Preaching on the Order of the Mass Lent/Easter 2011
Beginnings are important, whether it is laying out a firm foundation or making the right choices for our
children and seeing the direction of our lives: how we begin and where we go are critical decisions. This
Sunday we begin the Lenten season, we hear from the book of beginnings, the meaning of the name
Genesis about a faulty beginning for the first couple who listen to poor instincts and suffer the dreadful
consequences. However, our hope is based upon new beginnings that we celebrate in Jesus and we
hear of the beginnings of his ministry, The gospels record the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry with
his baptism and his temptations. Where Adam and Eve gave in to desire, Jesus shows us that it is
possible to make another decision, a better decision, it is possible to start again with Jesus and follow
another way, to journey by another route.
This Lent our beginnings expend to a review of the beginning of the Mass and a consideration of those
sections that comprise the introductory rites: the Procession, Opening Hymn, veneration of the Altar,
the sign of the cross and the greeting. Of all the gifts that God has given to us over the millennia, these
is no greater than the gift of His Son Jesus and the Sunday Eucharist that we celebrate is his perpetual
gift to us. While Baptism is the first part of our initiation or beginning of the Christian life, that life is
incomplete without the Eucharist, just as a baby needs to be continually fed once it is born, so too do we
need to be fed with the bread of Life. Meditating on the parts of the Mass during the course of these
90 days of the Lenten and Easter Seasons, will , I believe be most fruitful.
We come from many places to gather here to worship from Elmsford, White Plains, Greenburgh; from
diverse cultures and traditions. We are multilingual, multicultural, multiracial, but we are one people,
one body in Christ and the Procession represents that coming together of this diverse community,
ordained and laity going together up to the altar of God. The priest and ministers are representative of
this journey but the entire assembly joins in this procession by their act of singing, the opening hymn is
our participation in this pilgrimage. Today’s opening hymn sets the stage for Lent and reminds us that in
this procession, our procession, we are joined by those who have gone before us in faith, by the men
and women that the church declares holy. The Litany of the Saints declares that we believe that they
and indeed all the faithful departed are with us in our celebration of the Eucharist, this great prayer of
thanksgiving.
When, I as the priest celebrant arrive at the Altar, in the name of this entire community I venerate the
altar with a kiss. The table of the Lord is perhaps the most sacred place in our church. Each of us in turn
when we arrive at the church venerate it as well, either by a bow, a blessing or a genuflection. The
priest venerates the altar with a kiss only during the Mass, at other times or for other services I, like you
make a profound bow. The Mass however, is the reason why we have an altar and so at the beginning
and at the end of the Mass the last act of the Priest is to kiss the Altar. On the Altar Bread and wine
become by the action of God’s Spirit accompanied through our prayer of blessing the body and blood of
the Lord.
We begin this great prayer that is the Eucharist as we traditionally begin all prayers: “In the name of the
Father, and of the Son and Of the Holy Spirit. The Sign of the Cross is perhaps the oldest sign of
Christianity, it reminds us that the God we worship is triune, one God in three person, father son and
holy Spirit. As we are a community we reflect the unity of persons that is God. I am always moved
when I see a mother or father taking their child’s hand and helping him or her to make the sign of the
cross, it is an instinct of our faith.
We are greeted when we enter a person’s home and even when we arrive at church, the ushers and
other greet us. It is natural that we want to welcome and feel welcomed. However, the greeting at
Mass is more formal, it echoes the language of St. Paul in his letters and the formal greeting that he
extends to the Christian community: The grace and Peace of God Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you, or The Love of God, the peace of Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you,
or simply the Lord be with you. This greeting is not only a statement of fact it is an extended wish or
blessing. You will notice that the first change that most will notice in the third edition of the Mass is that
the response of the people is no longer And also with you but “And with your Spirit” It is a sense that the
Priest is filled with God’s Spirit that enables him to offer the Mass in the name of the people by the
authority and power of God’s Spirit. Beginnings are important and the beginning of the Mass
wonderfully sets the way for the rest of the Eucharist that follows. 2011
I like Ricky Martin’s hit “living La vida loca.” I know that it is not a Lenten hymn but I think that it is
appropriate because living the Christian life can be a little crazy.
It is tragic when people who have a bi-polar disorder are not properly treated. I know several priests
who are bi-polar and are excellent men but now and then they need some help to bring balance to their
lives. I think that we can agree that hearing Charlie Sheen and Momar Quadaffi in their most manic
times is unsettling and gives the Impression that they are out of control and yet still wield a great deal of
power and influence. We all need help to bring our lives into balance. The poor people of Japan need
to balance the pain of the recent natural disasters and the threat of nuclear meltdown with a sense of
hope for rebuilding lives and restoring confidence.
Balance is also essential to our lives of faith; the church calendar balances Advent with Christmas and
Lent with Easter. The focus shifts between the expressions of penitence and joy. These forty days of
penitence are followed by fifty days of celebrating Resurrected life.
Last week as a parish we have begun to explore the order of the Mass, beginning at eh beginning with
the first art of the Introductory rites, the procession, the opening hymn, the veneration of the Altar, the
sign of the cross and the greeting. Today, we will focus on the Penetenial Rite and the Glory. The entire
introductory rites then are to prepare us for the Eucharist “- their purpose is to ensure that the faithful
who come together as one, establish communion and dispose themselves properly to listen to the word
of God and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal)
I propose that the celebration of this second Sunday of Lent is a perfect context for such a study. Today
we hear of Abram and his journey into the unknown, guided by his vision of God. Likewise, the account
of the Transfiguration in Matthew’s gospel is a moment of reprieve from the talk of suffering and death.
It is a brief view of the glory that is to come.
These are two movement s that can be found within the mass, they reflect the experience of our own
lives, moments of pain and joy, anguish and pleasure. as a movement within our lives from penance to
glory. Running a stop sign and being involved in an accident –I felt struck to the core, paralyzed;
similarly when I remember the death of my parents, or the departure of Fr. Ed Dobransky, my frirst
pastor who left to get married. This is balanced with the experience of being an uncle and holding my
nieces and nephews for the first time and the joy on the day of my ordination.
Like ourselves, the Mass is bipolar and it does what most of us do, keeps our lives in balance. We begin
with a mutual confessions of sins, we admit that we are sinners and in need of God’s mercy. We
confess publicly that we participate in the structures of sin and death and we want to change it but we
are unable to do so by ourselves. Like the people of Japan and Libya, we need help in order to restore
what has been damaged and the assistance to be in a better place. There is both confession and an
appeal for forgiveness from God and from one another. The new rite will restore the gesture that was
part of the older tradition. We are invited to add for my fault, for my fault, for my most grievous fault
and the restored gesture of beating our breasts. The rite includes the absolution of the priest, and
although it is different from the sacrament of Penance, there is a real forgiveness of sins that is
intended. What is Penance and what is a penitential season. We are in need of God and the wholeness
that sin destroys.
