Fragments of Real Presence: Liturgical Traditions in the Hands of Women

Teresa Berger's wide-ranging book on Christian liturgy is by far one of the best books I've read on the subject. It's structured as a series of meditations on the liturgical year, beginning with the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene and proceeding through Advent and Lent to end with thoughts on Trinity Sunday, baptism, and the ordinary rituals of ordinary time. Throughout the book, Berger consolidates key insights of feminist theology to critique specific features of traditional liturgical practice and provide positive contributions to Christian practice in community. The theme of spiritual guidance as midwifery plays a strong part, as does a continuing meditation on the ways mothers in their giving play an under-appreciated eucharistic function in the church. There is even an illuminating discussion of rituals that connect people of various faiths. The whole text, as well as many of the other works by feminist scholars that Berger cites, puts the lie to the notion that feminist theology is merely deconstructive or that it does not take the tradition seriously. In Fragments of the Real Presence, Berger shows how a feminist reclaiming of the Christian liturgical tradition might return that tradition to its spiritual roots, taking seriously the faith of devout Christians, male and female, throughout the centuries. Very highly recommended, especially for pastors and others involved in crafting liturgy for Christian communities.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Sometimes books on feminism are loaded with feminist theory and loose with history. This one is solid: rich in the facts, accessible, and well organized. It would be good for a classroom and as a resource for ministers throughout the liturgical calendar. Read and enjoy.

My friend Kay and I, having been privileged participants in one of Professor Berger's seminars at Duke Divinity School, read the Introduction to this volume together and found ourselves profoundly moved by the reflections of this great Catholic Christian scholar. Fragments of Real Presence is the ideal book for women's study groups -- the attractive physical size of the book as well its user-friendly text and font is an added pleasure -- and promises to provide many sleepless nights for those moved to explore more deeply the movement of women in and through the Christian faith community.

There has been great anticipation for this book in women's scholarly circles. Teresa Berger, currently an associate professor at Duke University Divinity School, is best known as a world-class historian of Christian liturgy. Throughout her remarkably productive writing career, however, she has also written and spoken widely and well on a number of theological themes of direct interest to Christian women. So there is a sense of anticipation knowing that a serious English language work (many of her works have appeared in German) has been about to appear. At its most basic level, Fragments of Real Presence takes us along the liturgical year through the eyes of women. Said in that way, however, the book might sound like one of those tired, overwrought projects in feminist reconstruction that give feminism a bad name. While you'll simply have to read the book to understand what makes it different, here's one attempt at explaining it. Berger doesn't simply describe a different way of looking at things. She performs it. She carries us into the middle of it all. And she is a skilled enough writer to do this. She can move effortlessly between pure poetry, popular description, and scholarly reflection. The more we read, the more we really start to enter into the world she is offering us, a world where liturgical forms are not the enemy of women's experience but a way of coming to understand it more richly. Each reader will have his/her own favorite pieces. I was drawn to one piece weaving together an iconic representation of Mary and the real-life story of a woman who proved herself a dangerous caregiver lacking "maternal" skills. I also adored The ABCs that come near the end of the book -- they are a sort of glossary about love, more romantic than you'd expect from a scholar, and more honest and truth-telling than you get from romantics. I think most readers will also be especially drawn to the Advent and Christmas reflections, and those around Holy Week. As I mention in the headline, the book has been worth the wait. It does not offer an easily digested concept or catch-phrase that students can write in their notebooks, and so it may not be destined to have the overt influence that some great works have. But it should have a long life as a goad to reflection as well as an example of truly poetic writing. Berger has "handed" us something quite powerful, a new way of seeing and thinking about a tradition that we too often see in limiting and restricting ways.