The discussion of Liturgy within the Church is endless: norms, structures, guidelines, etc. Through this book by Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, there is a deeper and closer look of what really is celebrated as Christian public worship. The Spirit of the Liturgy, coming from its title, poses the essential from the actual, an ideal of reality. Looking at historical developments of the liturgy, this book is a good read for pastors, religious and lay. It is in understanding the celebration, not just from its ritualistic actions but through a spiritual lens of perceiving the transcendental events within each action. It is in this book that we see how the prelate depicts the celebration as a two-way interaction of God to man and man to God. ( )

This is an excellent book. It shows a wide-ranging thought on the meaning and "spirit" of the liturgy, which is primarily the Eucharist. Ratzinger introduces in the first chapter the sense of "play" that the Eucharist has. This is a surprise due to his presumptive watchdog status as cardinal. Now that he is Pope, we see a greater dimension of this man. His love for and absorption in the liturgy is obvious. He introduces the sense of our participation in the exitus and reditus that is common in many religions and is found in theBible. The sense of leaving or being put out there, and the sense of coming back. The life of Jesus Christ is just one example. He also deals with the ideas of sacred place and sacred time. He discusses images and music, and their necessity in the liturgy, He finishes with the interaction of body and spirit in the liturgy. ( )

Considered by Ratzinger devotees as his greatest work on the Liturgy, this profound and beautifully written treatment of the "great prayer of the Church" will help readers rediscover the Liturgy in all its hidden spiritual wealth and transcendent grandeur as the very center of our Christian life.