St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish | The Liturgy Blog

Epiphany Blessing for Homes

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 15:02:00 GMT

UPON ENTERING THE HOUSE [OR AT THE FRONT DOOR]:

Priest/Head of Household (Leader) : Peace be to this house. All : And to all who dwell herein.

Leader : From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

THE ROOM IS SPRINKLED WITH HOLY WATER WHILE ALL PRAY THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURE.

All : My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.

All : From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Leader : Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead and lead us not into temptation,

All : But deliver us from evil.

Leader : All they from Seba shall come All : Bringing gold and frankincense.

Leader : O Lord, hear my prayer. All : And let my cry come unto You.

Leader : Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star did on this day manifest Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know You by faith may also attain the vision of Your glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord. All : Amen.

Leader : Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you– Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

All : And the Gentiles shall walk in your light and kings in the splendor of your rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Leader : Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Your law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

AFTER THE PRAYERS OF THE BLESSING ARE RECITED, WALK THROUGH THE HOUSE AND BLESS EACH ROOM BY SPRINKLING WITH HOLY WATER. TAKE THE BLESSED CHALK AND FIRST WRITE THE INITIALS OF THE THREE WISE MEN, CONNECTED WITH CROSSES, OVER THE INSIDE OF YOUR FRONT DOOR (ON THE LINTEL, IF POSSIBLE). THEN WRITE THE YEAR, BREAKING UP THE NUMBERS AND THE YEAR SO THAT THEY FALL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE INITIALS. IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

20 C + M + B 23

WITH THE “20 “BEING THE MILLENNIUM AND CENTURY, THE “C” STANDING FOR THE FIRST WISE MAN, CASPAR, THE “M” STANDING FOR MELCHIOR, THE “B” STANDING FOR BALTHASAR, AND THE “23” STANDING FOR THE DECADE AND YEAR. IT IS ALSO POPULARLY BELIEVED THAT THE KINGS’ INITIALS STAND FOR “CHRISTUS MANSIONEM BENEDICAT” (“CHRIST BLESS THIS HOUSE”).

It is preferable to end the celebration with a suitable song, for example, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” or “We Three Kings.”

Merry Christmas from C.S.Lewis

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:58:00 GMT

Merry Christmas! For your spiritual enjoyment, I'd like to share a poem about Christmas from my favorite author C.S.Lewis. I fully plan to read this poem to my nieces and nephews Christmas day. I hope you and maybe your children or grandchildren enjoy it and experience the awe and wonder of the reality of the incarnation of God.

Breathless was the air over Bethlehem; black and bare

The fields; hard as granite were the clods;

Hedges stiff with ice; the sedge, in the vice

Of the ponds, like little iron rods.

The deathly stillness spread from Bethlehem; it was shed

Wider each moment on the land;

Through rampart and wall into camp and into hall

Stole the hush. All tongues were at a stand.

Travellers at their beer in taverns turned to hear

The landlord—that oracle was dumb;

At the Procurator’s feast a jocular freedman ceased

His story, and gaped; all were glum.

Then the silence flowed forth to the islands and the north

And it smoothed the unquiet river-bars,

And leveled out the waves from their revelling, and paved

The sea with the cold, reflected stars.

Where the Cæsar sat and signed at ease on Palatine,

Without anger, the signatures of death,

There stole into his room and on his soul a gloom,

Till he paused in his work and held his breath.

Then to Carthage and the Gauls, to Parthia and the Falls

Of Nile, to Mount Amara it crept;

The romp and rage of beasts in swamp and forest ceased,

The jungle grew still as if it slept.

So it ran about the girth of the planet. From the Earth

The signal, the warning, went out,

Away beyond the air; her neighbours were aware

Of change, they were troubled with doubt.

Salamanders in the Sun who brandish as they run

Tails like the Americas in size,

Were stunned by it and dazed; wondering, they gazed

Up at Earth, misgiving in their eyes.

In Houses and Signs the Ousiarchs divine

Grew pale and questioned what it meant;

Great Galactic lords stood back to back with swords

Half-drawn, awaiting the event,

And a whisper among them passed, “Is this perhaps the last

Of our story and the glories of our crown?—

The entropy worked out?—the central redoubt

Abandoned?—The world-spring running down?”

Then they could speak no more. Weakness overbore

Even them; they were as flies in a web,

In lethargy stone-dumb. The death had almost come,

And the tide lay motionless at ebb.

ike a stab at that moment over Crab and Bowman,

Over Maiden and Lion, came the shock

Of returning life, the start, and burning pang at heart,

Setting galaxies to tingle and rock.

The Lords dared to breathe, swords went into sheathes

A rustling, a relaxing began;

With rumour and noise of the resuming of joys

Along the nerves of the universe it ran.

Then, pulsing into space with delicate dulcet pace,

Came a music infinitely small,

But clear; and it swelled and drew nearer, till it held

All worlds with the sharpness of its call,

And now divinely deep, ever louder, with a leap

And quiver of inebriating sound,

The vibrant dithyramb shook Libra and the Ram,

The brains of Aquarius spun round—

Such a note as neither Throne nor Potentate had known

Since the Word created the abyss.

But this time it was changed in a mystery, estranged,

A paradox, an ambiguous bliss.

Heaven danced to it and burned; such answer was returned

To the hush, the Favete, the fear

That Earth had sent out. Revel, mirth and shout

Descended to her, sphere below sphere,

Till Saturn laughed and lost his latter age’s frost

And his beard, Niagara-like, unfroze;

The monsters in the Sun rejoiced; the Inconstant One,

The unwedded Moon, forgot her woes;

A shiver of re-birth and deliverance round the Earth

Went gliding; her bonds were released;

Into broken light the breeze once more awoke the seas,

In the forest it wakened every beast;

Capripods fell to dance from Taproban to France,

Leprechauns from Down to Labrador;

In his green Asian dell the Phoenix from his shell

Burst forth and was the Phoenix once more.

So Death lay in arrest. But at Bethlehem the bless’d

Nothing greater could be heard

Than sighing wind in the thorn, the cry of One new-born,

And cattle in stable as they stirred."

The Turn of the Tide. A Poem by C.S. Lewis

Children at Mass Part 2: Silence and Advent

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:57:00 GMT

As I mentioned last week, I would like to continue to spiritually reflect with you all on the significance of the presence of children at Mass. This week, we shall look at the topic specifically through the lens of the Advent season; a season in which the focus of our prayer and worship is on one child in particular.

First, let’s consider the fact that Advent is a season focused on silence in a variety of ways. The Liturgy in every season is meant to incorporate silence in an intentional way. Paragraph 30 of the doctrinal Church document Sacrosanctum Concilium words it very succinctly, “And at the proper times, all should observe a reverent silence.” Pope Benedict (a cardinal at the time) reflects, “We are realizing more and more clearly that silence is part of the liturgy. We respond, by singing and praying, to the God Who addresses us, but the greater mystery, surpassing all words, summons us to silence. It must, of course, be a silence with content, not just the absence of speech and action. We should expect the liturgy to give us a positive stillness that will restore us.” (Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy, 209). None of this should surprise us. We see again and again in Scripture and in the writings of the saints that the Lord’s speaks in silence. And when faced with the context of the enormous and eternal mystery of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, silence is necessary lest we overpower the mystery with our attempts to explain through word and song. The external expressions of worship and prayer in the Liturgy always culminate in silence, for ultimately prayer and worship in voice reach their climax in wordless wonderment at the great mystery that is beyond all expression, words, and understanding.

Silence is important in the Liturgy, and it is all the more a focus during Advent for a variety of reasons. Silence is used as an ontological (a philosophy term meaning, ‘relating to the nature of being,’) metaphor in theology to reflect the significance of the incarnation. Into a dead, dark, empty world that was cut off from God in a significant way, God spoke ‘The Word’ into it. The silence of creation, unable to fulfill its purpose in giving full voice to the glory of God, was broken by the utterance of a single divine Word made incarnate in the cry of a small child. The silence was shattered as God ‘broke into the world’ that had spiritually put up barricades against His presence. In recognition of this momentous occasion, the heavens opened and Angels choirs burst into physical song over the heads of the shepherds to herald the dawn of a new age; the birth of a new king; the resuscitation of a suffocated world. We reflect on that event with a new kind of silence. A silence that is not dead and empty like the world before his coming. Rather, it is a new silence that is alive with the presence of God. We are made breathless by mystery of the incarnation, not the breathlessness of death, but the breathlessness of having nothing to do but stand in wonder.

These are just a few of many reasons to reflect on and observe silence in Advent. And now the question: how does this increased focus on silence work with having the noise of children at Mass? As we have seen in this reflection, silence can mean different things. It can be dead, it can be alive, it can be empty, it can be full, it can be with or without content or context (as Ratzinger said). The kind of silence that we hope for at the Liturgy is not the same kind of silence we would seek in private prayer. It is a silence that, in essence, is not destroyed but, perhaps, is even deepened by the presence of somewhat vocal children. It is a full, alive, and meaningful kind of silence specifically because it is the silence of communal, not private, worship. As we wonder at the mystery of the incarnation made present to us in the Eucharist and reflect back on that silent night into which God spoke the ‘Word,’ His very Son made flesh, we find our silence broken by the sounds of babies crying; the ultimate signs of life, the living symbols of the new hope that awoke in the world when the Christ-child announced with similar cries His long-desired arrival. As we reflect in the silence of Liturgy and have our silent meditation invaded by the audible presence of children, may it lead us as a worshipping community into a deeper silence in which we simply sit in wonder and awe at the gift of life itself and the redemption God offered to the world, introduced on a silent night by the cries of a newborn babe.

Children at Mass

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:50:00 GMT

We are blest to have a church community with many families. And with families comes the presence of many young children. And with children inevitably comes some extra noise. I know that for some, the presence of children can be quite a distraction and a frustration. Even for parents, I know that having their own children at Mass can sometimes feel like it wipes out any possibility of praying at the Liturgy or 'getting anything out of it.'

In light of these feelings, I would like to offer a few points of reflection.

Before anything else, we should remind ourselves: why are we at Mass? What is the point of being there? While we may come up with different reasons, there really is a right and wrong answer. We come to Mass to worship God communally, to offer our lives to him in sacrifice, to be nourished by Grace, and to be united with Christ and each other through the Eucharist. We need to keep these points in mind whenever we reflect on Liturgical topics. So, the question is: can the presence of somewhat distracting children really hinder any of these goals? Maybe a child having a total meltdown can (and there is a room for parents to use should they choose to if something like that occurs). But I contend that the ordinary sounds that come from children being around cannot hinder us or God in the Liturgy as long as we keep the right mindset.

“My child or a child is distracting me from the preaching or listening to Scripture.” Let’s take a look at a Scripture passage. Matthew 19:13-14. This is that classic passage where people bring children to Jesus and the disciples speak sternly to the people who brought them. Jesus responds, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” So, does Jesus want children in his presence? Yes. It was true then, and it is true now. But consider another point: why were the disciples rebuking the people? There were probably a number of reasons, but it's probable that they were concerned that the children were hindering Jesus’ ability to preach to the people. Here he was, healing people and preaching his message when all of these children come up and distract him. And he not only tolerates them, he blesses and embraces them. In fact, he essentially tells the disciples that their presence is a lesson in itself. So, would Jesus rather have us send the children away so that we can focus on the priest’s homily better or on the Scripture readings? Seemingly not.

“My child or a child is making it hard for me to enter into prayer. It feels like I can’t connect with God or receive His Grace.” It is always good to remember that prayer is a relationship with a person. Its not an experience that we manufacture. Prayer and Grace are gifts from a person. And they are given in a variety of mysterious ways. We sometimes become limited by what our experience of prayer and grace have been in the past, such that we get frustrated when we don’t have the same experience that we associate with them. Once again, when we come to Mass, we are coming to give God glory and to receive what He wants to give us. Whatever Grace the Lord offers you at the Mass, he will certainly still bestow it and bless you with it not just in spite of the presence of children, but probably even because of them. He is not hindered by the fact that in this space of communal worship, we cannot focus in the same way that we do in our isolated spaces of personal prayer. The thing that WOULD hinder him in this regard would be lingering on the anger or frustration.

“My child or a child is making it hard for me to worship God. Shouldn’t my full attention be on God?” Here is a fun question: did Christ’s plan for us to worship him in the Liturgy somehow not account for the fact that our churches would be filled with children from his day until the end of time? Do you think God is less worshipped because the voice of a child occupies one corner of your mind? We gather together not for personal worship but for communal worship. To offer the Sacrifice as a whole people, as the body of christ. That child across the aisle or sitting in your lap isn't a hinderance to your worship of God. That child is another part of the body that is all worshipping Christ the head together. Christ is more worshipped, more glorified by their presence. God is all wise and all knowing, and in his mysterious plan for our on-going relationship with Him as a people, I think we can safely say that it not only accounts for the presence of children in our communal worship but counts on it.

Next week, I will reflect a bit more on this topic with a specific focus on the season of Advent.

The WORD Part 5: Praying with Scripture

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:07:00 GMT

I commonly hear this kind of statement from people I counsel: “I would like to read more Scripture or pray with it more, but I don’t really know where to start or how to do it.” I definitely can relate. Prior to college, I didn’t know how to fruitfully interact with Scripture either. Thankfully, I joined a group of men during college that showed me how to do Lectio Divina (it means ‘Divine Reading’). It is an ancient method of praying with Scripture and to give God the space and time to speak to our lives through his Sacred Word. There are many different guides out there with subtle differences, and all of them (well, most of them) are perfectly acceptable. The following is a guide from the Busted Halo Blog. I like this guide a lot. I I hope it is helpful for you as well.

Fr. Keating describes the four stages of Lectio Divina as compass points around a circle, with the Holy Spirit moving seamlessly between them. As a beginner, I’ve found it helpful to follow the stages in order. Like learning an instrument, once I’ve learned the basics, I’ll be able to improvise! Here’s how to get started:

Prepare

I’d suggest 30 minutes to read, reflect, and respond to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in Lectio Divina [Side note from Fr. Peter: 30 minutes is great. 20 minutes is ok too. 15 minutes is acceptable. 10 minutes is probably too little). To tune in, I like to light a candle, not because it’s necessary, but because the flame and fragrance serve as gentle reminders when collecting my thoughts and calming my mind. I pray a prayer of invitation, saying something like, “God, let me hear from you,” and spend a few moments sitting quietly so my mind is open to hearing from God

Lectio (Read)

My first reading is an opportunity to get to know the Scripture passage. I listen carefully for any words or phrases that seem to jump out. It’s important not to force things, but wait patiently for God to give gentle guidance. One day when reading Jeremiah 31, I felt my mind drawn to the strength of God’s commitment to His covenant: “[I will make a new covenant] not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband.” (Jeremiah 31:32 ESV). I was struck by the image of God leading His people by the hand as an act of love – they weren’t left to begin their momentous journey alone.

Meditatio (Reflect)

The second reading of the same passage focuses further on the points I become aware of during the first reading. Often I’ll just re-read a few verses so I can reflect carefully on where God has nudged me. Then I’ll reflect on what I believe God is saying. I try not to analyze the passage. It’s easy to slip into “study mode” and think about interesting points rather than listening to what God might be saying. It helps to ask God to make His focus clear.

Oratio (Respond)

After a third reading, it’s time to respond. I like to record my thoughts by journaling because I know I’m very prone to forgetting what I’ve learned, even by the next day! We can respond in prayer too, which gives us the opportunity for a conversation with God. When reading Jeremiah, I journaled my wonderings. If God is so powerfully committed to keeping His covenant with me, why do I sometimes lack the commitment to stay close to God? Often the events of the day crowd in, and I don’t always make time to listen to God. I prayed that God would help me to prioritize spending time with Him.

Contemplatio (Rest)

After the final reading, I spend around 10 minutes in silent contemplation. This isn’t a time of prayer or meditation — I just sit quietly and allow God to work. When my mind starts to wander and dart here and there, I bring it gently back to stillness again.

It’s important to remember that Lectio Divina is not an end in itself or another spiritual practice to tick off our to-do list. It helps us hear specifically and individually from God through Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, and deepens our relationship with Him.

The WORD Part 4: Living and Effective

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:05:00 GMT

In the last Liturgy Corner (remember, you can read previous articles on the website under the Liturgy Blog), we talked about how Jesus Christ is the Word of God and that Scripture is the Word of God as well. Hence, there is a mystical sense in which Jesus is Scripture and Scripture is Jesus. Consequently, Church calls us to have a reverence for Scripture similar to our reverence for the Eucharist. Let us continue this line of thought by considering how Scripture is, in a sense, alive. As Christ is alive, so in some way is Scripture.

Let’s begin by reading Hebrews 4:12, a verse that has been very powerful and formative in my life for a long time.

“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

This verse gives further impetus to the idea that Scripture is ‘alive.’ It is not only alive; It is active. It is not to be approached as any other written text that we intellectually consume. When we read a normal book, we find ways that it relates to and applies to our lives. In such cases, we are the active ones. But with Scripture, the Word acts. We take a more passive role, seeking to be worked on and changed by the living and active Word of God. We do not only read or hear the text; the text, God's Word, reads us. It pierces our souls and opens us up to God and to ourselves. It strips away the veil covering things that we would like to ignore. It works upon us in ways that we often can’t even recognize. It carries not only intellectual meaning, which is only valuable insofar as we grasp it in our minds, but also a transformative Grace that affects us even when we don’t ‘get anything out of it.’ So, if you have ever said that phrase with regards to Scripture or the Mass, maybe reconsider it.

Another sense of Scripture being ‘alive’ is that it is dynamic. I do not mean that it changes its meaning or ‘evolves’ over time. Rather, when we read Scripture, we encounter a person, and a person speaks to other persons. A book of recorded thoughts or a powerful autobiography can never measure up to Scripture because they will always be chained to the context of their time. True, Scripture was indeed written in a particular time and context, and those things must be considered in reading and studying it (ex. Knowing the Jewish customs, culture, and beliefs of Jesus’ time is important to understanding what he says.) But Scripture is not limited in that capacity. The human authors of Scripture write to a particular time and people, but mystically God also speaks to us, to you. We do not manufacture the personal relevance of Scripture. God really can speak to you through his Word. We may say sometimes, when reading other spiritual books, that, “it feels like the authors are speaking to me in particular.” But with Scripture, it really happens.

So, Scripture works on us above and beyond the contextual designs of the human authors and the intellectual and moral lessons we can pull out of the text. But what does that above and beyond look like? Well, it is certainly a mystical reality, and so we are not going to be able to put our finger on it entirely. How can you explain the effects of a deep interpersonal relationship with anyone? Do we simply enumerate the lessons they have taught us or the observable benefits of said relationship? Of course not. An encounter with a person, and especially the deep on-going encounter of a real relationship, is an encounter with unfathomable depth. All the marvels of the universe are a drop in a bucket compared to the infinite individuality, complexity, uniqueness, and wonder of a single person. How much more so can we say this about Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

I will, however, leave you with something to reflect on with regards to the mystical effects of the living Word of God. When I was a child, my parents made me memorize Psalm 23 (thanks Mom and Dad.) Through my relationship with this passage, God has proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that Scripture is ‘living and effective.' When we memorize something, it physically changes us. Our brains ‘rewire’ to incorporate and store the new memory. So, when we memorize Scripture, our body is changed to incorporate the ‘living Word’ of God. Our bodies and minds ‘become’ the Scripture, the Word, which is Jesus. There is another parallel to receiving the Eucharist here, don’t you think?

