Year of Grace

Presentation of the Lord

2012-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

This Thursday, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This feast recalls the first visit of Jesus to the Temple. According to the Mosaic Law, a woman was made ritually unclean by childbirth and was required to absent herself from public worship for forty days. At the end of that time, she would make a sacrificial offering in the Temple as a sign of her purification. Mary was obedient to the Law, and her visit to the Temple is what we commemorate on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (formerly called the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin).

The Presentation in the Temple. 13th century apse mosaic
from Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome.

When Mary and Joseph come to the Temple, they encounter two people, Simeon and Anna, who recognize in the child Jesus the long-awaited Messiah. Simeon hails him as "a light for revelation to the Gentiles, / and glory for your people Israel" (see Luke 2:22-40): Christ is the light, not only of the chosen people, but of the whole world, Jews and Gentiles alike. The candles which (beginning as early as the seventh century) have been blessed and carried on this day are a sign of Christ's light. In the Prayer of Blessing, we pray that the light of Christ may shine in our hearts, and guide us to God who is the source of light:

O God, true light, who create light eternal,
spreading it far and wide,
pour, we pray, into the hearts of the faithful
the brilliance of perpetual light,
so that all who are brightened in your holy temple
by the light of these candles
may happily reach the light of your glory.

In the secular world, February 2 is also a day about light. For centuries, all over Europe, February 2 was considered to be a bellwether of the summer. If the skies were cloudy and the weather bad, a good summer and a bounteous harvest lay in store. But if the sun shone on February 2, there were sure to be forty more days of winter. That's why it's bad news if the groundhog sees his shadow on "Groundhog Day"!

Pawnxatawney Phil
http://www.groundhog.org/

Prayer for Christian Unity

2012-01-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

The week of prayer for Christian Unity begins tomorrow, January 18, and continues until January 25. For more than 100 years, Christians of many denominations have dedicated this week to the hope that the prayer of Jesus might come to pass: "that they may be one." For nearly fifty years, since shortly after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, the Pontifical Commission for Christian Unity has worked closely with the World Council of Churches to prepare shared materials for the week of prayer, including reflections for each day, an ecumenical prayer service, and ideas for concrete action.

The theme for 2012 is "We will all be changed by the Victory of our Lord Jesus Christ," based on I Corinthians 15:51-58. Seattle's citywide prayer will take place on Tuesday, January 24 at 7:00pm at First A. M. E. Church in Seattle (1522 14th Avenue, 98122). Father Ryan will be the guest preacher this year. What better way to mark this fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council than by praying for unity among all Christian believers?

Almighty God,
Through Jesus you say to us
that whoever wishes to be first must become the least and the servant of all.
We enter into your presence,
knowing that your victory is won through the powerlessness of the cross.
We come to pray that your church may be one.
Teach us to accept humbly that this unity is a gift of your Spirit;
Through this gift, change and transform us
and make us more like your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Click here to access all the materials prepared for this year's Week of Prayer.

Where do prefaces come from?

2011-12-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

The preface is the prayer spoken or sung by the priest just before, and leading into, the Sanctus. The number of prefaces in the Roman Missal was significantly expanded in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Where there was formerly just one preface of Christmas (now called "Preface I of the Nativity of the Lord"), there are now three. Preface II of the Nativity of the Lord was newly composed following the Council.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For on the feast of this awe-filled mystery,
though invisible in his own divine nature,
he has appeared visibly in ours;
and begotten before all ages,
he has begun to exist in time;
so that, raising up in himself all that was cast down,
he might restore unity to all creation
and call straying humanity back to the heavenly Kingdom.

The preface sounds the principal themes of the Christmas season: Jesus "is the image of the unseen God" (Colossians 1:15) - God made visible. His Incarnation is our feast, too, for Jesus becomes human so that we might become like God.

But this "new" preface is based on ancient sources. In an ancient Christmas homily by Pope Leo the Great (c. 400-461), the saint meditates on Christ's Incarnation:

...being invisible in His own nature He became visible in ours, and He whom nothing could contain, was content to be contained: abiding before all time He began to be in time: the Lord of all things, He obscured His immeasurable majesty and took on Him the form of a servant.... (Sermon 22)

The text also borrows from other sources, ranging from an 8th-century preface to the psalms (see Paul Turner's Pastoral Companion to the Roman Missal from World Library Publications for more background on this and many other Missal texts).

Saint Kateri

2011-12-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

Soon, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha will become Saint Kateri - this week, Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to her intercession. She will be the first Native American to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), was born in what is now upstate New York. Her mother was a Christian; her father was not. As she grew up, Kateri occasionally encountered Jesuit missionaries, the “Blackrobes.” When she was nineteen, she was baptized, and received the name Catherine (Kateri). Her Mohawk relatives disapproved, and Kateri finally left them, walking 200 miles to a Christian settlement near Montreal. In these more congenial surroundings, she devoted herself to a life of prayer and penance. Here she died at the age of 24.

In honor of Kateri - and the season - I thought I would share with you the Huron carol, composed by St. Jean de Brebeuf in 1653, shortly before Kateri was born.

'Twas in the moon of wintertime

When all the birds had fled

That mighty Gitchi Manitou

Sent angel choirs instead

Before their light the stars grew dim

And wond'ring hunters heard the hymn:

Jesus, your King, is born;

Jesus is born!

In excelsis gloria!

