Introit

I am always impressed by a parish with a beautiful introit. The introit is the first steps of the mass; it is the centering and focusing movement of the entire liturgy. It can easily be something that is overlooked, or it can be one of the more spiritually nourishing parts of the mass.  The introit sets the tone for the remainder of the liturgy – and the simplest liturgical choices can make an incredible difference.

I grew up in a 1,500+ member foursquare church in Eugene, Oregon that always emphasized a welcome. At some point the pastor or one of the associates would stand up, greet everyone, and then invite the musicians to begin worship. It was always lovely: a warm smile to greet you, perhaps an encouraging word of scripture, and someone to suggest we lift our hearts to God as opposed to keeping them clutched by ourselves. Others in the pews would turn to their side and welcome each other. I do not begrudge this experience one bit! It was wonderful and it fit both the aesthetic and the theology of the church which I enjoyed.

Several years later as a Freshman in College I had my first liturgical experience. First, a bell, then the Gregorian chant school began in the very back of the church. Then a gold cross emerged, held by a young boy in a cassock and surplice. Following him were other young boys, one carrying incense, another a thrurible. The small clouds of incense would flow from the thurible, and fill our senses with a woody flavor. Their hands clasped and the thumbs in a perfect cross crossed. Each with a sincere, focused look on his face.

Then came a master of ceremonies, functioning as a point man; two deacons followed, one carrying the gospels, the other, clasped in prayer. They seemed utterly unconcerned about anything except serving a beautiful liturgy, proclaiming the gospel well, ensuring that everything was ready for the mass. Finally, came the priest. He walked with humility and focus, not distracted by anyone or anything in the pews. His own walk on the introit is not so much a walk into a sanctuary as a walk up to calvary, under the weight of the cross. His vestments, gloriously gold and white, his hands clasped, nothing could distract him from the purpose and mission of his life.

The effect was a lovely solemnity. I was impressed by the hearts and focus of each person in the pews. I could not imagine a more devoted and reverent group. Some were following the proper in their missals, others were finishing their rosary. All stood in rapt attention and I felt at home with those around me in their devotion to God.

I do not begrudge those who show up late for mass, or welcome each other as we did in my foursquare church. I truly enjoy the warmth of those who have gone beyond their shyness and sent a sincere word of welcome to those around them. The casual atmosphere took pressure off and made the experience enjoyable. However, I am simply a bit baffled by those Catholic parishes whose introit follows this formula and then expects parishioners to be focused and reverent, given the content of a Catholic mass. People tend to do what they are invited to do. For example: if you are hosting a cockatil party, it would be silly to expect each person to make deep, spiritual conversation and wear something other than eveningwear.

Simply, make up your mind of what kind of worship you want. A sacrament brings us closer first to Christ and then to each other. And our liturgy must draw us as close to Christ as possible so that we can love each other better. There is a reason we pray first and then have Coffee and Doughnuts after mass. 

The Good Thief

From the Gospel of Luke

One of the criminals hanging there abused him: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well.” But the other spoke up and rebuked him. “Have you no fear of God at all?” he said. “You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He answered him, “In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What is paradise like?

I often make paradise to be a bit too small—thinking of it as the restoration of a loved one, the righting of past injustices by family and others, or the liberation from physical and emotional pain that seems to have dragged on forever. Or perhaps our paradise is an idyllic setting, with warm breezes and sandy beaches, or even our own version of the beatific vision, with all the angels and saints surrounding us, marching in the heavenly army.

Our theology reminds us that Paradise will be more than we could ever imagine; more than we could ever expect; more than we will ever comprehend. Whenever you think you know what Paradise is, stop for a moment, and remember that God has more in store for you.

There are some things we know quite certainly about paradise: there will be beauty, there will be good, there will be truth. And most of all, there will be the trinity, the incomprehensible mystery of our faith, fully unveiled—the mystery that we are only given a taste of in the Eucharist.

