Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Chrism Mass


In our Diocese, Tuesday of Holy Week sees the celebration of the annual Chrism Mass, at which the priests renew their promises to serve faithfully, and at which the oils used sacramentally throughout the year in our parishes are blessed by our Bishop.
Olive Oil is blessed for a particular use, and becomes the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens, and (with the addition of fragrant balsam (left), and breathed into by the Bishop (representing presence of the Holy Spirit)) the Sacred Chrism. The oils are then distributed to parish representatives, and will be brought forward during our Holy Thursday service and placed in our ambry.
The Sacred Chrism will be used this weekend during the confirmations celebrated at our Easter Vigil and 11:30am Easter Sunday mass.
(photo of Bishop Burbidge from the Diocese of Raleigh website)

Inspiration for Holy Week

Twenty years ago yesterday, Sister Thea Bowman died of cancer in Mississippi. She was an influential and inspirational woman of faith who spoke clearly of the importance of the gift of multi-cultural expressions of our Catholic faith. 
Taken from the Catholic News Service website, here is the full text of her meditation, dictated during her last days, titled "Let us love one another during Holy Week":
 

Let us resolve to make this week holy by claiming Christ's redemptive grace and by living holy lives. The Word became flesh and redeemed us by his holy life and holy death. This week especially, let us accept redemption by living grateful, faithful, prayerful, generous, just and holy lives.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by reading and meditating (on) holy Scripture. So often, we get caught up in the hurry of daily living. As individuals and as families, reserve prime time to be with Jesus, to hear the cries of the children waving palm branches, to see the Son of Man riding on an ass' colt, to feel the press of the crowd, to be caught up in the "Hosannas" and to realize how the cries of acclamation will yield to the garden of suffering, to be there and watch as Jesus is sentenced by Pilate to Calvary, to see him rejected, mocked, spat upon, beaten and forced to carry a heavy cross, to hear the echo of the hammer, to feel the agony of the torn flesh and strained muscles, to know Mary's anguish as he hung three hours before he died.

We recoil before the atrocities of war, gang crime, domestic violence and catastrophic illness. Unless we personally and immediately are touched by suffering, it is easy to read Scripture and to walk away without contacting the redemptive suffering that makes us holy. The reality of the Word falls on deaf ears.

Let us take time this week to be present to someone who suffers. Sharing the pain of a fellow human will enliven Scripture and help us enter into the holy mystery of the redemptive suffering of Christ.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by participating in the Holy Week services of the church, not just by attending, but also by preparing, by studying the readings, entering into the spirit, offering our services as ministers of the Word or Eucharist, decorating the church or preparing the environment for worship.

Let us sing, "Lord, have mercy," and "Hosanna." Let us praise the Lord with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength, uniting with the suffering church throughout the world -- in Rome and Northern Ireland, in Syria and Lebanon, in South Africa and Angola, India and China, Nicaragua and El Salvador, in Washington and Jackson.

Let us break bread together; let us relive the holy and redemptive mystery. Let us do it in memory of him, acknowledging in faith his real presence upon our altars.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy within our families, sharing family prayer on a regular basis, making every meal a holy meal where loving conversations bond family members in unity, sharing family work without grumbling, making love not war, asking forgiveness for past hurts and forgiving one another from the heart, seeking to go all the way for love as Jesus went all the way for love.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy with the needy, the alienated, the lonely, the sick and afflicted, the untouchable.

Let us unite our sufferings, inconveniences and annoyances with the suffering of Jesus. Let us stretch ourselves, going beyond our comfort zones to unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work.

We unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work when we reconcile, when we make peace, when we share the good news that God is in our lives, when we reflect to our brothers and sisters God's healing, God's forgiveness, God's unconditional love.

Let us be practical, reaching out across the boundaries of race and class and status to help somebody, to encourage and affirm somebody, offering to the young an incentive to learn and grow, offering to the downtrodden resources to help themselves.

May our fasting be the kind that saves and shares with the poor, that actually contacts the needy, that gives heart to heart, that touches and nourishes and heals.

During this Holy Week when Jesus gave his life for love, let us truly love one another.
Thea Bowman, pray for us!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Palm/Passion Sunday Questions

Where did the practice of using palms come from (why were they used when Jesus entered Jersusalem?)
An entry in the on-line Catholic Encyclopedia says that many nations have used palm leaves as "an emblem of joy and victory over enemies". And the Jewish people of the time, well-versed in Hebrew Scripture would have been thinking of Psalm 118 when proclaiming Jesus as the one come to save them from their enemies.
The last few verses of Psalm 118 read: (emphasis added)
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. LORD, grant salvation! LORD, grant good fortune!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD'S house.
The LORD is God and has given us light. Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, I give you thanks; my God, I offer you praise.
Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever.
The custom of commemorating this day with a procession of palms apparently did not develop until about the 9th century, and in countries where palms are not native, pussy willow, yew, boxwood branches or even flowers are used.

