Rehearsing God's Just Kingdom: The Eucharistic Vision of Mark Searle

In the course of a teaching and writing career cut too short, Mark Searle (1941-1992) provided a worthy contribution to the study of liturgy. The breadth of his liturgical interests and his desire to integrate a wide range of academic areas with the study of liturgy mark this scholar as a gifted thinker and author, arguably a pioneer. In Rehearsing God's Just Kingdom, Stephen S. Wilbricht explores Searle's basic conviction that liturgy represents, rehearses, and forms in its participants the essential commitments of the Christian community. Searle called for the church's liturgy to be embraced as a rehearsal that is performed over and over, again and again, until it is practiced perfectly in the kingdom of heaven. In an age when so much depends on instant gratification and in which institutional commitment is often held in contempt, Searle's thinking provides an avenue for liturgical renewal that hinges upon a respect for and trust in ritual forms and behavior.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword      Rev. Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin   ix Acknowledgments   xiii Introduction   1      Searle’s Early Years   1      Graduate Studies and Seminary Formation 3      Career at Notre Dame   5      Semiotics and a New Liturgical Movement   7      Confronting Cancer   10      Scope and Structure of the Book   11 Chapter 1: Liturgy as “Rehearsal of Christian Attitudes”   14      Mark Searle’s “Ritual” Approach to Liturgy   17      The Incorporation of Susanne Langer’s Ritual Theory   23      Searle’s Definition of Liturgy as “Rehearsal of Christian Attitudes”   27      Conclusion 34 Chapter 2: Liturgy as the “Justice of God” 36      In the Footsteps of Saint Francis   43      “Serving the Lord with Justice”   46      A Privileged Encounter with the “Justice of God”   50      The Church as Bearer of a “Utopian Task”   56      Conclusion   62 Chapter 3: The Rehearsal of Gathering   64      An Attitude of Sacredness   69      An Attitude of Contrition   81      An Attitude of Silence   84      Conclusion   91 Chapter 4: The Rehearsal of Listening   92      An Attitude of “Trusting Imagination”   95      An Attitude of Faith   110      Conclusion   117 Chapter 5: The Rehearsal of Sacrificing   119      An Attitude of Collecting   121      An Attitude of Self-Sacrifice   132      Conclusion   147 Chapter 6: The Rehearsal of Communing   150      An Attitude of “Peace”   153      An Attitude of “Life Together”   160      Conclusion   176 Chapter 7: Launching a New Liturgical Movement   178      Liturgy as a Social Critique   183      A Liturgy That Is Both “Contemplative” and “Public”   188      Conclusion   193 Conclusion   196      A Corpus of Breadth: From Scholarly Media to Sacred Mystagogia   197      An Imperative, Present-Day Contribution: The Future of Liturgical Participation   200      A Death of Willing Surrender: Searle’s Final Rehearsal   201 Appendix 1      Mark Searle’s Chronological Bibliography (1966–2006)   204 Appendix 2      Grant Us Peace . . . Do We Hear What We Are Saying?   215           Mark Searle Works Cited   228 Index   234

About the Author :
Stephen S. Wilbricht, CSC, is assistant professor of religious studies at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. His work on liturgical topics has been published in several journals, including Worship, Catechumenate, and Pastoral Liturgy.

Review :
"If the realtor's mantra is 'location, location, location' about prized properties to be sold, the publisher's mantra is certainly 'timing, timing, timing' about the publication of an important book. This is an important book ... and a highly engaging book." From the foreword by Rev. Msgr. Kevin W. Irwin The Catholic University of America "Stephen Wilbricht takes a fresh look at the Mass through the eyes of Mark Searle. Whether you are interested in liturgy, social justice, or the path to salvation, this book will expand the way you look at worship and life." Paul Turner Pastor, St. Anthony Parish, Kansas City, Missouri Facilitator, International Commission on English in the Liturgy "Mark Searle felt it necessary to relaunch the liturgical movement. Stephen Wilbricht has provided means to do just that with a study that illuminates Searle's rich pastoral vision of the liturgy-especially his ability to connect liturgy and life. This book brings Searle's scholarship and liturgical mystagogy to life and will no doubt encourage us to appreciate ever more deeply Searle's understanding of the liturgy as the 'rehearsal of Christian attitudes.'" John F. Baldovin, S.J. Professor of Historical & Liturgical Theology Boston College School of Theology & Ministry Stephen Wilbricht provides an excellent entryway into Mark Searle's body of work, an extensive contribution to the work of liturgical study and Eucharistic theology in the Roman Catholic tradition... Wilbricht does an excellent job of synthesizing Searle's work in accessible language and organized format. Fransisco Garcia, Anglican Theological Review