The Penetentia Rite is balanced by the Gloria, although the Glory is not said or sung during Lent and
Advent, it is good to consider it today, because we are never without the Glory of God. It impels us
further as it did to Peter, John and James when they saw Jesus transfigured. Our celebration of the
Mass is all about the great glory of God and this hymn originally limited to the Easter season is now
extended to the rest of the year. The new translation restores some of the language that is found in the
Latin text, repeated in the Spanish and Italian translations:
“…On earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father…” We need
to be reminded of God’s Glory to bring balance to our spiritual lives and prepare us to break open the
word of God and the great prayer of consecration, the prayer of the Eucharist. It is the balance that will
sustain us in order to live la via loca as Christians. March 20, 2011
They are such a nasty people, thinking only of themselves, rude arrogant; unwelcoming, They won’t
even speak our language, or seem to ignore you when you try to speak theirs. The French and in
particular Parisians have this horrible reputation. Like many characterizations, there is some truth but it
is largely exaggerated. Its like hearing that New Yorkers are impatient. I’ve been to Paris and I have
found the Parisians to be warm, helpful and gracious.
As we have been preaching out the parts of the Mass, today the focus is on the opening prayer, prayer,
is in some sense is a form of complaint. We love to complain but the truth is that that we often do not
complain in the right way, complain as the bible teaches us, yes that is right, the bible teaches us how to
complain. There are complaints in the Psalms as well as in the prophets; Jeremiah is famous for his
complaints. I had my car impounded in Manhattan several years ago and I was told on the phone that
they accepted checks and when I went to the pound, I was informed that they down accept checks
above a certain amount, the amount I acceded, I did not know the proper way to complain, I just
focused on my annoyance and their ignorance and of course I got no satisfaction.
The right way to complain would have begun with affirming the clerk there and taking a more positive
tack. This is the nature of our prayer to God, we affirm what God has already done for us, before we get
to our need or complaint. Most of us don’t know how to pray for what they need, the Israelites
grumbled in the desert and I believe that we follow and often grumble our prayers. Either that or we
are like the woman of Samaria, who is angry and depressed at the lot that she has been dealt, she talks
to Jesus around the central issue and it is Jesus that helps her to find out what she really needs, where is
the deeper thirst that needs quenching and so it is with us. The Opening Prayer or Collect is the most
important part of the introductory rites at Mass. It addresses the deeper needs and places all our
prayers in a common perspective.
The opening prayer, that is every opening prayer begins with three words, Let us pray, it is not a throw
away line, but an opportunity to consider our prayers, our concerns that touch us now, some will
remember their relative or friend who has just died, others the loss of a job, a new born baby, difficulty
with a relationship, a fight with co-workers, a new school, graduation, someone who is struggling with
recovery, someone who is ill, troubles around the globe. There is a pause, or should be a pause so that
we can gather our thoughts and prayers. The priest gathers the prayers, the unspoken prayers of the
assembly and brings them to God. The opening prayer is also called a collect, because the priest collects
our prayers. These our prayers are gathered around a central theme: Listen again to that prayer:
Father you have taught us to overcome our sins, by prayer, fasting and works of mercy. When we are
discouraged by our weakness, give us confidence in your love.
The great majority of these prayers are addressed to God the father, here the things that we do or the
things that we give up for Lent are not what God needs but rather we are reminded that they are God’s
gift for us to overcome our sins, the brokenness of our lives but we are not to be discouraged because
underlying all of this is God’s Love. The prayer concludes with a Trinitarian formula, we ask this through
Our Lord Jesus, Christ, your Son is God and lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
forever and ever. All our prayers are Trinitarian, the one God Father, Son and Holy Spirit are here to
strengthen us. How we speak to God is important and so the Newest version of the Roman Missal seeks
to clarify and tighten the language that we use to address God.
(Italian) God of mercy, fountain of all good, you have proposed as a remedy for our sins fasting, prayer
and works of charity, look upon us who recognize our wretchedness, because the weight of our guilt
oppresses us, give us solace through your mercy, Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who is God
and lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
(Spanish) God of mercy, fountain of all goodness, you have proposed fasting, prayer and works of mercy
as a remedy for our sins, look with mercy on those who recognize our wretchedness, we are
overwhelmed by our guilt, comfort us again with your love.
Homily on the First Reading and the Responsorial Psalm :
Have you ever heard God speaking to you? Occasionally, it is a question that I am asked when visiting
our religious education program or the parochial school classes. I always answer Yes, and then I go to
tell them that God speaks to me as God speaks to each of us through the Bible. The bible is one of our
primary sources of revelation, how we learn about God.
Unfortunately, there was a time, not long ago when Catholics were afraid to read the Bible. Church
officials in reaction to Protestant reformers were afraid that without the opportunity for further study
about the bible, many could misunderstand and be misled by what they read in the bible. We as
Catholics were ignorant of the bible and it is part of the reason that many Catholics are intimidated by
some Christian groups that can quote to them the chapter and verse of certain biblical passages. It is
good to have a copy of the bible and to read it with understanding. However, just as the Koran can be
misunderstood and tragically misapplied by certain Muslim fundamentalists, so there are some
Christians who misapply the teachings of the bible. No one here, I am sure would advocate the cutting
off of hands, or the plucking out of eyes, even though Jesus says as much in the Gospels, because we
know that is not how you interpret the bible.
After focusing on the introductory rites: the procession, gathering Hymn, veneration of the altar,
sign of the cross, greeting, penitential rite, Gloria and the collect or opening prayer. The homilies over
the next few weeks will focus on the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word includes the First
Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading, the Gospel Acclamation, The Gospel, Homily, Creed and
the General Intercession or Prayer of the Faithful.
The mass is divided into two principle parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the
Eucharist. We believe that Christ is fully present to us in the Eucharist; we affirm that it is his body and
his blood. We likewise assert that Christ speaks to us through the passages of the Bible that are
proclaimed during the Mass. The tabernacle was made by the Jewish people for the stone tablets that
contained the word of God, later synagogue kept the torah in the tabernacles as they do to this day. It
speak about the sacredness of the written word of God. The Bible is a precious gift that has been given
to us and so we regard it with much reverence.
The Catholic Bishops of the world gathered during the Second Vatican Council in 1964, decreed
that Catholics should hear more of the Bible read at Mass, according to the Bishop we hear large
portions of every book of the Bible at Mass over the course of three years. Previously, Catholics were
most ignorant of the Old Testament and focused mostly on hearing the New Testament. However, the
Old Testament was that part of the Bible that nourished the faith of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, St. Peter
and all of the apostles, including St. Paul. Throughout the year, with the exception of the 7 Sundays of
Easter, the First Reading at Mass is taken from the Old Testament. It is chosen to correspond
thematically with the Gospel passage. Many Catholics falsely believe that the Old Testament
presentation of God is very severe and easily angered and vengeful. The true picture of God is one of a
long suffering parent, both presented as Father and Mother who is at great pains to correct the
indulgent children. God is more compassionate, more patient, more wise, more faithful than we could
ever be. The First reading for today, reveals to us the greater perceptiveness of God, who sees at a
depth that fails us, Human beings see the external appearances, God sees the inner strength. David
seems like a silly boy but God sees his capability. Jesus too would have heard this narrative and
recognized that God caused him to have a fully human nature, because God sees such great possibility
for the human race. Perhaps, knowing this passage from the choice of David, Jesus saw in the Blind Man
a person of great spiritual sight. The lessons from the Old Testament, the Bible of the Jews can make us
more aware of our heritage and closer to Jesus, whose faith was formed by it.