Why are the statues and crucifix covered?
Think of it as a 'fast for the eyes', yet one more way to enter into the solemnity of this Holy Week, and remind ourselves that something extraordinary is going on. Whether it is a way to focus on the sorrowful aspects that lead us to the joy of the resurrection, or a more literal interpretation of Jesus being out of the public eye during his last days leading up to his arrest and crucifixion, it certainly gets your attention, doesn't it?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

The Scripture readings for this Sunday are:

For the procession with palms:
Luke 19: 28-40
During the Mass:
Isaiah 50: 4-7
Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Philippians 2: 6-11
Luke 22:14- 23:56

In the course of one service, the mood shifts from one of triumph to utter failure... the humiliating execution of the one his followers were counting on as "Messiah". So begins the week we call Holy, in which we pray and consider the Paschal Mystery... Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, and how the triumphs and failures of our own lives echo this same pattern. As you experience the services of the Triduum (three-days), be aware of what Jesus is teaching us about how to live, to serve one another, to love one another. 

Solemnity of the Annunciation

Today we celebrate the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel to Mary, and her 'yes' to the request to bring Jesus into the world. The Gospel passage telling this story is found in Luke 1: 26-38. Over the centuries many artists have depicted this event in literature, music, sculpture and painting. Let's take a look at some of the styles and the images typically used to convey the story.

This fresco by Fra Angelico has the principle characters (Mary and the Angel), of course, but look in the background on the left: it's Adam and Eve being ejected from the Garden of Eden. This connects Mary as the 'new Eve' - if the first Eve is the conduit through which sin and death entered creation, then Mary becomes the conduit through which Jesus (the new Adam) conquers sin and death.

The Holy Spirit is represented by the dove in the top left, whose power is radiated through the beams of light. And if you look over the middle pillar, you'll see a representation of God the Father, too!


This icon again portrays a beam of light from the heavens, and seems to have Mary seated on a throne, emphasizing her nobility as the Mother of God (Theotokos), the Queen of Heaven.
It is not very clear, but I think the item in her left hand is a lily, a flower which symbolizes purity.

And here are three more 'modern' representations by Waterhouse (1914), Rossetti (1850), and Tanner (1898) show the lily, or celestial light, but emphasize the youth of the virgin, her humble background, and the emotions that might have caused the angel to say, "Do not be afraid."

There is a scroll on a stand in the Waterhouse painting (and a book on Mary's knee in the fresco), which may seem odd if it is likely that Mary could not read. But we speak of Jesus as the Word of God, and the fulfillment of Scripture, so...
If you look closely in Rossetti's painting, you'll see the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove hovering over the angel's left hand.
The simplicity of this piece by Tanner speaks to me of God's invitation to all of us, in our normal lives, to be bearers of Jesus, to give birth to him by continuing his work day by day. Like Mary, we are invited, like Mary, we can choose to say 'yes, your will be done'.
(And by the way... it's just 9 more months until Christmas!)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Archbishop Oscar Romero

Thirty years ago today, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador was murdered as he celebrated mass. Chosen to be bishop as a safe, non-controversial person, he was strongly affected by the death of one of his priests, a priest who had spoken for the poor and powerless in the midst of a terrible repression by the country's military. Romero's conversion to being a strong advocate for the people against the brutalities of the government led to his eventual murder, his martyrdom, the day after he called on the Christian members of the military to follow their conscience, their faith, and refuse to continue the killings.
 "Martyrdom is a grace of God that I do not believe I deserve. But if God accepts the sacrifice of my life, let my blood be a seed of freedom and the sign that hope will soon be reality. Let my death, if it is accepted by God, be for my people's liberation and as a witness of hope in the future. You may say, if they succeed in killing me, that I pardon and bless those who do it. Would, indeed, that they might be convinced that they will waste their time. A bishop will die, but God's church, which is the people, will never perish."
                                                               +Oscar Romero
 You may wish to rent the 1989 film, "Romero" starring Raul Julia - it is at times difficult to watch, but a compelling story. And on this page you will find an excellent introduction to the life, conversion and ministry of Oscar Romero. 

"I do not believe in death without resurrection," he said. "If they kill me, I will be resurrected in the Salvadoran people." 


His case for canonization was opened in Rome in 1997; he now holds the title "Servant of God". For many, many people he is already their (our) saint, a martyr of El Salvador.

