Becoming What We Receive

When we celebrated the 9:00am weekday Mass in our chapel, we had a practice whereby the faithful would place a communion host for themselves in the ciboria before Mass.  Recently, when that Mass moved into the church, we continued this practice.  But, one of the mass-goers asked, “Why do we have to do that now when the tabernacle is right there?”  A great question!!!

From the earliest days of the church, the tabernacle has been used primarily for the reservation of communion for the sick and the homebound.  That hasn’t changed.  Therefore, the primary purpose of the tabernacle is to reserve communion for those who are absent, NOT to retrieve hosts for those who are present.  Why? The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains:

It is most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest himself is bound to do, receive the Lord’s Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass….so that even by means of the signs Communion will stand out more clearly as a participation in the sacrifice actually being celebrated.

The Church is trying to teach us that it is our participation at Mass that makes Eucharist.  We bring our hearts, our minds, our hopes, our dreams, our burdens, and our sufferings to the altar.   We offer ourselves, along with the bread and the wine so that we too might be transformed.  Perhaps St. Augustine said it best:

If you, therefore, are Christ’s body and members, it is your own mystery that is placed on the Lord’s table! It is your own mystery that you are receiving! 

Augustine was concerned that the faithful feel deeply and intimately connected to the Eucharist.  That happens more clearly when we receive the same hosts that we offer at a particular Mass.  Although this is  difficult to manage with the large number of people who come to Mass on Sundays, our sacristans are busy behind the scenes trying to get the count of hosts as accurate as possible. 

If the community makes Eucharist, then it’s also true that the Eucharist makes the community.  St. Augustine speaks again:

Be what you see and receive what you are… be a member of Christ’s body, then, so that your “Amen” may ring true!

Holy, Holy, Holy

At a recent music rehearsal for our current production at St. Thomas Aquinas, the “Red, White and Blue Revue,” one of the sopranos said “I love thirds.”  She was referring to something called an interval, or the difference between two pitches.  A third refers to two pitches that have three lines or spaces between them on the music staff.  Intervals are used to build chords. Chords form the structure of a song.   The most common chord is a triad, so called because it consists of three distinct notes or pitches.  Singing such a chord requires three singers whose voices are equal, perfectly in tune with each other, and who are willing to offer their individual voices to create something greater-harmony!  In doing so, they create an intimate musical relationship.  But, their relationship excludes no one.  The beauty they create is for all to enjoy.

We could look at the above example as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity, whose solemnity we celebrate today.  We believe the Holy Trinity to be three distinct persons, yet one God-three persons perfectly in tune with each other who are willing to offer their individual beings to create something greater-a divine community!  But, their relationship excludes no one.  From the moment we were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have been a part of this holy community.  We have been invited as partners to enter into the divine dance of intimate unity between Father, Son and Holy Spirit that has gone on from the beginning of time, goes on now and will go on forever.  Let us pray that this unity strikes in us a chord of hope loud enough to echo ‘round the world.

Got Spirit?

There’s a school cheer that goes like this: 

We've got spirit, yes we do
we've got spirit, how ‘bout you? 

The word “spirit” is related to inspire, which comes from the Latin inspirare, which means to breathe upon or into.  According to the gospel of John, which is proclaimed on Pentecost Sunday, Jesus breathed his Spirit into the apostles:

He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Spirit inspired those first disciples to do amazing things, things like speak and understand other languages.  According to the Acts of the Apostles:

Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Most notable is how the Spirit encouraged them to live with one another:

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life…they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need…they ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.

If we, like the first disciples, allow ourselves to be ignited by the Spirit’s fire, we too can live in awe, perform wonders and create communities where no one is in need.  Pentecost is a good time to renew our spirits, to consider how the Holy Spirit inspires us and to respond to the continual cheer of the Triune God:  We’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?

Holy Days

This Sunday we commemorate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.  The early Church celebrated this feast on the Thursday of the sixth week of Easter or the 40th day of the Easter season.  The number 40 comes from today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles:

He (Jesus) presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Some dioceses maintain the practice of celebrating this holy day of obligation on Thursday.  Others, like ours, transferred the remembrance to the following Sunday, on what would normally be the 7th Sunday of Easter, allowing more of the faithful to participate.

Over the years, there have been many such changes in the observation of holy days of obligation.  We used to celebrate more than 30 such days!  Now In the U.S., we currently have six: 

January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter, the solemnity of the Ascension
August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
November 1, the solemnity of All Saints
December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

According to the U.S. Bishops, whenever January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, or August 15, the solemnity of the Assumption, or November 1, the solemnity of All Saints, falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated.

The observance of holy days of obligation varies from country to country.  But in all countries, all Sundays are holy days of obligation, making Sunday the primary holy day.  Sunday is the day of resurrection; a day to rest, to retreat, to reflect, and to remember the love that gives life and hope to each and every day.

Mystagogy by the Neophytes

Throughout the Easter season, our newly initiated adults have been engaged in a period called “mystagogy,” a Greek word meaning “to savor the mysteries.”  They have been sharing their experience of faith, especially the three days of the Sacred Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  Here are some of their responses:

Question:    What was the peak moment or moments for you?

Answers:

• ·        Saturday night had to be one of the most amazing nights of my life.  I was amazed at the music, the tradition  and the overall excitement in the church
• ·        Baptism—how happy I was!
• ·         There was a moment when Fr. Mario was pouring that water over my head, and I could not breathe because it was a lot of water.  Then I just closed my eyes and took that moment in, took a re-breath (I felt like I was drowning) and felt at peace.  What a wonderful feeling that was and I wanted more of that moment.
• ·         Baptism…I was not expecting the “AMEN” from the community afterwards.
• ·         The smell of oil.
• ·         Anointing was number one.  My father came without my knowing in advance.
• ·         Deacon Bill’s Hug.
• ·         How much joy I received from watching OTHERS being baptized.
• ·         Realizing during that moment that this journey was about to come to an end so a new one can begin…the happiness of the anticipation of receiving His Body and Blood for the first time.
• ·         I went to bed smiling.

Question:  How or in what ways (signs, symbols, readings, community) did the Lord speak to you?  What did God say?

Answers:

• ·          “I’m right here.” 
• ·         “Welcome to new life.” 
• ·         “Don’t be afraid.”
• ·         “Spread the light.”

Question:  How would you sum up your journey of conversion?

Answers:  

• ·         From just living to celebrating life.
• ·         From broken to whole,
• ·         From knowledge about God to experiencing God’s peace within.

Mystagogy isn’t only for those newly initiated.  Easter is a good season for all of us to reflect on our own journey of conversion and the difference our faith has made.