However, during the Easter season the first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. It is at
Easter time that we interrupt the message from the Old Testament to hear about the earliest Christians
and even then we hear the preaching of Peter, Paul, Stephen, James and the other Christian leaders who
begin with the Old Testament texts that seem to anticipate the ministry, passion, death and resurrection
of Jesus. If we seek to grow in our knowledge of God we need to be at home with the Word of God.
We respond to God’s word with words of prayer, but our prayer is insufficient and so we turn to
the words of prayer that God has revealed to us, the Psalms. Jesus prayer was that of the book of
Psalms the prayers and songs of Israel that evolved over a thousand years. The last words of Jesus
before his death are prayers from Psalm 22:1, My God, My God why have you forsaken me, or Psalm
31:5 Into your hands I commend my Spirit. The Psalm for this Sunday is without a doubt the most
famous, the Lord is my Shepherd, Psalm 23. While it is not on Jesus’ lips, there can be no doubt that he
knew it and prayed it frequently. The image of God as shepherd is often found in Jesus’ parables and in
his sayings. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd who listens to his sheep. The poetic language of the
psalms and the 23rd Psalm in particular is very compelling. Even in our darkest moments when we feel
like despairing, God is there, whether in the valley of Kandahar, or in the wards of Calvary hospital, from
the Alcoholic to the Aids patient. On the lips of the dying and in the mouths of starving children, we pray
that God will lead us to His table.
These are the songs that will be remembered long after we have shuffled off to the shadow of
death and come to dwell in the Lord’s house forever. We sing the Psalms when there is someone to
lead us in song, because they are songs, the Bible attributes many of these psalms as songs composed
by David, whether they were composed by him or not, they reflect the melodies of our most ancient
worship of the God who sees what no human eye can see, God who penetrates into our hearts. 4/3/11
Photographic Memory
I remember discovering in a book of photographs a Letter from My Grandfather to my father. It was
written about 1922 and my grandfather was selling some machinery in Chicago, written at the time my
father was turning 13 and his father wrote to him about taking on greater responsibility at home for his
mother and his younger sister. I never met my grandfather, he died well before my parents married
but I get a real sense of the man from this letter. Such are the value of keeping and preserving letters as
we do with the collection of NT letters from St. Paul, St. John, St. Peter, St, James and St Jude. Written
by these Christian leaders to specific persons or communities about very practical matters for living the
Christian life. These are occasional writings.
The Bulletin articles that I write are frequently a type of occasional writing: Whether it is some that has
occurred locally or globally. This week, for example I write about organ donation, as an organ donor I
believe that it merits consideration, especially in light of todays’ readings. Today’s homily is based on:
the Second Reading and the Acclamation and Verse before the Gospel
Nature of the Second reading: Letter; Exhortation; Homily; Exposition: Apocalyptic narrative.
These are for the most part occasional writings, that is a writing that is composed for a specific occasion
or event that has taken part or will occur in a community.
St. Paul is interested in speaking to the Roman Christians about the life of the resurrected or
spirit life. He does not mean the life after death but the life that we live now which we possess by virtue
of baptism. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the
contrary, you are in the spirit,” We cannot breathe the spirit into ourselves, it is what God has already
done for us in Christ Jesus and his resurrection of which we share. Focus away from the physical into
the realm of the spiritual incarnated body.
It means how I live my life; what are the priorities; am I self centered or am I other centered;
Ultimately do I center my life on the one is so totally other than I am, than I can hope to be, we are not
God nor can we ever share in God’s life not just the created life that God made but the very life of God –
it would be possible however, if God willed it. That is what we believe that God does in baptism, gives
us the possibility of a new existence. “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.”
A existence that is not concerned with merely surviving but living life on a very different plane –
living the life of the spirit. The best examples that I know of such a life are in the lives of people like
Dorothy Day, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Charles de foucould, Francis of Assisi. Often we can
experience in our families and frequently, at funerals, I hear people witness to the incredible goodness
and love of their dearly beloved and how they were selfless in giving to others. Those others tried to
extend that well beyond their families and neighbors to every person that they met and even more they
deliberately went out to look for opportunities to do more.
It is what they tried to do every day of their lives – be faithful to their Christian call, be people directed
by the spirit that is within them. It is what we are called to do, yes it begins in our families, one can not
show such love to others if one can not live in peace and selflessness in their famiies, and then with their
friends and neighbors and then extending that to the whole world. It is what the Lord imagined when
he told his followers to go to the whole world.
One of the distinctive features that marks the Gospel as something distinct from the other readings is
that it has its own acclamation; except for the Lenten season it is Alleluia a Hebrew word that means
praise to the Lord. During Lent as you can observe we use an alternative: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ,
King of Endless Glory, essentially it is similar to the meaning of Alleluia. It is followed by a single verse
often as today a phrase from the Gospel for the day: I am the Resurrection and the Life. The purpose of
which is to given some focus to our hearing of the Gospel text and directing our thoughts. During the
Easter season and at other festive times the Acclamation and verses may be repeated to accompany a
longer Gospel procession. Today it properly focuses on the Christian life I am resurrection and the Life.
And since we are in Christ then we might say that we are the resurrection and the life. In light of Paul’s
words we can understand that Jesus does not merely resuscitate Lazarus he calls him to a new, a spirit
filled life. 4/10/11
Locked Doors:
One of the reasons that I am thankful for my Honda, it that I can’t lock my keys in the car. I had a Buick
in which I locked the keys in the ignition, I tried to open it with a hanger but was unsuccessful.
Fortunate for me, there were some Bronx boys who opened the car in seconds. Today is about opening
doors, not just to a physical locality but opening the doors to our understanding.
We return to the Order of the Mass and the Liturgy of the word, this weekend we look at the Gospel and
the Homily. Before focusing on these elements, a brief word about the rite of sprinkling at the
beginning of the Mass in place of the penitential rite, it is an option that it particularly apt during the
Easter season, since it is meant to recall our baptism and the forgiveness of sins that we first
experienced at baptism.
The Gospel is the most important part of the Liturgy of the Word: The liturgy itself gives evidence to its
importance. There is a separate book for the proclamation of the Gospel. It is set on the altar at the
beginning of Mass, and it is reserved only for the Gospels; the Gospel has its own acclamation, the
Alleluia; its own minister – the deacon or if there is no deacon, or the priest ; the deacon, if present,
receives a blessing from the priest or if he is not present then the celebrant bows to the altar and say
quietly a prayer: “May I the Lord purify my hearts and my lips that I may worthily proclaim the gospel”;
the gospel has its own procession; there is the greeting prior to the Gospel; the Book of the Gospels
may be incensed; the deacon or priest traces the sign of the cross on the book of the Gospel and then
as we all do on our forehead, lips and hearts, saying to himself: “May the word of God be on my lips, in
my mind and on my heart”; after the proclamation of the Gospel there is a separate concluding
affirmation: the Gospel of the Lord, followed by your response, “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ;” finally,
the deacon or priest kisses the book of the Gospel and quietly says: May the proclamation of the Gospel
wipe away our sins.” All this serves to emphasize the prominent place of the Gospel during the Liturgy
of the Word. It is akin to the words of Jesus over the bread and wine. The words; “praise to you Lord
Jesus Christ”, are not directed to the deacon or priest but to the text that he has proclaimed, we believe
that Jesus is truly present in the gospel and the words are his words addressed to us. Why because we
need to hear Jesus speaking to us today at this moment in our lives.
