LITURGICAL INCULTURATION
XAVIER JAMES
Introduction
Liturgy is a public worship. It is the worship of the people. Christian liturgy is focused on Christ and Bible. There are many signs and symbols used in order to reach the divine by human actions. The cultures of the people are to be taken into consideration in the divine worship.
Ecclesia in Asia
Pope John Paul II on 6th November 1999 in Delhi released the synod document on Church in Asia. In that documents he has highlighted the urgent need for inculturation of the liturgy as a paramount importance. It is the task of the pastors in virtue of their charism, to guide the process of inculturation. But the process must involve the entire people of God, since the life of the Church as a whole share the faith that is being proclaimed and appreciated. As the culture is transformed, so too are persons and societies transformed by it (21). Faith cannot be confined with the limits of understanding and expression of any single human culture, for it transcends these limits and indeed challenges all cultures to rise to new hights of understanding and expression. It’s a pressing need of the local church in Asia to present the mystery of Christ to their peoples according to their cultural patterns and ways of thinking (20).
Liturgy is a decisive means of evangelization. Popular devotions and religious festivals are plenty and flourishing in our culture. Hence we need to promote it cautiously. While doing the process of inculturation we need to replace the cultural signs and symbols with renewed meaning. Moreover, inculturation of the Gospel involves the entire people of God; the role of laity is of paramount importance. It is they, above all who are called to transform the society by infusing the mind of Christ into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the secular world in which they live (22). When we want to bring any change in the liturgy we need to concientize, consult the people, because people’s participation in this regard is valuable.
Liturgical Inculturation
Inculturation is concerned with every aspect of the Church’s life. Eucharist being the source and summit of Christian life has to be inculturated. The richness of the Gospel must be experienced in all its variety in all areas of Christian life. Liturgy is the Supreme manifestation of the mystery of the church and most efficacious means of fulfilling her mission. Celebration of the liturgy in indigenous forms is of principal importance. Through the process of dialogue and exchange between the Gospel and culture, local expressions of worship emerge. Thus inculturation of liturgy and sacraments become an integral element in the whole process of the encounter between the Gospel and Culture. In the past various groups had different liturgies: Antiochean, Alexandrian, Chaldean and Roman liturgies. As the time passed by the Roman liturgy gained dominance and became model culture. Roman Liturgy was transplanted into the new areas that were evangelized. This resulted in returning to the one old culture rather than symbolizing the mystery. Here I would like to make a mention of the difference between the Rituals and Symbols.
Rituals and symbols
Rituals are fixed and conditioned by external prescriptions without taking into account the context of the persons who perform them in a uniform manner in all situation and circumstances. Symbols emerge from the culture and life style of the person who perform them and they vary according to situation and circumstances.
Why liturgical inculturation is ineffective?
Vatican II had brought about change in understanding Liturgy in its liturgical constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium in 1963. Many efforts have been taken to transform the liturgy but were not so successful as it should have been. There has been a certain resistance to liturgical and sacramental inculturation in many parts of Asia, India and Gujarat. When we analyze and see the reason we recognize that it was the teachings of Vatican II has not widely known to many faithful. Ordinary faithful were not sufficiently enlightened on the need of inculturation of Christian worship. How can we bring about any changes when people are not aware that there is a need for change? It must come from the people themselves as we educate and catechize them in view of change. At times some imprudent and insensitive pastors have introduced changes in this regard without instructing the people about their significance. It needs an adequate amount of catechesis and preparation.
Apostolic Church has given the right and duty to the bishop’s conference to inculturate the liturgy according to the local culture. Fr. Michael Amaladoss mentions how it was difficult to do the process of inculturation in the liturgy. The bishops who are supposed to take a leading role have often been inactive. Fr. Amaladoss together with experts had drawn out a draft on Indian Rite Mass but it was rejected on account of it being too Brahminical. The second draft was ready, experimented, evaluated by the CCBI and sent to the Holy See for approval but so far no solution has come. He says that it was a painful process.
