experience the liturgy, but whether believers live from the liturgy they celebrate.”With these few words Goffredo Boselli captures the essence of this present work. Believers can celebrate the liturgy throughout their lifetimes without ever really drawing their lives from it. And this is true of all believers—laity, clergy, or monastics. More than a century after the start of the liturgical movement and half a century after the start of the postconciliar liturgical reform, we must ask the difficult question of whether the liturgy has or has not become the source of the spiritual life of believers. For only by living from the liturgy can they receive the nourishment necessary to maintain a life of faith in today’s world. In The Spiritual Meaning of the Liturgy, Goffredo Boselli—one of Europe’s foremost liturgical theologians—offers an accessible and important guide for both scholars and interested laypeople to understand the meaning that permeates the liturgy and its implications for daily living. Readers will find here a resource to help understand the liturgy more fully, interiorize it more effectively, and live it more authentically.

Jesus’ saving Paschal work continues today in the liturgy and sacraments. They have the power to sanctify and beatify those who engage the liturgy with proper minds and hearts. In this comprehensive and accessible book, Christopher Carstens opens up the ritual elements mystagogically: that is, he leads participants from what they can sense—a calendar day, a musical instrument, and word—to what is otherwise undetectable: Jesus Christ. He examines the core meaning of each liturgical element in creation, in the culture, in the Old Testament, in Christ, and in heaven. This book is an excellent resource for pastors, seminarians, permanent deacons and deacon candidates, lay ministers, and parish liturgy coordinators.

This elegant resource offers more than 600 hymns that span the centuries and the continents. It includes hundreds of familiar hymns and nearly 200 fresh expressions of the Gospel. Lutheran Service Book presents a significant body of resources that faithfully proclaim our forgiveness and life in Christ.

Music remains something of a mystery to many people—ephemeral sounds floating invisibly through the air—here, and then gone. This book begins with the basic question of what music actually is, scientifically, employing simple, clear explanations of wave theory and the acoustics of sound as part of God's natural creation. It presents accessible and fascinating explanations of some theories of the psychology of perception of music, how music speaks to the mind, emotions, and spirit. Some of these concepts have rarely been addressed outside the ivory tower and even more rarely been seen through the lens of Catholic theology. Moving from music and the individual to music in the culture and the Church, the author addresses numerous issues in the context of Catholic thought, including: immanence and transcendence in music the Real Presence and music Moral Theology, Natural Law and music ordered and disordered understandings of music as it relates to the emotions understanding the authentic meanings of "beauty" and "creativity" the real function of music in Catholic liturgy the role of music in evangelization This is a kind of "layman's handbook," a comprehensive theology of all things music, which anyone can understand, written by an internationally respected classical composer and music professor at a top secular university who is also a faithful Catholic. It sheds light on the mysteries of music and furthers the spiritual formation regarding music for Catholics of many ages and walks of life. It is groundbreaking in its comprehensive and holistic treatment of music from a Catholic perspective, and particularly timely in advocating for the renewal of the norms for music in liturgy found in the documents of Vatican II. It also presents one of the most penetrating critical examinations to be found of contemporary classical music, from an insider.

In a manner that refelcts his broad historical and musical knowledge of the Church's liturgy, Father Deiss takes us step-by-step through the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass, paying attention not only to the liturgy's repertoire of music and song but also to its participants as well: the roles of the priest, the choir, the music director, the organist, the cantor - even the singing congregation He discusses every musical aspect and offers suggestions for improvement and sound, creative ideas about what the future may hold for Christian liturgy as we enter the twenty-first century.

Living Liturgy™ 2021 provides practical, sound, and inspiring content from expert authors to enrich your parish liturgy and ministry. This best-selling annual resource is ideal for parish ministers, liturgists, pastors, planning committees, and RCIA programs. A unique and robust formation program, Living Liturgy™ offers the readings, plus insightful reflections and contextual background information for Sundays, Solemnities, and additional feasts of liturgical and national importance. A fresh resource each liturgical year, Living Liturgy™ gives your team the spiritual preparation they need to serve in their ministries, integrating daily living, prayer, and study in an inviting and easy-to-use format. Engaging new art by Ruberval Monteiro da Silva, OSB, complements the text and invites further reflection on the Gospel of the day. This indispensable guide deepens a liturgical spirituality and strengthens the worship experience for the whole parish.