We hear a greater percentage of the gospel texts than any other part of the scriptures. The Bishops at
the II Vatican Council decreed that we would hear more from the Gospel and instead of the same
reading every year they chose instead to make a three year cycle of readings: one for Matthew, one for
Mark and one for Luke: with readings from John occurring each year exclusively during the Easter and
Christmas seasons.
A homily is not a sermon; it is not an exposition; it is not an exhortation; it is not a paraphrasing or a
retelling of the scriptures; it is not an instruction or religion class, a homily may in fact contain some or
all of these elements because – each of these has merit but the homily should be the opportunity to
ponder the scriptures and liturgy together and help direct our mutual exploration of how God is
directing us here and now in this community.
One of the reasons that I chose to write my doctoral dissertation on the speech of St. Paul in the Acts of
the Apostles was because I wanted to learn more about how the ancient church preached the word of
God. I noticed that St. Paul often used current events in the life of the community to illustrate the
central tenet of his preaching, for example, when in Athens, he sees an altar to an unknown god and it
because the matter for his preaching.
Anecdotes whether personal or ones that belong to the community, I believe are important gist for the
homily. Our faith dies not operate in a vacuum, God speaks to us in many ways and the daily moments
that touch our lives can be moments of grace to help us augment our discussion or faith and even to
amplify it. The liturgical celebrations, texts of the mass, local activities, national and international
events often touch our lives.
So a homily for today might include some of the following: the royal wedding of Kate and Williams
wedding; the tornados that ravaged the South; the NFL draft; Divine Mercy Sunday; the Octave of
Easter; the Beatification of Pope John Paul II; our Blood Drive; the Blessing of Families expecting the
birth of a child; the blessing of those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries during April; May Day St.
Joseph the Worker; et al. I choose to look at the scripture for today in light of the beatification.
It begins with locked doors and how to get beyond the barriers that we impose on the Lord’s grace.
Pope John Paul II helped to break down the barriers that separated people, he did so in his native
Poland as Archbishop and later as Pope, whether he contributed to the fall of the Soviet Block, I will
leave to historian, but he clearly called Catholics to be conscious of their dignity as human beings and he
urged us not to be held captive by any
Economic or political system. Like Jesus, God permitted Pope John Paul to enter into the locked doors of
bigotry and fear to see and embrace the greater freedom as God’s children. This is the eighth day of
Easter, John Paul out of a particular devotion to Sister Faustina, declared it to be Divine mercy Sunday.
By the mercy of God doors are opened and Jesus brings for us a whole new reality. Today in Rome,
Pope Benedict XVI declared his immediate predecessor, Blessed John Paul II. Being blessed is not
something that is unique to Pope John Paul, Jesus tells us the same in the Gospel, Blessed are we who
have not seen but have believed. It is our belief that makes us blessed. Jesus comes again and again
through locked doors to set us free from sin and death. Alleluia! May 1, 2011
Professing:
Perhaps you heard the story of a man who went into the confessional and told the priest that he made a
hole in one and the priest told him that the confessional is where Catholics confess their sins. The man
replied that it was okay because he is Jewish but that he just had to tell someone. That urge to tell
someone is a profession. One of the distinctive characteristics of the Sunday Mass is the profession of
faith. Today we focus on the final two aspects of the Liturgy of the word: the Profession of faith and the
General Intercessions.
When the two disciples return from their heartfelt encounter with the risen Lord they are met by the other
disciples in the upper room professing their faith, even before the two can speak about their experience
with the Risen Lord on the way to Emmaus. Early on the excitement about the resurrection colored the
preaching of the apostles, whether it was Peter on that first Pentecost as characterized in the acts of the
apostles or in the first letter of Peter, they possessed something invaluable that that wanted to share.
Having listening to God’s word from the scripture and reflecting on that word together in the homily, we
are invited to respond to God’s word by making a interior act of faith and publicly professing our faith.
The creed that we profess is an ancient formula of that very personal act that resonates in the community.
The Nicene creed that we profess each Sunday dates back to the Council of Nicea in fourth century. The
creed which is also called a symbol of faith, first found its way in Christian worship in the baptismal
liturgy as it still does today in the form in form of questions: Do you believe in God, the father almighty.
The older baptismal creed that we sometimes profess is called the Apostles creed, it recall the basic tenets
of our faith: our belief in the triune God, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the efficacy of baptism, the
resurrection of the dead, the communion of our blessed and honored dead and of the eternal life that
Christ has prepared for us. There are the minimum things that we need to believe if we are Christian, they
still are the gist of our faith and form the basis of Adult faith formation for the Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults.
The ancient creed begin with a personal expression of faith: I believe and we will return to the use of the
single person singular in our recitation of the creed in November with the third edition of the Roman
Missal. There is some value in stating that this is a common faith hence the plural “we” but since I can
not affirm absolutely what it is that any other person believes it is better to use the singular form: I
believe, the commonality of our faith being expressed by the hundreds of I believes that will fill the
church.
There are some changes to the language of the creed as well, mostly technical theological language that is
more precise: such as instead of the current “One in being with the father, we will use the word
“consubstantial”.
The creed is a personal act of our common faith, the Intercessions or prayer of the faithful is an
expression of our commitment to focus on the needs of others, even those who are not present with us,
both those in need who are far from us as well as for the dead who we believe still benefit from our
prayers. Before we enter into the great prayer of the church that is the Eucharist, we are invited to pray
for others. There is a certain order to our prayer: we pray for the Universal mission of the church; for
particular needs of the church universal and local, then we pray for the needs of society, for public
officials or for the cause of justice in our world, then we pray for the specific needs of our local
community, the sick, the injured, victims of natural tragedies, or those who are unfortunate: the hungry,
homeless and finally those who have died. We do what Jesus commanded of his disciples that we spread
the message of the risen Lord by our prayers and our actions. May 8, 2011
“The Pastoral Gateway”
There is one shepherd and we are representatives of the Shepherd One, today we hear the image that
Jesus employs from the gospel, that of the entryway into the sheep fold, the last barrier to keep the
sheep safe, after all that is the first duty of a shepherd, it would be impossible to do so in the open field
and he needs the physical protection afforded by an enclosure with the shepherd literally taking the
place for the entry and exit of the sheep. The pastor or shepherd in the church is the pastoral gateway,
the pastor in this case takes the place of Jesus and by grace, Jesus works through the pastor. Within the
church, the bishop has the principal role of Pastor for the local church, in our case Archbishop Dolan is
our pastor for the archdiocese, Bishop Jude has that role for the church in Ondo. The parish priests
share in that role by the delegation of the bishop. All of us whether bishop, priest, deacon, or laity work
for the benefit of the local community, recognizing all the time that it is Christ, the Good Shepherd the
true pastoral gateway who watches over us and gives his life for us. The Eucharis that we celebrate
together is the special gift that the Lord gives us to be a source of protection, nourishment and life.
