Church of St. Mary at Clinton Heights

Last weekend, we began to consider as a worshipping community the changes that will take place within our liturgies beginning November 27^th, as we implement the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.  We considered some historical developments over the last fifty-or-so years as English was introduced into the liturgy.  And, most importantly, we began to consider certain liturgical principles that should guide our common prayer, principles like, “what we pray should reflect what we believe” and the principle of unity when we gather for public worship.  This second principle then prompted us to consider how we might approach the liturgy, at least from this moment forward.

Recall, if you will, our reflections on common unity.  Among them, we acknowledged that each one of us as individuals has been called and gathered together, asked to leave aside our own private ways of praying and devoting ourselves to God, and to embrace whole-heartedly the public, formal, ritualized, liturgical prayer of the One, United, Mystical Body of Christ.  This might sound simple enough, but allow St. Ignatius of Antioch (in his letter to the Magnesians) to put some practical application to this principle.  He writes:

“…I exhort you to strive to do all things in harmony with God: the bishop is to preside in the place of God, while the presbyters are to function as the council of the Apostles….  Let there be nothing among you tending to divide you, but be united with the bishop and those who presideserving at once as a pattern and as a lesson of incorruptibility.  Neither must you undertake anything without the bishop and the presbyters; nor must you attempt to convince yourselves that anything you do on your own account is acceptable.  No; at your meetings there must be one prayer, one supplication, one mind, one hope in love, in joy that is flawless, that is Jesus Christ who stands supreme.”

And so, comes to our attention, the need to reflect for a few moments on our overall disposition during the liturgy.  These reflections will not be easy: for, most if not all of us, our Western & American sensibilities prompt us to lay claim to, and to stringently defend an individualism expressed in each one’s own personal creativity, individual projections of our own private ideals, ‘my rights’ often at the expense of ‘my obligations or duties to others’.  But as we consider such sentiments, it becomes clear that the person being served by such statements is “me, myself and I” and there is much less room in such a mindset for “the Other”, a community, or even God Himself.  No, if we maintain such a self-centered ideology then its fulfillment will be our undoing: for the Church is not a grouping of scattered individuals looking for their own benefit or service, but rather the Church is a communion of particular women and men called together by God to embody His Voice, His Being and to worship, thank and entreat God’s continued blessings.

And so I would propose that our disposition throughout our liturgical life must be a disposition of openness and submission, of surrender and honest acknowledgment, of docility and humility.

 

When we are all individually approaching Mass, we come with our own particular burdens and fears, and with our hopes and joys.  We come with our individual intentions and prayers…and we all bring them into this one, singular yet united prayer of the Church.  And one of the first things we ought to acknowledgeeach and every one of uswe must acknowledge that something happens at Mass.  It’s not a something of our own contriving or manufacturing or producing…it’s no theater where we’re playing or performing; no, it’s something that God Himself does…He acts!  He acts now to save us: God is concentrating the entirety of His saving love for the world into the ritual action and words of our liturgy.  And in the face of such awesome, divine action, what might be our response?

We could require God to work in our own way.  We might expect and demand that God’s acting is done according to our own particular wants or desires, to what keeps us comfy & cozy.  We might demand that God do or say nothing that causes us any discomfort.  But, I propose that, these kinds of responses will only keep a distance between us and the God of love and salvation.  I would venture to say that such expectations and demands would also alienate us from a God who wants so desperately to reveal Himself more deeply & intimately to us, yet who is kept at bay and is only allowed to act in ways that we want to control, that we might contrive and manipulate…all in keeping with our frail human nature, prone to avoid hurt or discomfort, but all at the cost of God’s intimate drawing nearer to us.

So what, then, might our response be to God’s awesome action?  If we were simply to trust God and submit ourselves to His action, we might then become the wiser, the stronger, the more faith-filled, the more charitable, the more able…to respond in kind to the generosity of God by then adopting His Holy Spirit into our hearts.  Yes, this seems a more rewarding experience of the Sacred Liturgy than if we were to attempt to control God’s own life in our own.