What can we learn from his life? The humility to learn, grow and change, the courage to stand for what is right, and the strength of love that lasts far longer than one's earthly lifespan. Oscar Romero, pray for us!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Fifth Sunday of Lent

The Scripture readings for this Sunday are, for the last time this year, from Year A:
Ezekiel 37: 12-14
Psalm 130: 1-8
Romans 8: 8-11
John 11: 1-45

The Resurrection of Lazarus,
1896 by H.O. Tanner
We will be celebrating the Third Scrutiny at the 9:30AM Mass, as well as the Presentation of the Lord's Prayer.

So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”
  • In what ways do you find your self 'bound up' and lifeless? What sins, bad habits or struggles do you yearn to be freed from?
  • The "Paschal Mystery" refers to the saving event of Jesus life, suffering and death and resurrection. How have you experienced 'dying and rising' in your own journey to and with Jesus Christ?

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A day celebrated by so many, based on a saint known by so few! As you enjoy your stew or Guinness or soda bread, take a few minutes to: Learn about St. Patrick

And for good measure, an Irish Blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.



St. Patrick, pray for us!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Looking Ahead

For those of you who will be celebrating the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, April 3... please be prepared that the service (which begins at 8:30pm) can last 2-3 hours. It is beautiful, and lovely, and the best celebration of the year!  (So, if a nap that afternoon is helpful... go for it!)

And throughout the Easter Season, we will continue to meet on a weekly basis, but then AFTER mass is over, since you'll stay for the whole celebration. This time is called the "Mystagogy" (living the Mystery of life in God). You'll continue to gather with your sponsor and your facilitators from 10:30 (or 45, depending on mass length) until 11:30AM, still in the Living Room. This begins April 11 and is every Sunday (except Mother's Day, May 9) until and including Pentecost Sunday, May 23. After that point, you'll move to a monthly gathering until next Lent. The journey continues... for life!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Change that clock tonight!

Just one more reminder that clocks should be set AHEAD one hour tonight.

The 2nd Scrutiny is at the 9:30AM mass... see you at 9AM, which will feel like 8AM!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Fourth Sunday of Lent

 This week, we remain with the Year A readings, celebrating the Second Scrutiny, as well as a pre-baptismal anointing of our Elect.

The scripture readings for March 14, 2010, the Fourth Sunday of Lent are:
1 Samuel 16: 1, 6-7, 10-13

Psalm 23: 1-6 
Ephesians 5: 8-14
John 9: 1-41

  • In the Gospel of the healing of the man born blind, who do you most identify with? Maybe in our lives we have been each of the participants in the story?
  • When have you felt Christ bringing light into the dark spaces of your life?
  • What can happen when 'communal blindness' has its way?

    In our catechetical session we will be discussing the Sacrament of Reconciliation, including preparation for our candidates' upcoming celebration of the sacrament.

    PLEASE REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS ahead ONE HOUR BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP SATURDAY NIGHT!!!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

We Believe

Today we handed on to the Elect a gift, a treasure of our faith: The Creed. As Father Tom said during the Rite, "the words are few, but the mysteries they contain are great."

In Latin, the first word of the Apostles Creed is "Credo"(I believe), which is itself a conjunction of two other Latin words: cor (heart) and do (I place, I put). So - it's all about commitment- what do you give your heart to, what (or better: Who) do you bet your life on? 

And to go a bit deeper... as you reflect on the gift of this creed that we have shared with you today, pray with it, reflect on what it says, let it become part of your heart. Living your faith is about being in relationship with God, who is Spirit and Love and so much more. It is one thing to be able to say in your head, "I believe that Jesus did this, and then this and that" (and a very good thing to be able to recognize it all!) ... and another level entirely of your relationship to be able to say "I believe in you, Jesus".

And in case you ever get in a Catholic Trivia contest, the answer to "What are the four marks of the Church?" is right there in Nicene creed (the version we usually pray together at Mass): One. Holy. Catholic. Apostolic.

"Marks" means distinguishing characteristics.
"Church" is the Body of Christ, the people who have been baptized into the Christian faith and share these common beliefs (of the Creed, at minimum). In this usage 'church' is not a building or even a particular hierarchy.

To say the Church is "one" is that we are blessed with a unity, based in Jesus Christ (not on any particular language, rite or spiritual trend).
The Church is "holy" in that, both in our nature as those made in "God's image and likeness" we have an inherent (though limited) holiness as humans, and by the grace of our baptism, we are incorporated into Christ's Body, made holy through his life, death and resurrection, and called to be saints, here and now.
The Church is "catholic" (small 'c'), which means 'universal'. Jesus came to break down barriers, to offer salvation to all. Thus, no boundaries of country, race, gender, or language are appropriate limits to the Christian faith.
The Church is "apostolic" both in the sense that our faith tradition is traceable back to Jesus and his earliest followers (his disciples and apostles, who built the early church), and that we are to be apostolic as followers of Jesus, too. We are called to be faithful to Jesus' loving and saving work, participating as we are able in mission and service, as we have learned about them through the Gospels and teaching of the apostles.

