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Review of The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister
Sister Joan Chittister, a rather accomplished Benedictine, lives and breaths the cycle of the Church year after year. In this book, which acts half as an apology for the liturgical cycle and half as a devotional call to order, she explores the depth and nature of the Christian liturgical year. Chittister both plumbs the depths of the historical development of many aspects of the liturgical year and examines their significance for day-to-day living. Furthermore, she seeks to examine not just the rationale behind the seasons of the Church, but also the even more fundamental theological roots behind Christian living, such as our understanding of time, Sabbath, joy, suffering, celebration and fidelity.
Whilst I very much did learn from this book, there are certain aspects that proved to be distracting. For instance, though I’m not sure I could suggest a better organizational strategy, the intermingling of almost devotional-level explorations of theological issues with more technical historical examinations of the liturgical year somewhat disrupt the flow of the text. That is probably the worst I can say about this work.
Overally, I think Chittister accomplishes exactly what she set out to do: help the average Christian understand not only how a Christian may live within the liturgical year, but also why a Christian should want to live in such an environment. If you’re looking for more depth, however, I’d recommend Robert Webber’s Ancient-Future Time.