And if our response is then one of submission, we will be most open to experience the “ever newness” of our faith.  On the other hand, if we come to Mass thinking that we have the right to have it be meaningful (or entertaining or engaging) in ways that we define, then that would remove all possibility of receiving the Massthe Sacred Liturgyas a gift from another, from God.  But He defines it, it is God’s initiative, God’s action…we are humble participants and recipients.  Here, then, we can begin to see that the Sacred Liturgy, the ritual, takes us outside of our own selves and beyond ourselves…its now an engagement of us with God where God’s action can then be adopted as our own communal action.

Yes, if we are open and we submit ourselves to Him, God is then able to entice us with His promise of love; He can then touch our hearts in new ways, encourage us by His spiritual gifts, invite usthrough His Sonto enter into His own divine life most fully.

So far, this probably doesn’t sound too bad!  It’s got lots of promise and lots of possibility…so you ask: what does it cost?  It costs us our surrender and our humility.  It will require us to begin to see ourselves anew.  Let me draw on a few practical examples of specific elements in the revised Roman Missal.

Currently, as we recite the Profession of Faith, you may have noticed that I make a profound bow (at the waist) when we mention that Christ becomes incarnate of the Virgin Mary.  That’s an abasement of sorts.  All of us will begin to adopt that gesture within the next few weeks.  Clearly we all can recall the many images from Sacred Scripture when the holy ones oftentimes are bowing, kneeling, or prostrating themselves in the presence of God or even at the mention of His name.  As the Church is Onethroughout time and spacewe join with them in this ritual gesture.

And submitting ourselves to a greater authority is nothing out of the ordinary in our ritual is it?  Recall the gesture each of us makes when we begin any form of prayer.  We mark ourselves with the Sign of the Cross.  In that simple gesture, a profound statement is being uttered: “I submit myself under the Cross of Christ”.  At each baptism that we celebrate, we hear said that the sign of the Cross on the newborn’s forehead claims them for Christ.  They are not to be their own master, but rather we are all made low, so that we might hear the invitation to follow the voice, call & love of our Eternal Shepherd…in humility, openness, docility & trust.

Some of you who are a bit older might recall striking your breast several times throughout Mass as a sign of your fault or sinfulness or weakness.  In a very simple gesture of self-mortification, the goal was to deny our own selfish desires and adopt the desire & spirit of Christ, who humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death for us.  This gesture in today’s ritual is preserved but a few times and only for the presider.  In a few weeks, we’ll restore that simple, yet humbling gesture during the penitential rite.

In each of these simple examples, I’m hopeful that each of us will be most open to modifications, to adjustments and to changes.  If we can only relax in the blessed work of our Saving God, only then can we be truly engaged in, and affected by, the great and awesome acts of God in our celebrations of the Sacred Liturgy, the Mass.   Let us be a people of great peace and joy this week and always.

Editor’s Note: For the next 4 weeks, we will be considering the changes to the Liturgy as we prepare to implement the third edition of the Roman Missal into our worship on November 27, 2011.

Since the turn of the millennium, the English-speaking bishops of the world have been working to establish a new English translation of the prayers of the Mass used throughout the globe.  Beginning next month, on November 27^th to be exact, this new translation will be put into effect.  This weekend, and for the next four weekends, I would like to reflect with you on the ultimate goal of our weekly celebration, some the principles that guide our communal worship, some of the changes to the words and some of our gestures that we use in worship, the reasons for the changes, and finally my hopes for this new way of expressing what we believe as a community of our Catholic faith.

Toward the end of the last century, Pope John Paul II had noted throughout his extensive travels that many of the prayers he used in various English-speaking countries were not the same and, in fact, oftentimes did not reflect the common foundation that they were to have in the Latin prayers of the Universal Church.  Because ours is a universal faith, he charged English-speaking bishops with the task of evaluating their translations against the Latin, authoritative, original text and, once deficiencies were found, to correct them so that the prayers of every unique language would still reflect the common language of our faith, rooted in Scripture and tradition, striving to be common among all of the faithful.

