Revised Rite of Marriage

In ancient Rome, the month of June began by honoring the deity Juno, known as the goddess of marriage and childbirth. This made June an auspicious month in which to get married. Perhaps that is why most statistics say June remains the most popular month to tie the knot. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about the most significant changes coming in the revised Catholic Rite of Marriage, now called the Order for Celebrating Matrimony, which will take effect later this year.

Language

As with the revised Roman Missal, the prayers have been changed to reflect the original Latin. This is the result of a different set of translation principles mandated by the 2001 document, Liturgiam Authenticam.

Opening Rites

The Penitential Act is explicitly omitted and the Gloria will now be said or sung to mark the festivity of the occasion.

 Assembly Participation

After the couple exchanges their vows, the assembly may express their joy and thanksgiving with an acclamation that is spoken or sung. This affirms our belief that all sacraments are communal:

Liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church, which is the "sacrament of unity," … Therefore liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the Church; … It is to be stressed that whenever rites, according to their specific nature, make provision for communal celebration involving the presence and active participation of the faithful, this way of celebrating them is to be preferred, so far as possible, to a celebration that is individual and quasi-private. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #26-27

Cultural Adaptations

Ceremonies popular in many cultures around the world are now included in the new rite.  These include the blessing and giving of the arras (coins) and the blessing and placing of a lazo (a lasso or cord).  The exchange of coins is a sign that everything in marriage is to be shared. The placing of the lazo is a sign that the couple is now sacramentally bound.

It’s worth noting that a popular secular cultural adaptation, destination and/or outdoor weddings, were not addressed. The Catholic Rite of Marriage presumes that the couple will be married in the parish church of the bride or the groom. The church building is the space where we encounter God most profoundly in God’s Word, in the sacraments and in each other. Since the church is the space where we celebrate the most sacred moments of our lives, it is the most appropriate place for a wedding.

The Tabernacle

The word tabernacle in Hebrew means “dwelling place.” Tabernacle is also derived from the Latin word tabernaculum, which means tent. In Biblical times, the tabernacle was known as the dwelling place of God. Within the tabernacle was an inner shrine known as the “Holy of Holies,” which housed the Ark of the Covenant. Biblical accounts describe the Ark as large, about the size of a 19th-century seaman's chest, made of gold-plated wood, and topped with two large, golden angels. The Ark of the Covenant contained several sacred objects, including the stone tablets bearing the divine inscription of the Ten Commandments. The Israelites carried the Ark throughout their forty year sojourn in the desert. When the Israelites were on the move, the Ark went ahead of them and was believed to have cleared impediments from their path and protected them in battle. When the Israelites stopped to camp, the Ark was placed in a separate tent called the tabernacle.

Later, when Solomon built his Temple, a special room was constructed to house the Ark, but that temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. To this day, no one knows what happened to the Ark. Even before the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, the prophet Jeremiah foretold the Ark’s disappearance.

When you multiply and become fruitful in the land—says the Lord--

 They will in those days no longer say,

“The ark of the covenant of the LORD!”

They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or miss it, or make another one.

Jeremiah 3:16

Jeremiah’s prophecy revealed that there would no longer be a need for the Ark of the Covenant.  God would make a new covenant with his people through his Son, Jesus Christ.

We Catholics are familiar with the word tabernacle. We believe the tabernacle is a place of divine dwelling because it houses the Eucharistic presence of God. That’s why we genuflect before the tabernacle. Our tabernacle was born out of necessity. The Church needed a place to keep the Eucharist for the sick and those who were unable to come to Mass. In the Middle Ages, a devotion grew up around the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle. The tabernacle itself became an object of worship. However its primary purpose was and is to reserve communion for the sick. As liturgist Fr. Paul Turner says, “The tabernacle serves the sick and the homebound. The altar serves the assembly gathered for Mass.” It is on the altar where the sacrifice of the community is joined to the sacrifice of Christ. It is on the altar where the sacrifice is blessed and sanctified. This is why, when we gather in the narthex before Mass, we each place a host into the ciborium as a sign of our participation at the altar. When we receive that host, now consecrated, in Holy Communion,  we are “tabernacled,” that is, we become the dwelling place of God.

As rich and as ornate as was the Ark of the Covenant and many of our tabernacles throughout history, we, like the prophet Jeremiah, understand that God cannot be contained in or confined to a single place. As the evangelist John says at the beginning of his Gospel, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”  God’s dwelling, therefore, is with the human race, now and forever.