But, with my attachment to sensory experience, I often wonder what this paradise might feel like. How can I, as a finite, mortal creature have some glimpse of the love than an almighty God might show? The answer seems strange, because it is so very uncomfortable—it is through the cross. And there are few scenes of cross that show so beautifully our Lord’s love for us and the way to paradise.

The First Thief

I suspect that the first criminal, a thief by tradition, had a concept of paradise much like the one I often fall into—a glorified living that is without pain, without anxiety. And who can blame him? Even the psalmist writes, “Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction?” The first thief reacts to Jesus as I suspect we all do naturally—scared, tired, afraid. In attempted consolation many will say, “Just trust Him, just believe in Him.” Yet platitudes like these cannot take away form the reality of the cross in front of us. We see no tangible results.

How difficult it is for us to accept being emotionally ragged, drawn through the most difficult circumstances, and given nothing but a cross to die on. Our suffering continues, we fall into the same old habits, and we are begging to be taken down from our crosses.

The Gospel reading moves quickly into the second thief’s reaction, but I suspect that his reaction was only possible because of how Jesus reacted to the first.

Does it ever occur to us that Jesus offers his love to the first thief as freely as he offers it to the greatest saints? Since Jesus is the Son of God, it is impossible for this not to be the case. What tenderness did the second thief see in the eyes of Jesus, as the first thief berated him? What tears might Jesus have cried for this first thief that moved the second thief to speak prophetically. Jesus understood the first thief’s flaws, his lack of protection in his growing up, his lack of schooling and a stable home. Jesus knew his lack of a good father, the mother who stood there and took abuse. Jesus knew the intricacies of the first thief’s story better than anyone, and he sees through that story to look at each and every one of us with tenderness. No matter how we treat Him, no matter how we abuse Him, he hangs on his cross and lovingly tells us how precious we are to him.

The love Jesus shows the first thief is much like that of a child—it is tender, innocent and loyal. We often overlook the true and loyal love of children to their parents. A child will show the deepest loyalty, even though it is often treated wrongly. But I believe our Lord means it when he says unless we become like the least of these children, we shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Some of us turn away from looking at this kind of suffering, because we know the kind of pain it brings back to us. But bearing with that pain in the presence of our God is the very passion being lived out before us. We do not learn of Christ’s love by simply feeling sorry for the millions of the starving and hungry, but through our willingness to love and protect them.

We can choose to look away or we can choose to look into the suffering of Christ. And when we look into it, do we not find ourselves moved to love and protect. This is true for others who are easy to love, but it is especially hard for us to love criminals, and even more—ourselves. And Jesus offers us the ability to enter into his love, and shows this especially through the second thief.

I wonder if the second thief would have reacted the way he did until he saw Jesus demonstrate such compassion to the first. The second was a criminal, after all; chances are he wasn’t one of Jesus’ disciples. He says openly that he knew he deserved his sentence.

Yet the second thief was given such an incredible glimpse into our Lord’s passion. He saw Jesus suffering and reacting in love and tenderness because he chose to. And through the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father AND the Son, he was invited to follow our Lord’s example of love. And it was only through entering into our Lord’s passion that the second thief could show such love to our Lord. Our Lord is so generous to each of us, because every day, almost every hour, he invites us to enter into his Passion even deeper.

The second thief’s courage to speak out was not from pride, but from the Holy Spirit. He asked for the smallest portion—to be remembered. He did not ask to be free from his suffering; he simply asked to be with Him who understood all suffering.

The second thief also saw the sign above Jesus’ head- the INRI, Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews—but he didn’t ask what his kingdom was like. He knew that a kingdom is often symbolized by the king who rules it. Interestingly, he did not ask, “Will there be freedom from pain?” He only saw such tremendous love and knew that this love was worth the agony and death of a cross.

