The Need For “Verticality” In The Sacred Liturgy
By JAMES MONTI In recent years there has been a renaissance in the understanding and appreciation of the importance of facing “ad orientem” in the sacred liturgy, from scholarly studies of its history and theological significance to forthright initiatives for its reimplementation by courageous pastors such as Robert Cardinal Sarah. The powerful symbolism of “directionality” has likewise been discussed in addressing the problem of an excessive modern emphasis upon the “horizontal” dimension of our faith at the expense of its even more important “vertical” dimension. What perhaps has not been looked at so closely is how in the sacred liturgy the vertical dimension of the Catholic faith has been manifested in so many different ways through words, actions, and sacred…Continue Reading