Tidbits Leading to Knowledge

A couple of end-notes from a chapter of a book on the Liturgy:

The verb saisir in French [“to grasp”, “to seize”] has the advantage of being a synonym of “understand”, while being capable of expressing also, in the passive form, the fact that one is “seized” or “caught up” by the action that is being carried out. Now, strictly speaking, the liturgy is not primarily something that must be understood; it is presented to us as a source of understanding and hence is meant to make us enter into the Mystery of the Covenant. Therefore we are not the ones who in the first place must understand the liturgy; rather, the liturgy must make us comprehend, that is to say, must enable us to establish a relationship with the divine. This is the same perspective in which we should re-frame the question about Gregorian chant after the liturgical renewal of Vatican II.

14. The “active participation” in the liturgy called for by the Church is not an “activist” participation whereby everyone seeks to busy himself or to put himself forward. Quite on the contrary: true “participation in the liturgy” is a participation of the heart, consisting of the intention to carry out as well as possible – with genuine sincerity – what the Church asks us to accomplish in her liturgy.

In contrast, there are several local "liturgeists," armed with MA's from our Seminary, no less, who scribble about "Liturgical Feelings" in their parish bulletins.