At the Heart of the Liturgy: Conversations with Nathan D. Mitchell's "Amen Corners," 1991-2012

by Maxwell E. Johnson (Editor), Timothy P. O'Malley (Editor), Demetrio S. Yocum (Editor), Mary Catherine Hilkert OP (Foreword by)

Overview

From 1991 to 2012, Nathan D. Mitchell was the author of the "Amen Corner" that appeared at the end of each issue of Worship. Readers of Worship grew accustomed to Nathan's columns as invitations to rethink the practice of Christian worship through a liturgical theology that was interdisciplinary, aesthetic, and attentive to history. With the soul of a poet, Nathan was always on the lookout for the turn of phrase, image, stanza, or metaphor from other classic wordsmiths that could capture the liturgical insight he wanted to explore.

For the first time, this volume assembles some of the most important of these columns around the themes of body, Word, Spirit, beauty, justice, and unity. In addition, Nathan's former students offer substantive commentary through essays that invite the reader to consider how the themes raised by Nathan might develop in the coming years.

This collection is a must-read both for those who admired Nathan's contribution to liturgical studies and for a newer generation of scholars seeking to discern the frontiers of liturgical theology.

Nathan D. Mitchell is an emeritus professor of liturgy in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. In 1998, Mitchell was presented with the Berakah Award from the North American Academy of Liturgy for his contribution to the field. His many publications include the following books: Meeting Mystery: Liturgy, Worship, Sacraments, and The Mystery of the Rosary: Marian Devotion and the Reinvention of Catholicism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814663349
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	12/17/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	220
File size:	845 KB

About the Author

Maxwell E. Johnson is emeritus professor of liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and a retired presbyter in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. His numerous publications are on the origins and development of early Christian liturgy, contemporary rites, and current ecumenical and theological questions in both East and West. He is the author and/or editor of more than twenty books and over one hundred essays and articles. He is also a former president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, a member of the Society of Oriental Liturgy, a member of Societas Liturgica, and a member of the scientific advisory board for the journal Ecclesia Orans.

Timothy O'Malley, PhD, is director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy in the Institute for Church Life and a concurrent assistant professional specialist in the Department of Theology, University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Liturgy and the New Evangelization: Practicing the Art of Self-Giving Love published by Liturgical Press.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction Maxwell E. Johnson xv

Chapter 1 Body

"Can a Mother Forget Her Nursing Child?: Flesh, Recognition, and the Eucharist" Kimberly Hope Belcher 1

The Amen Corner: "The Poetics of Space" 13

The Amen Corner: "Present in the Sacraments" 22

Chapter 2 Word

"'There Is a Christ Who Is to Be Made:' Paradoxes in the Sacramentality of Preaching" Joél Schmidt 36

The Amen Corner: "The Art of Preaching" 48

Chapter 3 Spirit

"Inspired Bodies in Action: Tracing the Spirit through Metaphor, Materiality, and Motion" Anne McGowan 63

The Amen Corner: "Croodling" 75

Chapter 4 Beauty

"Portals to Transcendence" Clare V. Johnson 87

The Amen Corner: "God at Every Gate" 99

The Amen Corner: "A Meditation on Eucharistic Praying" 108

Chapter 5 Justice

"Linking Cult to Care: Social Transformation and the Liturgical Movement" Katharine E. Harmon 122

The Amen Corner: "A Mansion for the Rat" 135

The Amen Corner: "Making the Connections" 146

Chapter 6 Unity

"Church of the Second Chance: Reconciliation Among the Saint Maybes" Melanie Ross 160

The Amen Corner: "Gathering as an Act of Reconciliation" 173

Conclusion 186

List of Contributors 189

Editorial Reviews

"Readers of Worship have regularly told me that Mitchell's column has been the first thing they read when they receive Worship. He has brought to his writing not only a deep and broad understanding of liturgical theology and ecumenical history but also a well-crafted interdisciplinary method by which he has called all of us to live more justly and to see beauty and goodness where we have often been blind—above all in poetry and painting, in the social sciences, in music, and in ritual studies."
R. Kevin Seasoltz, OSB (+April 27, 2013)
Former Editor of Worship

EBOOK COMMENTARY

"Readers of Worship have regularly told me that Mitchell's column has been the first thing they read when they receive Worship. He has brought to his writing not only a deep and broad understanding of liturgical theology and ecumenical history but also a well-crafted interdisciplinary method by which he has called all of us to live more justly and to see beauty and goodness where we have often been blind—above all in poetry and painting, in the social sciences, in music, and in ritual studies."
R. Kevin Seasoltz, OSB (+April 27, 2013), Former Editor of Worship



"This book is a celebration of [Mitchell's] liturgical legacy and a prediction of a dynamic liturgical future to come. The three editors must be commended for their skills in makingAt the Heart of the Liturgy a work of scholarship and a testament of love. This book will be appreciate by liturgical students, pastors, and readers interested in the beauty of Christian liturgy."
John Leonard Berg, Catholic Library World


"I would recommend each of the individual sections of the book for use in undergraduate or graduate instruction. The book as a whole would be useful for courses treating major (American) liturgical theologians."
Timothy Brunk, Horizons

From the Publisher