Liturgy and Culture: Renewal in a Postmodern Age

By Santiago Pinzon, Texas A&M University

The following is an essay that received the mark of A minus or higher. Its views do not necessarily represent those of Clarifying Catholicism. We invite our readers to respectfully respond in the comments.

Since the 1960s, our culture has seen the decline of Christocentrism and the rise of secularism, materialism, and individualism. Within the same time frame, there has been an evident decline in another respect – the celebration and understanding of the sacred liturgy. These parallel paths may seem coincidental, but there is more to these trends. In fact, liturgy and culture are intimately related to each other. In light of this relationship, though both have experienced decline in some ways since the 1960s, there is hope for renewal. The renewal of modern culture can partially be aided by a reform of liturgy informed by a hermeneutic of continuity from the Church’s…