Fr Neuhaus on liturgy

Father Richard John Neuhaus (Lutheran convert to Catholicism) has released a new book, "Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy and the Splendor of Truth" (Basic Books).

In an interview with Zenit, Fr Neuhaus said the following:

Q: A major theme in your book is the importance of a revitalized liturgy for renewing Catholic life. How do you see that occurring?

Father Neuhaus: Don't get me started. The banality of liturgical texts, the unsingability of music that is deservedly unsung, the hackneyed New American Bible prescribed for use in the lectionary, the stripped-down architecture devoted to absence rather than Presence, the homiletical shoddiness.

Where to begin? A "high church" Lutheran or Anglican - and I was the former - braces himself upon becoming a Catholic.

The heart of what went wrong, however, and the real need for a "reform of the reform" lies in the fatal misstep of constructing the liturgical action around our putatively amazing selves rather than around the surpassing wonder of what Christ is doing in the Eucharist.

Read the whole Zenit interview.