Next time, I shall talk about how we can best pray with Scripture to be more open to God speaking to us and transforming us with his living Word.

The WORD Part 3: Christ and Sacred Scripture

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 14:01:00 GMT

I want to reflect on the power of God’s word in Scripture because it is easy to underestimate it. It is easy to hear a familiar passage and gloss over it or hear just a moral lesson and assume that's all there is to it. I’m guessing most of you know in your head that neither of those reactions is ideal. But as in most things, the movement from the head to the heart is hard. But it certainly can be easier if our head has a better understanding of what it is telling the heart exactly. And so, for the next few weeks, let's reflect on the mystery of the WORD.

In the beginning of the Gospel of John, we have this familiar phrase, “In the beginning was the WORD.” (John 1:1). This statement is about the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He himself is the Word of God. Ok, but what does that mean? St John of the Cross, commenting on Hebrews 1:1-2 says:

"In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behavior but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty."

Jesus Christ is God’s sole word, he has no more to say. What a beautiful phrase. He is saying that Jesus Christ in a physical embodiment of the self-revelation of God. He is literally a Word, THE Word, all of who God understand himself to be, congealed into a physical being that the world can interact with on a physical level. Imagine if someone asked you to write a book that fully describes yourself; that shows everything someone should know about you. So, you (who in this story are a writer of unparalleled talent) give it a try. But every time, you just know the product doesn’t do you justice. There is so much to who you are. The only thing that could embody everything about you is….well, you! But if you could? It is putting it quite crudely, and certainly don’t read too deeply into it, to say that the second person of the Trinity, the Word of God, is the ‘book’ on God, and that ‘book’ has been turned into a movie….a thirty-three year long movie.

The point of bringing up Christ as the Word of God is that it has implications for how we think about Scripture. But before that, we need a quick refresh on Divine Inspiration of Scripture. God inspired the human authors of the sacred books. "To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.” (CCC 106) Sacred Scripture, while authored by human hands, was guided by God in such a way that we can hold as doctrine that Scripture is God’s self-revelation. It is God revealing Himself in direct ways, like in some of Paul’s catechetical writings, and in indirect ways, like in how the Old Testament is a revelation of the history of God’s relationship to humanity through the people of Israel as He prepared the world for the coming of the Messiah. Hence, Scripture is, as we acclaim at every Mass after each reading, “The Word of the Lord.”

So! If Christ, the second person of the Trinity, is the Word of God made flesh Scripture is the Word of God (the Word of God made words….?), what does that mean for us? Let us look at the Catechism again, 'Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men.' Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely: 'You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers, since he who was in the beginning God with God has no need of separate syllables; for he is not subject to time.' For this reason, the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord's Body. (CCC 101-103)

Read that last line again and let the full import of it sink in a bit. We’ll continue this topic next week. In the meantime, really dwell on that last line.

The Liturgy Corner - The WORD Part 2: Psalms

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:43:00 GMT

I remember one time chatting with my dad about preaching (since he was a preacher before becoming Catholic, it is one of our favorite topics.) I remember him telling me that the most underappreciated part of the Liturgy of the Word is the responsorial psalm. I’m just as bad at ignoring it as the next guy. However, I do agree with my dad. It is vastly overlooked compared to the other readings. Since I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours, I have gained a much greater appreciation for the psalms. I hope to share some of that learned appreciation with you.

First, what are the psalms? The psalms are a collection of prayers and songs written by various authors, of which King David is perhaps the most prominent. Because they are a part of Sacred Scripture, they are of course co-authored by God himself. Hence, the psalms are an incredible toolbox. They are essentially prayers to God provided by God himself. Do you want to know how to pray? Read the psalms. Pray them. It is no wonder that the Jewish practice of praying with psalms daily was taken up by Christianity in the form of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Responsorial Psalm.

Second, how does one pray with the psalms? It doesn’t take much experience with the psalms to find out that they cover the whole gamut of emotions. The psalmists don’t hold much back in conversation with God.

They cry out to God for help and thank him for his abundant aid. They rejoice in his evident goodness and faithfulness one moment and get frustrated with his apparent absence and apathy the next. There is sadness, joy, anger, despair, comfort, longing, etc etc. So, it makes sense that any given psalm is not always going to fit our current experience of life or of God. When they do, it can be very fruitful. They can provide a guide for us to express ourselves to God (sometime try to find a psalm that fits exactly how you are feeling and just speak the words as your own to God). But what of when a psalm does not fit our current situation? Well, one of the best bits of advice I got about the psalms is that they always fit SOMONE. If we are praying with a psalm or singing the refrain of a responsorial that simply does not match our current state of being, we can pray it for those people it does. We are invited to step out of ourselves and remember that we are part of the united body of Christ. All across the world are people who are feeling exactly what the psalmist is expressing. We can pray in unity with them. And we may find that this practice balances us. When we are sad or lonely, we can receive the assurance of hope in joyful psalms and rejoice with those who are experiencing God’s goodness. When we are joyful and experience great consolation from the presence of God, we can pray the despairing or frustrated psalms in solidarity with those members of Christ that are in bad straits.

Third, let’s talk a little more specifically about the responsorial psalm. Certainly, everything I have said thus far applies to the responsorial psalm at Mass. But there are a few extra things to consider. First, we have an extra point of focus provided by the Church for each psalm: the response. The line selected for the response tends to reveal the theme of the whole. Hence, for Psalm 23, we usually have, “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want,” for the response. Second, I mentioned in the last Liturgy Corner that the psalm often serves as the ‘bridge’ between the Old Testament reading and the Gospel. Usually, the selected line for the response serves to highlight that bridging. We can often look to the response to see how the Church envisions the link between the Old Testament and Gospel. And so, the response can be a lens through which we interpret the other readings. We must use common sense in this process and recognize that the link can’t always be perfect. But we also can’t simply dismiss the possibility of a link when it is not readily apparent to us. It wouldn’t be worthwhile if it was always obvious and didn’t, at times, draw us to go deeper than our preconceptions. Scripture always invites us to change, transform, grow, and convert. The psalm can help us to see how.

The Liturgy Corner - The WORD Part 1: The Lectionary

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:42:00 GMT

I want to start a new short series in this Liturgy Corner on ‘the Word’. Here, we will explore various topics to help us all better understand the Liturgy of the Word, the use of Scripture in the Liturgy in general, and how to better pray and enter into the Liturgy through Scripture. I can understand why this topic may seem boring or overly intellectual at times to some. But bear with me. I believe it can have significant practical applications to your spiritual lives. That being said, the topic for today may seem a little anecdotal.

I want to start with a brief intro to understanding the Lectionary (the name for the tome of Scripture selections used for Mass.) The current Lectionary in use by the Church was instituted at the Second Vatican Council in 1969. The changes made compared to the Lectionary used before were extensive. One of the main objectives for the change was to broaden the number of Scripture passages heard at Mass.

The Sunday Lectionary follows a three-year cycle of readings: Year A, B, and C. The three years cover a broad expanse of Scripture selections with only a little crossover. You may have noticed how each of the three years focused primarily on one of the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). The word ‘synoptic’ means ‘seen together. These three Gospels are called such because there is significant crossover in the stories and sayings of Jesus that they contain.'

John’s Gospel is rather unique in comparison, and John has a different focus and literary style compared to the synoptics. Passages from the Gospel according to John are sprinkled throughout each of the years, though there is a greater portion in the year that focuses on the Gospel according to Mark since his Gospel account is shortest of the three synoptics. Touching upon the three synoptic Gospels again briefly, it can be very interesting to find a story that appears in all three and compare them side by side.

In the Sunday Lectionary, the first reading is always (with exceptions for some seasons) taken from the Old Testament. You may already know this or have intuited it through experience, but the choice of the first reading is always (once again, with exceptions) related to the Gospel passage in some way. The general purpose of this system is to show the relationship between the Old Testament and the life of Christ. The work of God in the Old Testament all leads up to and culminates in the coming of Christ, and the Church tries to teach us this, in general and in particular, through the connections between the first readings and the Gospel passages on Sundays. The responsorial psalm choice for each Sunday is intended to provide a link between the Gospel and the Old Testament. It can be very fruitful and fascinating to read the Sunday readings before Mass and ask, “how are the two connected?” Take, for example, the readings for today. In the Old Testament, we have the story of Abraham’s persistent prayer to God, asking for mercy on the city of Sodom. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches about the importance of persistence in prayer. And the psalm response? “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.” Conveniently, the connections are easy to see this week. The Second reading is not chosen to relate to the first reading and the Gospel (though I often find that it does connect in some way.) Rather, the cycle systematically samples the various letters of the New Testament.

The weekday Lectionary follows a two-year cycle: simply Year 1 and 2. Unlike on Sundays, the first reading is less consistently from the Old Testament and is not necessarily connected to Gospel passage for the day, though I often find that they still connect. There is a separate lectionary for special solemnities and feasts and optional reading choices for various saints.

This is a very brief introduction to the Lectionary. But I hope it clears up a point or two for you, and I certainly hope that it will help you to appreciate and understand the Scripture choices each Sunday a little bit more.

The Liturgy Corner - Piety: Justice for God

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:41:00 GMT

We just finished a long series on the various parts of the Mass where dialogue occurs in some form between the congregation and the priest. There was one phrase that I did not talk about much. "It is right and just." The congregation says this in response to the priest's invitation to give thanks to God. That phrase is a good intro to the topic for today.

It is an important phrase because it points at a very significant and often under-appreciated concept: Justice for God. Justice has classically been defined as giving another person that which is due to them. We, as human beings, tend to be very sensitive to the concept of the demands of justice...well, at least with regards to ourselves. Tell any child that you will give them a dollar if they take out the trash and then subsequently refuse them the dollar and you will find just how sensitive we are to the demands of justice. Now, we can often be misguided as to what actually constitutes true justice. But at the very least we are sensitive to the concept that what is due ought to be given. If some payment or honor or appreciation is really due someone, we know that there is an obligation to act accordingly.

We live our lives in a sea of just demands on our time, energy, resources, etc. But each of us is blind in some way, shape, or form to some of our just obligations. With respect to God himself, we 'get' some of what is due to God, but we often don't get it all. Justice regarding God, what is owed to God because of who He is and our relationship to Him, is called 'Piety,' which is a word that often carries a lot of false connotations. Its true meaning lies in what we have related here: giving to God what is His due because he deserves it.

One of the things we often don't 'get' completely is the relationship between the liturgy and Justice for God (piety). What is it that we often don't get? Well, in our day and age, it is all to easy to do most things only insofar as we see a benefit for ourselves. It is certainly not wrong for a thing to benefit us (every true act of Justice we do for another also benefits ourselves). However, we should do acts of justice BECAUSE they are just, rather than act because it benefits us and only coincidentally happens to be just.

What is the point of that whole explanation? It is this: when it comes to various 'acts of piety' in the liturgy, we often decide to do them or not do them based upon a perceived benefit or lack thereof. Hence, we tend to compose our bodies, open our mouths to sing (or say) various things, or make various motions based upon whether it feels good at the time, what we think others will think of us, whether we feel happy or sad, or a variety of other self-referential reasons rather than because we asked, answered, and acted upon the question: what is due to God?

Hopefully, we can all recall the righteous anger of the child who remains dollar-less after taking out the trash and can agree that we ought to TRY to give God His due simply because He deserves it.

What is proper piety? What does God concretely deserve from us at Mass? What are the best things to do? Does it make a difference what we do with our hands? When is it right to sing and when is it more prudent and pious to just speak the words instead of singing them? What is the right way to compose yourself when you receive the Eucharist? These are just a few of many questions we could ask about proper piety at Mass, and we are not going to answer them today. And there is often a lot of freedom to the expression of piety. But the guidelines should not, cannot be, defined by what we happen to feel like doing. It should not even be based upon our subjective opinion of what is most pious. Rather, we look to God's word, His Church (who enjoys the special guidance of the Holy Spirit promised by Christ), and the wisdom of the Saints to help us grow in the knowledge and practice of true piety. We seek to be informed by true justice and let it guide our actions rather than be islands of opinion.

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass Part 14: "Lord I am not worthy..."

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:38:00 GMT

After the priest announces, “Behold the Lamb of God…”, then the congregation and the priest together say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

This is a powerful prayer. It is an honest prayer. If we have been following the Mass closely, if we have a real relationship with God and His truth, then by now we should have a clear view of who God is and who we are in relation to him. God is the Creator, and we are his creatures. He has no obligation to share his nature with us. He is eternal and infinite, and we are temporal and finite. What could He have to do with us? He is holy, and we are sinners. By our disobedience, we have forfeited the privilege of living in His presence. The Eucharist is the most supremely unmerited, undeserved gift in all the universe.

We are not worthy. This statement is simply our logical inference based on what we’ve seen so far.

The prayer is taken almost verbatim from the Gospel of Saint Matthew. It appears in a chapter that shows Jesus’ immense power as a healer. First, he cured a leper just by declaring him “clean.” (Matthew 8:2-3). Then a Roman official approached him. A Roman, a Gentile, and so a man who had no claim to God’s promises to His chosen people.

The man seeks help not for himself, but for a beloved employee: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully” (Matthew 8:6). Jesus consents to going to his home and curing the young man. But the Roman official protests, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” (Matthew 8:8). Those words “amazed” Jesus, who extolled the faith of this Gentile.

Like that long-ago centurion, we see Jesus and are moved to ask for mercy, for healing. Or, at least, we should be. As with many things we say at Mass and in the course of our liturgical prayer at the Mass and elsewhere, we are invited to say things that we may not feel are strictly true at the time. “Lord, we long to see your face,” “Lord, we love you with all our heart,” These are all examples of things that we may or may not be actually experiencing internally. Does that make us liars? No. Rather, statements like these are acts of the will. We wish they were true. And so we speak them, declare them, will them, mean them. The more we speak them intentionally and purposefully, the more that we find ourselves transforming by God’s Grace in their image. If you want to love God, then tell God you love Him. If you want to long for God above all else, then say you do. If you wish to be humble before the power of the Eucharist, then make a declaration of humility.

The statement we make, "Lord I am not worthy..." may not be what we experience. And because we don't experience it, it is even more true. We know that internally we don’t even come close to truly appreciating the incredible gift of the Eucharist. And so, we struggle to really conceive of how unworthy we are to be given such a gift and, therefore, we are unable to be as thankful for it as we should. Our ignorance and relative apathy is part of the unworthiness of our souls.

And yet, like the centurion, we put our trust in Jesus. We trust that he can cure our unworthiness. We trust that he has the power not only to cure our sinfulness but also to bring us deeper in our understanding and appreciation of the Eucharist. We trust that he can help us begin to truly appreciate this great gift. Like the centurion, we plead our unworthiness. We can rest, confident of Jesus’ response. It will be as we read in the Gospel. He has the power to cure our spiritual and moral ills, and he has the will to do so. If we ask him to heal us, he says the word and our souls “shall be healed.”

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass Part 13: The Lamb of God

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:36:00 GMT

At the end of the Rite of Peace at the Mass, we address Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God’ four times in quick succession; three times in the ‘Lamb of God’ hymn sung by the congregation and once by the priest when he quotes the words of John the Baptist, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” In both cases, the title is explicitly connected to the action of ‘taking away the sins of the world.’

In the Eastern churches, the words used for the Eucharistic bread are actually the Greek and Slavonic words for “Lamb,” while in the west we have traditionally used the word “host.” The “Lamb of God” prayers were introduced to the Western Liturgy in the 7th century through the efforts of Pope Saint Sergius I.

I’m sure we are all at least somewhat aware of the deep meaning behind the title “Lamb of God.” But I guarantee that there it is more involved than you and I realize (I can’t even try to explain here the portion I know. As an intro, I highly suggest you consider reading “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist,” by Brant Pitre. There is also a condensed version of the book as a talk that can be found on youtube.) It is one of those things that never ceases to be a fruitful and awe-inspiring topic of study. I shall try to give a brief summary. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, we are told of the Hebrew people being enslaved to the Egyptians and the work that God does through his servant Moses to free them from their captivity. The final and definitive event is the Passover. Moses instructs the people to follow a procedure as a ritual act of faith in God. The most central part of this ritual is the sacrificing of a unblemished Lamb, the spreading of its blood on their doorposts, and the communal consumption of its flesh. By this ritual act, the Hebrews will be protected from the curse that will come upon the land and all creatures that will finally break the will of the Egyptians and cause them to let the Hebrew people go.

As a literal event, the Hebrew people are freed from slavery and embark on a journey in which God will be their only help, their sole source of security, guidance, and sustenance, until they reach the special land He promised would be their own. As a symbol, God gives us a foreshadowing of the sacrifice that will free us from the curse of sin. The blood of this sacrifice will be our salvation. The eating of the flesh of this sacrifice will be our freedom and our spiritual life. But unlike this original Passover event, the future sacrifice will not be some pretty, white baby sheep. And it shall not only be a symbol of faithfulness. It will actually achieve the forgiveness of our sins. This sacrifice must be the greatest sacrifice, the most perfect sacrifice, the offering of something beyond compare, something far beyond our ability to provide. As foreshadowed in the story of Abraham and Isaac on the mountain, “God will himself provide the lamb.” (Genesis 22:8). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the ‘unblemished Lamb,’ whose sacrifice can actually take away the sins of the world. He goes to death willingly without complaint, as Isaiah prophecies, “like a lamb led to slaughter.” (Isaiah 53:7.) So now, as we prepare for the consummation of this Passover sacrifice, we simply recognize the reality before us. “Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb” In this line, we have the summary of the whole, wonderful web of Old Testament prophetic foreshadowing. In the Eucharistic host is the fulfillment of all the Scriptures, the climax of the story of God preparing humanity to receive His most precious gift. To these words, the congregation responds,

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

We will examine and reflect on these words in the next installment of the Liturgy Corner.

The Liturgy Corner: The Light of Christ

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:33:00 GMT

Happy Easter, Brothers and Sisters! If you have been to the Easter Vigil Mass, you know of the candle lighting ceremony at the beginning, where the new Easter Candle is processed up the aisle of the darkened church. Servers light candles off of the Easter candle and then light small candles held by the congregation. The flame spreads until the whole church is lit by the candles, all lit from that original flame. It is one of my favorite moments of the whole liturgical year. This event really helps bring home the significance of candles and light as symbols of our faith. And so, I just want to share excerpts of a homily by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on this symbol at Easter. I hope you find it ‘enlightening.’

“The creation account begins symbolically with the creation of light…Light makes life possible. It makes encounter possible. It makes communication possible. It makes knowledge, access to reality and to truth, possible. And insofar as it makes knowledge possible, it makes freedom and progress possible. Evil hides. Light, then, is also an expression of the good that both is and creates brightness. It is daylight, which makes it possible for us to act. To say that God created light means that God created the world as a space for knowledge and truth, as a space for encounter and freedom, as a space for good and for love. Matter is fundamentally good, being itself is good. And evil does not come from God-made being, rather, it comes into existence only through denial. It is a “no”.

