Priest, Prophet, and King: The Way of the Church

I promised, did I not, that my weekly parish bulletin columns would make their way onto this blog? I didn't forget; I just remembered later. The delay enables me to group together the last three weeks' reflections on the baptismal anointing into the Lord Jesus' threefold munera (L., "offices," "gifts") of Priest, Prophet, and King/shepherd, which spell out His identity and mission as "Messiah" (Heb, mashiach; Gk, Christos), and become for the Church the sacred tasks of sanctifying, teaching, and governing. 

23 October 2016 — 30th OT C

As Priest we are hard-wired for sacrifice. The priests of the First Covenant offered grain and animals to God in atonement for sin, in thanksgiving for God’s blessings. Our Church’s Catechism quotes an early Christian author who said, “Mankind is a beggar before God.” We cannot help but declare our dependence on God as “giver of breath and bread” (G. M.Hopkins, Wreck of the Deutschland).

According to the early understanding that persists into our day, God gives everything—good and evil. We will say with greater nuance that God permits evil, but we still experience many bad things as “happening to” us. Before the omnipotent Creator of all things we declare our need for repair and redress, our need to persevere in life amid our trials.

We offer the sacrifices of our private prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, contrition, and supplication (“ACTS”). But above all, we participate in the sacrifice of the Church’s common prayer: the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If we [as individual Catholics, and as a parish; Ed.] are not doing that, we’re simply not firing on all cylinders. 

Our sacrifice of praise includes the confession, or acknowledgment, of our sins! That’s about the most original thing we can offer Him, for our good works come from His inspiration and direction, even though we may not perceive that inspiration and direction. But those works truly become ours. We cooperate with God in carrying them out. “Confession” means acknowledgment: acknowledgment above all of the goodness of our God, Whose love for us extends even unto the forgiveness of our sins and restoration to friendship with Him and our neighbor. If we’re not doing that [i.e. making a regular, conscientious Confession], we’re simply not firing on all cylinders.

30 October 2016 — 31st OT C

From the days of Moses and Elijah up to John the Baptist, God drafted the biblical prophets (Gk pro, "for, on behalf of" + phemi, "to speak"), to their own testimony, against their will– or at least it wasn't their idea to take up prophecy. They considered their call as something that predated the development of their own understanding and freedom: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jer 1:5). The initiative is always God’s. But the Prophet always experienced the response as an option– perhaps "an offer he couldn't refuse," at least not without difficulty. Many of the prophets certainly tried to refuse, but the content and drive of prophecy had a certain inexorable urgency to them: God’s word needed to get out!

The Father sent the Son into the world as a continuation of that prophetic tradition, yet with the unique and unrepeatable newness that comes with being God. “Behold, I am doing something new” (Isa 43:19)—these words to Isaiah found in the Christ their definitive fulfillment.

One way the Old Covenant's prophetic continuity shone through with the end that Jesus met: like most of the Prophets before him, he was put to death. To retrofit a famous movie phrase, his listeners couldn't handle the truth. “Humankind cannot very much bear reality” (T.S. Eliot).

In the time of the Church, martyrs have met their Maker in much the same fashion, for much the same reason.

Does the Catholic Church have a “death wish”? On the contrary, we have a Life Wish, in communion with the Lord Jesus, who said, “I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Therefore we continue to proclaim the Gospel of Life and Love in the face of societal and interior forces that militate against life and love, against reality. Our adversaries claim we are the unrealistic ones– the very same claim they levied against Jesus. Whether we shall meet the same end, offering the witness of our lives, will depend on our fidelity to our calling. In any case, we pray that our witness will be the means to renewal in the Church and the world.

6 November 2016 – 32nd OT C

Recall God’s initial reluctance at Israel’s request for a king to rule over them (cf. 1 Sam 8). The dialogue takes place in an all-too-human manner, which I shall paraphrase:

God: “You don’t know what you’re getting into. A king would tax you in ways you might never have imagined. He’ll enlist your sons for his military and your daughters for his harem. Eventually you’ll want the bum out, but it won’t work that way.” Israel: “So what? Everyone else is doing it!” God: “OK—suture yourself!”