And on the Cross, the second thief showed us the way to respond to suffering, to look at it, and to protect. He did everything he possible could to protect such a beautiful and tender love—he rebuked the first, and asked Jesus gently to remember him—not what he did for him, but just him. And it is through reacting to Jesus the way he did, that we see all of our paths to paradise.

But we must also realize that the first thief is not beyond hope. He was just not ready to receive the kind of love that Jesus offered. And he, like each and every one of us must be patient with ourselves to become more like the second. We can trust in his patience and loyalty with us as continue along our path.

The first thief cautions us, however, of how careful we must be not to turn our eyes away from Jesus’ passion happening all around us. In every kindness (especially when it is done out of faith, hope and love) how much we hurt when someone hurls it back at us. How tempting it is to make the choice never to be hurt again, to ask to come down from our cross rather than deal with the scandal and embarrassment of patience and trust.

The good thief, on the other hand, offers us tremendous hope. Truly him and all the saints give us hope that as we bear our crosses, we might show to others and ourselves the same kind of love that Jesus showed on the cross.

Today mass is not said, because we are still privileged to enter into his passion through our veneration of the cross and especially on our tongues in Holy Communion. It is today that we dwell in the saving power of the cross, and say to the world, as the second thief did, “This man has done nothing wrong.”

-         Be with him today in your pain, be with him in your deepest longing for love, and say even more gently, even more intimately, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.”

To be in paradise is to be with Jesus. It is to be totally beyond what we could ever imagine. It is to be immersed in the kind of love that only Jesus could show, and that path to Paradise is only with Him in his Passion.

Lenten Letter from an old friend

I found this letter while digging around some old boxes at home. And it was exactly what I needed. This comes from now Sr. Maria Cecelia of the Body of Christ, now a Passionist novice. I have left this unedited. This year I am privileged to have another few friends joining the Church, and I only wish I could write something as heart-felt and honest as this.

JMJ
20 February 2007
Dear Alan,
First of all, this stationary is not my fault, and I accept no responsibility for its old-fashioned, arts-n-crafts kitch. You'll just have to imagine the watermarked, gold-embossed letterhead I would be using if I didn't have so many, less worthy materials. But the main thing isn't the paper at all, is it? What we really care about are these strange-looking scribbles I'm making on top of it. And so...

It was so good to see you on Sunday! You, my dear friend, never fail to brighten my day with your presence, and such was made all the brighter on top of such a glorious Mass. Thank you for being the man you are--loving, sincere, funny, joyful, philosophizing, faithful, caring..a genuinely wonderful human being. There, I've said it--now never forget who you are or what you're worth! "But Kirstine!" you say, "That's not I really am!" True enough-you are both less and much more than that, aren't you? A son of Adam and a son of God, member of Christ Himself.

All which is good and beautiful in you (and there is much), God glorifies and encorporates into Himself for His own glory, making you a participant in His own life. All which is broken and disordered, He asks you to give Him, too, that He might bear it to Calvary and there transform it into grace. This is what it means to be a member of Christ--or at least one of the mainings--to have every moment and action of our life be united to every moment and action of His life. This is who you are, and whom I have watched (for a few fleeting months) grow into fuller and fuller maturity. You are beautiful--embrace the Cross, rejoice in it, savor it, for it is the turning point of everything! That is, for me, what Lent is about -- the transformation of death to life which takes place on the Cross.

But I ramble. All I really wanted to do, Alan, was to encourage you in this season of purification and preparation. This is an exciting time--such an exciting time--and you should take it as a gift. Through prayer and penance, make ready your heart to receive the Lord in the Sacraments. "He must increase, and [you] must decrease," but keep in mind that dying to self must be in the context of faith, hope and love. The crucifixion is folly without the resurrection. Penance means nothing outside the context of the love of God. When we walk this path to Calvary, dark and painful and lonely though it may be, we do it still in hope and out of love, because we know that such a death leads to (nay, promises!) SUCH a LIFE! And we are never alone, because Christ has trod and is treading with us these same steps.