At Easter, on the morning of the first day of the week, God said once again: “Let there be light”. The night on the Mount of Olives, the solar eclipse of Jesus’ passion and death, the night of the grave had all passed. Now it is the first day once again – creation is beginning anew. “Let there be light”, says God, “and there was light”: Jesus rises from the grave. Life is stronger than death. Good is stronger than evil. Love is stronger than hate. Truth is stronger than lies. The darkness of the previous days is driven away the moment Jesus rises from the grave and Himself becomes God’s pure light. But this applies not only to Him, not only to the darkness of those days. With the resurrection of Jesus, light itself is created anew. He draws all of us after Him into the new light of the resurrection and He conquers all darkness. He is God’s new day, new for all of us…

…The darkness that poses a real threat to mankind, after all, is the fact that he can see and investigate tangible material things, but cannot see where the world is going or whence it comes, where our own life is going, what is good and what is evil. The darkness enshrouding God and obscuring values is the real threat to our existence and to the world in general. If God and moral values, the difference between good and evil, remain in darkness, then all other “lights”, that put such incredible technical feats within our reach, are not only progress but also dangers that put us and the world at risk. Today we can illuminate our cities so brightly that the stars of the sky are no longer visible. Is this not an image of the problems caused by our version of enlightenment? With regard to material things, our knowledge and our technical accomplishments are legion, but what reaches beyond, the things of God and the question of good, we can no longer identify. Faith, then, which reveals God’s light to us, is the true enlightenment, enabling God’s light to break into our world, opening our eyes to the true light…

… On Easter night [the Vigil Mass], the night of the new creation, the Church presents the mystery of light using a unique and very humble symbol: the Paschal candle. This is a light that lives from sacrifice. The candle shines inasmuch as it is burnt up. It gives light, inasmuch as it gives itself. Thus the Church presents most beautifully the paschal mystery of Christ, who gives himself and so bestows the great light. Secondly, we should remember that the light of the candle is a fire. Fire is the power that shapes the world, the force of transformation. And fire gives warmth. Here too the mystery of Christ is made newly visible. Christ, the light, is fire, flame, burning up evil and so reshaping both the world and ourselves. “Whoever is close to me is close to the fire,” as Jesus is reported by Origen to have said. And this fire is both heat and light: not a cold light, but one through which God’s warmth and goodness reaches down to us.”

The Liturgy Corner: The Dialogue of the Mass Part 11: The Lord's Prayer

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:31:00 GMT

After ‘the Great Amen,’ we all stand to say the Lord’s Prayer. I won’t say much about the Lord’s Prayer itself, as it seems pretty obvious why we pray it and all that. I will briefly mention the introduction to it that the priest gives.

“At the savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say…”

This statement is rather packed. The ‘savior’s command’ is pretty clear. He says in the Gospel that this is how we are to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). And then we have the ‘formed by divine teaching’ part. What we have here is an implicit recognition of the two prongs of Divine Revelation: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Jesus Christ gives us the mandate in Sacred Scripture to pray this prayer. Through the handing down and flowering of Sacred Tradition, we have a much deeper understanding of the full import of this prayer. In particular, we have come to understand the incredible gift that it is for us to be invited to call God ‘Father.’ We don’t often think about the intimacy of that title, especially with regards to God. And so, we only can ‘dare’ to say it because we are commanded by the person who came to reveal the love of God to us (Jesus) and because we are encouraged over and over again by the teaching of the Church and the centuries of reflection from Saints and Fathers of the Church.

It is one of those things that we can’t really appreciate until we have first come to see and understand it in a way that makes us question whether it could possibly be real.

After the Lord’s Prayer, the priest adds some words of petition, emphasizing certain parts of the Lord’s Prayer in a different way. Then the people conclude this moment by saying,

“For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.”

For those of you who read last week’s Liturgy Corner, you should recognize that this is another example of a Doxology. It is also the focal point of a significant and often misunderstood point of contention between Catholics and Protestants. It is a question I, personally, have heard pretty frequently: “Why do Catholics leave out the last part of the Lord’s Prayer when they say it?” For many somewhat traditional protestants, this Doxology is considered to be simply part of the Lord’s Prayer itself. And many will point out to you in their Bibles that it shows up at the end of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:13. However, if you look in your own Bible, you may or may not find that Doxology included. This is because the earliest and best manuscripts did not include this particular passage. However, it has been used in at least some Masses following the Lord’s Prayer since a time soon after the apostles themselves (ex. Evidence of its presence shows up in the Didache). It was especially present in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. But the origins of its Scriptural presence are a little muddy, though it seems that it began to show up more frequently in manuscripts in the 4th century. The King James version of the Gospel is based upon one of these later manuscripts and so it includes the Doxology in the Bible. During Queen Elizabeth’s persecution of Catholics, the use of the Doxology in praying the Lord’s Prayer in everyday life was mandated in protestant England, most likely as a way to continue to distinguish between the protestants and the Catholics.

Hence, we now find ourselves in the interesting position of including this Doxology in our Liturgical recitation of the Lord’s Prayer but not in our common recitation nor in most Catholic editions of the Bible, and non-Catholics often include it in their Scriptures and in their common recitation.

It is easy to see the beauty and significance of this inclusion of a Doxology in our liturgical recitation of the Lord's Prayer. It is especially meaningful because of where it is placed. Rather than being right after the Lord's Prayer proper, it concludes the Priest's petitionary prayer, which includes the theme of 'waiting in hope for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' This forward-looking, hope-filled prayer points us to the end of time, when Christ will come again in glory, and we, the faithful, shall be resurrected to gaze into the perfect splendor of God's infinite beauty. In that perfect kingdom, the power and glory of God will be joy like we have never known, forever and ever.

The Liturgy Corner: The Dialogue of the Mass Part 10: The Doxology and the Great Amen

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:29:00 GMT

Following the 'Mystery of Faith,' the priest continues with the Eucharistic Prayer. The inner organization of the Eucharistic Prayers and their various elements is quite splendid, but that is a topic for another time. It is important to note, however, that the entire Eucharistic Prayer is addressed to God the Father. This great prayer culminates in the saying of the doxology and 'The Great Amen.'

"Through him, with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever."

"Amen."

The first part (said by the priest) is the doxology, which means an 'account' (-oxology) of 'Glory' (doxa-). We have doxologies all over the place in Catholicism. The "Glory Be" prayer is a doxology. The 'Gloria' earlier on in the Mass is a doxology. However, there is something special about the doxology that follows the Eucharistic Prayer.

Consider what has happened in the Mass up until now. We gathered our various prayers at the offertory and, along with the physical gifts of bread and wine, placed them at the altar. The priest, who stands in persona Christi to perform the priestly function of Jesus Christ the Son, begins praying to God the Father, preparing to sacrifice these gifts. But the gifts are not worthy yet. Only one gift is worthy of heaven: Christ himself. And so the priest, by the power of the Holy Spirit, consecrates and transforms the simple offering of bread and wine into the very body and blood of Jesus Christ,

who willingly went to suffer and die for this very purpose: to offer Himself as a perfect Sacrifice to the Father. After the consecration is complete and the priest has concluded the Eucharistic Prayer, we have the doxology. We finally have all the elements needed for the sacrifice of the Mass. We have an adequate offering (the body and blood of Christ.) We have an adequate priest to offer it (the priest acting in persona Chrsti) and we have annunciated all of the reasons for this Sacrifice (our salvation, the salvation of the whole Church, and the various particular petitions of that Mass.) And so, the priest lifts the gifts to heaven and, annunciating the involvement of all three person's of the Trinity in this moment, offers Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for the glory of God and for us.

This action is done "through him, with him, and in him." Jesus is the willing victim of the sacrifice. He is the high priest who offers the victim. And He is the one whose perfection and purity makes our own sacrifices acceptable by their association with Him. We are utterly dependent upon the Grace of Christ Jesus, who so wonderfully performed the incredible economy of salvation for us. He is all the parts of that economy. We are the unmerited recipients.

So, the priest is saying and doing all this. He lifts the gifts (with the help of the deacon), chants the words, etc. But as we have heard over and over again up until now in various articles in the Liturgy Corner, Mass is not a spectator sport. Ok, at some points it is, even for the priest (listening to the readings for example.) But even at the moments where no external activity is called for, internal participation is necessary. All through the Eucharistic Prayer, the congregation has been patiently listening, trying to fend off various distractions, just trying to be attentive to what the priest is doing on their behalf. And now comes the climax. The whole congregation is there, kneeling at the feet of God the Father, beseeching His mercy, not by any merit of their own, but by the merits of the perfect Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Their 'spokesperson' has said his piece and done his work. And as he makes the final offering, the congregation raises their voices and says 'The Great Amen.' It is so hard to explain all that is meant by the word 'Amen.' One decently adequate translation is 'I assent with all my being.'

I like to mentally step back and imagine the spiritual vision of this moment. We are in the throne room of God to petition Him. Jesus stands at our head and speaks on our behalf, offering Himself as the Sacrifice, and at the pinnacle of this event the people gathered behind Him give their assent to what their leader has said and done. We say, "He speaks and acts for all of us."

The Liturgy Corner - Side Topic: The Litany of Humility

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:27:00 GMT

Today, I am taking a short break from the ongoing 'dialogue of the Mass' series to share with you a prayer. During my homily last weekend, I mentioned the Litany of Humility that my 'household' at Franciscan University of Steubenville would sing every Sunday night before we prayed the Rosary. I cannot find the sung version that we did anywhere. I think it may have been composed by someone in or connected to that group. But many people asked me about the prayer itself. It seemed like a good idea to share with you the prayer and to talk about it a little.

I think it important that many of the desires (and fears) from which we are praying for deliverance are not bad in and of themselves. Rather, like many things, we so often let our desire for lower things override higher things. Hence, we pray that Jesus delivers us from the desire of being loved. It is not wrong at all to desire to be loved. But rather, we should focus foremost on loving God and others. For in doing so, the Lord draws us into a deeper understanding of the fact that He loves us beyond measure. But in simply seeking to be loved as our highest priority, we greatly hinder our ability in loving others and even make it more difficult for others to love us and more difficult for us to receive God's love. As C.S. Lewis said, "Joy bursts in our lives when we go about doing the good at hand and not trying to manipulate things and times to achieve joy." The same is true of love. In seeking to love, we find that we are loved.

And yes, this does connect to the Liturgy. We often come to Mass hoping that we will 'get something out of it.' But truly, our participation at the Mass is meant to be an act of love for God. We will find that the more we focus on simply giving God a gift of our love and devotion at Mass, we will end up, in time, having deeper experiences of His love in the Mass.

Litany of Humility

by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...

From the desire of being extolled ...

From the desire of being honored ...

From the desire of being praised ...

From the desire of being preferred to others...

From the desire of being consulted ...

From the desire of being approved ...

From the fear of being humiliated ...

From the fear of being despised...

From the fear of suffering rebukes ...

From the fear of being calumniated ...

From the fear of being forgotten ...

From the fear of being ridiculed ...

From the fear of being wronged ...

From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...

That, in the opinion of the world,

others may increase and I may decrease ...

That others may be chosen and I set aside ...

That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...

That others may be preferred to me in everything...

That others may become holier than I,

provided that I may become as holy as I should…

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass: Part 9 "The Mystery of Faith"

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:25:00 GMT

Following the words of Consecration ("THIS IS MY BODY," etc) we have the next dialogue between the priest and the people: mysterium fidei, ‘The mystery of faith.’

This part of the Mass is both very new and very old. It is old because the phrase, “mysterium fidei,” actually used to be part of the consecration formula. It is not a Scriptural phrase, unlike the rest of the words of consecration, which is probably why the Church decided to take it out of the formula and yet retain it in the making of this new priest-congregation response. In doing so, the Church gave us a beautiful new moment in the Mass.

There are three options for the people’s part that follows after the priest says or sings, “The mystery of faith.”

“When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death O Lord, until you come again.”

“We proclaim your death O Lord and profess your resurrection until you come again.”

“Save us savior of the world for by your cross and resurrection you have set us free.”

So, what is going on here? First, let’s look at an interesting thing from the Order of Mass (an instruction manual for the Mass.) It says,” Then [the priest] says, “The mystery of faith,” and the people continue, acclaiming…” This sounds un-extraordinary at first but notice both the distinction and connection between the people and the priest. The priest is not supposed to say the people’s response. At Mass, you will see me sing the Gloria and the Sanctus and other parts, but you will never see me join you all for the memorial acclamation (unless I get distracted). And yet, the people ‘continue’ what the priest started. It is not a response to his statement as much as it is the continuation of it. So, there is both a connection/continuation and a distinction/separation.

The word mystery ('mysterium' in latin) comes from a root word “muo.” This word literally means, “to shut one’s mouth,” or to be dumbfounded. Our faith has a long history with the word mysterium. It is essential to our belief that our God is far more wonderful than we can ever imagine, and in the face of many elements of divine revelation, when we have gone as far as we can go with our human words and intellects, we must stop and sit in silence and wonder at the great mystery handed to us. The Eucharist is the center, source, and summit of our faith and all the mysteries. And so, the job of the priest at that moment, having just confected the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, is to ‘step back’ in recognition of the miracle before him. He says, “The mystery of faith,” and then just stands in awe. It is the ‘job’ of the people to then give what words we can to this great mystery.

And what are these words? When in doubt, we (the Church) always go to Scripture. The first two options spring from 1 Corinthians 11:26: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”

The third option is rooted in John 4:22, though the connection is less significant: “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

And so, considering the Scriptural origins and the adaptation of making them into responses at Mass, we see a few themes. First, they acknowledge the presence of Christ. What was just bread and wine is now Jesus. Second, they connect us to the root purpose of the Mass and the Eucharist: to unite us to our saving Lord, especially with respect to the Grace of his mortal Sacrifice through which we also hope to participate in his resurrection. Third, they acknowledge our faith in the past and our hope for the future, the lynchpin of both of which is the Eucharist. All told, the people are not only recognizing the ‘real presence’ of Christ. They are also recognizing the mystery of the whole Eucharistic Sacrifice.

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass: Part 8 "sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus"

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:24:00 GMT

The next moment of vocal participation by the congregation is the “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus” (Holy, Holy, Holy), which will be henceforch referred to as the ‘Sanctus’. To understand the full import of this mini-hymn, we need to look at the end of the preface, which comes directly before singing the Sanctus.

The Preface is simultaneously a prayer to God and an invitation to the congregation. We can see the combination of these two purposes most distinctly at the end. Although each preface is different (they change based upon the season or feast), the end of each has a certain formula to it. Let us look at, for example, the end of Preface Option 1 of Lent.

“And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory as without end we acclaim.”

Let's look at the origins of the Sanctus. Most of us probably have recognized the echo of Scripture in this hymn. ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest’ comes from the Matthew 21:9. It is the main portion of what the people sing as they praise and welcome Jesus to Jerusalem. We can see the intended connection here, as we are praising and welcoming Christ in the consecration, where he will become present in the Eucharist. But even the people in Matthew 21 were, in turn, quoting Old Testament Scripture, namely Psalm 118:26.

More important to us is the Scripture origin of the other portion. There are two times in Scripture where a vision of the heavens reveals the Angels singing, “Holy Holy Holy.” The first is in Isaiah 6:3, "Holy Holy Holy, Lord God of Hosts, the earth is full of your glory.” The second is in Revelation 4:8, “Holy Holy Holy, Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come.” We should acknowledge a couple really important things. First, in Jewish culture, the use of an adjective three times meant that it was a superlative. So, think of this phrase as saying, “Holiest,” or the perfection of Holiness. Second, these are visions of heaven. In the nativity story, the angels descend and sing, “Glory to God in the highest…” which is now the origin of the Gloria in the Mass. However, the angels sing the Sanctus in heaven, in their natural, eternal habitat, so to speak. Moreover, we have two separate visions of heaven showing them singing this song. What does that mean? Well, the surrounding details make it clear: these visions are meant to represent the eternal song of the angels. The joy of their very existence is to, “…day and night…never stop saying…” this hymn of God’s praise (Rev. 4:8). We see in the rest of the book of Revelation that the angels are joined by the saints in one eternal heavenly choir.

So, what does this mean for our little hymn we sing every time we come to Mass? Well, it all goes back to the mystical reality of the Mass. The Catechism says so much on this, but I will limit myself to two short lines.

Liturgy is an "action" of the whole Christ (Christus totus). Those who even now celebrate it without signs are already in the heavenly liturgy, where celebration is wholly communion and feast.

It is in this eternal liturgy that the Spirit and the Church enable us to participate whenever we celebrate the mystery of salvation in the sacraments. CCC 1136, 1139

Every time we celebrate the Mass (and other Sacraments), we are joining an eternal event with Christ as high-priest and all the angels and Saints as participants. In the Mass, the uniting of divine and human, spiritual and physical, heaven and earth in the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ happens right now. Our Liturgy is really the one Liturgy. Our Mass is the ONE Mass. Though we cannot see it, the barrier between heaven and earth is rent open and our congregation of a few hundred becomes thousands upon thousands of angels and saints joined together in a single choir, singing “Holy Holy Holy, Lord God of Hosts!”

Let’s just…..just take a moment to appreciate this…..

As a side note, but somewhat related, I highly recommend you go on youtube and watch a short film called, “The Veil Removed.”

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass Part 7: "Lift Up Your Hearts"

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:22:00 GMT

After the conclusion of the offertory (the ‘Amen’ following the priest’s prayer over the offerings), there is a distinct sense of change. At a Mass with a number of concelebrating priests, this would be the moment when they all move behind the altar. It is the introduction to the consecration of the Eucharist. It begins with this dialogue:

"The Lord Be with You."

"And with Your Spirit."

"Lift up Your hearts."

"We lift them up to the Lord."

"Let us give thanks to the Lord our God."

"It is right and just."

The second exchange is undoubtedly the most interesting. “Lift up you hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.” I want to point out an interesting thing about the perceived direction of God. It is an interesting phenomenon that we associate up with God and down with, well, not God. I hope you don’t think that heaven is a place we physically get closer to by traveling up. People in China are lifting up things to our down. Obviously it is a symbol, but an interesting symbol nonetheless.

What is it about upwardness that we associate with God? In this instance, it seems like 'up' means 'out'. Reaching out to God who is more wondrous and mysterious than all the stars of the sky. So, let's dig deeper to see what lifting 'up' or 'out' our hearts really means.

Maybe it is helpful to look at the alternative. What is an un-elevated (or pre-elevated) heart look like? Why are we lifting them up to the Lord?

The heart has had a variety of meanings, symbolically speaking, over the centuries. It can mean love. It can mean the will. It can mean courage, or ‘spunk’. It can mean feelings. For the Jews, it even meant mind sometimes. It also at times means all of these. Or even something deeper that seems to connect all of these thing. The whole self. The core of our person. Our being.

Taking all of these meanings, what is our “heart” turned to most of the time? Well, basically anything and everything. (I think you can figure out for yourself what things your heart is invested in most of the time.)

Now, how much can we voluntarily change the focus of our hearts? How do I change what I am feeling, what I am focusing on, what I want, what I am concerned or anxious about, etc? Well, certainly to a large degree, it is beyond our ability to just snap our fingers and control. However, I think we all instinctively know that ‘willing’ these things to change rather than simply allowing them to go whichever way they want does, in fact, make a difference. Scripture talks about how we have some sort of ability to guide our hearts. “...return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (Joel 2:12). “Let us lift up our hearts as well as our hands to God in heaven.” (Lamentations 3:41). “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Matthew 22:37).

