Mysterium tremendum et fascinans liturgical perspectives on the approach to God

Abstract

This article proposes that the component of the approach to God, being part of an ancient sequence of worship, is liturgically neglected and should therefore be revisited. The important contribution of Rudolf Otto with regard to the approach to God is acknowledged here, culminating in his well-known phrase “mysterium tremendum et fascinans”. In the light of this, some liturgical implications and perspectives are attended to, includ- ing liturgy as silence, awe, lament and affirmation.