I'm not being coherent as I'd hoped to be, but I trust you'll see through my exclamations and read what you need to hear. I really can't tell you how ecited I am to be able to see you received into full communion with the Church. As silly as it sounds, this is one of the best gifts I have ever received, and I'm not hte one receiving it! :-) 

May the Lord richly bless your Lent, my friend, and may He continue to shower His graces upon you as you prepare to give Him your heart and receive His own heart in return. He loves you! If you need an ear or a shoulder or a prayer or anything else, please don't hesitate to give me a call. Stop by before/after class (RCIA) if you have the time! We'll be here, and we'd love to have you.

Much love and many prayers, my dear soon-to-be Catholic!
<3 Kirstine

Response to a C

I'll have to ask Kevin for the original source...

I was talking to a friend the other day about her course on the gospel of John. She noted that her very conservative professor holds the minority view about the authorship of the fourth gospel, namely, that it was penned by the apostle John himself. Now, I have nothing invested here. It doesn’t matter a whit to me whether John himself was the main author or one of his followers. I am not remotely conversant in the debate. But what bothered me was this: that this particular professor’s espousal of the minority view was a virtual guarantee.
Why did I find this so troubling?

Because it seems to me that, as a non-specialist, I simply cannot trust anyone on the question. There is no reason I should be able to guess a scripture scholar’s position on the authorship of John’s gospel based on his position on artificial contraception and women’s ordination, but I can. What this tells me is that people’s positions aren’t determined so much by a careful analysis of the evidence at hand but rather, and overwhelmingly, by their pre-existing commitments.

My response as such:

Kevin,

First Mad props to Kevin for the Amall and the Night Visitors reference.

You have asked a lot of questions:

Do I see it?
Yes.
Catholics do not present a unified position on fundamental faith questions.

Is this a problem?
No.
This is only a problem if someone has the expectation that Catholics present a unified front. The great sin of journalism/media is ambiguity. If Catholics do not present a clear and focused message then they will loose credibility and identity with the media-consuming culture. This is what makes the LDS church and Torquemada so appealing: absolute control of the message.

I think this answer addresses why one might feel embarrassment and distress.

Is it inevitable?
Yes.
The world is full of sinners.

How to escape or transcend?
Holiness.
Peter Kreeft has a good talk on ecumenism unity that speaks to this.

Anyone who does transcend it?
Blessed Anne Katherine Emerick.
She was not a formally trained scripture scholar. Instead, she received the grace of a deep insight into the most troubling portions of the gospels.

Additional thoughts
Although I should let him speak for himself, Fr. Raph once challenged me to see how all scripture comes from tradition. Even if we did not have one shred of the Holy Bible, we could still be fully Catholic and live in the truth, because it comes from our Tradition. We believe that our tradition is inspired by God the Holy Spirit and can trust confidently in that. Yes there is still ambiguity, viz-a-viz our discussion with Teres on lying, but that ambiguity means that theologians will have jobs for a while longer.

Incredible Letter from

I keep rereading this article from the Diocese of Tulsa.
Absolutely in love.

Planned Parenthood Support

Here is one of those blog threads that I've traced backwards. Via Fr. Z via Fr. Mauer via the TFP group original article commenting on the original page on a Catholic school's website here.

There is nothing particularly new or interesting about this. Yes, it's a scandal that many in the administration of a "Catholic" school do not act or understand Catholic values. It's tremendously discouraging to see this, but it's not exactly "breaking news."

The real problem is that it presents a disunified sense of Catholic identity. This is especially difficult in Seattle, where most students are 2nd generations atheists. As a Catholic, I share in the identity of those who have a legitimate claim to be Catholic. And it is a kind of penance to share, corporately, in this word that both heretics and orthodox ascribe to themselves. It's an opportunity simply for prayer, and  to continue embracing our Catholic morals and values--all the while we must keep ourselves in conversation with places like SU, otherwise we risk becoming isolated traditionalists.

