White, Susan J.  _The Spirit of Worship:  the Liturgical Tradition_.
(Maryknoll, New York:  Orbis Books, 2000).  159 pp.  Traditions of Christian
spirituality series.  ISBN 1-57075-314-8.
     Reviewed by Dr. Brad Eden, beden@ccmail.nevada.edu, University of Nevada,
Las Vegas


     The purpose of the Traditions in Christian Spirituality series, of which
this book is a part, is to make selected Christian spiritual traditions
available to a contemporary readership.  The concept and definition of
"spirituality" for this series is presented in the Preface, where the series
editor provides some insight into the reason for this book as well as others in
the series.
     There are six chapters in this book.  The first one, "What is Liturgical
Spirituality?," examines the dynamics between liturgy and spirituality that
developed in the early church, the role of liturgy in the Christian church, and
the viability of liturgy as an important aspect of Christian spirituality beyond
time and space.  The author explains how ritual behavior is necessary to human
beings in order to be centered and reflective, and that Christian liturgy
fulfills all of the functions of ritual behavior.  White enumerates on six ways
that the Christian liturgy serves as a spiritual resource:  1) as a language for
prayer and meditation; 2) as a pattern for the spiritual disciplines; 3) as an
arena for an encounter with God; 4) as a venue for signs, symbols, and rituals
by which to express the relationship with God; 5) as a model for the Christian
life and community; and 6) for strength in times of spiritual crisis.  White
also explains what liturgical spirituality is not, and provides some comments on
the task of her book, which she sees as an introduction to the basic modes and
approaches within this tradition rather than an exhaustive survey.
     In Chapter 2, "Revealing our Identity and Vocation," the author discusses
the issue of being human, what that means in contemporary society, and how the
Christian liturgy answers these questions.  The concept of common worship, how
liturgy allows us to exercise our humanity, and how God comes to us rather than
we to him are examined in the context of human relationships, life commitments,
and in our work.  Finally, an examination of how the liturgy acts as a "universe
in miniature" is given.
     Chapter 3, "Establishing Community," provides insight on the communal
nature of worship and liturgy in the Christian tradition.  The importance of the
kiss of peace, of shared gifts, of permeable boundaries among members, and the
future of this communal worship are all examined.  Some interesting historical
comments from various writers on these topics is given.
     The concept of time both temporal and spiritual is given in Chapter 4,
"Locating Ourselves in Time and Space."  The idea of the "eternal present" is
given, as well as the importance of the Greek words _chronos_ and _kairos_ in
the understanding of New Testament scriptures.  The development of the Christian
week and church year are examined, along with the end of time and the idea of
"place" in the Christian liturgical tradition.  Worship as a metaphor for the
spiritual life, space as a teacher of spiritual truth, space as an enabler of
prayer, and liturgical space and its relation to other geographies are all
presented in this chapter.
     "Living Responsibly" is the topic of Chapter 5.  Sin, morals, ethics,
social responsibility, and forgiveness have their roles in Christian liturgy and
worship, and these roles are examined in depth.  White does a good job of
discussing these topics in relation to spirituality and liturgical tradition,
rather than offer a personal opinion, as often happens in literature on this
topic.
     In the final chapter, "Negotiating Sickness, Dying, and Death," the
realities of sickness and death and their incorporation into Christian worship
and liturgy provides the author a chance to elaborate on how the sacraments of
liturgy envelope worshippers in these realities early on, from baptism to
sinfulness to health to confession of sins to the Lord

Link to Orbis Books