These are just a few of the verses that acknowledge that we can choose, somehow, the focus of our hearts.

So, is this turning of our hearts, our whole selves to God, something we just “do”? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it does require the choice and the full commitment on our part. But then, it is the Holy Spirit that makes the change. God makes a proposal, we accept that proposal, and then God makes it happen. I have said in the past that we need to “fake it until you make it.” That is a rather crude way of saying that we choose to turn our hearts to God, to lift them above and beyond our daily anxieties, loves, and cares even while we feel that it won’t make a difference. And then we trust that God will make it actually happen.

This dialogue before the preface marks the beginning of the process of consecration. The ‘Preface’ is the introductory prayer, you might say, to the Eucharistic prayer. We are getting ready for the most momentous event and the most powerful encounter: Jesus is about to be there on that altar where once there was bread and wine. And so, we make the choice to lift our hearts again. To try to focus even more than before, to beg the Holy Spirit to open the blind eyes of our hearts to what is taking place before us. So, lift up your hearts…or try. If we try, even if we feel like it is a losing battle, God will make it fruitful.

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass Part 6: The Offertory

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:20:00 GMT

When the people rise after the setting of the altar (this is still part of the ‘offertory’), there is an exchange between the priest and the people. In case you need your memory jogged, here is that exchange:

“Pray brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty Father.”

“May the Lord accept this sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Holy Church.”

Ok, let’s dig in to the people’s response.

First, let me remind you all of what it means for the Mass to be a sacrifice (I’ve said it before, but it is important enough to say again.) We call the Mass a “sacrifice” because it is the re-presentation of Christ’s perfect self sacrifice on the Cross. It is not a representation in the way of a painting. Rather, it perpetuates the sacrifice of Christ, but in an un-bloody way.

We are not re-crucifying Christ, but participating in the original offering of Christ as it is made present anew. The most ancient understanding of a “memory” of God’s saving work was as a re-presentation of the saving event to which we are invited again and again in all times.

But what of this distinction made by the priest? My Sacrifice and yours? And why are we praying that they be acceptable? The Catechism explains the meaning of this text beautifully. “The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of...

her Head. With Him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself to His intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of His Body” (CCC 1368).

The Catechism continues, “The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with His total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with His offering” (1368). (emphasis added.)

Yes, the priest stands in persona Christi (in the place of Christ who is the head) and so offers the Sacrifice of the Mass on behalf of the whole people in a unique way. But the congregation, the body, participates in a unique way in that they bring their lives to be placed on that altar. And their lives, each its own unique alloy of struggles, joys, experiences, are made acceptable by being united to the perfect Sacrifice of Christ. This whole dynamic is always worth pondering more, because it is, in fact, the true heart of what it means to fully, actively, and consciously participate in the Mass.

And so, the congregation responds to the priest, praying that the Sacrifice may indeed be acceptable. Note that the priest makes the distinction of “mine” and “yours” to emphasize the unique aspects of each party’s participation and offering that is brought, the people’s response...

(…May the Lord accept the Sacrifice...) highlights the fact that it is still a single, unified Sacrifice.

The second part of the congregation’s response reminds us of the two-fold purpose of this Sacrifice: “the praise and Glory of His Name” and the sanctification of all (cf. Psalm 49(50):23). These days, because of widespread disillusionment, some people falter at the use of the phrase “Holy Church.’ Is the Church holy? It seems like there is constantly new evidence to show that it is a conglomerate of flawed leaders and followers who are quite sinful. That is true. But that does not mean that the Church is not Holy. While its individual members are quite imperfect, the mystical unified Church, the body of Christ, also called his bride of Christ, is Holy because Christ has made it so. “….Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25b-27.

It is worth reading the Catechism on what it means for the Church to be called ‘Holy.’ (Paragraphs 823-829).

The Liturgy Corner - The Dialogue of the Mass Part 5: The Universal Prayer and the First Part of the Offertory

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:19:00 GMT

Following the Creed, we have the Universal Prayer. One curious thing is that there are four (maybe more) commonly used names for this part of the liturgy: the petitions, the intentions, the universal prayer, and the prayer of the faithful. I really don’t know why we have developed so many names for it, but that is just how it is. Church documents, however, seem to refer to it most frequently as 'The Universal Prayer.'

In the Universal Prayer, we recognize in an implicit way, the power of the prayer of the Mass. If I say a “Hail Mary” at some point in the day, offering for the Church, her leaders, the nations, the poor and sick, the dead, and also certain special intentions…well, it may seem a bit much. It wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, but our intuition tells us that perhaps we should be more focussed and narrow during such a prayer. The universal prayer shows us that the Mass, the offering of Christ as a perfect Sacrifice, really is a prayer that can “hold the weight” of so many intentions. You will notice how the list goes, generally speaking, from more broad and universal to more particular and specific. We begin with the whole Church and all her leaders. Then we move to particular intentions for the needs and salvation of the world at large. We then follow with intentions concerning specific demographics such as those who are poor, suffer from abuse or depression, or do not believe in God. We usually then follow with a more local intention, such as for a need in our community or for a specific prayer for our parishioners or parish.

Second to last is the special intention of the priest and, often, a designated opportunity to spiritually offer our own intentions (the last petion is for the dead). This moment to offer specific intentions (which we should do whether it is annoucned or not) is why various Church documents talk about the congregation 'exercising their baptismal priesthood' at this moment. Hopefully this is not new for you. At our baptism, we are given the mantle of a share in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Each baptized person shares in his priestly role (which is distinct from the role that a ministerial priest like myself has but is certainly related.) If we were to step back from christian thinking and ask: hat does a 'priest' do? He/she offers sacrifice and asks God for aid on behalf of others. This is a part of each baptized person's responsibility and privilege.

I have talked many times about the importance of bringing specific intentions to offer at Mass (a deceased person, the conversion of someone, a sick or otherwise suffering person, etc).

In fact, there is no more important time to be intentional about praying for someone. We pray rosaries or maybe even just offer up an “Our Father” for someone if they ask for prayer, and all that is certainly good and worthy. And yet the prayer of the Mass is far more powerful than any other prayer. Why would we offer small prayers with such fervor for a person in need at other times but neglect to offer them at the most powerful of prayers?

Ok, enough soapboxing. It is enough to say that, while we can raise to God our intention at various times during the Mass, the Universal Prayer is a particularly fitting moment to give our intentions to God.

(Note: the name or names announced near the end of the Universal Prayer, usually a particular deceased person or another person for which there is a significant reason to pray, is meant to be the special personal intention of the priest. We all should come with some special intention to offer up at Mass.)

After everyone sits down, the offertory begins. I talked about the optional dialogue during the offertory in a past issue about the secret prayers of the priest, and so I will move along to the next dialogue: P: “Pray brothers and sisters, that my Sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty Father.” R:”May the Lord accept this Sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and Glory of His name, for our good and the good of all his Holy Church.

Frankly, this small exchange has SO MUCH packed into it, and I am very excited to talk about it next week. So, tune in!

Liturgy Corner- The Dialogue of the Mass Part 4: The Creed

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 21:17:00 GMT

The Creed can feel ordinary due to the frequency with which we recite it. But for early Christians, the Creed was anything but ordinary. It was a profession of the faith for which they were willing to die — and many did.

Before any form of the Creed was used in a liturgical context, simple professions of faith were common in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles (e.g., Matthew 9:28, Acts 16:31). Eventually, Creeds were used in the Rite of Baptism. The catechumens were usually adults. The Creed served as a personal profession of faith (which is why it begins with “I” rather than “We”) and was called the “Symbol of Faith.”

The Greek word symbolon (meaning “put together”) originally referred to an object broken in two, whose parts were given to different people. When the two people met and put together their individual pieces, the perfect fit served to ensure the identity of the persons. The Creed served this function since the person to be baptized professed a faith that conformed to the faith of the Church. Thus, their identity was verified as a disciple of Jesus who embraced the fullness of faith passed on through the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Only someone who believed what the Church believed could make such a profession.

In 1014, the Creed was officially accepted by Rome as an appropriate part of the Mass. Today we continue this ancient tradition of professing the Symbol of Faith by which we personally acknowledge our communion in....

one faith, one baptism, and one Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:5).

We should also consider where the Creed is placed in the Mass. Why not begin our liturgy with the Creed to verify the communion of faith we are about to celebrate? Or profess it at the end to remind us of the faith we are to carry into the world? The Creed’s place immediately after the homily gives it particular significance.

The liturgy is a conversation between God and God’s people in which the priest serves as representative of both, and so speaks on behalf of both at different times. It is important to remember who is speaking and what is being proclaimed. In the biblical readings, God is speaking to the people. This conversation reaches a climax in the proclamation of the Gospel in which Jesus is proclaimed as the Word of God incarnate who now speaks to his body, the Church. For this reason, we stand for the Gospel and show other appropriate signs of reverence.

Following the Gospel, the priest or deacon proclaims the homily which continues the Word of God as it is applied to our daily lives, leading us more deeply into the Paschal Mystery we are called to live and the memorial of which we are about to celebrate in the Eucharist.

The Profession of Faith is our opportunity as God’s people to respond to the Lord’s self-revelation and salvation. The Word of God must be understood and accepted, lest we"be passive spectators rather than active listeners" (James 1:22).

The Creed is a summary of Scripture. It expresses our faith in God who is a Trinity of Persons that has acted in historical events and is revealed definitively in the person of Jesus. This revelation continues to mature and grow through the Holy Spirit present in the Church. We are proclaiming that we believe all this revelation, not just part of it, and that God offers it to us as an effective testament of His saving and redeeming love for us.

I often find that when I have listened to a homily that has touched me deeply (or even on occasion when I have preached a homily through which the Holy Spirit moved deeply in me), I find that I say the Creed with more conviction, with more gusto. Indeed, I feel I am responding to the Lord’s invitation to renew my faith in His sight.

The next time you profess the Creed at Mass, think about what God has just said to you in the Scriptures and in the homily. Reflect on what it means to be a member of Christ’s people accepting the fullness of what God has revealed and eager to witness Christ to the world — even when it means shedding our blood for Jesus who shed his blood for us.

(This article is adapted from one written by Bishop Daniel Mueggenborh)

Liturgy Corner January 30 2022 - The Dialogue of the Mass: Part 3 Thanks be to God

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:58:00 GMT

There are a few different times during the Liturgy that the congregation responds, “Thanks be to God,” after a prompt from a minister. First, after each of the first two readings, the congregation says it following the reader pronouncing, “The Word of the Lord.” The congregation also uses this response at the end of Mass following the Deacon or priest announcing one of a few different options of ‘sending forth.’

It is such a simple phrase. So, there can’t be much to it, right? Well, sort of. The first important thing to note is that it is not your everyday, run of the mill, ‘thank you very much.’ If someone opens a door for me and I neglect to say thank you, the person might think, “rude!” and then go on with their life. Our response of thanking God is not a simple pleasantry. It is a matter of Christian duty, flowing out of the very nature of our existence as creations of God. The Bible gives us many very deliberate cues, including 1 Thess. 5:18, 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 35:18, and 1 Corinthians 15:57. Over and over, we are told that thanksgiving is a critical aspect of how we relate to God.

We should note that the word “Eucharist” is derived from the Greek word “Eucharistia” which means “Thanksgiving.” So, giving thanks is a rather integral part of what we are doing at Mass. Rather than being a simple sentiment that we feel or we don’t, the thanksgiving of the Mass is an action we take, a choice we make, a turning of our inward selves towards the Lord to acknowledge all He has done for us in creating us, redeeming us, and sanctifying us.

The more we come to that humble recognition of the mercy and love of God in all that He has done, and continues to do, for us, the more we should be compelled to give thanks to God. And what thanks is appropriate to offer to God? There is no thanks more appropriate than the sacrifice of praise we give at Mass, which is all done in, with, and through Christ. (There is more on this in the Catechism paragraphs 1359-1361.)

Scripture is the inspired Word of God. Through it, God has revealed Himself to the world in a broad and on-going way. However, in a particular way when it is proclaimed at Mass, God speaks through Scripture to us. We are not just hearing what God wanted written a few thousand years ago. “The Word of God is LIVING and EFFECTIVE…” (Hebrews 4:12a). And so, God continues to speak to us (to each of you) through Scripture today. Our response (Thanks be to God) should be a deliberate turning of our inward selves to receive the Word and ponder it and its implications in our lives. Even when we don’t feel like we ‘got anything out of it,’ we still open ourselves to the seed planted by His word and trust that it will come to fruition someday.

At the end of Mass, when the minister announces, “Go in peace,” or, “Go forth, glorifying the Lord by you lives,” or one of other options, the congregation also responds, “Thanks be to God.” And why is that? Because that small child has been squirming in your arms and yelling in your ear for an hour? Because now we can finally go home and watch the football game or eat at Bob Evans?

I am being silly, of course, and yet sometimes it can ‘feel’ a little bit like those words of thanks mean something along those lines.

Simply put, the Mass is meant to ‘flow out’ into our daily lives. If what we do on Sunday has no effect on the rest of our lives….well, we will probably have a rude awakening on judgment day. At the Mass, we are nourished in mind and soul and heart to better live out our Christian identity in our homes, in our prayer, in our decisions, in our friendships, etc etc. We have been given so much by God. As we conclude our celebration of the Eucharist (thankgiving) and have received the greatest gift, which is the body of Christ himself, we are then “sent forth” into the world to live out the peace of God, to announce the Gospel, and to glorify God. Our “Thanks be to God” is both an exclamation and a promise. We exclaim in thankfulness for the work of salvation accomplished at Mass and the gift of divine life in the Eucharist. We also promise to respond to this gift appropriately: by being true disciples of Christ. Our central act of thanksgiving at Mass flows out into the thanksgiving of lives visibly transformed by God’s Grace.

Liturgy Corner January 16 2022 - The Dialogue of the Mass: Part 2 Gloria

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:55:00 GMT

We are all very familiar with these words as we hear/say them at least four times each Mass. But what is the purpose? What does it actually mean? Is it just a formal greeting? Let me ask you a question. If I took a vote at Mass next sunday and said, “We are thinking about changing these antique phrases and changing them to a greeting that is more familiar to our contemporary ears. So put your hand up if you are in favor of changing this to, “Good day to you! And to you too” Would you raise your hand? Why or why not? Hopefully, you sense that there is more to this exchange of words than just simple pleasantries. There is indeed more to it, which is one reason why I like chanting this phrase at Mass. It helps me avoid any subtle temptation to embellish the way I say, “The Lord be with you” to make it sound like any other old greeting.

The Church is obviously not concerned with making it less antiquated. In fact, we all probably remember that the people’s response was changed a number of years ago from ‘and also with you’ to the more direct translation of the original Latin that we are used to today.

Where does this phrasing come from and what does it mean? To a certain extent, it is not entirely clear what it means. The first record of it in the Liturgy goes all the way back to the 3rd century, but it was most likely used long before even then. This connection to the roots of the celebration of the Mass is significant in itself. When we understand the mystical connection of each and every celebration of the Mass, we see how important it is to keep these little reminders of the antiquity of this ritual (see past Liturgy corners for more on the connection of every Mass.)

The phrase, “The Lord Be With you” has clear Biblical roots. There are a number of cases in Scripture where those words were used. Typically they were directed toward someone who was about to do something really great. God had a big plan for a lot of people in the Bible, and he has a big plan for you. When you come to Mass, God wants to do something in your heart, because when you leave Mass God wants you to do some things out there with your family, at your work, and among your neighbors.

The words, “The Lord be with you” said by the priest were heard by people like Gideon, who was the least man from the least tribe and he didn’t think God could use him at all. He was visited by an angel and the words he heard were, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12).

Maybe you feel like Gideon at times, when you don’t have anything going for you at all, and when you hear the words, “The Lord be with you,” that’s powerful. That means God wants to use you. It’s not dependent upon your strengths or your abilities or your wisdom. God wants to do something in your life.

Joshua also heard those words. Moses had died on Mt. Nebo and Joshua was going to take the people to the Promised Land, and God encouraged him with these words:

“as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” (From Joshua). And of course, there is the greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary, “Hail Mary full of the grace, the Lord is with you.”

The expression ‘et cum spiritu tuo’ (And with your Spirit) is only ever addressed to an ordained minister in the Liturgy. Some scholars have suggested that ‘spirit’ refers to the gift of the spirit he received at ordination. In their response, the people assure the priest of the same divine assistance of God’s spirit and, more specifically, help for the priest to use the charismatic gifts given to him in ordination and in so doing to fulfill his prophetic function in the Church.

Liturgy Corner January 9 2022 - The Dialogue of the Mass: Part 1 "The Lord Be with You" "And With Your Spirit

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:53:00 GMT

Joshua also heard those words. Moses had died on Mt. Nebo and Joshua was going to take the people to the Promised Land, and God encouraged him with these words:

Liturgy Corner January 2 2022 - The Octave of Easter

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:50:00 GMT

The Feast of Mary, Mother of God, concludes the celebration of the Octave of Christmas. Now, if you ask any person on the street (and most people in our Church), "How many days is Christmas?", you would probably get a variety of answers. Some would say, "Uh, just 1. December 25," others would say, "12, like in the song." A few people who have a bit more liturgical interest and training might say, "until the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus." (Note: That is one way of delineating the liturgical Christmas Season, but it is not the answer.)

No, the answer is in the title: The Octave. "The celebration of Easter and Christmas, the two greatest solemnities, continues for eight days, with each octave governed by its own rules." ( General Norms of the Liturgical Calendar ) The Octave of Christmas. 8 Days. Why An Octave?

It has often been said that Catholics know how to celebrate. The Church has a built-in pattern within the liturgical calendar that provides what man needs to celebrate the feasts of the year: times of preparation and penance building to major feasts that are prolonged, and multi-level feast days spread throughout the year. Rev. Pius Parsch sums it perfectly when he was writing about today’s feast, January 1, the Octave Day of Christmas:

Today is the octave or the eighth day after the feast of Christmas. In the spirit of the Church the great feasts of redemption should not be restricted to a single celebration but should continue on through a full week. Mother Church is a good psychologist; she understands human nature perfectly. When a feast comes, the soul is amazed and not quite prepared to think profoundly upon its mystery; but on the following days the mind finds it easy to consider the mystery from all sides, sympathetically and deeply; and an eighth day affords a wonderful opportunity to make a synthesis of all points covered. The octave of Christmas is not the best example because other feasts distract one from the Christmas theme; this octave day, therefore, takes on greater importance. Today for the last time the Church leads us to the crib at Bethlehem (The Church’s Year of Grace, Volume I, pp. 244-245).

The octave gives us time to impress upon our souls the mysteries, joys, and graces of the principal feasts of the Church year. So here's the thing. We can't leave our liturgical consciousness at the door of the church. The Liturgical Seasons are meant to inform the way we live our lives. We see what it looks like in Advent with the wreaths/candles at home and special Advent prayers. But with Christmas, we often fail at recognizing and celebrating the full feast. We celebrate December 25th and then forget about it. Growing up, I knew a family that opened one present per day throughout the octave. While not the most spiritual practice, it at least started to impress on the minds of their children that the celebration of the Lord's birth is so incredible and significant, it deserves a full 8 days of recognition. So, if you have not done something to celebrate and recognize the full octave of Christmas or Easter in the past, make a note for yourself for the future. Explore the internet (there are so many great traditions and spiritual practices). Be intentional about the culture you are forming in your household. And make it an authentically Catholic and liturgical culture.