Despite Israel’s willful insistence on having a king, and despite those kings’ predictably lascivious, deceptive, and bellicose predilections [think the upcoming election? Ed.], the Lord’s active care never ceased. In the spirit of Moses and David (who acted as both prophets and rulers), the Father sent His Son as the foretold shepherd after God’s own heart (cf. Jer 3:15). The watchful eye of the “Good Shepherd” (Jn 10:11) extends beyond Israel’s borders, even unto the limits of time and space. And “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful” (Isa 9:6), rooted in the security of His relationship with the Father in the Holy Spirit.

Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus exercised His kingly office “with authority,” but not so as to “lord it over” people with aggression (Mt 20:25). Instead, He embodied the very directive He issued His disciples: “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (Mt 20:26). Nowhere was this concept of authority as service clearer than His farewell overture in the Upper Room, where He washed the disciples’ feet as an example for them to follow (Jn 13:1-20). Jesus’ activity of healing the sick, forgiving sins, and proclaiming truth derived its force from the Father, and became the substance of the Church’s pastoral care.

Our participation in that ministry has numerous forms; I couldn’t begin to exhaust them in this short space. We could start along the lines of the “Works of Mercy,” both corporal (e.g. giving food to the hungry, visiting the sick or imprisoned, burying the dead) and spiritual (e.g. forgiving all wrongs, instructing the ignorant, praying for living and dead). It also includes efforts to promote justice, as for safeguarding the lives of unborn children, working to improve social conditions that tempt parents to abortion, and assisting in the healing of parents who have chosen abortion.

One does not need to be a priest or sister, or belong to organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul Society or the Knights of Columbus, in order to cooperate in Christ’s ministry of shepherding. But Catholics have found access to shepherding opportunities by entering into a lifelong dedication to the Faith and joining parish associations. It comes down to trusting God and investigating possibilities with an open heart and mind.

Calling Out

I particularly enjoyed the second reading from today's Office of Readings (divineoffice.org), from a catechetical instruction by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. He spoke about the catholicity, or universality that the Church exemplifies in several ways: Teach all the doctrines! Subject all the peoples! Forgive all the sins! Possess all the virtues!

The word church in Greek is ἐκκλησία (ekklesía), from the verb kalein, "to call" and the preposition ek, "out of." In the most basic sense, the Church is an assembly (Latin ad, "to, near" + simul, "together") Those who are called forth, come together. Saint Cyril notes a connection with Deuteronomy 4:10--"Assemble the people before me, and let them hear my words." Also with Psalm 22: "I will offer praise in the great assembly; my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him."

The assembly, then, is the place for hearing God's Word and for offering Him promised praise.

If I hear one more person say, "God is everywhere. Why should I have to go to church, to any building, to pray to Him?" I will be able to restore all the pipe organs.

As the "pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim 3:15), the Church is charged to call people out from the hinterlands of deception and denial, into Reality.

Sure, we can and should pray wherever we are; but God calls us from the security of our inner room, our echo chamber, into His sacred assembly. He calls us out of our self-constructed prisons into "the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Rom 8:21).

At heart the Church is a reconciled and reconciling communion of believers. At times I may fail to act as a member of that communion, so I need to be called out for those failures to act. When I'm by myself, I don't get that kind of caring accountability. Chances are, I don't really want it.

"Unpacking the Precepts": Easter Duty

I wish to thank blogger Lisa M. Hendey of CatholicMom.com for her kind promotion of my recent post on the precept on Mass attendance.  It was, in turn, picked up by Elizabeth Scalia, blogger known as "The Anchoress" and editor of the Catholic portal at Patheos.com, for which I am equally grateful.  One of my readers has urged me not to "forget the little people."  Fear not: I will forever be one of the little people, both in the blogosphere and on planet earth (I am barely under 5'4", and, to quote one of my favorites, Woody Allen: "The only thing standing between me and greatness is me.")

