|
R e v i e w
|
This Rock
Volume 15, Number 10
 December 2004 
|
|
|
Progressive Traditionalism
When reviewing a book, I always bring to my reading a pad of sticky notes and a pen. I know the review isn’t going to be good when I use nearly thirty sticky notes to mark problematic areas in a book that has only 178 pages.
Catholic Traditions: Treasures New and Old by Joanne Turpin is a revised and expanded edition of her 1994 book of the same title. Divided into thirteen short chapters, it seeks to cover Catholic tradition from the big-T of apostolic Tradition to the little-t of pious traditions. The main problem with this book is that the author demonstrates no solid grasp of which is which.
Although she seeks to untangle threads of intertwined Sacred Tradition and pious customs, Turpin weaves her own knotted mess with her claim that she will deal little with apostolic Tradition followed by her explication of the traditions with which she will handle: "Over two thousand years, the church [sic] has developed other traditions such as the rituals for Mass and the sacraments, the institutional organization of church structures, the constant moral teachings that have guided people through changing situations and circumstances, the theological understanding of the revealed truths. These latter traditions can change over time, as in our recent past we have seen a great many changes, for example, in the way the Mass is celebrated."
One hardly knows where to start unraveling the skein of traditions Turpin has tossed together here. While it is true, for example, that much of the "institutional organization" of the Church is the result of human organizational skills, the fact that the Church is hierarchical in structure and is composed of a pope, bishops, priests, and deacons can be derived straight from Scripture as surely as can the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ that Turpin uses as her example of apostolic Tradition. Although Turpin does not deal with moral strictures in the rest of the book, it should be noted that while our application of "constant moral teachings" can be refined and enriched as "changing situations and circumstances" warrant it, the constant moral teachings themselves are Sacred Tradition and not pious customs.
Easily the most problematic area of this book is Turpin’s handling of liturgical rubrics in her chapters on the Mass. Although she notes that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal was revised in 2002, she does not reference its requirements when discussing rubrics. For example, though the GIRM specifies that a crucifix—which the GIRM takes the trouble to define as "a cross with a figure of Christ crucified" (117)—should be "on the altar or near it" and "clearly visible to the assembled congregation" (308), Turpin dismisses the crucifix as unnecessary, saying "a cross—the unadorned shape" will "now suffice."
More seriously problematic is Turpin’s imprecision in her writing. She clearly prefers to refer to the body and blood of Christ as the "consecrated bread and wine" and has trouble enunciating the apostolic Tradition of transubstantiation: "A devout manner of reception affirms the deeply held belief shared by Catholics that Christ is truly, fully present in the consecrated bread and wine." No, this is the deeply held belief of those non-Catholic Christians who subscribe to consubstantiation. Catholics have "the deeply held belief" that the bread and wine are truly and fully changed into Christ, who is "truly, fully present" under the appearance of bread and wine.
Scattered throughout the book are quotes from various authors, the most amusing of which is taken from Raymond A. Lucker, Patrick J. Brennan, and Michael Leach in their 1995 book The People’s Catechism. The explanatory note in square brackets is Turpin’s: "One of the loudest statements she [the Holy Spirit] makes to us—and has for the last thirty years—is that vocations to the priesthood and religious life are dramatically fewer. . . . If the Christian apostolate is to continue, perhaps the Spirit is suggesting we look elsewhere for active apostles. Where? The pews."
Besides the dissident explanation that we should understand the Holy Spirit to be a "she," it is puzzling that Turpin would choose to quote this book rather than an authoritative document such as the Second Vatican Council’s Apostolicam Actuositatem (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity). But such a choice does fit Turpin’s pattern of choosing unauthoritative sources. As another example, in discussing church architecture, she unreservedly quotes Environment and Art in Catholic Worship—which has never been approved by the full body of U.S. bishops—instead of the bishops’ 2000 document Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship.
While her discussion of popular and eucharistic devotionals such as the rosary and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is generally agreeable, and while I did learn one or two interesting factoids (such as that the forty hours of the Forty Hours devotion symbolizes Christ’s time in the tomb), such information is so readily available from other sources that I cannot recommend Turpin’s effort. It’s a shame, really, because I did rather appreciate her insight that "devotions are grassroots rituals."
—Michelle Arnold
Catholic Traditions: Treasures New and Old
By Joanne Turpin
St. Anthony Messenger Press
178 pages
$12.95
ISBN: 0867165510
|
