The Liturgical Perspective of Theology

An important help in finding the right place for the liturgy in theology and the manner of practicing theology is the new document of the Congregation for the Clergy The Gift of the Priestly Vocation. Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis issued on December 16, 2016. This document provides a new order for the subjects taught in seminaries. Sacred Scripture is put in the first place as the soul of theology (Dei Verbum 24). It is followed immediately by the study of the sacred liturgy, which “must be considered a fundamental discipline.” This is because Scripture and the liturgy constitute a living theology, meaning that they are the first and primary locus for all of theology. The fact that the liturgy immediately follows Sacred Scripture is also influenced by a new, in-depth understanding of the liturgy found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and among contemporary theologians (J. Corbon, A.M. Triacca, A. Schmemann, J. Ratzinger) and a deeper connection of the liturgy with Divine Revelation and its transmission. The author of the article recognizes the particular significance of liturgical theology focused on the joint presentation of the three components of the liturgy, which are the salvific mystery of God, the liturgical celebration and the Christian life. Liturgical theology can be done from the perspective of each of these elements of the liturgy (Mysterium-Actio-Vita). Liturgical theology is the most perfect fulfillment of the liturgical perspective of theology