Merry (Last Day of) Christmas! Do something special for Mary and Jesus today.

Liturgy Corner December 19 - Wrapping up the Past and Looking to the Future

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:44:00 GMT

In the past weeks, I have been writting about the silent prayers of the priest at Mass. If you did not get to read these articles or perhaps missed one or two of them, remember that you can always go to the parish website and read them or share them in “The Liturgy Blog.“ It feels strange to end the ongoing reflection and catechesis of this subtopic so abrumptly. And so, in this interim time of the last sunday of Advent before Christmas, I will offer one more thing related to this past topic. There may not be a Liturgy Corner article for the Christmas bulletin, depending on the space available and other factors. Following Christmas, I plan to begin writting on the parts of the Mass spoken by the congregation. It seems fitting to write about these pieces after writting for so long on the prayers of the priest. But also, it is quite an important topic. It is all to easy to “drift through” Mass, getting distracted and mindlessly saying the required phrases of all the “And with your spirit”s and “Amen”s etc. While it is no silver bullet to the problem of distractability, certainly knowing what we are saying and why we are saying it can be a great help.

I briefly mentioned in the past that, on his arrival, Fr. Adam showed me a few prayers in the back of the Missal to pray before Mass begins. The main prayer he showed me that has become the normal practice in the Sacristy before Mass begins is the “Formula of Intent.” It really helps me to bring my mind and heart into the celebration of the Mass and to give my willpower and focus to the ‘work’ of offering up to God my intentions. Now, this prayer is quite specific to the priest (to illustrate, it begins, “My intention is to celebrate Mass and consecrate the Body and Blood…”). However, I recently came upon an adapted version of it for the congregation. I think that this could be incredibly helpful for you, the congregation, in bringing your own minds and hearts into your own role in the Mass. I will present this prayer below in such a way that, if you desire, you can cut it out and maybe store it in your purse or in a prayer book you bring to Mass.

My intention is to participate in this Mass fully, consciously and actively,

and to worship the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ

made present on the altar by the priest according to the Rite of Holy Roman Church,

to the praise of almighty God and all the Church triumphant,

for my good and that of all the Church militant,

for all who have commended themselves to my prayers

in general and in particular (for…[your own Mass intentions here])

and for the welfare of Holy Roman Church.

Amen.

May the almighty and merciful God grant us joy with peace, amendment of life, room for true repentance, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in good works.

Amen.

Liturgy Corner December 12 - The Silent Prayers of the Priest Part 4: Communion

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:43:00 GMT

After the silent prayers of the offertory, the priest prays the prayers of the prelude and the Eucharistic prayer out loud. As a side note, this is a particularly significant change instituted in the Norvus Ordo Mass. Those of a particular age or who have been able to attend an Extraordinary form Mass (sometimes simply called the Latin Mass) know that the Eucharist prayer and many of the other prayers of the Mass are prayed quietly.

The next time that the priest offers a silent prayer is during the singing of the Lamb of God. At this time, the bread and wine have been well and truly consecrated and are now the body and blood of Christ. The priest picks up the primary host and breaks it (often in half). He then breaks off a small piece of the host and deposits it in the wine while praying, “May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.” As a side note, I can tell you that it is a mystical and powerful experience to watch that small piece of the Eucharist slowly absorb the blood, partially because it actually looks a good bit like bloody flesh.

There are a couple of different meanings and significations of this prayer and gesture. The breaking of the host, which Christ himself does at the Last Supper (“He broke the bread and gave it to his disciples…”), signifies the breaking of Christ’s body for our sins. The second part of the gesture is less straightforward. On one hand, the Church embraces the symbolism of the mingling of the body and blood to be a reminder of the Resurrection. While not doctrinal as far as I know, it is commonly thought by theologians and spiritual writers that the actual cause of Christ’s death was exsanguination (basically, total loss of blood).

At the Resurrection, Christ’s body and blood were, in a sense, reunited, and we pray that through the Eucharist which is the Resurrected and reunited body and blood of Christ, we will share in His Resurrection and eternal life. It is very important for us to realize that the body and blood of Christ that we receive is not the dead body of Christ on the cross. It is His Resurrected body, living even now. Because He lives, we receive His vitality, His life, His blood, soul, and divinity through His body, not dead, lifeless matter.

Another origin for the mingling of a particle of the host in the chalice was the spirit of ecclesial unity. In Masses of ages past, a particle from the consecrated host at the bishop’s Mass called a fermentum was brought to the parish church and mingled in the priest’s chalice as a sign of the unity of the priest’s Mass with the bishop’s. With this unity in mind, the priest’s prayer during the ritual action of commingling can take on other dimensions. The particle from the bishop connects the Mass with the whole diocesan Church, and the prayer can serve an intercessory role for all those in the diocese who receive from the bishop’s host. It also reminds us that salvation is not a solitary affair but, like Holy Communion, it is something that we strive for together and that brings us into unity even as it also has a dramatically personal dimension. Seen under the sign of unity, the co-mingling reminds us that receiving the Eucharist is certainly entering into communion with Christ, but it is also deepening our communion with his Bride, the Church.

Following this prayer and gesture, the priest then offers a silent, personal, and intimate prayer to prepare himself to receive communion.

There are two options for this prayer and both are somewhat lengthy, so I will not include them here. Both options focus on humility, on praying for spiritual strength, and unity with God. The congregation can tell when the priest finishes this prayer because he immediately genuflects upon its completion.

Directly before receiving the body and blood of Christ, the priest whispers, “May the body/blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.”

After communion, the priest or deacon uses water to consolidate and consume the leftover particles of the Eucharist that remain in the vessels. Directly before consuming the water, he whispers the final silent prayer of the Mass, “What has passed our lips as food, Oh Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.” Here, at the final moment of the Eucharist meal, the priest is offering one final prayer of intercession for all. Essentially, the priest is praying that we may maintain purity as we go forth, united to the Eucharist. Sometimes, directly after Mass, it is easy to forget the momentous gift that is in/with/united to us and we go forth as if everything is the same. But we should go forth seeking to live purely and to maintain our bodies as Sacred temples of the God we just received. Furthermore, the priest prays that this individual reception of the Eucharist may have real consequences in an on-going way all the way through eternal life.

Liturgy Corner December 5 - The Silent Prayers of the Priest Part 3: The Second Half of the Offertory

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:46:00 GMT

Last week, we looked at the first few silent prayers of the offertory. After the priest holds the chalice and says the silent prayer, “Blessed are you Lord God of all creation…”, he places the chalice on the corporal. Now, both elements, the bread and the wine, have been initially prepared to be offered to God. The priest then steps back and bows slightly and offers this silent prayer. “With humble spirit and contrite heart, may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may this sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.” As we saw in reflecting on previous prayers in the Mass, the wine and the bread are symbols of the lives of the priest and the congregation. And so, the priest explicitly asks that the offering of our lives be accepted by God. And what will make this offering acceptable to God? A humble spirit, a contrite heart.

This prayer has Scriptural origins. The wording is adapted from a prayer by the three young men in the book of Daniel who are thrown into the fiery furnace for not worshipping a pagan idol. “But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bulls, or tens of thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today and find favor before you; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we seek your face. Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy” (Daniel 3:39-42).

It can be a great help if we place ourselves in the context of the furnace in the story from Daniel. Whether we recognize it or not, we all are just as much in need of a savior now as the men in that furnace.

In this prayer, we give everything we have, knowing how little that is, at the same time that we, with great hope, “seek [God’s] face.” With this prayer, we promise to follow him “with our whole heart” while we also know that we cannot do that without his “kindness and great mercy.” With these conjunctions of opposites, we perfectly capture what is happening at this moment in the Mass: although we are dying, in great desperation we are offering everything we have, which we know is practically nothing—only a little bread and a little wine. At the same time, we count on God’s mercy, and we are begging for him to manifest his Presence to us and save us as we fear him and seek his face. Furthermore, we are making a promise for how we will conduct ourselves in the future, should he be willing to accept our sacrifice. We will follow him with our whole heart and walk in the fear of the Lord.

The prayer from the book of Daniel, in turn, hearkens back to the famous prayer written by David following his sins of adultery and murder. “For you do not desire sacrifice or I would give it; a burnt offering you would not accept. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.” (Psalm 51: 18-19). The psalm goes on to express how the Sacrifices, initially dismissed by God, will be offered and accepted but only after proper preparation, foremost of these being the adoption of a humble and contrite spirit. God desires this disposition in us above all, for nothing we do will matter if we are not repentant. In offering adapted prayer at this point in the Mass, the priest further encourages contriteness for his own sins. The significance of this spiritual encouragement will be significant for the next silent prayer said by the priest.

The priest then turns to the side and moves away from the center of the altar to the place where the servers are waiting for him with a bowl called a Lavabo, a pitcher, and a towel. The server pours the water over the priest’s hands into the Lavabo as the priest prays, “Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquities and cleanse me from my sins.” This prayer further acknowledges the priest’s need for grace and spiritual purification as he prepares to undertake this momentous consummation of the Liturgy. Because this prayer is offered in private, it also invites the priest to have a quiet, intimate moment with the Lord, acknowledging his sins and asking for mercy before his final entrance into the Eucharistic prayer.

This can be a time of real humility and gratitude as the priest prepares to take the last, crucial steps in the most important thing he does during the Mass. There is a movement, a few steps, that takes place between the hand-washing at the side of the altar and the return to the middle of the altar before facing the people and inviting them to pray. This movement provides an opportunity for a movement of the heart as well. Strengthened by his act of humility and the grace of cleansing he receives from the Lord, the priest can move with a determined heart into the center of the altar. Now he is ready. With a strong heart he now faces the people and confidently summons them to pray with him and for him: “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”

Liturgy Corner November 9 2021 - The Silent Prayers of the Priest Part 1: The Gospel

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:39:00 GMT

Recently, I wrote about the preparatory prayers the priest says as he puts on his vestments. I hope by writing about them, I have highlighted the fact that the Mass is, indeed, a long and multifaceted prayer itself that we all can try to “sink into” a little deeper every time. We are not, cannot be spectators; not at Mass and not in the christian life.

In that same vein, I would like to spend a few weeks explaining and reflecting on the silent prayers of the priest at Mass. To start, we must first consider the value of prescribing prayers for the priest to say but that the people cannot hear. I talked in the past about the importance of the moments of silence at the Mass. The silent prayers of the priest are a sign of the secret inner dialogue that takes place between God and each believer, including the priest, during the Mass. Attending to this inner dialogue should be a central point of attention for both me as the priest and for each of you. It is how the external prayer of the Mass enters into the “inner room” of our soul where we , “...pray to the Father in secret where the Father who sees in secret will reward us.” (Matt. 6:6).

These important moments of silent prayer by the priest ought to be opportunities for the congregation to recognize the significance of a particularly profound moment of the Liturgy and enter into the prayer of that moment in a more profound way. The Church envisions all of this in prescribing these silent prayers for the priest: “The celebrant’s silence and his gestures of piety move the faithful who are participating in the celebration to be conscious of the need to prepare themselves, to convert, given the importance of the liturgical moment in which they are taking part: before the reading of the Gospel, or at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer.” (Vatican’s webpage for liturgical celebrations).

Now, we shall move on to the first set of silent prayers of the priest.

The first of the priest’s quiet prayers is in preparation for the proclamation of the Gospel: “Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your Holy Gospel”. When there is a deacon reading the Gospel, a variant of this prayer is offered as a blessing for the deacon, but the rubrics prescribe that in the absence of a deacon the priest says this prayer quietly while bowing before the altar. The ritual calls for a combination of words, gestures, and locations which all carry Sacramental significance at this particular point in the Mass.

What is the significance of this particular point in the Mass? The proclamation of the Holy Gospel is a high point for the Liturgy of the Word and it takes place last among the readings to indicate its importance. Even though the other readings from the Epistles or the Acts of the Apostles may have occurred later historically, the Gospel always presents Christ’s mysteries most directly, and so it comes at the end to show its primacy of place.

The content of the prayer focuses on the worthiness of the one who proclaims the Holy Gospel. This is no wonder since the minister is taking on the very voice of Christ Himself. The Second Vatican Council emphasized that when the Scriptures are proclaimed at Mass, it is Christ Himself who speaks. The proclamation of the Gospel has the power to open hearts and bring about repentance and conversion, to cleanse our sins and strengthen our discipleship. It is the great meta-story of salvation history in which every other personal story finds meaning. It brings us into an encounter with the Lord and Lover of Mankind.

Hence, the priest asks that the one who proclaims it, the deacon or himself, be made worthy for so profound a task.

This prayer is to be made as the priest bows before the altar. The gesture of bowing indicates reverence and humility. The fact that the priest bows before the altar in particular also connects the proclamation of the word with the Eucharistic sacrifice. This prayer with its accompanying gesture and connection with the altar reinforces who the priest is, his orientation to the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice, and his need for God’s grace to carry out this ministry.

After the priest or deacon has finished reading the Gospel, he speaks silently, “Through the words of the Gospel, may our sins be washed away.” He then lightly kisses the text. These words and the gesture serve to further highlight the ultimate significance of the Gospel. The content of the Gospel texts is the life of Christ, and by His life, death and resurrection, we receive of the gift of Sacramental cleansing from sin. But Scripture is not just a record of past events, it is the living Word of God which, “... is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)

Liturgy Corner October 21 2021 - Preparing for Mass: Intentions

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:36:00 GMT

Last week, we briefly talked about the importance of preparing properly for Mass. But we did not talk about this particular aspect of preparation: prayerfully formulating the intentions for which we want to offer at this particular Mass.

This is a privilege we have as Catholics because we have been united to Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. He is the head of the Church, and we are His Body. This allows us to participate in Jesus' offices of priest, prophet, and king. According to the Second Vatican Council: "The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, in order that...they may offer spiritual sacrifices..." The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he has, consecrates the bread and wine so that they become the body and blood of Christ. In doing so, the thing sacrificed by Jesus Christ on the Cross (that thing being Himself in His life, suffering and death) becomes present on the altar, and the priest, standing in persona Christi offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist. ...Taking part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life, they offer the Divine Victim to God, and offer themselves along with It.

The laity exercise their priestly role by offering themselves as a sacrifice to God in union with Jesus Christ. We all know that we should ‘sacrifice’ our entire lives to God. While we must live that reality every day, this is how that sacrifice is actually offered up to God: through union with Jesus Christ.

Also, just as the priest offers the Holy Sacrifice for a particular intention (we hear it announced), we too, can and should offer it for a personal intention.

This means to apply the infinite, redeeming Sacrifice of Jesus Christ to a particular person or cause.

While we can and should mentally gather and offer in prayer our intentions before the Mass begins, there is a particular place in the Liturgy where we see that the intentions of the laity (and the priest) are prepared for their offering to God.

The place in the Mass where this happens is the Offertory, which immediately follows the Prayers of the Faithful. The bread and wine are brought before the altar, and the priest begins the preparation and blessing of the gifts.

The priest says: "Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father." The phrase "and yours" refers to our personal sacrifices and intentions that we unite with the one sacrifice of Christ. The people reply: "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church."

Then the priest prays over the offerings (including ours) after which the people say, "Amen."

If you are anything like me, you struggle sometimes to remember to pray for people for whom you have promised to pray persistently. The offering of intentions at Mass is not only a convenient opportunity to bring to mind these people (and also to mentally entrust to the Lord all whom you have forgotten), but it is also the BEST way. Your Mass intention can be anything that you would normally pray for. For example, your family or friends; those who have asked you to pray for a special intention; help with a personal problem; the salvation of souls; to receive a special grace; to overcome a particular sin; for a particular apostolate or ministry, etc.

There is no prayer in the world that can even hold a candle to the power of the Mass, which is the prayer of Christ Himself.

It cannot be overstated the power of God’s grace and what it can achieve in the world when it is invited by the offering at Mass.

It is important to remain a few minutes after Mass to offer God prayers of thanksgiving after having made our intentions. Most Roman Missals include prayers to recite before and after receiving Holy Communion, such as this prayer to the Holy Trinity: "May the tribute of my humble ministry be pleasing to you, Holy Trinity, Grant that the sacrifice which I—unworthy as I am—have offered in the presence of your majesty, may be acceptable to you. Through Your mercy may it bring forgiveness to me and to all for whom I have offered it: through Christ our Lord. Amen."

We will someday look back on our lives in perfect clarity, having passed from this world, and we will see the veil of our lack of spiritual vision pulled back. We will see the effects of every prayer anyone has offered, the power of God’s grace flowing into the world. If other prayers opened streams, the offerings at Mass opened rivers. We only get a limited number of opportunities to participate in the Mass and to receive Holy Communion in this life. We must make good use of these precious gifts, and not miss out on our chances to apply the infinite merits of Jesus to ourselves, those we love, and those people in the world most in need of God’s mercy.

Further Resources

Liturgy Corner: Silent Prayers of the Priest Part 2 - First half of the offertory Nov 28, 2021

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:31:00 GMT

After the Gospel, the next time that the priest offers silent prayers and makes significant gestures is at the offertory.

As the altar is being prepared, all of the patens with the hosts are placed on the corporal (the square piece of cloth that the priest or deacon lays out). Then the priest is ready to place the celebrant’s paten with the larger host on the corporal. Before setting it down, he offers a prayer that is said silently when a song is being sung for the offertory.

“Blessed are you God of all creation for through your goodness we have the bread we offer you. Fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.” “Blessed be God forever.”

If said out loud, the last piece is said by the congregation. This prayer is incredibly significant especially with regards to understanding the Mass as a Sacrifice offered to God. First, the priest offers words of praise to God focusing on his work as creator. We human beings are not creators as much as we are assemblers. Everything we make, we make using God’s ‘stuff.’ He created the very atoms that form the bread. He created the cycle of nature that grew the wheat. He created the scientific process that allows for the baking of wheat and water into bread. Truly, it is only through his goodness that we have this bread to offer.

That being said, we humans have our part to play. The wheat was grown, gathered, and then baked by the 'work of human hands.' And so, through human effort, we cultivate God’s gifts and offer them back to God. But here we offer God more than just bread. It represents all that we offer to God at this Mass. As the priest raises the paten with the larger host above the altar, we have the opportunity to visualize all we have, our possessions, our families, our joys, our sorrows, our whole lives on the altar.

In a mystical way, each of us and our petitions will be offered on that altar, united to the host as it is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, and then offered to God the Father in heaven (notice the Trinitarian nature of this event). At Mass, we offer God, again and again, our lives. Just as God is responsible for us having the bread, so he is responsible for our lives. And it is the purpose of each of our lives to offer them back to God willingly in Sacrifice.

After he finishes his prayer, he places the paten for the first time on the corporal. The corporal has a variety of purposes, but a large one is to give the priest a specific delineation of that which he intends to consecrate. The priest makes his intention to consecrate all hosts and wine on the corporal (or corporals) on that altar.

The next silent prayers happen at the pouring of the water and wine. The priest first pours wine into the chalice and secondly adds a few drops of water. As he pours the water, he prays silently “By the mingling of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” While the Liturgy of the Eucharist is closely tied with Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, this particular prayer focuses on another great mystery: The incarnation. In Christianity, “mystery” is always fundamentally a wedding of human and divine, of material and spiritual, of time and eternity, of the finite with the infinite: “This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32). When God became man, divine love embraced our weak, finite humanity and raised it up, as indicated in this offertory prayer.

