Mystagogy

I love to travel! You know what I like best? Looking at the pictures! The pictures of the people, the cultures, their rituals and symbols help me remember the trip and allow me to reflect not only on where I have traveled, but on how the journey affected me, how it moved me, and what difference it made in my life.

Our newly initiated members take the time after their initiation to reflect on their faith journey, in particular, on the celebrations of Holy Week and the experience of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. This process of reflection, officially called mystagogy, is a way of helping them to deepen their understanding of their experience. In the ancient Church, it was a way of teaching not only the newly initiated, but the whole community about the mysteries of faith.

Mystagogy isn’t only for the newly initiated. It is a powerful tool for everyone that can help us understand our faith in new ways. Try it yourself or with others the next time you go to Mass. Here are a few questions to get you started: What did you see, feel or hear? What one word or phrase captured your attention? What did you remember most?  What symbol spoke to you and why?  What did it mean to you?  What did that word or symbol or ritual say to you about God, the Church, yourself?  How did it change or challenge your perspective?

A recent visitor to our parish engaged in mystagogy without knowing it. He noticed that we prayed for those on death row. He was a lawyer who was all too familiar with criminal punishment. He was deeply moved by the prayer. It spoke to him about the abundance of God’s love and motivated him to seek a deeper understanding of our beliefs on capital punishment. His perspective about who Catholics are and what we believe was challenged and changed.

Mystagogy shows us how the liturgy teaches, reinforcing a key concept of the Second Vatican Council. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy:

“Although the liturgy is above all things the worship of the divine majesty, it likewise contains rich instruction for the faithful.” Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 33

The liturgy teaches us a lot about our faith, but it requires that we come to Mass with eyes and ears wide open, with attentiveness and presence, ready to be amazed, challenged and changed. 

Apostles' Creed

Every Sunday during the Easter Season we are professing the Apostles’ Creed rather than the Nicene Creed. The Apostles’ Creed is so named because legend has it that each of the Apostles contributed to its composition. It is shorter and simpler than the Nicene Creed. The Apostles’ Creed, which summarized the teaching of the Apostles, was originally a baptismal creed that was given to the Elect before they were baptized and was part of their formation.  At Baptism, each line was put into the form of a question to which the Elect gave their assent, indicating their acceptance of the faith in which they were about to be baptized.  We still use this type of dialogue with those about to be baptized, with those about to be confirmed, and with the entire community on Easter Sunday.  

Like the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed begins with a profession of faith in God the Father, includes our belief that Jesus died and rose, and ends with the sure faith that we too will experience resurrection.  As in the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed expresses our faith in the Paschal Mystery, the death resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

The word “creed” comes from the Latin cor dare, meaning “to give one’s heart.”  Let us pray that as we profess the Apostles’ Creed we might give our heart to deeper faith and trust in the living God.

Happy Earth Day!

It seems like everything these days is green. We have green energy, green cars, green cleaning products, green appliances, green businesses and green burials, to name a few. 

We could even say we have a green Pope! Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si,was published in 2015. The title, which means “Praise Be to You,” is taken from the “Canticle of the Sun,” a song written by Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment. In the encyclical Pope Francis calls us to be attentive to, to respect, and to care for all creation. He presses for a change in “lifestyle, production, and consumption” in order to ensure the survival of the earth.

If we look closely and listen attentively, we will see and hear how the liturgy helps us to attend, to respect, and to care for creation, for the liturgy and creation are deeply intertwined.

The entire liturgical calendar is governed by the cosmos. The full moon of spring determines the date of Easter, from which the entire year is ordered. The Easter Vigil, the most significant liturgy of the year, begins outside in the darkness under the spring moon and the stars. A fire  lights up the night sky symbolizing Christ as the light of the world who overcame the darkness of sin. The fire, one of earth’s primal elements, is blessed and is used to light the large paschal candle which is made from the wax of honey bees. After the candle is incensed, the Easter Proclamation, filled with images of creation is sung:

  “Receive it (the paschal candle) as a pleasing fragrance, and let it mingle with the lights                of heaven. May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star.”

The candle stands next to the ambo from which the lectionary readings are proclaimed. On this night, we hear how creation played a part in the stories of salvation. We begin with the creation account in Genesis and hear how God called everything “good.” In the Exodus reading, the waters of the Red Sea are seen as the waters of salvation for the people of Israel. Isaiah calls all who are thirsty to “come to the water,” and Ezekiel assures us that God will cleanse our hearts with clean water. 

In the liturgy of baptism, water, another of earth’s elements, is blessed. Then the elect are baptized in the blessed water, marking their death and resurrection into Christ. They are then anointed with oil extracted from olives in the sacrament of confirmation.

Apart from the Easter Vigil, our Sunday liturgies, what we call “little Easters,” are also filled with the elements of the natural world. We are renewed with water in the sprinkling rite. In the Creed, we profess our faith in the God who created heaven and earth, through whom all things were made. In the Sanctus,we proclaim in song that heaven and earth are “full of God’s glory.” We bless and eat bread, “fruit of the earth.”  We bless and drink wine, “fruit of the vine.” 