So, for the last decade or so, the bishops have been doing just that.  In order to accomplish this great task, they ran into one key question whose answer would form the method by which they would consider translation.  When considering the translation of Latin to English, how should the translation be established, using dynamic equivalence, as was done after the Second Vatican Councilgiving us a fluid, interpretive sense of the original Latin; or using a formal equivalencegiving us a more strict, formal sense of the Latin words in their romanticism.  The latter was chosen, so that while our language would be more formal and maybe a bit strange to our contemporary ears, we would nevertheless be able draw relationship between our words and the words of Sacred Scripture, between our prayers and the faith that we profess…the beliefs we hold, and the divine romance in which we are invited to dwell.

And here, now, is one of the principles of liturgy: “what we pray should reflect what we believe.”  So, for example, our belief about the divine union of the Father and the Son has been expressed for over 1,600 years as “in the Father and with the Father, the Son is one and the same God”.  Now in our current English liturgy we state that Jesus is “one in being with the Father”.  This current translation appears correct; however, it lacks expression of the dynamic yet constant movement, correlation and ongoing romance of the two in their Oneness.  Our new translation will replace the phrase “one in being with Father” with the single word “consubstantial”, that is: being of the same substance, the same essence, the same nature…always and constant.  Now, I am among the first to admit, that is probably the most challenging change for us to hear and adopt…and while it doesn’t sound romantic, that one word reflects all of our faith the first two persons of the Holy Trinity.  So let’s take another example that might help drive this point home, that “what we pray should reflect what we actually believe”.

In the third Eucharistic Prayer, we currently say to God the Father, “from east to west / a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name”.  In the new translation, we will pray instead, “from the rising of the sun to its setting / a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.”  Now at first glance the two may be so similar that the difference escapes our notice, but in the current phrase, we express the belief that God is glorified in all places by our offering of a perfect sacrifice. Yet, we exist not merely in a particular place, but in a particular time we live, and move, and have our very being.  Because God exists beyond all time and space, yet joins us in our time and space, our prayer ought to reflect this reality, thus the new translation calls these truths to our lips: “from the rising of the sun to its setting…”, thus linking time and space together…the sun rises in the east and then moves to set in the west…both time and space are expressed as dynamic, moving realities that exist under God’s care, and it is within these combined realities that we offer maybe not perfect praise, but we strive to offer a pure sacrifice to God.  This new text actually presents nothing new for our consideration: it brings to mind the ancient Scriptures word for word, so that our imagination is drawn to a richer biblical image.

An additional principle of liturgical worship that we should consider is the principle that we are one when we gather as a body of the faithful.  Because Christ is one, and because we share in His being through baptism, each one of us then is called to unite ourselves with other members of His Body so that our expression of His presence among us is singular, is complete, is united.  Thus, although we are many members, we are all parts of the One whole and as we worship in union, our worship is then common, united, singular and collective.  Our gestures, our words, our postures…all of these are now shared with one another so that our offering of our whole selves as a singular body is then in deep concert…in other words, none of us stands out, none of us is greater or lesser…we are all in harmony, in common-union, in community as we engage in the corporateor bodilyworship of God.  So, we all follow our ritual gestures in common; we all do the same actions that are prescribed to give God a unified worship.  In another sense, our corporate, unified actions and words can now reflect a growing peace and authentic harmony that flows from God’s own life.  Called together from our distinct and wonderfully unique lives, the worship of God thus unites us as one singular people with one sole purpose: praising the glory of God.

And finally, it may serve us well to consider the means by which we achieve this great unity in worship, in giving glory to God as His singular and manifold people.  The Second Vatican Council guides us well.  In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, we are all presented with the challenge to participate in this divine worship to a very high degree.  We are not simply “to attend” or “go to Mass”; instead we are to engage ourselves in a participation in the liturgy that is full, active and conscious.  And here is where I believe our new translation could have a tremendous affect on us.

