Love and Liturgy

For two millennia C hristians have assembled on the “day of the sun” to celebrate the liturgy together. But why do it? Why structure one's life in such a way that participation in ritualized religious activity is a fixed point in the weekly rhythm of one's comings and goings? The project of this essay is to identify reasons to engage in such activity that emanate from the C hristian ethical vision. Fundamental to this vision is a contrast between an ethic of proximity , which enjoins us to attend to the needs of those near and dear, and an ethic of outwardness , which enjoins us to both attend to and open ourselves up to the needs of those who belong to various out‐groups. The C hristian ethical vision enjoins an ethic of outwardness. A close look at the liturgies of the Eastern C hristian tradition reveals the ways in which they express this ethic.