Should Catholic universities aid Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups? The answer is obviously NO. However, Seattle University – a Catholic institution – offers students the option of interning for Planned Parenthood of Western Washington on its web site.

This shocking scandal must be opposed.

Unfortunately it gets worse. The Women Studies department at Seattle University encourages students to “get involved” with pro-abortion groups.

The Women Studies web page states: “On the Seattle University Campus, in the Northwest, and across the Nation there are countless women’s organizations for you to get involved with. Here are some links to help you get started.”


Immediately after this “get involved” offer, students find pro-abortion groups such as the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and Legal Momentum.

See http://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/women/Default.aspx?id=1574

Please help TFP Student Action counter the culture of death at Seattle University by alerting your pro-life friends about this issue. Spread the word by email, facebook, blogs and other social media.

To voice your concern politely yet firmly, please contact:

Fr. Stephen V. Sundborg, SJ
Seattle University, President
901 12th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122-1090
Phone: 206-296-1891
E-mail: SUNDBORG@seattleu.edu

St. Patrick's Day Personal Fast

The Question:
If one takes on a personal fasting discipline during the season of lent, is that person encouraged to lift their own discipline on a feast day or maintain their fast? Any canon law to back this up?

First Response:
Now regarding the question below, I don’t recall any canonical prescriptions that specifically address one’s obligation to maintain a fast on a feast day. My response would naturally proceed from the function of a fast relative to the feast day.

We recall that Sundays within Lent are technically feast days, so we can use this as a clear point of reference. Penance, as prescribed by the Church, is a binding responsibility as if proceeds, really, from divine law. We observe the prescribed penitential days in order to fulfill this mandate. If we ask the question of whether we are bound to maintain this fast on a day which it is not prescribed it would seem to reason that we are acting contrary to the mandate of the Church to observe the paschal mystery—the day in which we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection and a day when we cease doing labor and other tasks, which would include our penitential obligations.

If we really engaged the question further, it would stand to reason that maintaining the fast is contrary to the mandate of observing the preeminent Holy Day of Obligation. Now, on minor feasts, we can used the same reasoning, depending on what the feast is.

My Response:
I like your logic about the obligation towards fasting on Feast days that occur during the year. Indeed, the components of lent emanate from divine law and should be interpreted in accordance with what will bring the greatest grace to the faithful . For myself, I intend to have a Guinness and eat some corned beef sliders this evening, preserving a Lenten restraint.

However, while I can recommend doing so for myself, I cannot recommend everyone doing so. The church calendar for the united states gives us some very clear mandates as to the feasts, solemnities and commemorations of the calendar of saints. Today in the United States, St. Patrick, Bishop and Missionary receives only a commemoration. However, in Ireland, today is celebrated as a solemnity. As to the question of dispensing with the requirement to abstain from meat when St. Patrick’s day falls on Friday, about 1/3 of the US bishops do so. We must be clear: the bishops offer a dispensation, they do not elevate the day to a solemnity.

In an effort to be as Catholic as possible, I would actually recommend that one feast on St. Joseph’s day because it is a solemnity, but observe whatever fast they undertook for the Lenten season on St. Patrick’s day. I would encourage them to offer prayers to St. Patrick on that day, but only to the same degree that they might celebrate St. Cyril of Jerusalem (March 18th).

However, because St. Patrick still exists on the US calendar, it is clear that he is important, and I can agree with your logic that we should not maintain our fasts. I would suggest a small nuance: celebration of St. Patrick’s day should be celebrated if he is genuinely important to the individual faithful, as he clearly is for the majority of the Irish nation. If one genuinely venerates St. Patrick in their life, I could think of no more fitting way to celebrate his day than by feasting a bit. However, I would strongly urge the faithful to attend mass on this day, because it places the celebration in its true context—a celebration of his example and prayers to God on our behalf.