The next few weeks the homilies will focus on the Second part of the Mass: the Liturgy of the Eucharist,
it is good during these several weeks to keep in mind the Good Shepherd as we ponder together the
Liturgy of the Eucharist.
It begins with the Rites of preparation and includes the Eucharistic prayer and its elements, the
preparation for communion, the reception of communion and concludes with the prayer after
communion. May God grant us the grace to encounter Christ who feeds us with Eucharistic food. May
15, 2011
“Being Prepared to meet the Lord”
Well, we are still alive, the rapture has come and gone again and the Lord has not come again. Yet there
is a truth that needs to be explored and the misunderstanding that yesterday was the rapture may yet
have a deeper and significant meaning for us all. We need to ask ourselves after all, are we ready for
the Lord? Are we prepared to meet our maker? Yet the truth is that we meet the Lord each Sunday in
the Mass, the Eucharist, the holy sacrifice, the sacrament of the body and Blood of the Lord. Perhaps
the question that we need to ask is not are we ready for the rapture but are we ready, are we prepared
for our Sunday encounter with the Lord? The way, the truth and the life. Jesus uses three words but
they speak about the same thing, the one reality expressed in various dimensions: the way and the truth
and the life are not cumulative but emphatic: they are three expressions of the one thing: and that one
thing is the presence of Christ. The complexity of the Eucharist that we celebrate is fundamentally that
we believe that Jesus is really, truly and vibrantly present, at this very moment – now with us: the way
or path is the Eucharist: the truth is that bread and wine are transformed into the body of Christ, the life
is the exchange: he exchanges his life with us: we become part of him and He becomes partners with us.
The preparation is above all an interior preparation: not only preparing ourselves to receive communion,
but preparing to see the presence of Christ in the lives that we lead, in the week that has passed, in the
opportunities that we have taken and even those that we have neglected, this is what we bring to the
altar, not just bread and wine and our monetary offerings, but the deeper reality that they represent:
our lives: our brokenness: our hunger and thirst: our questions and doubts: our goodness and sacrifice:
our struggles to be holy and faithful. We are, after all according to St. Peter, a priestly holy and royal
people, one set apart to do God’s will and this entails our preparation.
The Liturgy of the Word concludes and the altar that is bare except for a single cloth, is prepared: the
missal, chalice, corporal and purificators are placed on the altar. The corporal, from the Latin for body,
is a large square cloth that is spread out on the center of the altar. The empty vessels that will contain
the consecrated wine are placed to the side. This is followed by the procession of the bread and wine
and the monetary offering that is brought forward by representatives of the assembly and presented to
the priest. This procession, one of several during the Mass, represents the gifts off the entire
congregation, both materially and spiritually.
The bread and wine are placed on the altar and the collection of money is accepted by the priest and
properly secured. The bread and win are sufficient enough for the communion of those gathered for
that particular Mass. The gifts are blessed in turn with a blessing that is based on the “berakah’ the
blessing a Jewish father would say during a Sabbath meal or at the Passover Seder. Although the gifts
have been brought forward by the representatives of the congregation, we are reminded that these like
all the gifts we have come from God. Wine is poured from flagon into one or more chalices and water is
added to the wine, accompanied by the silent prayer of the presider. This prayer expresses the
theological truth expressed by the ancient fathers: “By the mystery of this water and wine may we
come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”
Just as Jesus prepared his disciples in his farewell address as composed in John’s gospel, so his Spirit
helps us to be prepared to enter into that most solemn prayer of the Eucharist. It is the legacy of Jesus’
life that we continue to celebrate – the legacy that we receive and pass on. It all begins with the
community’s preparation to encounter the risen Lord, the rapture not withstanding. May 21, 2011
BLESSED BY YOUR SACRIFICE
What have you given up for Easter, Yes Easter, not only Lent, we should be conscience of the sacrifices
that we make daily throughout the year for the sake of our Christian faith. Blessed by your Sacrifice
Pray brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the father almighty.
About whom do we speak when at the presentation of the gifts we speak about sacrifice, many may say
that it is Jesus’ sacrifice but we don’t’ need to ask the father to accept the sacrifice of his Son, that has
been done once for all. The sacrifice must be what the words imply it is the sacrifice that we make daily
to remain faithful to Jesus and to his words. Christ’s sacrifice and the sacrifice of the priest and the
faithful become one. We are united to the Lord in the actions that we take and of Jesus’ offering of
himself
We need to unite our sacrifices with Jesus’ sacrifice, because we may be tempted to play to victim to
say: look at all that I am doing, why don’t others do like me, why can’t everyone be as hard working and
as generous as me. The true sacrifice is not one that expects rewards or even one that focuses on the
person giving: we need to understand the meaning of the words of Jesus that it is more blessed to give
than to receive. Yes we should offer sacrifice, not because it gains us God’s grace but because we
already received God’s grace and the sacrifices that we offer are an expression of that grace, we can do
nothing, offer nothing, we can not pray or worship or praise God unless it we had already been blessed
by God, blessed by the sacrifice, blessed in the sacrifice that you and I offer, not just bread and wine and
offertory envelopes but all that we have and all that we are we give to the Lord.
Persecutions of Christians: they are both overt and occult. Christians are persecuted in repressive
societies like China and North Korea and in certain places where they are the minority, Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq, Palestine, Syria. There are other places where Christians are free to worship but are
hostilely ridiculed for their belief and practices.
These are sacrifices but the supreme sacrifice: the one above and beyond, is the sacrifice of ones life for
ones friends.
Before Jesus gave that supreme sacrifice, he had supper for the last time with his disciples. The farewell
discourse of Jesus as recorded in John’s Gospel extends from chapter 13 to 17 and in the section for this
Sunday he, Jesus states that He is our advocate who always pleads our cause. The meal forms the
backdrop for the farewell and looming over all is His impending death. The meal is presented in the
context of that ultimate sacrifice.
This continues to be true in the Eucharist that we celebrate, sacrifice is a key to understanding it. No
longer a bloody sacrifice of animals but the Son of God who offered his body “once for all” is present in
the Eucharist. We join our sacrifice with His. The words of the prayers over the gifts and the priest’s
private prayers echo this motif.
“With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord,
and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.”
28. Then the Priest, standing at the side of the altar, washes his hands, saying quietly:
“Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
These private preparation prayers of the priest emphasizes the sacrificial character of the Eucharist as
does his invitation to the assembly, made more clear in the refined language of the third edition of the
Missal.
Standing at the middle of the altar, facing the people, extending and then joining his hands, he says:
Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
The people rise and 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.”
In the words of the hymn we are Blessed by this sacrifice, mine, yours and the Lord’s. May 29, 2011
Holy things for the Holy People
St. Cyril of Jerusalem says that before the gifts are brought to the altar te priest says, “Holy things for the
Holy.” We know that the gifts of bread and wine that we bring to the altar are shortly to be made holy
but the prayer of the priests in concert with the assembly but who are the holy ones of which Cyril’s
priest speaks. It is you and I , the priest and the assembly. We are not accustomed to considering
ourselves, and we might say to ourselves, if they knew who I am they would not call me holy.