St. Cyprian offers a wonderful reflection on the mixing of these elements:

“For because Christ bore us all, in that he also bore our sins, we see that in the water is understood the people, but in the wine is showed the blood of Christ. But when the water is mingled in the cup with wine, the people are made one with Christ, and the assembly of believers is associated and conjoined with him on whom it believes; which association and conjunction of water and wine is so mingled in the Lord’s cup, that that mixture cannot any more be separated.”

While the water and wine can also be understood to symbolize the water and blood that flowed from the side of Christ as he hung upon the Cross, the primary symbolism is that of the mystical mingling of humanity and divinity in Christ, both in the incarnation itself and also in this particular instance of the Mass, where we consume Christ and are made one with him.

The priest then raises the chalice and offers a prayer very similar to the one he prays when raising the paten (not shown here for the sake of space.)

The priest offers two more silent prayers before the offertory is over. Those two prayers will be the subject of next week’s article.

Further Resources

Liturgy Corner October 24 2021: Preparing for Mass: Part 1

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 16:11:00 GMT

I hear from a lot of people that they struggle to stay focused during Mass. Don’t worry, you are not alone. I doubt there is anyone who, to one degree or another, struggled to stay focused and prayerful during Mass. I am especially conscious of how difficult it must be for families with small children (I get the low-down from my brother and sister-in-Law on that point.) There is another common problem that is different but related: Where is the promised grace of Mass? It often doesn’t seem like it is having an effect in our lives.

On one hand, the answer to both these questions is simply the reality of the human condition. We have many distractions in life. And for parents, some of those distractions are simply members of the family (though they are certainly sources of extra grace for you at Mass, but that is another discussion.) And furthermore, our eyes are veiled to the incredible things God’s grace does in our lives as a result of the Sacrifice of the Mass. But at the same time, the fruitfulness of the Mass in our lives is, in large part, dependent on how we spiritually dispose ourselves to receive that grace.

All that being said, there is a surefire way to begin remedying both these issues: Spiritually preparing for Mass. When Father Adam arrived, he taught me to prepare for Mass by praying a particular prayer in the back of the Roman Missal called the “Formulation of Intent.” The first part is a statement meant to help the priest mentally formulate his intention of consecrating the Eucharist and of offering the Sacrifice for various needs, such as the specific intention listed for that Mass. This part assists the priest in being present to the great thing he is about to do and being attentive to those for whom is he doing it. The second part, however, is all about asking God to make the specific graces of the Mass fruitful in his own life (and in the lives of those who are with him). The prayer is as follows, “May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us joy with peace, amendment of life, room for true repentance, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in good works.” When I am not running late or distracted by whether I left the stove on at the rectory, I find this prayer so wonderful and fruitful. Ask the Lord directly, and He gives.

But preparation is not only a thing for priests. The Church document Sacrosanctum Concilium states, “In order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their minds should be attuned to their voices, and that they should cooperate with divine grace lest they receive it in vain.” Those are pretty strong words, and we should take them seriously.

So, how do we prepare ourselves to “come to it [Mass] with proper dispositions”? Well, the first and most obvious way is provided by the Church as a mandatory discipline: fast an hour before receiving the Eucharist. But we can certainly go about this practice in a more or less efficacious way. As with any spiritual practice and devotion, intentionality is key.

Other than fasting, we need to prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually. The importance of praying in preparing for Mass is attested to by the large number of saints and spiritual writers who have formulated prayers for exactly this occasion. I’ll leave it to you to look them up if you are interested. But we can also formulate our own prayer in the moment, whether right before Mass or, if at no other time, as we are getting dressed. The most important thing is to open ourselves to God, to be open and honest about our struggles and failings, to specifically ask God for grace and healing for these struggles, and to offer our lives in entirety to God in union with the sacrifice of Jesus.

Following this simple plan and hopefully going deeper every time, we will undoubtedly find ourselves more easily attuned to prayer in Mass and find God’s grace more actively transformative in our lives. Other supplementary forms of preparation can include going over the readings for the Mass at home, reading a reflection on the Scripture, and reading passages from the saints concerning the Eucharist. I especially encourage parents to read the Scripture at home with their children.

There is another important part of preparing for Mass, and that is the corollary to the first part of the priest’s formulation of intent. The entire congregation should come to Mass with things in mind that they wish to spiritually offer to God in the Sacrifice of the Mass. But I will address this specific topic in the article next week. In conclusion today, I present a portion of the beautiful prayer of preparation written by St. Thomas Aquinas,

”Almighty and ever-living God, I draw near to the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the physician of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the light of eternal brightness, poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. So I ask you, most generous Lord: graciously heal my infirmity, wash me clean, illumine my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of angels, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, with such reverence and humility, such contrition and devotion, such purity and faith, and such resolve and determination as may secure my soul's salvation."

Further Resources

Liturgy Corner October 10 2021: Other Priestly Vestments

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 16:01:00 GMT

Since I wrote an article last week on the chasuble, the outer garment worn by the priest at Mass, it seems appropriate to reflect on and explain the other garments worn by the priest at Mass. Chances are that you are unaware of the presence or at least the meaning of at least one of them.

But before we get into it, I just want to let you know that there will not be a Liturgy Corner article next Sunday. I will be away on my canonical retreat (canonical meaning that priests are mandated by Canon Law to make a retreat every year). So please pray for me as I will certainly be doing for you.

Now, let’s get down to business.

Amice .

“Place upon me, O Lord, the helmet of salvation, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil.”

This garment became optional after Vatican II under the condition that the alb (explained later) covers the neck of the priest. The amice is a square cloth with strings or length of fabric on two adjacent corners. To don this garment, the priest raises it over his head, taps the top of his head with it and then lets it fall over the back of his neck and shoulders, tying strings around his chest so that the cloth crosses over the front of his neck and covers his black clerical clothing. As the priest does all this, he says the prayer above. This prayer reflects Ephesians 6:16-17, “ besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” One of the collective purposes of the vestments of the priest is to cover up his daily wear, since he acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) at Mass. And so, he “puts on Christ,” covering up the external reminders of his normal persona with symbols of Christ, praying with each garment for the Grace of God to help him perform his Liturgical task well.

Alb

“Purify me, O Lord, from all stain and cleanse my heart, that washed in the blood of the Lamb, I may enjoy eternal delights.”

The alb is a white garment or robe, often of linen, that flows from the shoulders to the ankles. As you can see from the prayer the priest prays as he dons it, this particular garment reflects the purification of Baptism. Hence, all Baptized persons can wear an alb (you may have noticed that our altar servers wear albs as well.) Part of the Baptismal rite is that the adult person or child is adorned with a white garment and the minister prays that they, “Bring it unstained to the everlasting Life of Heaven.” The white garment symbolizes that the person has become a new creation in Christ. The priest, in a particular way, emphasizes this reality in his role at Mass.

Cincture

“Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.”

The cincture is a rope or length of cloth, like a thin sash, that is tied around the priest’s waste. This article is also often worn by other ministers at the liturgy, like the Deacon and the Server. It has its roots in Jewish tradition. A garment quite similar to it was a mandated piece of clothing for the priests in the Old Testament. There are other references to the cincture in Scripture, such as Revelation 1:13, “ and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,[ a ] wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest.” A belt is also included in the symbolic “armor of God” that Paul lists in Ephesians 6. This particular article is strongly tied to the responsibility of moral integrity and the aid of God’s grace in living up to that responsibility.

Stole

“Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the actions of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy.”

The stole is a long, narrow piece of cloth, often ornamented at both ends, and has a cross sewn in the middle. The priest kisses this cross and then drapes the stole over his neck with the ends hanging in front. Sometimes, the priest crosses over the ends of the stole and secures them in place with the cincture.

Although not clearly indicated in the vesting prayer, the stole is the vestment that most singularly symbolizes the priestly office (Deacons also wear stoles but in a different manner, indicating their diaconal office.) Because of its priestly character, a priest wears a stole in all situations when he acts in a specifically priestly manner (during confession, during some blessings, when handling the Eucharist at Adoration, when Anointing the sick, etc.)

Chasuble

“O Lord, who has said, ‘My yoke is sweet and My burden light,’ grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace.”

For more on the chasuble, go to the Liturgy Blog on our parish website where you can find the article I wrote for the bulletin last week (October 3, 2021).

Sometimes, the sacristan or the priest will lay out the garments on a table in such a way as to facilitate the ritual of vesting. Altogether, the donning of these vestments along with the recitation of the accompanying prayers form a beautiful, profound and solemn ritual that the priest undergoes in order to prepare himself mentally and spiritually for the great and holy task of offering the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Liturgy Corner October 3 2021: The Chasuble

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:58:00 GMT

Any parishioner who has attended any of the Extraordinary form Masses or even the Wednesday noon Mass and/or Sunday 9am Masses at the downtown church may have noticed that Fr. Adam and I sometimes use a different style of chasuble (the colorful garment worn by the priest). This style is recognizable in that the front and back are stiffer and the sides do not extend out down the arms like our other chasubles which hang in folds at times around the elbows. Rather, this other style of chasuble only goes to the edge of the shoulders leaving the arms free and the priest’s sides visible.

This alternate style of chasuble is known by a number of different names, such as a fiddleback chasuble and a ‘Roman’ chasuble. It seemed to me that it would be beneficial to briefly explain the background of these two styles and to speak a little about the spiritual/theological meaning of the chasuble.

As with many things in the Liturgy, the use of the chasuble took on greater theological meaning and symbolism over time. But it was first adopted from a common piece of clothing used by Roman people. These garments looked much like the chasubles we are most used to: a large, somewhat bell-shaped garment with a hole in the middle for the head (This ancient style, with its length reaching the shoes and the width reaching the wrists is similar to what is now called the Monastic style). As trends changed, the chasuble remained in use in the Liturgy and quickly became more solely associated with Christian Liturgical worship. The practice of ornamenting the chasuble to better reflect its sacred function became commonplace by the 8th century. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty details, but over the next 7 centuries, the shape of the chasuble morphed somewhat controversially, becoming shorter in the sleeves and in length. In the century following the council of Trent in the 15th century, the form that is now known as the Fiddleback, or ‘Roman’ chasuble became somewhat universal. In the 18th century, the bell-shaped chasuble started finding its way back into common liturgical use, albeit in a somewhat less billowy form.

Following the Second Vatican Council, this style of chasuble, also known as the ‘Gothic’ chasuble, became the most common style. There are a variety of styles between the two poles of the Roman and Monastic styles, such as the Gothic and Semi-Gothic chasubles and the St. Philip Neri style chasuble. The present liturgical legislation of the Church allows for the use of most historical chasuble styles.

The Roman style, or fiddleback, is often associated with the Traditional Latin Mass for various reasons, but it need not be associated with it exclusively. It can be used for any Mass. I, personally, find that it has a degree of practicality to it especially when celebrating Mass in a non-airconditioned church (for reasons that are quite obvious to anyone who has seen it in use.) All of the styles we have used at Masses here at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish serve the primary purpose of the chasuble: to provide a truly distinct and historic garment specific to the celebration of the Mass.

As mentioned previously, things used in the Liturgy even for originally more practical reasons rightly take on further symbolism as they become adapted to exclusive liturgical use. The traditional symbolism of the chasuble is that it represents charity covering a multitude of sins, as this liturgical vestment covers the individuality of the priest with the priestly role of the High Priest, Jesus Christ. The donning of the chasuble reflects the exhortation in the Letter to the Colossians (3:14), "Above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.” Furthermore, priests are advised to say a particular prayer as they put on the chasuble. This prayer also reflects the priest putting on the mantel of Christ’s priesthood by reflecting the words of Christ in Matthew 11:30. Here is that prayer: “O Lord, who has said, My yoke is sweet and My burden light, grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace.”

Further Resources

Pictures of different styles of Chasubles

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/453104412480234040/

Liturgy Corner September 26 2021: The Penitential Rite

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:56:00 GMT

About a month ago, I wrote about the prerequisites for receiving the Eucharist at any given Mass. One of the most important things we Catholics need to be attentive to is whether we have committed any mortal sins and if we find that we are indeed aware of having done so, to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving the Eucharist. But what about all those venial sins? Should we receive the Eucharist if we have venial sins, especially if we have particular ones that make us feel especially guilty and unclean?

The short answer is ‘yes.’ It is actually, in some sense, necessary to be aware of venial sins, or at least our tendency towards falling into them, in order to receive the Eucharist. That may seem like a strange thing to say. But if we look at our practice of the penitential rite at the beginning of Mass, we can see why.

You can probably recite the words of the priest from memory, “Brothers and Sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries.” Every Mass, we hear these words and then spend a few moments in silence. Obviously, these few moments are not enough time to do a full or even cursory examination of our lives and to enumerate mentally all the different times and ways we have sinned. But it does give us an opportunity to align our whole beings in humility towards God. We see in Scripture in various places that having an attitude of true sorrow for our sins is necessary for offering God sacrifice. We see, for example, in Psalm 51, “For you do not desire sacrifice or I would give it; a burnt offering you would not accept. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.” This passage and passages like this one have long been interpreted to mean that offering God praise and Sacrifice must start from a place of humble awareness and repentance of our sinfulness. And so, our ‘Sacrifice of the Mass’ must begin with this explicit moment of orienting ourselves in a spirit of true repentance and asking for God’s forgiveness. Maybe, we can’t bring to mind any sins. Maybe we even went to confession just before Mass started. Should we still embrace this penitential act or just let everybody else do it while we clean our fingernails? All joking aside, it is still very important to engage in the penitential act. First, it is entirely possible that we have committed a venial sin even in that short amount of time. When we use the Confiteor version of the penitential act, we say, “I confess to almighty God and you, my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts, in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do.” Notice the last phrase. If we look in Scripture, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord, your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is one of those things that we ‘fail to do’ in a huge variety of ways all the time in action, word, and thought.

But even if a person truly has no venial sins at the time, it is still important to say the penitential act. Even free from the presence of sin, we are still weak creatures who struggle against the allure of sin. We know that going to confession does not magically make us able to love God and our neighbor perfectly at every moment (though it does help). We still suffer from concupiscence, that inner tendency towards selfishness, worldliness, and pride. To acknowledge this reality is to humble ourselves in the presence of God and acknowledge our constant need of his Grace. This attitude is the ‘humble and contrite spirit’ that we see in Psalm 31. And it is this attitude that, in part, makes us ready to receive the Eucharist, which is food for our souls and constantly works to transform us and purify our desires and actions. The Eucharist is like a burning fire, cleansing and refining us from the inside. With an attitude of humility, we invite Christ in the Eucharist to transform and purify even our innermost attitudes and tendencies through his Grace, giving us strength to resist sin and to give ourselves more fully to God at every moment. It is this very attitude of contriteness that opens us up to the Grace and power of the Eucharist to do its purifying work in us.

And so, to be ready to receive the Eucharist and to allow it to be more fruitful in our lives, we ask God’s forgiveness in the penitential act and bring our hearts “to their knees” so to speak, in humility. One might ask at this point, “but what if I commit a small sin during Mass? What if I have a bad thought about somebody and linger with it a bit? What if I lash out in anger in some small way towards my children?” Don’t worry. The Church tells us that the reception of the Eucharist itself has the power to forgive and cleanse our venial sins.

Liturgy Corner September 12 2021: Come to the Altar (Night of Worship)

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:53:00 GMT

For this week, I’m going to take a break from delving deeply into the Sacramental Liturgy and just invite everyone to a particular non-Sacramental Liturgy that we will be starting back up. As you probably heard last year, we started holding once a month an event called ‘Night of Worship.’ We took a break for the summer but we will be starting it back up next weekend, September 19th, at its usual time of 7:15pm. This event includes Eucharistic Adoration, praise and worship music, and a reflection.

Now you may ask the question, “Why would I go to this thing Sunday night when I just spent an hour at Mass that morning?"

The whole point of this event is simple: to provide an environment that encourages people to give praise to God, to give themselves more fully to Him, and to be vulnerable interiorly with Jesus so that Jesus has an opportunity to reveal himself in a powerful and even sometimes life-changing way. The Sacramental Liturgy of the Mass is the pinnacle of our prayer life in the Church. The endless depth of relationship with Christ is a path that leads through the reception of the Eucharist, the very body and blood of Christ. But if the Eucharist is akin to the ever-deepening relationship of a marriage, many Catholics have the problem of never having ‘been on a date’ with Jesus. Hence, so many Catholics come to Mass each week but never really have a meaningful relationship with Jesus, a relationship in which one has encountered Jesus Christ as a living person who is active in his/her life, who is present and attentive, whose love and power is beyond all imagining. We see in the Gospel the people who attended Jesus’ sermons and listened to his teaching but held themselves back, guarding their hearts and beliefs. How different their reactions so often were when compared to the Apostles who, as we hear from St. Peter in this weekend’s gospel, came to know and believe that Jesus is the Christ. Night of Worship is simply a time where we encourage people to be open to Jesus revealing himself more clearly and powerfully as the Christ. We sing music that, while perhaps may not always be as suitable for various reasons in a Sacramental Liturgy, has a beauty and simplicity to it that invites our hearts, hardened and stubborn though we all often are, to be vulnerable, to show our woundedness and brokenness to Jesus and be open to Him who heals.

This is why I encourage people to invite others to Night of Worship. Someone who may feel like a bump on a log at Mass or may have fallen into a malaise, having never really found meaningfulness in our Eucharistic celebrations, may encounter our Eucharistic Lord at Night of Worship in such a way that transforms their experience of the Eucharist at Mass. It is both a place of renewal for all who already have encountered Christ and a place of simple evangelization for those who have not.

So, regardless of where you are on that spectrum, I really encourage you to come and simply be open to what Christ wishes to do with and for you, and of course invite others. We see in the Gospel how often people are transformed when others invite them to come and meet Jesus. He does the heavy lifting. One of our tasks as Christians is to invite people into His presence, and for us to be open, even though it can be fearful and threatening to our comfortable spiritual status quo’s, to His voice drawing us forward deeper into His powerful love.

Liturgy Corner September 5 2021: The Antiphons

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:51:00 GMT

You have probably noticed that we have been singing the Entrance and Communion Antiphons at each Mass (that phrase that the cantor sings before the Entrance hymn and the Communion hymn.) You may be wondering why. Answer is simple: it is the way that we are instructed to do it by the GIRM, or General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which is the official resource for how to properly execute the Roman Rite of the Mass. The main reason we do most of the things we do in the Liturgy is that they are in the GIRM.

But let’s backup just a little bit and talk about two different types of elements in the Mass. 1) the Mass Ordinary and 2) the Mass Propers. The Ordinary includes things that remain unchanged each and every week. It includes the Kyrie (Lord have Mercy), Gloria, Creed, Sanctus (Holy Holy Holy), Memorial Acclamation, and Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). In all of these prayers, the texts don't change. Every time we attend Mass, we can count on the words to each one of those prayers to be the same as the week or day before.

The Propers, on the other hand, are the liturgical texts that change from day to day, including the presidential prayers (the prayers by the priest right after the Gloria, at the Offertory, and after Communion) and the chants or songs for the Entrance, Psalm, Gospel Acclamation verse, Offertory, and Communion. We are all used to the Responsorial Psalm (which is like an antiphon) changing. But what we may not realize is that there are also specific antiphons for these other parts of the Mass. If you were to open up the Roman Missal (the big red book you see at Mass) and flip to the section with the proper prayers for each Mass, you would see the texts prayed by the priest for that specific day or week, but you would also see listed some proper antiphons.

