Praying the Mass, Vol. I: The Prayers of the People by Jeffrey Pinyan (review)

234 Antiphon 16.3 (2012) the loss of the sacred in liturgy, especially when one can discern a kind of anthropological turn (understood in the context of a proper theology of revelation) in the preaching of Benedict XVI, John Paul II, Henri de Lubac, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. And, it is unfair to blame liturgical reform for the complex process of secularization. Such polemics are inadequate both for healing the rifts at the heart of the liturgical life of the Church, and for understanding why there is a crisis in liturgical imagination today. In conclusion, Fr. Bux does contribute to a more sophisticated reading of Summorum Pontificum. He is right to note the need for a renewal of divine worship, one that focuses upon divine encounter above human experience. His book situates Pope Benedict’s liturgical reforms in a care for genuine diversity in the Church’s liturgical tradition. And his argument is well-placed in advocating for a generous celebration of the 1962 Missal as a way of renewing the liturgical life of the Church. But for those seeking a persuasive, theologically clear introduction to Benedict XVI’s liturgical theology, I would recommend turning to the writings and preaching of Pope Benedict himself, especially The Spirit of the Liturgy. This work demonstrates far better than does Fr. Bux the kind of liturgical imagination that should inform all decisions regarding the renewal of divine worship. Timothy P. O’Malley University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana Jeffrey Pinyan Praying the Mass, Vol. I: The Prayers of the People Charleston SC: Jeffrey Pinyan, 2011 ii+164 pp. Paperback $12.00. The introduction of the new English translation of the Missale Romanum not only initiates a new moment in the liturgical lives of the faithful, it also introduces an opportunity for renewed reflection on the laity’s role in the Mass and the most fruitful disposition by which the faithful can participate fully in its prayers and sacramental experience. Jeffrey Pinyan’s self-published volume is written with this historical moment in mind, and it seeks to provide insight into the ritual actions and prayers experienced by the congregation at Mass. The introduction offers a helpful background in which to consider both the advent of the new translation and the invitation to full, active, and conscious participation in the liturgy. To that end, Pinyan uses Sacrosanctum Concilium and important papal letters 235 Book Reviews from the last century to contextualize the purpose of the Divine Liturgy, thereby providing the reader with a helpful orientation to the prayers of the Mass. Affirming the ancient practice of mystagogical catechesis, the volume unpacks the meaning of the prayers of the people and their corresponding ritual actions from the perspective of liturgical and sacramental action. Pinyan divides mystagogy into the threefold work of (A) “interpreting” the liturgical rites in light of salvation history, (B) “explaining” the signs and symbols used in the rites, and (C) “relating” the rites to all dimensions of Christian life (7). This practice is faithfully maintained throughout the book, and it allows the author to connect the diverse actions of the liturgy among themselves as well as with broader doctrines of salvation history, the sacraments, and the life of grace. Each chapter ends, for example, with a series of questions for reflection that are based on the mystagogical work of interpreting, explaining, and relating liturgical experience. Helpful aspects of the volume include its clear organization and very approachable prose. Its organization follows the overall sequence of the Mass so that the reader can follow the text with ease. Moreover, Pinyan includes a helpful first chapter, “Preparing for Prayer,” which takes seriously the call to a proper disposition for the liturgy’s participants. His similar third chapter, “Common Responses and Postures,” offers insight into liturgical actions such as standing, bowing, or genuflecting; such distinctions, often lost on the average Mass-goer, are given helpful clarity and nuance in the book. The remaining chapters work line-by-line through the texts that persons will speak during the Mass, and they offer straightforward accounts of the way in which one might dispose oneself to participate in the liturgy. Throughout the chapters, the volume helpfully...