Yet, God knows who we are and He who knows us so thoroughly, calls us holy. Peter in the tenth
chapter of Acts has a very disturbing vision, he sees a cloth set before him on which are unclean or nonkosher food and a voice says to him, take and eat, Peter protests that he has never partaken of unclean
food, but the voice continues that what God calls clean, you are not to call unclean. Peter realizes that
the vision is about his ability to associate with non-Jews and so he is given the permission to associate
with the gentile family of the Roman Cornelius and though Peter they are brought to the faith.
Peter realizes that not only has God declared him holy, but the gentiles as well. What God declares
clean, or holy, we cannot call unclean. There is the similar vision that Isaiah has. The sixth chapter of
Isaiah takes places in the heavenly temple and Isaiah sees and hears of the Majesty of God. The angel
attendant call cry: Holy, Holy, Holy. The triple acclamation is meant to convey that the message that
God is the source of all holiness, here specifically the intention is otherness, God is totally transcendent,
and no one is worthy to be in God’s presence. The prophet Isaiah is very conscience of his
unworthiness: He affirms, “I am a man if unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” Yet God
has the prophet’s lips purified so that he might speak God’s word. God has made him worthy.
The Sanctus or Holy, Holy, Holy that we sing during Mass is a reminder that we are Holy not by virtue of
our actions but by the act of God. The hymn is at once our repetition that God is Holy but an
acknowledgement that we are God’s holy people. The Dialogue prior to the Sanctus emphasizes this.
We are under the aegis of God’s spirit to whom we have lifted up our hearts. The final words of the
dialogue will more accurately translate the latin “dignum et justum est” – “It is right and just.” It is right
and just not because we desire it but it is right and just because this is what God wills. It is right and just
that we receive Holy Things because God has made us Holy.
Though it may be difficult for us to believe in our sanctity, it is what God has done for us and our only
possible response, like that of Isaiah and Peter before us is to praise God, As so we repeat the words of
the Angels in heaven.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
June 5, 2011
Spirit Language
There are those who say that everyone should speak the same language, but what language should that
be? Should it be Mandarin, the most spoken language in the world, or English the second most spoken
language or Spanish the third most spoken language. What is the most common language among
Catholics? Spanish is the number-one language spoken by Catholics.
I get a little afield, the wonder of Pentecost is not that people spoke the same language there were in
Jerusalem, people of many nations and who spoke many different languages. The miracle of Pentecost
is that they all understood each other. Understanding is after all one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We
don’t need to speak the same language but we need to understand one another and remember that the
worship of God is conducted in thousands of languages but with the same understanding that we
worship the one God whose Son died and rose for us and whose promised Holy Spirit has come upon us.
So we need to ask, how do you learn another language? What is essential. The Spirit of God is about
communication. The world was created by God’s word, it was saved by the word of God made flesh
and it is sustained by the Spirit, the advocate who helps us to understand the word of God that is spoken
to us and enables us to speak to God in prayer. Then we can speak words of love and fellowship to one
another. We would not be able to communicate with God without the help of the Holy Spirit. Paul
affirms in the letter to the Corinthians: “ No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”
During the Mass there is a special pint when the priest invokes the Holy Spirit, it is called the epiclesis,
you can recognize that moment by the gesture of the priest, he extends his hands over the bread and
wine and asks that the Holy Spirit change them for us into the body and blood of the Lord. It is one of
the few times during the Mass when the gesture is more important than the words. It is often the
reason why bells may be rung at that time to draw attention to the consecrating act of the Spirit of God.
The changes that are most noticeable are the words of the Eucharistic prayer, it is all a case of
translating from the Latin to the English. Since we believe that The Holy Spirit is the means by which
God communicates to us then we can say that it is the Holy Spirit that is alive in the Church. The most
striking difference is the change of one word in the, so called words of institution, the words of Jesus
over the bread and wine during the Last supper that are repeated by the priest.
We remember the most important words of Jesus and we recall them at every Mass. In particular it is
the words over the chalice, whereas the priest now says “It will be shed for you and for all for the
forgiveness of sins, the new translation has “It will be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of
sins.” Pope Benedict has said correctly that per multis is not per omnes. For many is not the same as for
all. There is a more profound theological truth, that Jesus’ death and resurrection does not guarantee
that people can still reject the invitation to salvation. Is it possible that there are some who so
completely reject God so as to be condemned, Pope Benedict would say yes.
All languages are limited: problem of translating the bible, Some times what we say gets
miscommunicated. I misintroduced a Priest in Spanish by calling him Fr. Corto (Short) instead of Fr.
Coto. We can communicate effectively, even without words, by signs and gestures:
My sister
Jeanne was in Italy and did not know any Italian but she asked some one where the train was by saying
choo, choo, Silent communication Nod, squeeze of the hand, an embrace, a wave, thumbs up or down,
blowing a kiss, or more crudely the gesture we use in place of obscenities.
We need patience to understand and communicate to one another. We need to realize that
communicating is an act of love. God’s communication to us is an act of love, the creation of the word,
the incarnation of His son, coming in the flesh to teach us about the love of the father, the gift of the
Spirit to be with us always.
There is a Sermon from a 6thCentury African Author, who writes: “The disciples spoke in the language
of every nation. We must realize dear brothers, that this is the same Holy Spirit by whom love is poured
out in our hearts. It was love that was to bring the church of God together all over the world. And as
individual men who received the Holy Spirit could speak in all kinds of tongues, so today the church,
united by the Holy Spirit, speaks in the language of every people.” June 12, 2011
Doxology: Glory for All
Except for Agatha Christie novel or other mystery writers, mysteries are not so much to be un raveled as
explored and finally appreciated as such, whether it be the mystery of love, of life, of death, or as we
celebrate today the mystery of the Trinity.
Lets hear it for famous threes - the 3 Stooges, the 3 musketeers, the Andrew sisters, three dimension –
height, width and depth, three levels of government- executive, legislative and judicial, you have the
triple crown in baseball and in racing, there are three orders in the church deacon, priest and bishop and
the three offices they hold to rule, to teach and to sanctify, and for the ancients three was considered
the perfect number, the reason why the Egyptians buried these semi-divine leaders, the pharaohs, in
pyramids.
So for Christians the most profound mystery that we proclaim is that of the trinity a threefold unity:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. From the sign of the Cross that begins the Mass to the final Blessing that
concludes it, the trinity has a prominent part. Ast week we focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in the
Epiclesis and the words of Jesus spoken over the bread and wine. What follows is the assemblies
expression of its faith in the Lord by his death, rising and his return at the end of time. We sing together
that mystery of our faith in some of the oldest Christian formulas, We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection until you come again. Or: When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again. Or: Save us, Savior of the world, for by your
Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
The Eucharistic prayer that we have been looking at the past three Sundays concludes with a prayer to
the Triune God, called the Doxology or prayer of glory, it is when the priest elevates the host and the
chalice or if there is a deacon, then he holds the chalice aloft and the priest sings or says, Through Him
With Him and In in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, All Glory and Honor is your almighty Father, forever and
ever. There is no other elevation for example that after the priest says the words of institution the
words Jesus said over the bread and the wine, the missal says he shows it to the people, the only time
the word elevation is used is at the conclusion of the Eucharistic prayer with the Doxology.