So, what is an antiphon? The short answer is that an antiphon is another psalm paired with a repeated phrase that is connected with the readings. These texts are arranged into verses and refrains, just like the Responsorial Psalm, but they are referred to as “antiphons” because traditionally, two choirs would sing the verse and antiphon, each singing one of them creating what is known as an antiphonal effect.

So, what does the Church, through the instructional text of the GIRM, tell us about the antiphons?

…there are four options for the Entrance Chant (or Offertory or Communion Chant): (1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum, as set to music there or in another setting; (2) the antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time; (3) a chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including Psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms; (4) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 48)

The first three preferences outlined in the Roman Missal are antiphons and psalms. Option four says we can use “another liturgical chant” which can also be seen to include many of the hymns we now often hear at Mass. Option number four became so popular after the Second Vatican Council that we forgot about the first three options, which was never the intent of the council. How do we know? Long explanation short, when the Council documents list a few different options, they always put the most appropriate and preferable options first.

Hence, the use of the proper antiphon is the most preferable and appropriate.

So, to restore some balance, we have begun singing the antiphons before the hymns at the Entrance and Communion. The reason that using the proper antiphons is more preferable is that they are directly tied to the readings of the day. Sometimes we can find appropriate hymns that tie directly to the Scriptural readings for the day, but often we cannot. But also, the use of the proper antiphons connects us more deeply to the historical celebration of Liturgy. When we understand that each Mass is deeply connected to every other Mass that has ever been celebrated (since each celebration essentially ‘makes present again’ the singular work of Christ himself), it makes sense to ‘experience’ the connection through texts and even melodies that have been used for a long time in the Church. Antiphons are beautiful texts, connected to historical celebrations, and backed by the instructions of the Church, which are ultimately the primary things we should consider when we make any decision about the Liturgy.

So, next time you hear the antiphons, think about the words for a bit. These antiphons are meant to help draw you deeper into contemplation of the readings and into a deeper relationship with Christ through the Word of God. I would also encourage you to go online and listen to the Monks of St. Meinrad (the order of Monks that ran my seminary) and hear how they chant these antiphons. You can easily find videos through google, but you can also go online to the Liturgy Blog on our website where I will include links to videos.

Further Resources

Here is a special Mass from St. Meinrad Archabbey (this is a celebration of Solemn Vows of a Monk.) The audio is not as good but notice the use of the antiphon response and verses during the opening procession

Here is an album of Chanted antiphons and hymns from the Advent season

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZViQlgeLJk&list=OLAK5uy_ni9Wr-AzFk2DlK3yl3A8zdsnJ9bX39W68

The Document "Musicam Sacram" which followed directly after the Secon Vatican Council.

https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_instr_19670305_musicam-sacram_en.html

Liturgy Corner August 29th 2021: Baptismal Font

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 15:40:00 GMT

After a long absence, the water in the Baptismal font has returned (yay!). This may seem like a relatively insignificant thing. In the grand scheme of things, it may be. But it is not insignificant. This event seems like a perfect time to refresh everybody on the Sacramental and Catechetical significance of the Baptismal font.

The Book of Blessings contains the prayers used for blessing a new Baptismal font, and its first paragraph contains an amazing density of theological richness. The baptistery, it says, is rightly considered one of the “most important parts of a church” because baptism is the “first sacrament of the New Law” in which people receive the “Spirit of adoption” and become “in name and in fact” God’s adopted children. Moreover, they join with Christ in a “death and resurrection like his” and “become part of his body.” To top it off, baptism fills a person with “the anointing of the Spirit,” making the baptized “God’s holy temple and members of the Church,” which it then characterizes as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1080). Many of these same ideas are taken up in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), which adds that baptism forms a “sacramental unity” linking all who have been baptized. All these things that happen by the Sacrament of Baptism, the joining with Christ in death and resurrection, the initiation into the Church and the people of God, the freedom from Sin, the unifying of all who receive it, all these things are also symbolized in distinct ways by the placement and structure of the font.

As is typical of the Church’s universal documents, very few specific details are given for baptisteries, although many historical examples demonstrate theologically derived inspiration.

In ancient Roman culture, tombs and other places of veneration were frequently designed with a centralized plan known as a tholos: a design using a circle, octagon, square, or Greek cross as its fundamental shape. Baptismal fonts were often made to imitate these shapes. To further the connection to a tomb, the Baptismal font was usually below floor level. The people would walk down into it and then back up the other side. This signified the dying and rising with Christ. Our baptismal font, while not below the floor, still holds onto this symbolism with the steps down into the font and the steps coming back out of it. And the shape of our font, a cross, further reminds us that we are truly united to the death of Christ on the Cross, and by this death and the subsequent resurrection, we also receive the salvation he earned through that sacrifice.

The Baptismal font in our church is at the entrance. Having it placed there is a common practice in churches these days and for good reason. Baptism is the first Sacrament of Initiation into the universal Church. By it, one is united to the life and death of Christ. It is by this uniting that a person is cleansed from original sin and made a ‘coheir’ to the kingdom with Christ. We become adopted sons and daughters of God the Father by being united to his only Begotten Son. We die to the life we had before, a life without hope of more than the bounds of this mortal life. We die to it and are reborn in the waters of baptism to embark on a journey to eternal life. In all these ways, in movement from death to life, in spiritual adoption, in joining a new family, in embarking on a journey, there is a stark sense of all-consuming transition in Baptism.

And so, having the font directly at the entrance reminds us that it is through these waters that we first enter into the universal Church, the family of God, the body of Christ. We raise our eyes from the baptismal font to look directly down the aisle to the altar where we are fully initiated and bonded to Christ in the Eucharist and receive the life-giving food needed to make this pilgrimage of mortal life in faith and devotion to God.

One of the most beautiful things about having the Baptismal font at the church is the reminder of the unity of the body of Christ, especially on a local level. Think of our old church downtown. One can easily imagine a time in the last century when almost everyone in the congregation could reflect on their rebirth in the baptismal waters of that single font. A whole congregation, a local representative of the body of Christ, all born again from that one font. Of course, the waters of every font in the world are, in every way that matters, the same water. Every person who has ever been baptized has been washed by the ‘same water’, for it is by the same words and ritual and the same Holy Spirit that they are cleansed from sin and made new creations in Christ. Like the people of Israel who were led by Moses from slavery in Egypt into the pilgrimage to a new promised homeland through the waters of the red sea, the Church as a people embarks on a pilgrimage towards the promised eternal life of heaven, leaving behind the slavery of sin by passing through the waters of Baptism.

Further Resources

None this week!

Liturgy Corner August 22 2021: Incense in the Mass

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 13:57:00 GMT

Last weekend, we celebrated a great solemnity: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is a principle called ‘Progressive Solemnity’ which essentially means that the more important a liturgical celebration, the more we should take care to make it especially solemn. And so, I took the opportunity to do something that, I’ll be honest, I wish we did more, but at the very least I make it a point to try to do on Solemnities; I used incense (except at the 4:30 Mass, I did not think about it in time to prepare.)

I know that incense is one of those things that some people love and some people hate. But whichever side you stand on, you should at least know the reason we use it in the Liturgy.

Like many practices in the Liturgy, the use of incense has both practical and theological beginnings. And also, like many other things in the liturgy, the reasons for its introduction do not exhaust the development of the understanding of its significance (and as a side note, I believe the Holy Spirit is responsible for helping us to introduce things that have deeper symbolism and purpose than is realized at their introduction.)

Incense is used throughout the Bible in ritual practices. It symbolizes, for example, prayer rising up to God (see, for example, Psalm 142.) In the early times of the Church, services were largely ‘underground’ as Christianity had not been culturally accepted. Once it was, and spaces specifically dedicated to the liturgy were built, incense was introduced more consistently. One of the reasons for its use was quite practical and somewhat silly to our modern sensibilities: it covered up the smell of hundreds of unwashed people crowded together in a tight space (and we think it tough when our air-conditioning goes down!)

But besides the basic practical reason, which obviously does not have a real purpose in our day and age, there are still real spiritual and practical purposes in the use of incense. I have already mentioned the symbolism of our prayers rising up to heaven, which reminds us of our purpose in the Liturgy. But a more significant and practical purpose is what incense does to fill our senses.

It is easy to see that the Liturgy is meant to ‘fill our senses,’ helping us to enter into this all-important act of worship with all our being. We hear music and bells, we make bodily gestures, we have all kinds of visual symbolism, and we taste the Eucharist. Incense fills the last remaining gap: our sense of smell. It is readily acknowledged in the scientific community that smell and memory association is extraordinarily strong. I’m sure that almost all of us know the feeling that comes so readily when we smell lilies, which are used often at funeral homes. I know every time I smell lilies, I am immediately transported back to my Grandmother’s visitation. Smells connect us to memories and experiences. And so, when we use incense consistently in the liturgy, the smell becomes associated with deep, liturgical solemnity and prayer. This association can make it so much easier for us to enter into that mental space. We smell incense and our brains tell us, “Something profound is happening,” and “It’s time to pray.”

Incense also provides some very important, and often subconscious, visual cues. Because we experience Mass every week, we can so easily become inoculated to the fact that what happens before us is the most profound and mysterious miracle that will happen in any of our lives.

And the great mystery of it should not be understated. What happens before us on that altar is beyond any of our intellects. No matter how learned, no matter how wise any of us are, it remains an incredible mystery, as deep and as wondrous as the very nature of God.

We need to stay in touch with the mystery, less we think we have exhausted its wonder. Incense does something very obvious to our vision: it clouds it. It ‘gets in our eyes,’ so to speak. Think of the times during the Mass that we use incense. We incense the altar at the beginning, the book of the Gospels which is the very Word of God, the altar again at the offertory, the priest who stands in the person of Christ and the congregation which is the body of Christ as the Church, and the body and blood of Christ at the consecration. These are all times when we are raising something up to God through prayer (think, for example, of the fact that when we use Eucharistic Prayer 1, the priest bows and says, “Command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty.”) But also, these are times when we are acknowledging that there is a great mystery before us. And incense can help us experience that mystical reality.

If we let it, incense can help fill the gaps in our senses and bring us more fully into a bodily embrace of the liturgy. I hope that, with this understanding of its purpose, we all will, at the very least, understand and accept that it has a significant purpose and try to embrace its functionality when it is used.

Further Resources

Why Incense? VIDEO

Incense Video - Elements of the Catholic Mass

Liturgy Corner August 15 2021: Fasting Before Holy Communion

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 13:50:00 GMT

Fasting before receiving communion is one of those topics that everyone should know about, but there are always a few people who don't.

The first thing to note is that this rule is not a joke or a simple recommendation. It is stated in Canon Law, “One who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception only of water and medicine, for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion.” This translates to 20-30 minutes before Sunday Mass and 40 minutes before daily Mass. There are exceptions to this rule. For example, persons over the age of 60, those who are infirm, people who care for the infirm, and those who cannot, within reason, conveniently observe the full fast need only fast 15 minutes (See Immensae Caritatis.) Also, a priest must fast only before his first Mass of the day. So if you see me chowing down a doughnut and chugging a coffee before noon Mass, don’t Judge.

So, those are the basic rules of the practice. I want to mention at this point that we should not overly stress ourselves about the time. If you fast 30 minutes before Sunday Mass and then, for whatever reason, Mass ends up being extra short for whatever reason, you don’t need to count the minutes or seconds. If you made the effort in good conscience, that is enough. But the question of ‘why’ probably lingers for many. Is this just a random and arbitrary act of Church enforcement?

We should note first that this practice did not pop up out of thin air. It has roots in Scripture itself. Fasting in preparation for significant spiritual undertakings and before special encounters with God occur throughout the Bible. As a widespread practice and rule, fasting before receiving the Eucharist goes back to the earliest times of legalized, organized Christianity, though the rule was a 12 hour fast until it was lessened in the 20th century.

The reasons for this practice are twofold: Preparation and Penance. You have probably heard me say how we, as creatures of body and spirit, can help prepare and orient our spirits by bodily actions and practices. This is one of those situations. Though certainly less obvious and noticeable with a single-hour fast, we encourage ourselves to ‘hunger’ for the Eucharist when we fast from all other food leading up to Communion. We let our stomachs settle, in a sense. Instead of being another little morsel on top of the heap, the Eucharist comes to us as food to a hungry person. By encouraging this bodily hunger for the Eucharist, we encourage our souls to experience a spiritual hunger.

Another aspect of preparation is the idea of ‘clearing the way.’ When we have a special guest coming to our house, our instinct is to spend some time cleaning up, making the space appropriate. And so, we, though we are unworthy that he should ‘enter under our roof’, should do our best to prepare for Jesus’ coming by ‘cleaning up the house’ of our bodies. He is, after all, the most special of guests.

There is also an element of penance to the act of fasting before Holy Communion. Penance is not a word we are used to hearing these days outside of the small acts or prayers the priest asks you to do after the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But Penance should be a normal and consistent part of life for every Catholic. St. Paul reminds us, "Continually we carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may be revealed" (2 Cor 4:10). We too are charged to convert our whole lives—body and soul—to the Lord. This conversion process involves doing penance—including bodily mortification like fasting—for our sins and weaknesses, which in turn strengthens and heals us. Pope Paul VI exhorted the faithful in his apostolic constitution "Paenitemini" (1966), "Mortification aims at the liberation of man, who often finds himself, because of concupiscence, almost chained by his own senses. Through 'corporal fasting' man regains strength, and the wound inflicted on the dignity of our nature by intemperance is cured by the medicine of a salutary abstinence." The act of fasting an hour before receiving Jesus is a very small sacrifice. Yet, it is a small act of penance, an act of inviting the Grace of God to change us in body and spirit to be more like Christ. It is also a reminder for us to make acts of penance a normal part of our lives.

Because of the significant effects of preparation and penance on our spiritual lives, we are required to fast an hour before receiving Holy Communion. But that is the minimum. Voluntarily fasting for a longer period, within the bounds of prudence, only intensifies the effect. I would highly encourage you, if not frequently then at least once, to fast for 12 hours or more before you receive Holy Communion. The experience of receiving the bread of life as the first taste of food after a long period of hunger, expectation, and preparation is a beautiful thing.

Further Resources

Fasting Before Communion - EWTN Post

Information on the Development and Changes

Fr Mike Schmitz - Four Reasons for Fasting VIDEO

Liturgy Corner August 8: Receiving Communion- The Mechanics

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 13:44:00 GMT

Each of us, before our first communion, received instructions for how to receive communion. As time goes on and this training drops further from memory and practice, we often develop our own idiosyncrasies (most of the time, unintentionally) in our methods of receiving Jesus. Much of the time, these are perfectly fine. Sometimes, they are ok but impractical. And sometimes….well, they are just not good. Proper reverence is a matter of obedience to the reality we are approaching. In imitation of Christ who went with obedience and humility to the cross, we ought to approach him with a posture and practice that encourages our own interior disposition of obedience, humility, and worship. And It is only by the merciful will of Christ that we can draw close and receive him in this magnificent way. So, here is a quick refresher on how to properly receive the Eucharist.

First, a note on the procession forward to receive. Lest we feel like we are in line at a grocery store, we should remember that this procession is not about individuals but a community; a universal one. At the grocery store, we are concerned only about our own business. In the procession for communion, the very process is meant to be an expression of the fact that the effect of receiving communion is that of reaffirming and making real our unity as the body of Christ. We concretize once again our unity with every person who faithfully receives the Eucharist, both here on earth and in heaven. So, try to think of it less as a bunch of individuals moving forward slowly in a dogged line. Rather, think of it as a unified body of people moving in harmony and unison. It is also the reason why expressions of piety in this particular moment of the Mass should take somewhat of a backseat to expressing unity.

Second, on how to express reverence immediately before receiving. If you don’t do it yourselves, you may notice that many people bow before stepping forward to receive. The united states conference of Bishops has decided that this is the way we should reverence the Eucharist before receiving. I am not going to tell you not to genuflect, but you should know that bowing is the norm here. The type of bow here is called, in the liturgical stipulations, a head bow. However, this is not a head nod, like you might give to a neighbor on the street. The best practice is to slightly round your back as you incline your head so that it is an actual bow.

Now, a point of practicality. Many people wait until the distributor has raised the Eucharist and said, “the body of Christ,” before bowing. There is a problem with this. If you bow too deeply, your hands which are held out at this time (if you are receiving in the hands), dip down. As a result, it is easy for the distributor to miss and for the host to drop to the floor. To avoid this, it is best to make your bow as the person in front of you is receiving the Eucharist (or directly after.)

Third, how to actually receive. With regard to posture, it is acceptable either to stand or kneel. Although there are strong views on whether receiving in the hand or receiving on the tongue is better, we should focus on this: the Church says both are acceptable. That being said, there is certainly a right and a wrong way to do it either way.

If receiving in the hand, the process is simple and should be respected. The person places their left palm on their right palm facing up. After the host is deposited, the person uses their right hand to pick the host up and place it in their mouth. Some practices that are either impractical or inappropriate include placing both hands side by side (it is difficult as the distributor to decide where to place the Eucharist and placing the host in the middle of the hands, which is often the instinct, sometimes leads to the host falling to the floor as the person receiving tries to get in a position to grasp it.) It is also inappropriate, except for times when health or circumstance requires it, to take the Eucharist from the distributor.

Once again, this is all about proper reverence by which we express with our bodies the disposition or humility we are trying to cultivate in our hearts and minds; it is a disposition of receiving a gift rather than that of taking a possession. When we receive Jesus in our palm, one hand places on the other, we essentially make a throne upon which Jesus, the King of Heaven and Earth, is placed.

If receiving on the tongue, the emphasis here should be….well, on the tongue. You open your mouth looking straight ahead, stick your tongue out just a little, and let the distributor put the host on it. The moisture makes it stick and you can simply pull your tongue back in. Practices that are unhelpful or less appropriate include bending your head/body forward which can make it difficult for the distributor to place the Eucharist, moving your head forward to ‘grab’ the Eucharist with your teeth (it’s an easy way for the distributor to miss or for the person receiving to drop the host), and only opening your mouth a smidgeon, which is unhelpful for obvious reasons.

After the distributor announces, “the body of Christ,” the person receiving says, “Amen.” We say this word and not something in English because it has such deep meaning. It does not simply mean, “I believe.” It means something like, “I believe, and give my whole self." We are not just saying we believe in the presence of Jesus (though we are indeed saying that), we are also uniting ourselves to everything that goes along with that belief. By this act, we willingly unite our minds to Christ’s full truth and teaching right before he unites our body to His body.

The communicant then, if having received in the hand, places the host in their mouth. Note: the person must consume the host immediately. It is our duty to properly care for Jesus who, in giving himself to us in the Eucharist, has made himself vulnerable to desecration. And it is an unfortunate reality that there are people out there who will go to lengths to procure a consecrated host for just this purpose.

That pretty much sums it up. I hope you find this helpful. Please note that most of these rules and recommendations are dependent upon the circumstances (aka. a parent holding a child will probably not be able to receive in the hand the same way as others, and someone with a back problem does not have to bow.) Please, consider sharing this article around.