Our registration form for new parishioners has a space for them to answer whether they have made their "Easter Duty."  Most registrants have to ask our secretary what that means.  (No longer can we presume knowledge of this and many other Church teachings and practices.)  Some of them, in fact, have made their Easter Duty and then some; others have not.  To quell any confusion about the matter:

The third precept ("You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season") guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord's Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy." (CCC 2042; can. 920)

In my father's last several years, he and I had some rather interesting conversations about religion.  This one most often comes to mind: Dad, a product of the schola antiqua (old school), asked me why so many people were in line for Holy Communion while so few queued for Confession.  "Every week we had to go."  I hear that often from the older set.  Priests tell of the days when three of them would be hearing Confessions for an hour and a half on a Saturday afternoon--when many parishes had two or three assistants!

One wonders whether little attention was paid to the distinction between mortal and venial sin (reviewed in the last post), to the effect that every misstep risked a descent to the Hell of Damnation, or at least a near-eternity in Purgatory.  Of course, I cannot say that for sure, since I wasn't around yet.  Nor can I affirm that people were more conscientious (even if to a fault) back then.  Judging by the attested numbers, relatively few people considered themselves fit to partake in the Eucharist; and those who did, approached with extreme caution.

The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom features a dialogue between the priest and the faithful in which the priest, facing the people, lifts up the Holy Gifts (the Eucharist) and proclaims, "Holy Things to the holy!"  To which the people respond, "One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.  Amen."  Throughout the entire Liturgy the priest and people implore God to make them worthy.  The Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite, which has been shaved with Occam's Razor, saves the declaration of unworthiness for the Moment of Truth ("Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter..."), although our participation in the rite presumes (without being presumptuous) our unworthiness, as well as God's power to purify us and His intention and desire to do so.

Does it mean that the pendulum has swung because nowadays seemingly everyone approaches the Altar?  We cannot, of course, presume that everyone who approaches weekly, approaches weakly; but perhaps some do fail to "examine themselves before eating the bread and drinking the cup," failing to "discern the body of Christ," with the infelicitous result of "eating and drinking judgment upon themselves" (1 Cor 11:28-29).  In other words, we do ourselves great harm by receiving Communion when we fail to acknowledge Christ's Real Presence or when we are deliberately retaining serious sin.  It's the spiritual equivalent of drinking battery acid; but if it burns, it may move us to repentance.

The Truth.

Also the Truth.

If there is any accuracy to the statistics concerning belief in the Real Presence (cf. this study of the former and this more comprehensive CARA study), the relevance of the "Easter Duty" swiftly wanes.  Let's not be concerned solely about whether people receive Communion once a year; rather, about whether people attend Mass more than once or twice a year!  Repeated action reinforces belief: put more technically, "Orthopraxis breeds Orthodoxy."

For the present, the precept remains in force.  Presuming one attends Mass on the Lord's Day and Holy Days of Obligation; presuming one celebrates the Sacrament of Penance at least whenever necessary and possible (i.e., whenever one is conscious of grave sin and whenever a duly-authorized priest is at hand); one ought to receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter Season.  These may be ponderous presumptions, but they nonetheless pertain to practical Catholics.  As for merely theoretical Catholics, how shall they be convinced to make the leap toward an impassioned practice nourished by sound doctrine?

Lest this post devolve any further into a diatribe or a hand-wringing endeavor, we do well to remember the centrality of Easter, the Day of Resurrection.  It is the feast of feasts.  It renews our Christian identity as persons incorporated into Christ's Mystical Body, sealed by His promised Holy Spirit.  In light of this blessed reality we love God and obey His commandments; the Church becomes more than an incidental component of our lives or even a wonderful place to keep in touch with people of like minds and interests.

