QUOTATIONS RELATING TO LITURGY

“The trouble with some of us is that we have been inoculated with small doses of Christianity which keep us from catching the real thing.” -- Leslie Dixon Weatherhead

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it." 
-- Robert A. Heinlein, naval officer and novelist.

“There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.” 
-- Lazarus Long, according to Robert A. Heinlein

“There is that wonderful quote from Charlie Gardner years ago: 'The pastoral musician must learn to love the sound of a singing congregation above any other sound.' All of our efforts should point toward THIS sound.” -- David Haas on May 29, 2011 - 9:19 pm

How can one cope with liturgical distractions? This is a liturgical skill which one cannot learn too early. Inspired by the rule of St. Benedict, one mother taught her son a prayer he could say when he was having trouble listening at Mass. He liked it because it simultaneously released him from the distraction and from his awareness of the distraction, so he didn’t continue to be distracted by the guilty thought that he should be paying better attention.
“Jesus, help me listen with the ear of my heart.” 
--  Robin Drake Iwasawa

Christian liturgy consists of those practices organized into official communal rites by a church and required for or considered necessary to the continued functioning of a local church community and which the local community must provide for its members. 
-- [Author unknown]

“According to G. K. Chesterton, 'Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried;' the same might be said of liturgy.” -- Tom Poelker

“There is no single right way to do liturgy.” 
-- Tom Poelker

“Anything which turns an assembly into an audience is counter-liturgical” -- Tom Poelker