Further Resources

Sacraments 101: How to Receive Communion

USCCB Instructions

Liturgy Corner August 1 2021 : Who Should or Shouldn't receive the Eucharist?

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 11:45:00 GMT

Beginning last weekend, the Church’s lectionary (the cycle of readings that we have at Mass) gives us four straight weeks of readings from chapter 6 of the gospel of John. This chapter, as you have hopefully already seen, is the all-important telling of the events leading up to and including the bread of life discourse, where Christ reveals for the first time his plan for the Eucharist.

So for the next couple of weeks, I will use this Liturgy Corner to give us some reminders about various theological and practical topics concerning the Eucharist. Today, in continuity with last week’s article on why Mass is still worth attending even if we don’t or can’t receive the Eucharist, I’m going to give a refresher on who can/should and who can’t/should not receive the Eucharist and why.

The first criterion is somewhat obvious; with a few exceptions, only Catholics should receive the Eucharist. We may be quite used to this idea, but seldom do we step back and ask ourselves why? If Jesus wants to be with everyone in that deep communion, why would we hold him back from people simply because they don’t belong to our Church? The main reason is the understanding of the Eucharist as Communion. When we hear the word ‘communion’ in Mass, we immediately think of the Eucharist, but if we try to think about what the word means in a general sense, we come to see the implication: Receiving the Eucharist means, in a deep and profound way, affirming and actualizing a deep unification between the person receiving and Christ himself. This union of his body, blood, soul and divinity is what makes us the body of Christ. As members united to his body, we are also united with each other. Hence, we the Church, the body of Christ, are made by the Eucharist. The Eucharist is meant to spiritually solidify the unity of faith, of belief, of mind, body and soul that we claim by being an external member of the one Church that Christ made. As Jesus said in prayer to the Eternal Father, “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one,” (John 17:22-23a)

Christ gives us His glory through the Sacraments, and especially through the Eucharist. And not just for any old reason; that we may become completely one. So, if an adult is not at the very least spiritually accepting of the idea that they be united to Christ, his whole truth, and the whole Church, they should not receive the Eucharist (I say ‘adult’ because, in various eastern Catholic rites, the Eucharist is given to babies who cannot yet assent, similar in reason to why we baptize babies even though they cannot choose it yet.) I sometimes explain it this way. When we say “Amen” before we receive the body of Christ, we are actually saying, “I believe” or “I give my whole consent of mind and will to what is being presented to me.” To say that to receive the Eucharist is to say that we believe it is Christ’s body, that we believe in the ability of the priest to consecrate the Eucharist, that we believe that this ability is given by the bishop who received his ordination from another bishop and on and on going back to the Apostles, which is also to imply that the Catholic Church in its teaching is handed down from Christ himself. To assent to the reality of the Eucharist as the body of Christ is to assent to the whole thing. This reflection applies not only to non-Catholics but Catholics as well. We must be spiritually prepared to receive the Eucharist. Now, we should distinguish between deeper spiritual preparation and minimal preparation here. I am not telling you that you need to have deep reflective ponderance or lofty mystical experiences like some great saint before every reception of the Eucharist. It is not only praiseworthy but highly encouraged by the Church that we spend some significant time in prayer before Mass to prepare ourselves, but if one cannot, it does not mean you should necessarily abstain from receiving. There is, however, a certain minimum for a person to receive. As for spiritual preparation, even if it is only on the way up or at the moment of receiving, we should reflect on what we are doing and who we are receiving. We should also fast for an hour to bodily prepare ourselves for the reception (Yes, this is still a requirement.)

But the biggest criteria for receiving the Eucharist is that one not be in a state of mortal sin. I won’t get into the depth of explaining mortal sin here, but essentially it is a sin by which we cut ourselves off from God’s presence and salvific grace. By our own device, we create a breach between us and God that, barring an extraordinary means of God’s grace beyond our ability to predict or expect, can only be healed through the Sacrament of Confession. To receive the Eucharist in such a state is to, in a way, commit an act of spiritual violence. We have broken the relationship off with Christ and committed a great act of evil and injury against him in the mortal sin, and yet without acquiring forgiveness and reconciling that relationship, we try to enter into communion with him.

This reality puts a responsibility on us all. We have a responsibility to learn what is and isn’t a mortal sin and how to do our best to discern between them. And when we are aware of having committed a mortal sin (hopefully, it is extremely infrequent, but we are all in different places in our journey of conversion), we must seek out the Grace of the Sacrament of reconciliation before receiving Jesus.

All this being said, if you are a Catholic who is in doubt about whether you should receive communion on a particular occasion but do not have a concrete and fairly sure reason, it is best to simply trust in the mercy of God and speak from your heart and mouth, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

Further Resources

"The Ultimate Guide on who Can Receive Communion."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Fr Mike Schmitz on Why Non-Catholics Can't Receive Communion

Servers and Extraordinary Ministers of Eucharistic Communion - Bulletin Article January 31, 2021

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:03:00 GMT

On February 2 ^nd we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This feast is also known as “Candlemas”. We will bless candles at the morning Mass that day for both liturgical and home use. If you would like your candles blessed, please bring them to the 6:45 morning Mass, where there will be tables set up in the Narthex for you to place your candles upon. The candles will be blessed prior to our entrance procession and you can take them home once the liturgy is concluded. The Feast of the Presentation is also a time in which we pray for those in consecrated religious life. We keep in mind and heart our own Dominican sisters!

We have some great volunteers in our parish who work in many diverse areas. On the liturgical side, I am grateful for our volunteers’ willingness to adopt the various liturgical changes I am introducing. Some of these changes are simple and easy to implement. Others require a bit of retraining for the people involved. Our good ministers have responded with “elan!”

The most significant retraining is with the altar servers. For now, we will be working with those servers who were trained previously. Perhaps by late spring we can add a new class of servers, starting with fifth graders but including older students as well if they desire to join. I am also considering developing an additional ministry of young sacristans. My thought is to promote desperately needed priestly and religious vocations through these two ministries, as has been customary, by offering girls and boys distinct yet equally important tasks of service. More to come on that later.

I have been very encouraged by our well-trained Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. In this area of service, we will make only one small change starting in Lent. This change has to do with when the EMHCs come forward from the congregation to receive and then distribute the Blessed Sacrament. The rubrics call the ministers forth after the priest has completed his reception of Holy Communion. This is the timing we will follow starting on Ash Wednesday. The altar server will ring a bell at the time the priest receives the Precious Blood, and that will signal to the EMHCs that it is time to come forward. Otherwise, everything else regarding the role of the EMHC will remain the same. Thank you, again, for all your hard work in helping our sacred liturgies resemble a little bit of “heaven on earth”.

Liturgy Corner July 25, 2021: Is Eating the Body of Christ the Only Reason to be at Mass?

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:51:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, a truly unfortunate occurrence happened. We ran out of the Eucharist at a weekend Mass. Even though I realized we were running short and began snapping the hosts in half and then into quarters, a few people still had to walk away without having received. This sad occurrence gives us the opportunity to ask an important question: is receiving the Eucharist the only worthwhile thing at Mass? If we don’t receive the Eucharist, is there any point in being there?

The answer is that attending Mass is extremely important even if we don’t or can’t receive the Eucharist. There are good reasons that the Church requires us to attend Mass every Sunday else we, barring a serious reason, commit a mortal sin, but are only truly obligated to receive the Eucharist once a year, preferably on Easter (Canon Law #920.) If the only thing that mattered about coming to Mass on Sunday was receiving the Eucharist, then I might as well celebrate one Mass on Sunday morning, consecrate a huge number of hosts, and pass them out in the narthex as people walked in and walked out.

So what are the reasons we need to attend Mass other than to receive the Eucharist? We can only briefly sketch them here.

First, the Eucharistic celebration (also called the Holy Mass) is, in itself, the greatest prayer of the Church, and our participation is the greatest prayer we can make. To get more particular, the Catechism tells us that the Eucharist is a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving. “The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ, the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.”

God has given each of us, both collectively and individually, more than we could ever know. But undoubtedly the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our salvation is the biggest gift. We come together to offer God ourselves, our possessions, our works, and all of creation in thanksgiving to the Father. And this can only be done in a truly acceptable and perfect way through Christ. The posture of thanking God is essential to the heart of each and every Christian. The less we give thanks to God and praise him, the easier it is to lose all perspective and only think of what more he can do for us. Hence, Sunday Mass is our consistent opportunity to reorient our hearts to an attitude of a true Christian: thankfulness and praise.

Second, we must remember that the Mass itself is a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice. Now, the word ‘memorial’ can be a little underwhelming. We just sit around and think about what Jesus did? No. Memorial means something different here. We don’t just remember. We stand right in the middle of it. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross happened once. We don’t repeat it, but somehow, mystically, whenever we attend Mass, we present at that same Sacrifice. We are with Jesus as he suffers, dies, and is resurrected. And the Graces of redemption that Jesus gained by his actions then are made available for us because we are there with him.

The Catechism also tells us, “In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value.” (CCC 1368) I don’t know about you, but when I think of my imperfect life and all my imperfect works and prayers, I don’t think much of them as worthy offerings to God.

That all changes with the Mass. When we attend Mass, we have the opportunity to unite all our sacrifices to Jesus Christ himself who is offered in sacrifice to the Father. And he makes our sacrifices beautiful and acceptable (Think about that the next time I raise the patten and chalice to heaven and say, “Through Him, with Him, and in Him.”)

There are more reasons that it is important to attend Mass, but I will limit myself to two more quick reasons. The past two reasons were more theological. These last reasons are more, shall we say, tangible. First, attending Mass is an act of obedience to God and his Church. Simply obeying for its own sake may seem a little distasteful, but we ought to obey because…well, its God and his Church. And in being obedient to God, we become more like Jesus, who “humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a Cross.” (Phil 2:8). He was obedient even though it meant his death. We must be obedient as well.

So, let us take to heart this exhortation of Saint John Chrysostom and encourage others to do so as well: "Tradition preserves the memory of an ever-timely exhortation: Come to Church early, approach the Lord, and confess your sins, repent in prayer. . . . Be present at the sacred and divine liturgy, conclude its prayer and do not leave before the dismissal. . . . We have often said: "This day is given to you for prayer and rest. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

God bless!

Liturgy Corner July 18, 2021: Intro Part 2 A Venue for Communication and Active Participation

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:32:00 GMT

Thank you for deciding to take a second look at the Liturgy Corner (or maybe a first.) This week, I would like to discuss a few more reasons why I think that this consistent addition to the bulletin is important for all of us.

One of the things we have talked about this last year amongst the staff and in various dialogues with parishioners, both individually and in groups, is the importance of transparency. We recognize that there are times when important decisions need to be made with regard to changing, adding, subtracting, or continuing to suspend various practices in our Liturgical worship. Most of the time (hopefully, ALL of the time) the relevant staff members have discussed matters at length and have come to a decision about it after a good deal of deliberation. However, we have recognized that there are times when relevant reasons behind such decisions never get expressed to you, the parishioners. People are then left to wonder about why we are or aren't doing various things and are often led to assume we are making decisions flippantly.

With the Liturgy corner, we can easily inform you when and why such things happen. Hopefully, all parishioners will get in the mindset of coming here, and to the Liturgy Blog on the website where past articles will be posted when they have a question about our Liturgical practices. Further, it gives people an opportunity to ask questions when they don't find the answer in past articles. By such a process, the whole community can be formed in Liturgical worship and understanding. So read up, ask questions, please share the articles with each other, and join in dialogue about it.

I also want to say a brief word here about a certain phrase that I will most likely discuss at greater length in an article further on: "active participation." This phrase appears in a document concerning the Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council. More than likely, you have heard it mentioned once or twice. The document uses it to describe how the laypeople, the people in the pews, are supposed to be engaged in the celebration of the Liturgy. The Second Vatican Council came at a time when the participation of the congregation in Liturgical worship was frequently lackluster. One significant reason for this is a lack of proper catechesis. The Second Vatican Council made it a point to emphasize the proper catechesis of all of the Church faithful in order to help each person understand their role and purpose in the celebration of the Liturgy.

While we, as a Church, have made improvements in this regard, we are certainly far from perfect. And many people, either consciously or unconsciously, still treat the Liturgy as a sort of performance that they just observe passively. While there is plenty of nuance to the meaning of the phrase "active participation," one thing is quite clear: the congregation has an integral role to play in the liturgy, especially with regard to whether it is spiritually fruitful for themselves and the people for whom they ought to be praying.

It is my hope that, with your help in encouraging each other, this Liturgy Corner will help us all participate more fully and appropriately in the Liturgy, the center and summit of our faith.

Thank you for reading, and God bless.

Further Reading (each title is a link

Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium," para. 14-32

Rev. Cassian Folsom, OSB, "Sacred Signs and Active Participation." EWTN Blog

" It should be made clear that the word “participation” does not refer to mere external activity during the celebration. In fact, the
active participation called for by the Council must be understood in more substantial terms, on the basis of a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life. […] The faithful need to be reminded that there can be no actuosa participatio in the sacred mysteries without an accompanying effort to participate actively in the life of the
Church as a whole, including a missionary commitment to bring Christ’s love into the life of society. "
Sacramentum Caritatis, n°. 52, 55

Bells Crucifix and Chalice Veil - Fr. Adam Bulletin Article 1/17/21

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 12:46:00 GMT

Last week I mentioned that my approach to the Sacred Liturgy is traditional. This does not mean I am “retro” or “pre-Vatican Two” (although I do, on occasion, celebrate Mass in the ancient form). I am thoroughly a “child of Vatican Two”, formed deeply in both the conciliar and post-conciliar teaching and practice of the Church. Rather, by traditional, I mean that I understand and celebrate the Sacred Liturgy in light of that which has been handed on to us through the ages, a process guided by the Holy Spirit, a process steeped in continuity rather than disruption. Additionally, as a moral theologian, I firmly believe that reverence is one of the greatest virtues we can bring to our relationship with God and our neighbors. Several liturgical practices help foster this virtue within us and, in exercising my pastoral leadership, I am happy to implement them as opportunity allows. Here, I give a brief explanation of three of those things.

(1) Bells . The tradition of ringing bells at significant times during the Sacred Liturgy highlights those moments and underscores the working of God within the prayers offered. A bell is rung just before the prayers of Consecration (that is, during the Epiclesis) when the Holy Spirit is called down upon the gifts of bread and wine. Already at this point in the Mass, God is mysteriously transforming those gifts into his Sacred Body. A bell is rung again at the showing of both the Sacred Host and the chalice after their respective consecrations, indicating that the transformation from bread and wine to the Body of the Lord is now complete. I usually have the bell rung again at the priest’s reception of the Precious Blood, indicating the consummation of the sacramental act. It also has the practical value of letting the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion know that it is time to come forward for distribution.

(2) The altar crucifix. The altar is a symbol struck through with many meanings. It is the Altar of Sacrifice, signifying the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary made mysteriously present in the Holy Eucharist. It is the Table of the Lord, representing the sacred convivium of the pilgrim people of God, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. It is also a symbol of Christ Himself, cornerstone of the Church. The crucifix placed upon the altar highlights these several meanings and ties them together. One might say, however, that we already have a large, beautiful crucifix in both our churches! This is true, and we are blessed to have them. Traditionally, a church’s large crucifix is the crucifix of devotion, while the altar has its own crucifix more clearly associated with it. The fact of two (or even more) crucifixes in a church is quite normal (see, for example, the major basilicas in Rome) and one that most people understand.

(3) The chalice veil. In Christianity, as in other religions, the veiling of persons and things denotes a sense of sacredness, of being “set aside for God”, or even of being deputed for worship (veiling, when used as a sign of dominance over or ownership of other people, is not part of the Christian ethos and is to be firmly rejected). The veil over the chalice denotes that the sacred vessels are “set aside for God” for use in the Sacred Liturgy. It also symbolizes more. On the one hand, the veiled chalice, which gets unveiled during the offertory rite, represents the fact that the mysteries spoken of in the Liturgy of the Word are “unveiled” and fulfilled in the great mystery of the Holy Eucharist. On the other hand, the chalice represents Christ. As the liturgy progresses and we sacramentally relive the self-offering of Christ in the Paschal Mystery, our Lord is “stripped of his clothing” just as he was stripped on the original way of the Cross. Christ becomes poor and exposed, for the sake of the poor and the vulnerable.

As you can probably tell, these aspects of the Sacred Liturgy excite me because of the deep significance they hold for all of us. Seemingly minor, they nevertheless have a transformative power, prompting a more reverent and loving attitude within us toward God and, flowing from that, toward our neighbor.

May God bless you this week, and may His grace be poured in abundance upon your loved ones. Please keep praying for a swift end to the pandemic.

In the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Hertzfeld

Liturgy Corner July 11, 2021: Intro Part 1 Lex Orandi Lex Credendi

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 11:56:00 GMT

Greetings! I have long been interested in starting a 'Liturgy corner' of the bulletin for the sake of continuing to aid all parishioners in learning about the Liturgy and, in a particular way, the Mass. A number of people that I have talked to have been very interested in the idea and I hope that they, and you all, find it helpful.

That being said, I can definitely understand why someone might say, "Hey, we are at the Mass every week. That's what matters. Why should I bother to learn all the little details, like why the priest ties his shoes a certain way?" While the preference of shoelace knot is of course meaningless, learning about the Liturgy, its mystery, its theology, its particularity, and its symbolism should be important to every single Catholic! One of the many reasons this is true is because of an idea titled "Lex Orandi Lex Credendi."

For today, we simply focus on this Latin sentence, which translates to, "The Law of Praying (is) the Law of Believing." This phrase has its origin from a theologian all the way back in the 5th century. The idea distilled in this phrase is that the teaching of the Church, the teaching of Jesus Christ handed down by the Apostles, is distilled, evoked, and displayed in the prayer of the Liturgy and how we do it. Essentially, the way that the Liturgy has in equal parts organically and intentionally developed over the ages expresses both particular doctrines of the faith and overall attitudes, expressions, and nuances of our beliefs.

So that's what it means in a nutshell, but why is that important? Why should we do anything more than acknowledge this fact and move on?

There are three reasons why this idea is important and why continuing to learn about and open up the book of wonder that is the Liturgy is important. First, if the way we celebrate the Liturgy, the movements we make, the phrases we say, the implements we use, are expressions of our faith, then learning about the liturgy is simply learning about this faith we say we believe in. Second, by learning about the Liturgy, we connect in a deeper way with 'the communion of saints.' The development of the Liturgy is rooted in the history of our faith, right down to the Apostles themselves.

We learn to pray in a deeper and more mystical way when we understand how what we do in the Liturgy today has been done, in essence, since the time of Jesus himself. Third, if what we do at the Liturgy reflects the very faith that we profess, if the things we do express doctrines and attitudes and beliefs that are central to the truth of our Church, then it is VERY important that we do our best to make sure that we are doing the Liturgy the right way. The way we choose to do anything, consciously or unconsciously, cements a way of thinking, a way of acting, a way of relating to that thing (in this case, God Himself). We should be attentive to how we 'do' the Liturgy because it can affect us and others in ways we may never precisely understand.

Thank you for reading. I hope that you will find these reflections and explanations I offer helpful. If you ever have questions or want to hear about a particular aspect of the Liturgy, don't hesitate to contact me through our website God bless!