Jesus of Nazareth is no one less than God the Son who became flesh, who suffered and died and rose from the dead in the flesh, for our redemption.  He instituted the Church as the secure conduit of His  grace.  The Holy and Divine Liturgy is the source and summit of who we are and how we conduct ourselves as members of Christ's Body.  Therefore, while we live, we approach at least as often as commanded, in order that His command become our wish.

"Unpacking the Precepts": The Lord's Day Observance

The first precept ("You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor") requires the faithful to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days. (CCC 2042)

The Jewish sabbath commemorates (1) the account of God's seventh-day rest from the work of creation (cf. Ex 20:11), as well as (2) the Lord's act of redeeming Israel from Egyptian slavery (cf. Dt 5:15).  It goes from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.  Liturgically speaking, this fact accounts for the permission for Saturday evening Masses that anticipate the Sunday celebration.  These began to take place in the mid to late 1960s (although some dioceses such as Philadelphia forbade it until the 1980s).

Sunday is the "Christian Sabbath," the day on which we celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Jesus' Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Glorification for the redemption of mankind.  For that reason every Sunday is a "little Easter," an oasis of renewal for the people of God amid the desert of everyday life.  No matter what has transpired throughout the week, we know that the Lord's Day is coming: the opportunity to "confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help" (Heb 4:16).  Although the Catholic Church offers divine refreshment in the form of Mass each day, a great many people are unable to attend because of work and other concerns--thus building up the tensions that, it is hoped, Holy Mass helps to offset.

The greater Reading area is blessed to have a number of parishes close to each other, and the times of daily Mass vary: 6:30am, 7am, 7:30am, 8am, Noon, and occasionally 6 or 7pm.  Saturday Vigil Masses range from 4pm to 6pm in half-hour increments.  Some people would gladly attend Mass during the week if they knew when it was held, and if it were convenient to attend (nearby, at the optimal time, not too long, etc.).  Personal convenience plays a major role in much decision-making.  This is no personal judgment on anyone.  I recognize that praying Mass pertains to my priestly vocation (colloquially speaking, "It's my job"), and I would hope that, if I were not a priest, I too would commit to attending Mass often during the week.

This precept concerns not daily Mass, but Lord's Day (Sunday or Saturday Vigil) Mass.  It's enough for many people to find or make the time for one day a week.  I often wonder: why don't Catholics attend Mass?  (I would very much appreciate true but charitable reader comments on the matter.)  For the moment, I offer a few generalized reasons/excuses:

• Sabbath Rest.  As one CCD student told me when I was a seminarian visiting her class, "Daddy says that he works all week and wants to rest on Sundays."  The response that "God worked, too," holds no weight because He's God.  Creation was no sweat off His back; only a Word was necessary!  He "rested" as an example for us, so that we should not become exceedingly consumed with production, results, and cash flow.  Which came first: businesses having Sunday hours or shoppers engaging in Sunday commerce?  Even the good people of Alcoholics Anonymous know, "For us, material well-being always followed spiritual progress; it never preceded" ("Big Book," p. 127).
• Children's Sporting Events/Practices.  This is quite the opposite of "rest," for it involves early rising, preparation, travel, and cool-down.  Coaches, referees, and other key players work during the week like most other people, so youth athletic organizations schedule games on the day when everyone would be more likely to have free time.  Membership on a sports team means more to most kids (and some of their parents) than membership in the parish.  Miss enough practices and/or games, and they're off the team.  Period.  The Church doesn't wield that kind of authority or influence over children, or for that matter, over adults.  Being on a sports team is "cool," while kids would sooner be caught getting sloppily kissed by Aunt Hilda than going to Mass with their family.
• Booooooriiing (a la the horn of a ship).  In a highly stimulating world, many people (adults as well as children) don't have the attention span for the First Eucharistic Prayer or the average Homilist.  I have read that tiring sermons are a major source of popular dissatisfaction with public worship.  Choral music written by Hallmark gets old quick.  One reason to return to the "pride of place" once and still owned by Gregorian Chant would be its sheer "novelty"!  Can celebrants and their trusted advisors do anything to improve the "worship experience"?  No doubt.  Praying the words and following the rubrics with attentiveness is a good start.  Former and occasional Catholics often claim that the Church hasn't (spiritually, I presume) "fed" them, as this article attests.  Alongside a reverently celebrated Mass, sound teaching is crucial for Catholic "Asset Protection" (otherwise known as "Loss Prevention").
• Issues.  Father McNasty bit my head off when I made a suggestion to him.  You have to have kids in the school to count for anything around here.  The Church is behind the times because of this whole contraception business, not to mention women priests and mandatory celibacy.  The Church doesn't do enough for the disabled or the unemployed.  It's all about the fancy-shmancy goblets and clothes.  People aren't real around here.  I'm in the middle of an affair.  I'm in litigation.  Why did my daughter die?  I'm depressed.  These and other points of contention harrow the hearts of untold thousands of Catholics, even though the events may have taken place decades ago.  Disappearance from the Lord's Day Mass is the first symptom of a problem.  Some will trail away gradually, others will just stop going.  Most of them won't announce their departure, because someone might try to dissuade them from leaving.

