The Spirit of the Liturgy: Form of Christian Prayer

I've been learning a lot while reading Pope Benedict's "The Spirit of the Liturgy". The Pope a.k.a. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger had written many books on theology and was the Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ... an fancy title that also underscores the terrible shape our Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church is in terms of catechism and teaching :(

Much to comment on in future posts, as the Pope uses references to the Early Church and Eastern Church practices often to make a point, and a couple times refers in name to Syro-Malabar Church and the "Monophysite and Nestorian Churches of the Near East" (which I assume is Indian Orthodox).

In general, the Pope seems nostalgic of pre-Vatican II worship, which definitely resembles Orthodox worship much more than what is seen in Catholic Churches today. The chapters on Church building and Liturgical Prayer truly have many golden nuggets that I'll comment on later.

What spurred me to post in the chapter titled, "The Altar and Direction of the Liturgical Prayer" the Pope writes about what he calls the original form of Christian prayer, and offers the following opinion:

"When the altar (is) very remote from the faithful, it (is) right to move it back to the people. In cathedrals this made it possible to recover the tradition of having the altar at the crossing, the meeting point of the nave and the presbyterium. It (is) also important clearly to distinguish the place for the Liturgy of the Word from the place for the properly Eucharistic liturgy. For the Liturgy of the Word is about speaking and responding, and so a face-to-face exchange between proclaimer and hearer does make sense. On the other hand, a common turning to the east during the Eucharistic Prayer remains essential. This is not a case of something accidental, but of what is essential. Looking at the priest has no importance. What matters is looking together at the Lord. It is not now a question of dialogue but of common worship, of setting off toward the One who is to come. What corresponds with the reality of what is happening is not the closed circle (when priest faces congregation) but the common movement forward, expressed in a common direction for prayer"

I had always wondered why we insisted on facing East, and the common explanation of Jesus coming from the East never quite made sense as the Earth is round. The Pope's explanation in the chapter, and the thoughts and opinions expressed really were quite thought-provoking.