Why is this important, it shows that there is an integrity to the Eucharistic prayer and it flows
organically, no one part is more important than the other. Some may ask well when does the bread and
wine actually become the body and blood of the Lord, some would say at the epiclesis when the spirit is
called down others when the priests says those very words of Jesus, but I chose to believe it is during
the entire prayer and so by the end of the prayer it is clearly Christ who is present, he is so thoroughly
present through Christ all creation has come into existence, with Christ we continue to proclaim the
message of salvation and in Christ we are united as one people, one body, one church, but not just
Christ alone except in the unity of Father and Holy Spirit.
Our only legitimate response to all that God has done, is not anything that we can offer but our words of
praise to the Glory of God. Our Amen, this great amen is our affirmation not only of this final doxology
but an affirmation of the entire prayer that began with the preface and opening dialogue through the
epiclesis, the words of the last supper narrative, the acknowledgement of the Easter mystery, Christ,
death, resurrection and return. The memory of those saving events, the prayers for the church both the
living and the dead, all of this succinctly formed into one prayer to which we all affirm with loud voice
and in song: AMEN. Some times even in triplicate. Amen. Amen. Amen.
June 19. 2011
Communion in more ways than One:
I have known many gay men and women who are in long standing relationships. There are many
homosexuals who are very devote and fervent Catholics, there are wonderful family units that include
heterosexual and homosexual members. I now that the Catholic church has lobbied against same sex
marriage and I likewise feel inclined to believe that marriage should not be legally defined as including
members of the same sex. However, that being said, I also believe that at least, part of the impetus,
behind the drive to extend the legal definition of marriage to include members of the same sex is about
communion, a desire to be united. I decline to speak about the politics or even the morality about the
question but I think that it is timely for us to consider the desire for union that I believe has prompted
the issue. That desire for union, here I am not limiting it to marriage, but the need, a psychological
need and I would dare say a spiritual need; I believe is true and good, that is the need to be one. I can
affirm that the need is universal and at the same time, affirm that not every expression of that need for
union, should result in marriage.
This solemnity that we celebrate today is likewise about union, our desire, our need for union with God
and God’s act of com- union with us. The Eucharist is fundamentally God’s act in which we are
compelled to participate, from first to last it is what God does and we are permitted to share in this act
of God, not simply as observers but as participants; this sacramental encounter – that feeds form our
need for union with God centers in the person of Jesus Christ, His Body, His Blood. Through baptism we
were given a share in that life and the more complete union occurs in the Eucharist, the moment of full
communion with Him and with all believers.
The Communion rite follows the Eucharistic Prayer that concludes with the Doxology and Great Amen.
The Rites of Communion include the preparation for that Communion with the lord’s Prayer and
embolism, the exchange of peace, The singing of the lamb of God during the breaking of the bread and
the private preparation of the priest, the comingling, the invitation to communion and the response, the
communion, communion song and prayer after communion.
Today is about hunger not our hunger but God’s hunger. Yes, God is hungry and has in turn created a
hunger in us that can not be satisfied with anything that we can provide for ourselves. We humans
possess many great and wonderful qualities, we are intelligent and resourceful, we are creative and
imaginative, we are skilled and competent. We have created marvels of science and art. Great minds
like Einstein, Da Vinci, Pascal, Socrates have advanced human knowledge immeasurably, Still there is a
huger for more that we are not able to satisfy. As a believer I suggest that it is our hunger for God, more
exactly it is God’s hunger for us or God desire to be united with us, not by force or coercion but by
respecting our freedom. God’s love for us is a free and creative act and by creating us and sharing the
life breathe with us, God has imparted in us some of this hunger for the only life that matters: life with
God.
We express this hunger for God directly in the Lord’s Prayer when we say “give us this day our daily
bread.” It is, of course, more than the that which sustains us physically, it is the nourishment that God
gives us in multiple ways, spiritually, mentally, creatively, psychologically and physically. The “daily
bread “ is our communion with the Risen Lord who sustains us body and soul. Only God can give us the
entirety of His son, body and blood for us to survive. Only Jesus can allow us to be fully united with Him
and through Him to be united with all believers. This hyper communion with Jesus and humanity
becomes the rationale for the petition to be forgiven and to become agents of forgiveness. We pray
that God make us reject all dis-union, anything that prevents us from realizing the integrity of the
Christian community.
This force for reconciliation is the rationale behind the exchange of peace. It is not merely exchanging
pleasantries to those on my right and left, those in front and behind me. The full sense of this rite is that
of being an agent of Jesus’ reconciliation in the world. I am challenged to see in the Christian assembly
my brothers and sisters in Christ and even more to acknowledge the need of my part and on the part of
the church to extend the peace of Christ to all, even those who may be hostile to this message. I cannot
come to the altar expecting communion with Christ, if I am at enmity with my brothers and sisters. The
exchange of peace is a symbol of that deeper desire for unity, the unity for which the Lord himself
prayed. Let us prepare ourselves in heart and mind and body for communion in more ways than one.
6/26/2011
Out of one thing many and out of many things one
E Pluribus Unum is the motto on the great seal of the US and found on much of our currency. The motto
adopted shortly after the declaration of independence refers to the union of the thirteen colonies. A
earlier form of the phrase is attributed to the Greek Philosopher Heraclitus: out of one thing many and
from many things one. The philosopher makes claim for the diversity of the world and an even greater
elements that unites all things. This paradox of the one and the many is reflected in the part of the
communion rite that I would like to focus upon today, the breaking of the bread, the singing of the Lamb
of God and the private preparation prayers of the priest. Their focus is about our diversity and our unity
in Christ, bread that is broken to be distributed and yet this one bread is the ultimate unifying force in
the church – we though many are one body in Christ.
Notice for example that the rite of the breaking of the bread entails the celebrant fracturing the host
into several parts – like the Lord on the night of the last supper who divided the bread among the
apostles. The larger hosts that are used on Sunday more accurately capture the sense of this liturgical
action the larger host is broken into smaller pieces so that the assembly might also share in that one
host that the priest showed during the Eucharistic prayer, that oneness is also extended to the cup that
we share from. Out of one many and from many one.
This breaking of the bread refers to our Fragile Existence. It is a reminder of our brokenness as well as
the redemptive act of the Lord whose body was broken on the cross for our salvation. Yes, our
brokenness, the aches and pains accompany our lives, the separations, the fights, the abuse, the
alienation, the sting of hatred war and violence. The lives squandered and destroyed by physical,
chemical or emotional addictions. The financial burdens that tear families apart, the useless bickering
that shatters our lives, Yes we are broken and in need of restoration. We see in the broken body of our
crucified Lord not despair but hope, hope for the future, hope for today. We need to experience the
fragmentation so that we can see that it is the Lord who binds us together and makes us whole. When I
was ordained, as is the custom, I had a chalice executed, it was a pottery chalice from Assisi. I treasured
its simplicity and beauty, however a few years after ordination, it fell to the floor and was shattered into
many shards, I cemented the pieces together but it will never be useful for Mass as its integrity has been
compromised. I still have it to remind me of my brokenness and the only one who can make us whole –
Jesus whose broken body was given up for us.
Come to me and share my yoke says the Lord, he does not promise to take away out aches and pains,
our sufferings and anguish but he will be there with us to share our yoke as we share his – not a heavy
burden but an easy load – light on the SHOULDERS.
