Rehearsing God's Just Kingdom
The Eucharistic Vision of Mark Searle
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In the course of a teaching and writing career cut too short, Mark Searle (1941-1992) provided a worthy contribution to the study of liturgy. The breadth of his liturgical interests and his desire to integrate a wide range of academic areas with the study of liturgy mark this scholar as a gifted thinker and author, arguably a pioneer. In Rehearsing God's Just Kingdom, Stephen S. Wilbricht explores Searle's basic conviction that liturgy represents, rehearses, and forms in its participants the essential commitments of the Christian community.
Searle called for the church's liturgy to be embraced as a rehearsal that is performed over and over, again and again, until it is practiced perfectly in the kingdom of heaven. In an age when so much depends on instant gratification and in which institutional commitment is often held in contempt, Searle's thinking provides an avenue for liturgical renewal that hinges upon a respect for and trust in ritual forms and behavior.
Contents
Foreword
Rev. Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Searle’s Early Years 1
Graduate Studies and Seminary Formation 3
Career at Notre Dame 5
Semiotics and a New Liturgical Movement 7
Confronting Cancer 10
Scope and Structure of the Book 11
Chapter 1: Liturgy as “Rehearsal of Christian Attitudes” 14
Mark Searle’s “Ritual” Approach to Liturgy 17
The Incorporation of Susanne Langer’s Ritual Theory 23
Searle’s Definition of Liturgy as “Rehearsal of Christian Attitudes” 27
Conclusion 34
Chapter 2: Liturgy as the “Justice of God” 36
In the Footsteps of Saint Francis 43
“Serving the Lord with Justice” 46
A Privileged Encounter with the “Justice of God” 50
The Church as Bearer of a “Utopian Task” 56
Conclusion 62
Chapter 3: The Rehearsal of Gathering 64
An Attitude of Sacredness 69
An Attitude of Contrition 81
An Attitude of Silence 84
Conclusion 91
Chapter 4: The Rehearsal of Listening 92
An Attitude of “Trusting Imagination” 95
An Attitude of Faith 110
Conclusion 117
Chapter 5: The Rehearsal of Sacrificing 119
An Attitude of Collecting 121
An Attitude of Self-Sacrifice 132
Conclusion 147
Chapter 6: The Rehearsal of Communing 150
An Attitude of “Peace” 153
An Attitude of “Life Together” 160
Conclusion 176
Chapter 7: Launching a New Liturgical Movement 178
Liturgy as a Social Critique 183
A Liturgy That Is Both “Contemplative” and “Public” 188
Conclusion 193
Conclusion 196
A Corpus of Breadth: From Scholarly Media to Sacred Mystagogia 197
An Imperative, Present-Day Contribution: The Future of Liturgical Participation 200
A Death of Willing Surrender: Searle’s Final Rehearsal 201
Appendix 1
Mark Searle’s Chronological Bibliography (1966–2006) 204
Appendix 2
Grant Us Peace . . . Do We Hear What We Are Saying? 215
Mark Searle
Works Cited 228
Index 234