What We Have Done, What We Have Failed to Do: Assessing the Liturgical Reforms of Vatican II by Kevin W. Irwin (review)

Kevin W. Irwin is former dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies and holder of the Walter J. Schmitz Chair of Liturgical Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is sought after internationally as a speaker and consultant on the state of the liturgy in its post-Vatican II milieu.

What We Have Done, What We Have Failed to Do, prized by the Catholic Press Association Awards, represents Irwin’s cultivation of a liturgy that is both academic and pastoral. With the stated goal to assess Roman Catholic liturgical renewal since the promulgation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (December 4, 1963), Irwin’s consistent question is to ask: “What does the liturgy say?” This question – not answered by texts alone, but by gesture and movement, song and symbol – leads to the final evaluation that the liturgy is an unfolding mystery that deserves both contemplation and respect.

At the book’s outset, Irwin poses twenty questions which he considers to be among the most important for ongoing renewal. Several themes that appear here are: the balance between liturgical objectivity and liturgical creativity, comprehension of the meaning of the liturgy, the unity of the liturgy within a culture of diversity, and the role of the liturgy in the project of the “new evangelization.” Irwin calls the post-Vatican II liturgy a “jewel,” best examined when light hits it from a variety of angles. Thus, the ten chapters that follow systematically illumine this precious gem.

Chapters One to Three contain Irwin’s assessment of major theological themes connected with the liturgy: ecclesiology, active participation, and eschatology. Chapters Four, Five, and Six delve into sacramentality, liturgical translation, and the recovery of the Word in Catholic sacraments. For several years, Irwin has been calling for a recovery of sacramentality as the starting point for sacramental reflection. He writes: “From the perspective of the theology of the liturgy, I wonder whether at times the reform has been not only too cerebral but, dare I say it, too ‘disincarnate’” (92). The final four chapters examine various liturgical roles, the place of art within liturgy, the need for ongoing education, and the concept of liturgical spirituality. Woven throughout his musings is Irwin’s consistent reminder that “all liturgy is pastoral” (202). He contends that the ongoing development of the liturgy demands not only study of historical sources but consideration of the way of life exhibited by those who worship. He writes: “But in the end, the study of liturgy is not about texts only. It is about a multifaceted and experiential phenomenon of assimilation into the Triune God through the specificity of Christ’s paschal victory in the communion of the Church through signs, senses, words, actions, music, silence, and so on” (211).

Irwin’s overall assessment of the work of liturgical reform over the last fifty years is encouraging on both a scholarly and pastoral level. Great strides have been taken to implement the renewal of sacraments based upon a retrieval of ancient sources as well as the encouragement of broad-based liturgical participation within parishes. In contrast to theologians who call for a “reform of the reform” (insisting upon the restoration of Tridentine texts and liturgical forms), Irwin believes that much work remains to be done in truly understanding the spirit and the meaning of the post-Vatican II liturgy. He leads the church to deeper understanding through an apologetic approach that is persuasive, yet non-defensive. This is a book that deserves to be read first and foremost by pastors who engage the liturgy on a daily basis. However, it would also prove useful in the context of parish study groups and college classrooms. Irwin leaves the Catholic reader with a sense that much has been accomplished since the Second Vatican Council...