Review article
Popular devotion and liturgy according to Church documents
Želimir Puljić
Abstract
In this article we discuss the human being’s search for sense and meaning. Even
though scientific descriptions of the human being range across the broad spectrum of
biological, psychological, mental, political, economic, moral, religious, technical, historical,
Utopian, and aesthetic, there remains an enigma. The human being can speak,
think, love, feel free, and be religious. And religious problems are always actual and
never “old”, always “life-based” and never “remote”, and always human. Therefore we
can say that the human being is a “special creation and religious”.
The article contains part of a lecture delivered to the Synod of Bishops in 2001
dealing with the popular devotion that has played an important role in transmitting religious and moral values, as well as creating the culture and history of the Croat people.
Different types of popular devotion, still present today, played an important role
in difficult times of anti-religious ideologies such as Marxism. Even though popular
devotion is not “the key to the new evangelization” it should not be dismissed simply as
folklore or superstition or as some kind of left-over from pagan rituals. Popular devotion
is an expression of a deep Christian faith even though it is sometimes “contrary” to
liturgical rules. Ecclesiae imago therefore states that the bishops have to “be vigilant
over different kinds of popular devotion with an ecclesiastical sensibility”.
In the third part of the article, we speak about church documents dealing with
popular devotion before and after the Second Vatican Council. Special attention has
been given to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) that,
in the spirit of pastoral prudence, “harmonizes and does not oppose” liturgy and popular
devotion. It even recommends “Popular devotions... provided they accord with
the laws and norms of the Church” (SC 13). The Church believes that it is necessary to
explore the values of popular devotion, to protect its primordial essence, to cleanse it of
unnecessary accretions, to illuminate it with Scripture, and to point it towards rather
than placing it in opposition to the sacred liturgy. In accordance with this, a Directory
of popular devotion has been published in which the Church expresses “its respect for
popular devotion”. The Directory describes the nature and essence, principles and language
of popular devotion, and speaks about the need for a harmonious orientation
toward liturgy that is the “culmination and the source” of every Christian celebration.
Keywords
person; sense; religious human being; special creature; unending mystery; popular devotion; anti-religious ideology; new evangelization; folklore; superstition; Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy/Sacrosanctum Concilium; pastoral prudence; liturgy and popular devotion; Directory of popular devotion.
Hrčak ID:
266936
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2016.
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