These four marks of the Church are gifts for the people of God to recognize in ourselves as a community of faith AND to aspire to as individuals and communities.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Third Sunday of Lent

Here are the readings for March 7, 2010, the Third Sunday of Lent:

Exodus 17: 3-7
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-9 
Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8
John 4: 5-42


Do you notice something different this week? We are using the readings from Cycle A (rather than the usual Cycle C). Whenever a parish is blessed with people preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil, we use the Scripture readings for Lectionary Cycle A for the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. We do that because the themes of the Gospels speak directly to what baptism is for us, does for us, and does to us.
  • What in your life feels dry, parched, or arid these days? In other words, what are you thirsting for?
  • The Samaritan woman moved from isolation to confident interaction with others as a result of her conversation with Jesus. How does your faith, your relationship with Jesus, help you in your relationships with others?

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

St. Katharine Drexel

Today is the feast of St. Katharine Drexel, born to a wealthy family in Philadelphia in the 19th Century, and now renown not for her wealth, but for devoting her wealth and her life to the concerns of Native Americans and African Americans.
Here is the description of St. Katharine's life from  the American Catholic website. And here is the description from a proud son of Philly about their "St. Kate".

Our Lady of Guadaulpe parish in Newton Grove, NC benefited from her foundation, and has a photo of Mother Katharine in their fellowship hall.

St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Oh, your questions!

Okay friends, at yesterday's "Breaking Open the Word" session, there were some questions about our first reading, Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18; Why those particular animals to be sacrificed? Why three-years old? Why weren't the birds cut up? Excellent questions, since if such detail was given, it had to be significant, right? Well, my usual trusty resources weren't of a lot of help, but let's see what we can do....

Three years was considered the ritual age of maturity for these animals, so it was a sacrifice of an animal that was just reaching its productive or reproductive age (giving up something just as it was about to be able to repay your investment in it). Three is also a number representing perfection (think: Trinity).

The first answer I can give you about why these particular animals (heifer, she-goat, ram, turtledove, pigeon) feels like circular reasoning to me: they are the animals listed for ritual sacrifice in the first few chapters of the Book of Leviticus, reflecting the traditions established hundreds of years later... but I wonder if they didn't look BACK to Abraham for the 'inspiration'!

So I went to the internet... and without being 100% certain of the validity of the sources, I found a densely written site on "early Jewish writings" that ascribe allegorical meanings to the animals to be sacrificed. Here's a very brief summary:
Heifer (cattle, ox) is connected with the earth (think: plowing)
She-Goat is associated with water (think: rushing, impetuous)
Ram (sheep) is associated with air ("violent and vivacious")
So we have basic elements of earthly nature represented here. (The explanation goes on that since earth and water are material things, they are given feminine properties, and air, wind is given masculine properties).
Then they explain that the birds represent the heavens:
Pigeons the planets (more familiar, nearer to us) and doves the 'fixed stars' (more solitary, remote).

From this explanation is seems that the choice of this list of animals represents God's intention to be all-encompassing, to leave nothing out in the promise-making. (The missing earthly element? Fire... God appears in that form to seal the covenant)

We already talked in our session how the ritual of splitting the animals in half was a way of saying 'may this happen to me if I don't live up to my end of the agreement'.

Now, why weren't the birds cut up? Well, they may actually have been cut, but not divided in two. And again, I've got to go to the sources of early Church fathers for their symbolic explanations:
The fathers of the Church saw a separation between carnal man and spiritual man in the symbolism of the cut and uncut animals. St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, wrote: And it is said, “But the birds divided he not,” because carnal people are divided among themselves. But those who are spiritual are not divided at all, whether they seclude themselves from the busy conversation of humankind, like the turtledove, or dwell among them, like the pigeon. For both birds are simple and harmless, signifying that even in the Israelite people, to which that land was to be given, there would be individuals who were children of the promise and heirs of the kingdom that is to remain in eternal felicity (City of God, 16.24; Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, vol. I, page 33). St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles, had the same interpretation: “The birds,” says Scripture, “he did not cut in two.” Why is this, brothers? Because in the Church catholic (universal), carnal people are divided but spiritual people are not. And, as Scripture says, they are separated one against the other. Why are carnal people divided and set against each other? Because all wicked lovers of the world do not cease to have divisions and scandals among each other. For this reason they are divided since they are opposed to one another. However, the birds, that is, spiritual souls, are not divided. Why not? Because they have “one heart and one soul in the Lord.” [..]. For this reason Abraham divided those animals into two parts, but the birds he did not divide (Sermon on Genesis 82.2, quoting Acts 4:32; Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, vol. I, pages 33-34).
(apologies, I have lost track of the internet source for this quote)

You people keep me working hard. I like that. 
And if you've found a different or better explanation, please share!