The liturgy not only uses elements of our good earth, it demonstrates a reverence and respect for them. Water is blessed, bread and wine are incensed, oil is sanctified, altars made of material from the earth are dedicated and consecrated. These rituals teach us how to be good stewards of creation. They also tell us that God’s presence permeates the environment, that all of creation reveals the divine, that not the smallest component of our planet is to be taken for granted. All is holy and is to be treated as sacred. If we do this, we will heed the call of Pope Francis, to look broadly, to live simply, and to care deeply.

Essential Oils

Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary are just a few essential oils that are believed to promote health and well-being. These oils have become so popular that some medical doctors are using them to help their patients recover. Essential oils are thick saps that have been extracted from plants. They are used in aromatherapy, massage therapy and holistic medicine. Enthusiasts claim they help ease all kinds of maladies, from anxiety to arthritis.

The interest in the value of oils is not new. Ancient athletes covered themselves with olive oil before training or competition, and physicians prescribed it for a number of ailments.

Consider the ways we use all kinds of oil today. We use lotion to heal our skin and protect it against the cold and dryness. We use motor oil to keep our car running smoothly, and we use  cooking oil to help nourish and strengthen us.  

The Church, too, has long known the benefits of oil, and we use our own essential oils in many of our sacramental rites. These oils, the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens and the Sacred Chrism, are olive oils that have been blessed by the Bishop at the Chrism Mass. 

The Oil of the Sick is used to anoint persons who are infirm. The word anoint comes from a Latin word meaning to smear or rub. In the Rite of Anointing, the priest rubs the Holy Oil on the forehead and on the hands of the sick.   

The Oil of Catechumens is used on children about to be baptized. The ancient Greeks believed that the human race received the olive tree as a gift from Athena, the goddess of wisdom and strength. It was thought to confer wisdom, power and strength. The words used during the pre-baptismal anointing reflect this: 

“We anoint you with the oil of salvation in the name of Christ our Savior; may he strengthen you with his power who lives and reigns forever and ever. Rite of Baptism for Children (1969)

The Oil of Catechumens is also used on adults and children of catechetical age who are preparing for baptism. In the ancient world, it was believed that catechumens were particularly susceptible to the powers of evil. So in order to make them slippery enough to escape the grip of the devil, their entire bodies were anointed with the Oil of Catechumens. This anointing freed them to be baptized into Christ who had already won the victory over evil. This oil strengthens the catechumens on their journey of faith.

After baptism, the newly baptized are anointed with Sacred Chrism, olive oil scented with balsam. The newly baptized are now the anointed of the Lord, something St. Cyril of Jerusalem spoke of in an ancient homily to the neophytes:

“Next after removing your garments you were rubbed with exorcised oil from the hair of your head to your toes, and so you became sharers in Jesus Christ, who is the cultivated olive tree.”

Chrism is also used in the Sacrament of Confirmation as a seal of baptism, in the Rites of Ordination of Priests and Bishops, and in the Rite of the Dedication of a Church to anoint the new altar and the walls. 

As we use our common oils in everyday life, may we appreciate more deeply the role of oils in the sacred liturgy, and trust God’s power to heal and strengthen us through them.

The Shape of Water

Whenever I go to the gym for a splash in the pool, I can always pinpoint the real swimmers. Their torsos form a perfect T, wide in the shoulders and narrow down to the waist. Their abs are firm and there are no “love handles.” Their sculpted arms and legs form an artistic silhouette. This is what happens to a body after years of movement in the water. These swimmers have allowed the water to reshape them.

All of us were initially shaped by water. Surrounded by water in our mother’s womb, water helped to form and fashion us. Water was our first embrace. When I ponder the glorious and breathtaking sights of nature such as the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls that have been carved and molded by water, I marvel at the power of water to reshape and reform.  

Water has other properties too. Water cleanses and renews. Water is part of our daily routines: bathing in the morning or evening or having a cup of tea or coffee at certain times of the day. Water gathers us. Think of the number of people who gather in a Jacuzzi, in the pool, or at the beach. Water also scatters us. Consider those who flee from approaching storms, hurricanes or tsunamis. Water can cause death. 

Water is powerful. If you’ve ever swum in the ocean, ridden the waves, or surfed a crest to the shore, you understand the power of water. You cannot fight water and win. If you want to survive water’s power, you must surrender. Water also gives life. Plants, animals, and humans depend on water. We can’t live without it. 

All of this helps us to see why water is the primary symbol for baptism. Baptism also reshapes and refashions us into the children of God. Baptism cleanses us from sin. Baptism renews us and calls us to live as new people. Baptism gathers us into one body—the body of Christ. Baptism scatters us by sending us into our homes, our schools, and our workplaces to live as God’s own people. The power of Baptism prompts us to surrender our will to God’s will time and time again. Baptism causes death by helping us to die to ourselves, to our egos, and to our pride over and over. Baptism gives us new life and assures us of the promise of living with God forever. 

May we immerse ourselves into the call of baptism so that like swimmers, we might be reshaped into the image of God.