With changing vocabulary and once-common phrases; with new gestures of highlight and significance; of punctuated responses that evoke the heights of our imaginations; with all these, we will be in constant motionour minds, hearts, or bodies…or all three.  New words will bring to the imagination new images and insights; new movements will highlight things that have always been so important to our faith yet now seem dull, presumed or merely overlooked; new musical settings, chants and silence will now punctuate our active selves, along with our contemplative selves…drawing us, God-willing, into a deeper union with God and with the Church.

As a way of allowing this deeper, common-union…in order to foster full, active and conscious participation, I invite each of you take home with you, one of the booklets that have been placed in the pews.  A few thoughts: first, we designed these for our parish and we did so at a significant expense.  Still, because worship is so important in our Catholic life and faith, I want you to be able to “borrow” a copy for this week.  Please read it and consider the changes that will be taking place in one month’s time.  You’ll note on the back cover that it should not be taken from the Church…you can ignore that, but only for this week.  Please return it next Sunday as we’ll begin to refer to it during our future reflections on this new Roman Missal.

As you read through the notes presented inside, please consider one final principle and a most valuable one…one that I’ll reflect on next weekend.  When we accept well the invitation from God to worship and adore Him, we are asked to present ourselves as a sacrifice; in other words, to submit ourselves to something greater than ourselves.  This requires a kind of humility or docility…something that many of usmyself includedfind very difficult.  So, as you peruse this simple guide during the week, avoid the temptation to judge it or critique it for now…just simply absorb the information and the changes noted within.  And by all, means, let us leave this place nourished with Christ’s own presence, that we might be a people of great peace and joy this week and always.

‘I die the king’s good servant but God’s servant first.’ …these words were heard from the lips of St. Thomas More just before he was executed for defying King Henry VII. Henry demanded that Thomas sign the oath of supremacy, swearing his allegiance to the King over the Pope.  St. Thomas More remained obedient to God and the Church by refusing Henry’s request and thus was beheaded. At his execution, St. Thomas More stated, “I die the king’s good servant but God’s servant first.”

The story of St. Thomas More’s fidelity to God fits the Gospel well this weekend. The Pharisees and religious leaders tried to trick Jesus with a question. “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” If Jesus said yes, he would have been accused of idolatry, breaking Jewish law. If Jesus said no, he would have been accused of disobeying Roman law. They thought they had Jesus tricked until he drew their attention to the image on a coin and replied masterfully, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  In other words, give to Caesar what has his image, but give to God what has his image.

What has God’s image on it? In the book of Genesis, “God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’ Give to God what is made in his image and likeness! Jesus reminded his audience that we are called to give God that which has been made in His image, our very lives, loving him with all our heart, mind and soul.

Certainly we are called to obey those God has put in authority over us. Thomas More was a faithful Chancellor to King Henry VIII. However, when Henry’s rules conflicted with God’s law, those rules became null and void. Perhaps this is why St. Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers and politicians. Civil leaders are reminded, especially Christians, that God’s law must reign supreme.

My brothers and sisters, during this month of October, we remember that we are called to respect & reverence all life from conception to natural death and educate this world so that our laws may reflect the Divine and the natural law. We continue to obey civil laws but in the end, may we all be able to say, “I die God’s faithful servant above all else!”

I was talking with my nieceKatelast week and she told me that she was selected to participate in New Hampshire’s Republican Debate next month and to ask a question of the U.S. presidential hopefuls. Of course the next excitable statement out of her mouth was, “I’ve got to get a new dress, but I don’t know what color! …Mom and I have to go to Boston or NYC to go shopping…” Of course, I suggested she wear what she wore last weekend to Mass. “I’m sure that would be grand”, I said…to which she replied, “Ughh, stop it, Uncle Dave!”

Clearly Kate realized and valued the importance of the upcoming meeting. She wanted to put her best foot forward, to respectfully acknowledge the importance of the event, and to be accepted as someone who could be taken seriously.

This isn’t something foreign to any of us, is it?

