Reading the The Spirit of the Liturgy by Pope Benedict XVI has really been an enlightening experience. I don’t think I’ll ever look at the mass the same again. I am only up to page 60, but it is, for this lover of theology and liturgy, a real page turner.

I’m particularly impressed by his comments on the role of time in the liturgy. He mentions the three stages of liturgy. The first is "the eternal is embodied in the once for all." In other words, the events of the past, like the cross, are not merely historical events, but self giving acts that transcend time. The second stage is "the entry of the eternal into our present moment in the liturgical action." In the liturgy we are "caught up and made contemporary with the Paschal mystery of Christ." The third stage "is the desire of the eternal to take hold of the worshiper’s life and ultimately of all historical reality." Benedict elaborates on this idea by noting that "we are incorporated into the great historical process by which the world moves toward the fulfillment of God being ‘all in all’" To put it differently, "past, present and future interpenetrate and touch upon eternity." This book is great!