Through Him we are made whole again, that which has been broken is re-united in the one who loves
us. The Litany that we sing during the breaking of the bread re-enforces this truth – the Lamb of Godsacrificed on the altar of the cross comes to remove ours sins to bring us peace. You may notice that
the Priest also places a part of the host into the chalice at that time, it is called the co-mingling, it
symbolizes the joining together of the body and blood, the priest says a prayer quietly: “May this
mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.” The
sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood of the Lord that we receive has the power to effect this
reunion - the many become one again. It is the remedy for our sins, after breaking the bread the priest
genuflects and ask quietly that the reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord may bring health in
mind and body. Thus we prepare to receive communion from the one bread many receive the Lord and
though we are many we have become one through the same Lord: E Pluribus Unum. 7/03/11
Groaning to be Complete:
St. Paul is likely to agree with many scientists that creation is not yet complete, the universe is still
expanding and the human species is still very young when compared with the rest of the biosphere. St.
Paul writes of the groaning for creation; creation is not yet finished and we are not yet finished. Like
seeds, we need to mature and ripen and grow to produce fruit. We can easily attest to the
imperfection of this world and the sinfulness of humanity. A perfect world does not have earthquakes
and tsunamis, floods and droughts. Heaven does not allow inequality, sickness, injustice, poverty, abuse
and war. We can groan together that the worlds still has its growing pains, we must believe that a more
perfect union is yet to come. Our hope is based on our belief in the goodness of God and the universe.
It is possible to believe that humanity has a bright future. Nevertheless both the universe and our
humble species will need to grow; and to be certain the landscape is prone to have thorns, weeds,
stones and predators. As Christians, and here we part company we our atheist and agnostic brothers
and sisters,) we believe that this inevitable development of the universe is rooted in the person of Jesus
Christ and our communion with him.
Today we consider the central part of the Communion rite: the invitation to communion; the
communion procession and reception of the sacrament; the communion song that accompanies the
procession. For the invitation to communion the celebrant holds a portion of the bread over the chalice
and says: “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.” He repeats the words of John the Baptist from the Gospel of John
with clear reference to the presence of Jesus, and in particular to the redemptive act of the Lord, this is
made clear in the second phrase adapted from the book of revelation – we are called to the heavenly
banquet or supper of the Lamb – whose blood was shed for our sins. The penitential aspect of the
Eucharist is highlighted by this invitation. We are imperfect, so by ourselves we cannot be redeemed;
we must be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Jansenism, a nineteen century heresy, holds that we
are unworthy of God’s forgiveness so we must always be penitent, out of this false belief came the
disturbing practice that few people actually received communion, until Pius X restored the balance.
Jansenists were people who believed that you needed to be perfect to receive communion and so no
one received communion unless they confessed their sins the Saturday before.
This very scrupulous eve fanatical practice was rightfully condemned but there are still remnants of this
belief that is connected with our practice of receiving communion. However, we need not be so hard on
ourselves, if we admit that no one from Pope to prostitute is by ourselves worthy of the Lord. Yet it is
the Lord himself who desires our communion. The entire mass has prepared us for this moment from
the penitential rite to the exchange of peace, we have asked for forgiveness and so on the threshold of
communion we, priests and the congregation: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the
word and I shall be healed, or according to the new translation: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should
enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” The translation reflects more
closely resembles the words of the Centurion to Jesus, upon his request for the healing of his servant.
We affirm that we are not worthy but that it is God’s word that makes us whole.
As imperfect and flawed human beings we come with longing to receive the one who is like us in all
things but sin, we come to the altar to receive the person of Jesus – body and blood – and so to fill up in
us what is missing, The communion procession is such a beautiful thing - the procession of those who
seek a deeper relationship with Christ. We receive communion standing as regards our recognition that
God has called us to a new dignity as his people - we come and receive communion as Jesus disciples.
We come to say Amen to the Lord whose Body and Blood nourishes us.
Communion is most fruitfully received when one receives the body and blood of the Lord, however, if
one receives only the host or only the consecrated wine, they receive fully the body and blood of the
Lord. Like seed that falls on good ground, holy communion makes us grow in faith and may produce
fruit in each communicant in great quantities. May our communion with the Lord hasten that day when
we will stand together at the heavenly banquet before the Lamb once slain who lives forever. 7/10/2011
Beware of Spiritual Indigestion:
I went on line to discover some of the life style causes of Indigestion:
Eating too much, eating too fast, eating high-fat foods, or eating during stressful situations; Drinking too
much alcohol; Cigarette smoking; Stress and fatigue.
While I am sure there are many physicians that would be concerned about their patients bouts of
indigestion, I would like to consider Spiritual indigestion that I believe that can be caused by too
frequent reception of the Eucharist (more than once day); racing out of church after receiving
communion; being impatient with ourselves and the world, and neglecting our imagination; failing to
live out the meaning of the Eucharist; not allowing the call to justice to be rooted in our lives. Too many
distractions can keep us from bearing the full fruits of the Eucharist. There is a grave danger when we
simply receive communion and don’t give ourselves the opportunity to pray, in silence and to ponder
the enormity of the gift that we have received. I admit that as a celebrant, I often don’t follow this
direction.
The final parts of the communion rite try to help us avoid this spiritual indigestion: the purification of
the vessels, the silent prayer and the prayer after communion. There are minor actions in the Mass and
more important ones. The purification of the vessels is a minor action it can be done after communion
or even after Mass. Its purpose is to make sure that any remaining particles of the consecrated bread
and wine are consumed. It is not to be protracted and it takes place to the side of the altar or even at a
side table or in the sacristy after Mass.
The more important action after communion is really a time for inaction that is for our private prayer.
The order of the Mass states that there should be ample time after Communion to pray in silence for
giving thanks and praise to God. Mary is the paradigm for this type of prayer, her whole life was largely
a silent prayer of meditation, as Luke records in his Gospel that “Mary ponders these things in her heart.
Her ability to accept the will of God was grounded in her silent prayer. The hail Mary is essentially her
prayer that begins with the words of the angel and her response to God and so we ask her to pray for us
and with us. My cousin’s husband is a retired Marine who served in Vietnam, he told me about an
occasion when he was in a very heavy fire fight, he prayed the Hail Mary and repeated, now is the hour
of my death, he anticipated the worse but was comforted that Mary was praying with him. We too
when filled with the body and blood of the Lord through communion need to pray as she did, silently,
wordlessly, with praise and thanksgiving.
Teilhard de Chardin, the French Jesuit anthropologist and theologian in his Hymn to the Universe in an
essay entitled Monstrance he writes: ‘I had then the impression as I gazed at the host that its surface
was gradually spreading out like a spot of oil but of course much more swiftly and luminously…. But little
by little, as the white orb grew and grew in space till it seemed to be drawing quite close to me ... At the
same time everything, though drowned in this whiteness, preserved its own proper shape, its own
autonomous movement; It was as though a milky brightness were illuminating the universe from within,
and everything were fashioned of the same kind of translucent flesh.
We can not achieve this without the time for our quiet prayer. Otherwise the field of our souls will be
overrun with weeds. Let us avoid Spiritual indigestion and take our time with the Lord who took his
time to be with us forever. 7/17/11