Liturgical Dogmatics: How Catholic Beliefs Flow from Liturgical Prayer

by David W. Fagerberg

God is incomprehensible, but he is not unapproachable.
What cannot be fully comprehended by dogma can be
approached when we liturgize God.


What knowledge cannot fasten together, love can unite.
There is a movement occurring between God and his children,
and this divine economy is the subject matter of dogmatics.
It is also exactly the definition of liturgy that this work assumes. Liturgy is the perichoresis of the Holy Trinity kenotically extended to invite our synergistic ascent into deification.


The Trinity’s circulation of love turns itself outward, and in humility the Son and Spirit work the Father’s good pleasure for all creation, which is to invite our ascent into participation in the very life of God, which consists of glory,
love, beatitude.


All chapter topics in this volume are subdivisions of this single story stretching from alpha to omega, and they all turn out to be liturgical verities. What dogma stammers to state, liturgy celebrates in mystical participation. Liturgical Dogmatics therefore examines dogma in light of liturgy. The
whole sweeping, saving activity of God, as described by dogma, is the subject of this book.

Genres: Theology, Catholic, Faith, Religion

262 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2021

About the author

David Fagerberg holds a B.A. from Augsburg College (1972), M.Div. from Luther Northwestern Seminary (1977), M.A. from St. John’s University, Collegeville (1982), S.T.M. from Yale Divinity School (1983), and M.A., M.Phil., and PhD. from Yale University (1991). He taught in the Religion Department of Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, from 1988-2001; the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary 2002-03; he has been at Notre Dame since 2003. His area of study is liturgical theology – its definition and methodology – and how the Church’s lex orandi (law of prayer) is the foundation for her lex credendi (law of belief). He also has interests in sacramental theology, Eastern Orthodoxy, linguistic philosophy, scholasticism, G. K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis.

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book so good I am tempted to read again from the start.

This opened my eyes more to the liturgy and that this is something we do throughout the day. So much to think over. This is both serious and playful and utilized various writing styles to convey the information.

My only complaint was the number of words I had to look up because either I was unfamiliar with them or needed to get the definition down. The start of this book my be off-putting because of this. It is quite worthwhile to plunge ahead.

[Emma Geis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Highly recommend for anyone with a love for liturgy. I found that having read "Wellspring of Worship" by Jean Corbon laid a good foundation for some of the concepts that Fagerberg reflects on. However, it is not necessary to have read "Wellspring of Worship" prior to this masterpiece.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic in how we can know and enter dogmatic truths by our participation in the liturgy. I felt like the author could have been better about showing the roadmap and more practical ways the believer can experience it in the Mass and other liturgies. Maybe it was more for academics?