• When we were teens or even young adults, we dreamed of dating that someone special…and when miraculously the first date was accepted or set, each one of us primped and preened. • When we applied for college, we were scared to death that we wouldn’t get accepted, so we did everything we could to build up that résumé and application and get the best character references possible. • When we sought after our firstor, for that matter, anyjob, we nervously and anxiously hoped & hoped that we’d be called for an interview. And if it happened, we’d be sure to present our best, so that our potential employer couldn’t refuse to make us an offer! • And when, for example, we applied for a first-time home buyers’ loan or applied to a Co-Op Board for acceptance into a new housing community, we prayed we wouldn’t be turned down… we wanted to be sure all our ducksand good letters of recommendationwere in order.

Yes, when we present ourselves to something or someone important, we are always sure to present our very best, aren’t we?

And so, when the prophet Isaiah announces (from our first reading) that “the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast”, there’s no greater high-presence that we could enter; no loftier banquet for us to engage in; no more powerful court to be accepted into. This banquet of the Lord is surely the greatest feast we could ever enjoy! And what’s even more impressive and glorious is that such a feast is not only provided for a few, but “…for all peoples”! We won’t have to be afraid of getting snubbed by a short invitation list; we don’t have to worry that only the powerful or wealthy or best-connected will be there…we’re also invited. There’s no hierarchy or order to the invited list…each one of us can sit at the head of the table as well as the foot!

Now, I know what you’re thinking: it can’t be true. And our gospel is probably coming to mind: the story of the improperly dressed attendee and how he is treated by the host king. It appears that only a certain few, well-dressed attendees will be welcome to the Lord’s banquet.

 

Not so, and the reason lies within two issues: first, that we accept His invitation is important; but second, how we accept His invitation is just as important. The Gospel parable illustrates these two necessary, intersecting points by using the image of a wedding feast and proper attire. But remember, this is a parable…a story that points to a deeper reality that must be discerned and interpreted…our own particular situations applied then to a global, universal truth, such as “the Kingdom of God” and “the heavenly banquet”.

For example, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, God invites all people to taste His great love, yes? And as we participate in this great liturgy, God increases our desire and readiness for the heavenly banquet that is to come. How will we respond to the Lord’s invitation to the wedding banquet of His Son? Will we be too preoccupied with worldly affairs to accept it humbly? Or will we respond with hearts overflowing with love and gratitude for the Lord’s gift of refreshment and the opportunity to dwell in His house forever?

Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen”. The king rejected the improperly dressed man because he did not regard his invitation as a great honor. He did not clothe himself with “the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness”. The guests who were dressed in wedding garments recognized God’s abundant mercy and love as their only source of strength and hope, so they “clothed” themselves with this mercy.

Let us embrace God’s gift of love and grace in this Eucharist, and let us hear His invitation with humble, prayerful hearts and minds and voices.

By doing so, God will enable us to accept wholeheartedly His invitation to join in the celebration of the wedding feast of the lamb.

God love you always.

The story of the wicked, wretched tenants is an allegory of salvation history, is it not?  God, the owner of the vineyard, left His people in the care and protection of religious and political leaders.  Their responsibility was to bring the people to fruitfulness in knowing, loving and obeying God so they might continue to enjoy His love and protection.  From time to time, God sent His prophets to remind the people of this purpose, but the prophets were abused, rejected, and even murdered.  Finally, God sent His Son, but He too was reviled and put to death.

Jesus’ mission on earth was to form the church, a new people of God.  United by submission and obedience to the Father’s will, they would live out the fullness of God’s life and love, and would one day enjoy the eternal inheritance promised to all the faithful.  We are often like the tenants who sought by devious means to obtain the owner’s inheritance, and thus we become our own lord and master.  There is a pride in the human that spurs us to take control of our lives and seek fulfillment apart from God and obedience to Him.

God’s earnest desire is that the members of His church listen to and commit their lives to His Son as we hear God’s Word in prayer, scripture, and celebration of the liturgy.  It is only through Jesus and in union with Him that we can recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Thank God in prayer for the love He offers us in Jesus and for the intimacy to which He calls us as members of His church.  Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life so that–living in Him and for Him–we may be faithful to God, know the peace and glory of His favor and protection, and return to Him the fruit that is His due.

God love you always.