Let me know if I, as a priest, can do anything to help you.  I'll pray, for starters.

Christ did not institute the Sacred Liturgy or anything else about the Church for our entertainment or even primarily for our comfort.  It is the mystical re-presentation of His saving sacrifice upon the Cross, and the mystical banquet that unites us as members of His Body.  Having been gathered by the Holy Spirit into His fold, and having been edified by His Presence in the Scriptures and in the Holy Gifts (the Eucharist), we are sent forth from the Mass for evangelization and service.  As the two new forms of dismissal say, "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."  "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord."

The second component of the Sabbath precept involves resting from "servile labor."  Blessed John Paul's apostolic letter Dies Domini ("The Lord's Day") is worth reading for its exhaustive contemplation of the sanctification of our time and efforts.  Renewed attention to personal rest, healthy recreation, care for the sick and needy among us (in whatever form), time with God, with family and friends: these are lovely ways to spend a Sabbath.  We may find that we can build little Sabbaths into each day.  We can decrease our slavish dependence on performance and production, on the adulation we earn by looking and being busy.

Bully Pulpit

From the fascinating site Mental Floss, I just picked up the last of "11 Words and Phrases Popularized by Teddy Roosevelt," namely "Bully Pulpit."  If you're like me, you thought that phrase suggested that the speaker was using his position to take unfair advantage of people, much as bullies do what earns their designation.

Fairness doesn't very much enter into it.

We are reminded that "bully," the first half of the term, was Pres. Roosevelt's favored synonym for "grand" or "excellent."  Having played Mortimer Brewster in a high school production of Arsenic and Old Lace, I should have recognized my brother's famous use of bully.

Msgr. Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington posts a call to holiness and mission on the subject of dwindling numbers of Mass attendants.  This manifests alongside the annual Lenten letter of our bishop, whose every oeuvre is a call to holiness and mission.  In this letter Bishop Barres reiterated an earlier direction for every active Catholic to invite an inactive Catholic back to Mass.  I'd love to hear of my readership's seed-sowing successes.

Like many priests, Msgr. Pope takes advantage of situations where many inactive Catholics are present, e.g. funeral Masses, to redirect strayers to the Narrow Path.  His approach is evangelical, as is appropriate for the address that immediately follows the proclamation of the Gospel.  See, it is possible to be evangelical in manner and orthodox in content!

The orthodoxy of content in this situation is that pesky Third Commandment: "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day" (Ex 20:8; Dt 5:12).  There are many ways to observe this precept, but the most obvious one is actual participation in the "sacred synaxis," the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that Our Lord instituted as the perpetual offering of His Body and Blood for the remission of sins.

Icon of the "Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles"
(A Tree is known by its Fruits)

The exception noted by the author of Hebrews has become the norm: "We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some [emphasis mine, as I don't think koine Greek used italics], but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:25).