Pentecost Sequence

Today, we celebrate Pentecost, the culmination of the Easter season and the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ. As part of the today’s liturgy, we will pray the sequence, titled Veni Sancte Spiritus, or “Come, Holy Spirit.” This sequence is part of a number of hymn/poems that were composed in the middle ages. The sequence, which is Latin for sequentia, and means “that which follows,” was originally written to follow the Gospel Acclamation, or Alleluia. The sequence was intended to extend and therefore emphasize the message of the Gospel Acclamation verse. The sequence also had a practical application, it offered musical accompaniment for an extended procession by the deacon with the Book of the Gospels. By the 12th century, hundreds of theses sequences were sung during Mass. The pre- and post-Vatican II reforms changed the order of the sequence so that it now appears before the Gospel Acclamation. The number of sequences has been reduced to four: Victimae Paschali Laudes on Easter, Veni Sancte Spiritus on Pentecost, Lauda Sion Salvatorem on Corpus Christi and Stabat Mater, on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, September 15. Two of these, the Victimae Paschali Laudes and Veni Sancte Spiritus, are mandatory. Veni Sancte Spiritus is a beautiful hymn/poem that makes for a great prayer to the Holy Spirit, today and every day of the year.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!
And from your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul’s most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue’s sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end. Amen.
Alleluia.

Mother's Day and Ascension

It was just a routine drive to Pittsburgh to see one of my doctors, but for some reason, that trip stayed in my memory. About halfway there, my mother turned to me and said, “If I weren’t here, would you know how to get to the doctor’s office by yourself?” A little panic rose up inside of me. I thought, “What do you mean if you’re not here? Of course you’re going to be here.” But deep down I realized my mother was trying to tell me that she wouldn’t be around forever. She wanted to be sure I knew how to get to the place to which we had traveled countless times since I was a toddler. But more than that, she wanted to be sure that I would be ok on my own---no matter where life would take me.

There comes a time when every parent and child, every coach and athlete, every teacher and student, every mentor and mentee must part. While there is sadness in parting, there is joy in knowing that the child, athlete, student and mentee are able to thrive on their own because of the formation they received from their parent/s, coach, teacher and mentor. This is the essence of what we celebrate today, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Physically, Jesus left the Apostles. But his Spirit remained. On this day, we commemorate the reality that Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, is within us, around us and amongst us, to nurture and guide us until the end of time.

A Blessing for Mothers by Julianne Stanz

Loving God, we give you thanks and praise for all mothers.

We pray for mothers with young children, who witness to life while wiping tears, tending temper tantrums, and kissing scrapes and bruises. May they be blessed with patience, tenderness, and blessed sleep to care for their families and themselves with joy and tenderness.

We pray for our own mothers, wise women who nurtured and cared for us as we grew up, gained in confidence, and found our place in the world. May they know how much they are loved and continue to guide us with strength and wisdom.

We remember mothers who are separated from their children. May they feel the loving embrace of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother, who wraps them in comfort and care.

We pray for all the women in our lives who love us, care for us, and shape our lives. They have given us treasure more precious than jewels.

We remember women who are no longer with us but who live forever in our hearts. May we always feel their presence in our lives.

We give thanks for all women and for all mothers, and we praise and ask your continued blessing and protection upon them. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Reflections on their experience by new Catholics

Throughout the Easter season, our newly initiated adults have been engaged in the fourth period of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults called mystagogy, a Greek word meaning “to savor the mysteries.”  Our newly initiated Catholics, called neophytes, or newly planted, have been reflecting on their journey of faith, especially on what they experienced during the rituals celebrated during Holy Week.  Here are some of their reflections:

Question:  What liturgical/ritual moment stood out for you?

·         I hadn’t picked up a palm since childhood.  To see the table of palms, the red vestments blowing in the wind was so beautiful and brought back many memories.

The washing of feet was humbling. This is about serving others.

·         The reverence shown by the prostration at the start of the liturgy on Good Friday.

·         Deacon Tom’s chanting of the intercessions on Good Friday made me cry.

·         Watching everyone venerate the cross, each in their own way.

·         My baptism - I felt lighter, taller, like I wasn’t carrying as much weight.

·         Watching others celebrate baptism – there is joy in this church!

·         When I was confirmed. There was something about the oil (Sacred Chrism). I really felt like I received the Holy Spirit.

·         Seeing my typically stoic mother in tears during my confirmation. She was so happy.

·         Receiving oil made me feel like Christ, the anointed one.

·         Being able to share communion with my wife.

·         To look around and see faces I knew and people I cared about was very special. It made it all the more special to be welcomed into the church with a community that I have come to recognize and appreciate.

·         All my senses were engaged. I was elevated to another place. That must be Christ.

·         All the smiling faces – I have a HUGE family now.

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

·         I’m finally who I was meant to be.

           It’s not about me, but what God has done in us.

·         I sang the Gloria for four days!

·         I now know Jesus as a person.

·         I have a new sense of responsibility.

·         Love isn’t love until you give it away.

We give thanks to God for bringing forth new life at St. Thomas Aquinas.  We are grateful that God continues to call others into relationship with God’s very self and therefore, with the community of believers. 

Easter is a good time to reflect on what a difference our own journey of faith has made in our lives, and then to share it with others.  All of us, whether we have been Catholic for a long time or whether we are new Catholics, are sent forth to celebrate God’s new life with the world.