Professor Arocena's last lecture delves into mystery and liturgy according to Odo Casel
26 | 05 | 2025
In the Master Lecture that Professor Felix Maria Arocena gave on May 13, on the occasion of his seventieth birthday, he presented a journey through the life and work of the Benedictine monk Odo Casel, who is considered a theologian of the German Liturgical Movement.
The professor explained that, for Casel, the core of Christianity lies in mystery, understood as an inexhaustible reality and not simply as an enigma. He stressed that mystery is an experience that is lived and increased through participation in the liturgy, which represents the memorial of the paschal mystery of Christ.
He explained how the influence of Casel reached its fullness in the Second Vatican Council, particularly in the constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, whose liturgical doctrine, to a certain extent, drinks directly from the intuitions of the German monk. Louis Bouyer, a liturgist of reference letter and one of the great liturgists of the last century, openly recognized it: "The heart of the conciliar doctrine on the liturgy is also the heart of the teaching of Odo Casel".
The lesson did not avoid the criticisms that the Benedictine received, especially for his scant attention to the Old Testament and the Jewish liturgical heritage. Nor did it avoid the controversies that his thought aroused, nor the contrast with figures such as Karl Rahner. But Professor Arocena insisted that his doctrine, anchored in the celebratory experience, maintains its vigor and relevance in current theology.
To conclude, he quoted issue 1085 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church - the longest and, according to him, the most "Caselian" - to illustrate how the paschal mystery is not relegated to the past, but remains active in the liturgy. "Speaking from God, not about God," said the professor, evoking Casel's theological style and hinting at his own way of understanding theology: a contemplation lived, celebrated and shared.
José Luis Gutiérrez, Full Professor of Liturgical Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome), introduced Professor Arocena and gave a brief overview of his academic career. In addition, together with the Benedictine monk of the Monastery of Leyre, Ignacio Esparza, a former student of the School of Theology, representing a large group of friends and colleagues of the Institute of Liturgy, presented him with the edition of the Liber Orationum Psalmographus, which contains the psalmic collections of the official document of the cathedral of the Hispanic liturgy, edited by Father Jordi Pinell OSB.
The Dean of the School of Theology closed the academic ceremony dedicated to Professor Félix María Arocena by expressing "the joy, gratitude and honor" that it has been for the School to have him on the faculty.
He highlighted the professor's gifts and talents, especially "his ability to transmit and make available to the Christian people the greatness and richness of liturgical theology," both through his publications and his classes and conferences. He recalled how the prestige of the School has been enriched thanks to his work, which has been recognized even in places as far away as the seminar of Chiclayo, Peru, where the director programs of study expressed his admiration and honor for having Arocena for the exams.
He also valued the skill to "use a plastic language, images that bring the mystery of the liturgy very close to the people". He thanked the constant effort of Professor Arocena in the service to the School. He also highlighted the kindness and exquisite attention of the professor, which has facilitated the daily work of the entire academic community.