Awareness is needed
A very important area of inculturation is the liturgy of the Christian Community. Liturgy expresses the faith of the church. Liturgy must be the outcome of the faith experience in a particular cultural environment. Spontaneity will spring forth from life of faith lived fully in the context of the culture and the life-realities of the people. It is the responsibility of the whole church to inculturate the liturgy and no one can shirk away from this responsibility. We need to become conscious of the actuality that the existing culture is imposed from outside, unrelated and unconsciously accepted one. This is an estrangement of the liturgy from our culture. This faith experience is superficial and does not affect life very deeply. Any experiments in liturgy done should reflect the faith of the community. We should be alert that mere replacement with another set, will lose its meaning. This is a gradual process that emerges from within a believing human community, living and struggling in a particular context and culture.
What shall we do?
Popular religiosity should be encouraged but at times they are infused with superstitious beliefs and error, which had to be paid attention to. Proper understanding of Christian mystery not with mere intellectual explanation but adequate catechesis should be of supreme significance. Liturgy introduces certain continuity. This is not copying the liturgies of another church but by giving new expressions to the same mystery. As the early Christians borrowed many religious traditions we also need to borrow from our own culture to make the liturgy more meaningful. There was no Christian tradition as such. Context of the liturgy has to be taken into account. Any dichotomy between life and liturgy should be avoided. We need to pay attention to sociological implication while inculturating. Some symbols and signs are harmless whereas some are discriminative. Eg. Dalits oppose classical Hinduism; they look at it as a means for domination and oppression. They do not want to be reminded of the bitter past. They oppose Aarati and Chandan Tilak. But it is ridiculous and unreasonable because they are the social and cultural customs not brahminical.
In the dioceses common approach should be upheld, where people would be conscientized on the need of liturgical and sacramental inculturation in order to deepen their faith experience. Pastors should consider this as a very important and holy area of the pastoral concern and implant it with zeal and prudence, which this delicate sector of Christian life requires.
What have we done?
To some extent we have succeeded in inculturation eg. Architecture of Churches, chapels and prayer halls are made in keeping the local culture and context in mind. The Missal, Bible and Lectionaries have been translated in the native language. Hymns, Bhajans and prayers are being said and sung in the vernacular. Christian marriages and funerals are very much appreciated by the non-catholics since there is prayerful atmosphere and local culture is prized as a valuable one. Postures like folding of hands and bowing, squatting for mass, removing footwear before entering the church or chapel are very evident our time with regard to inculturation. In Gujarat we keep up the pilgrimages and many people come to these feasts with genuine devotion such as Khambholaj, Vadodara, Anklav, Korvi, Unteshwari, Deesa. The feasts are also are fixed according to the seasons. In this manner we have tried, experimented and implemented the liturgical feasts according to the local culture.
Conclusion
We need to take the sociological implications into account when we face success or failures in liturgical inculturation. Some people are ready for it with proper awareness and knowledge whereas some are reluctant and protesting. I came across a catholic CID police officer who told me that ‘you south Indians come here in Gujarat and make our Christianity into Hinduism’. When I asked for clarifications he said that in his visit to south India once, he found people gathered into a church in the evening and they were taking aarati in this way the Hindu traditions are brought into Catholicism. Thus there are such people with insufficient knowledge of Christianity and their own culture who oppose any changes brought in the liturgy. There are people who want to forget the bitter past, which their ancestors had treaded in and so they resist. There are some people who want to take security in the Roman garb and liturgical rule in order to be on the good side of the hierarchy due to the financial help they receive. Some people grapple with understanding and change. Still there is hope with proper catechism and reinforcement of the same. We also need to keep in mind that while inculturation we need to give due respect to the divine worship. We need to safeguard the dignity of divine worship. We should not bring changes for the change sake whereas dignity and culture should be revered. Thus, amidst many trials, we have come to this stage of inculturating the liturgy and it will be possible if we are consistent and sensitive.
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