LITURGY OF THE CHURCH IN THE DIGITAL AGE
The consideration of the Church as an online community has become very relevant following the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the growing number of e-readers, tablet computers, and mobile device applications. The theological questions posed by these internet technologies1 have called for a deeper reflection on the possibility and extent of liturgical participation and the practice of communion within a digital environment. In a bid to be flexible and “environmentally friendly,” some parishes, dioceses, and episcopal conferences have begun to make use of LCD projectors and screens to project texts and music in lieu of printed participation aids. Some priests have gone as far as using iPad, which would be later used to check e-mail, browse the Internet, play games, or watch streaming videos, in place of a printed Missal. One cannot deny the convenience created by using mobile apps to deliver prayers, daily Scripture readings, reflections, and the Liturgy of the Hours. But should these digital formats replace printed texts and ritual editions? While it is impossible to speculate the future, liturgiologists and liturgists are wisely cautioning the Church on the dangers of moving too quickly “towards digital liturgy” (liturgia ad digitalem). How it may alter or affirm the Church’s ethos as well as practices and the actual ways they function as a liturgical community are some mindboggling questions still left unanswered. A digital Church, however, suggests that new media – such as augmented reality, podcasting, and cloud computing – have the potential to change the understanding and expressions of the Church2. This very concept might lead to the reconsideration of the theological model of the Church as the mystical Body of Christ. Our task in this article is to explore the arguments in favour and against liturgia ad digitalem, to understand the complexity of the work since liturgical norms do not specifically address many of the emerging questions. To understand the Church and liturgia ad digitalem, we would like to begin by understanding the background of the relationality between the Church and the liturgy.
Keywords: age, church, digital, liturgy