Spiritual Formation And The Liturgical Tradition

A service book is the primary carrier of the church's liturgical tradition and, as such, is a rich treasury of the prayer of the church. A service book is also a fundamental expression of what the church believes, since the church's prayer and belief are inseparable. In communicating the faith of the church, the forms provided by a service book are an important means by which Christians are rooted in the faith and, therefore, an important component for spiritual formation. As the primary carrier of the church's liturgical tradition, a service book embodies the church's corporate memory. The services express the way in which the community of faith remembers the faith story. In remembering that story, we as the community of faith are engaged in God's saving acts and discover the meaning of our lives before God. In that memory, we find direction and hope. More than simply being a reminder of the past or a dramatic reenactment of past events, the liturgy engages us in the faith. We bec…