Bishop Barres' recommendation is a way for believers to "encourage one another" to act upon their belief.  A faith that is largely theoretical becomes largely "historical": that is, a thing of the past.

Our parish council met this afternoon.  Meetings have been turning to the topic of the Mass Desertion. One member shared how she recently attended a ladies tea at a local Christian fellowship.  Attendees sat at tables which they were allowed to decorate in whatever fashion.  The gathering featured prayer, scripture readings, and speakers.  I was reminded of a similar gathering to which I was invited as a speaker a couple of years ago, in a nearby Catholic parish.  Why couldn't we do something like this, as a way of re-evangelizing our fallen and refreshing our faithful?

I read somewhere that people have begun to prefer worship "events" over the standard Lord's Day Buffet.  Events have themes.  When a parish liturgist asked (I think it was) Fr. George Rutler about the "theme" of a particular Mass, true to form he responded, "The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ."  FTW!  With events, the music, speakers, lighting, etc. become the focus.  The sanctuary becomes a stage, and so much (too much!) depends on the facilitators personality, preferences, etc.

Devotees of the "Extraordinary Form" of the Mass may claim that the Novus Ordo has gone that route, and scarcely could do otherwise; but the Traditional Latin Mass has its own mystical ambience that has drawn younger people whose sense of the sacred may have been malnourished as a result of what they were fed growing up.  We know, too, of Protestants (and Catholics!) who are drawn to Orthodox Christianity because of its Divine Liturgy.  There is beauty everywhere, and this current post is no place to dispute where beauty is most evident.

We would want to make it patently clear that an "event" of this sort is only a supplement to the Mass, and not an alternative.  For the inactive Catholic who attends such a gathering, however, "welcome" is the first and most important word.  The second or third word might be a variation of Hebrews 10:25 cited above, or even something like, "If you liked this gathering, we would like to invite you to a gathering you may or may not 'like,' but one that nonetheless will nourish and form you into the person that God created you to be: a man/woman of Communion."

The same invitation would be extended at any social, athletic or service opportunity, such as the weekend at the soup kitchen, the Kindergarten Christmas tableau, or the youth Eucharistic Adoration service.  This latter has always raised a concern, though I remain a fan of both youth and Adoration.  As a result of such (I dare call them) "events," young people are coming to church, for which, Amen.  Failing to make the Adoration-Consecration Connection, they're not necessarily coming to Mass--because, as I see it, Mass doesn't give them the same feeling, the same experience as a praise concert does.

Msgr. Pope's homily sample (embedded in the post) returns me to the point of attending to the reality and relevance of God-made-Flesh.  Prior to His appearance on the human scene, Jesus was equal to the Father and to the Holy Spirit.  He was behind the issuance of the Third Commandment.  He went through the trouble of suffering and dying and rising from the dead in order to secure forgiveness and salvation.  Willful neglect of this Truth is perilous.

When I take the bread and wine in my hands and proclaim the Lord's words over them, courtesy of the Catholic Church for whom I was ordained, God becomes present for me in a most unique and yet repeatable way.  When I consume the Sacrifice, I become one with it, and am thus sustained in my stumbling execution of what passes for a virtuous life.  I don't know about you, but I constantly need to be re-inserted into this Truth, re-immersed into this Mystery.  I tend to forget stuff rather quickly.

Since Lent is a time for new beginnings, the issuance of an invitation to Mass is the route I hope to take, and my "bully pulpit" will be mobile (not in the newly-restricted sense of the phone, but not at all exclusive of the same).  If this were the only trick of a "one-trick pony," it would suffice.

+ + + + +

THE ABOVE POST pales in significance to the recent news that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has announced his resignation, which he attributes to his failing health.  He is the first to resign the Chair of Peter since 1294.  May the Lord reward him for his labors, and appoint for the Church a capable and holy successor.

"I too hope in this short reign to be a man of peace."