Within a lodge of broken bark,

The tender Babe was found

A ragged robe of rabbit skin

Enwrapped His beauty round

And as the hunter braves drew nigh,

The angel song rang loud and high:

Jesus, your King, is born;

Jesus is born!

In excelsis gloria!

O children of the forest free,

O songs of Manitou

The Holy Child of earth and heav'n

Is born today for you

Come kneel before the radiant Boy

Who brings you beauty, peace and joy:

Jesus, your King, is born;

Jesus is born!

In excelsis gloria!

Advent - in two minutes

2011-12-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

Our director of religious education, TerryAnn Bowen, shared this short video with me. It's a fun and surprisingly thorough introduction to the Advent season from the Paulist Fathers online magazine, bustedhalo.com.

Advent: Coming

2011-11-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

Advent is upon us and a new liturgical year has begun. Happy New Year!

Advent means "coming": the coming we await is, of course, Christ's coming. We await his coming at the end of time. We await our celebration of his first coming at Christmas. And we gather to celebrate his coming, his presence, among us, in word and sacrament, in the celebration of the Eucharist.

It is easy to get used to Advent, and to think of Christ's Second Coming as something that happens only in Church, on Sunday, when we recite the Creed! But meditating on the readings and prayers for the season should shake us up a bit. They are full of the Lord's coming, in ways that are sometimes powerful and dramatic, sometimes quiet, but always sudden and surprising.

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for (Isaiah 63, First Sunday of Advent)
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together (Isaiah 40, Second Sunday of Advent)
The heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out (2 Peter, Second Sunday of Advent)
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come to our help with mighty strength (Collect for the First Week of Advent)
May the splendor of your glory dawn in our hearts... that all shadows of the night may be scattered (Collect for the Second Week of Advent)

One of my favorite images for the coming of the Lord is the ancient Advent hymn Rorate caeli, in which the coming of the Lord is likened to the rain falling on the earth in imagery drawn from Isaiah 45:8:

Rain down on us, heavens, from on high;
You clouds, pour forth the Just One.

Preparing with Prayer

2011-11-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

In just a few days, on November 26-27, English-speaking Catholics around the world will begin to use the new translation of the Mass, the most significant changes to the liturgy since the Second Vatican Council. We've prepared in a variety of ways - with bulletin inserts, education programs about the rich history of the liturgy, read-throughs and question-and-answer sessions. During the coming week, let us also pray that during the time of transition, we may listen to each other and be receptive to many points-of-view, and that we will continue to participate fully, consciously, and actively in the celebration of the liturgy, and make the new words our own.

Missal page, illustrated by
Blessed Fra Angelico

Lord God,
our prayer can add nothing to your greatness.
No words can fully express who you are,
for you dwell in light and mystery.
Only through Jesus Christ,
your eternal Word made flesh,
can we know you;
only in your Holy Spirit
can we give you fitting praise.

O God beyond all praising,

may we praise you always,
not only with words,
but with prayerful thoughts and loving deeds.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

The Dedication of St. John Lateran

2011-11-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome

Today the Church throughout the world celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of a church in Rome - the Basilica of St. John Lateran. St. John Lateran is magnificent, historic, and full of marvelous works of art - but that is not why it has its own feast on the universal calendar of the Church. We celebrate this particular church because it (not St. Peter's!) is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. In every diocese, the cathedral is a sign of the unity of believers; the Pope's cathedral is thus a sign of the unity of the Church throughout the world.

"...what then is the function of the Church that is made of brick and mortar? The church building is a house of prayer, but never a home. It is a tent, a bridge, a hospital ward, a ship. The church building is the place, the workshop, in which the church people are built up. In the workshop that is the Church, Christ is formed in us, because it is in the Church that we do the eucharistic liturgy, the work of the new creation." (Kristopher Willumsen)

The Pope's cathedra, or chair, at St. John Lateran

It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks...
For in this visible house you have let us build
and where you never cease to show favor
to the family on pilgrimage to you in this place,
you wonderfully manifest and accomplish
the mystery of your communion with us.
Here you build up for yourself the temple that we are
and cause your Church, spread throughout the world,
to grow ever more and more as the Lord's own Body,
till she reaches her fullness in the vision of peace,
the heavenly city of Jerusalem.

From the Preface of the Dedication of a Church (2010 translation)

Where Halloween comes from

2011-10-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Every year, we get questions about where Halloween came from. And every year, I look to Father F. X. Weiser's invaluable guide, The Holyday Book (1956), for the answer.

"Halloween traditions have never been connected with Christian religious celebrations of any kind. Although the name is taken from a great Christian feast [Halloween = Allhallows' Eve = All Saints Eve], it has nothing in common with the feast of All saints, and is, isntead, a tradition of pre-Christian times that has retained its original character in form and meaning.

"Halloween customs are traced back to the ancient Druids... who belived that during the night of November 1 demons, witches, and evil spirits roamed the earth in wild and furious gambols of joy to greet the arrival of 'their season' -- the long nights and early dark of the winter months. They had their fun with the poor mortals that night, frightening, harming them, and playing all kinds of mean tricks. The only way, it seemed, for poor humans to escape the persecution of the demons was to offer them things they liked, esepcially dainty food and sweets. Or, to escape the fury of these horrible creatures, a human could disguise himself as one of them and join in their roaming. In this way they would take him for one of their own and he would not be bothered."

It gives new meaning to the words "trick or treat," doesn't it!

Happy Halloween.

The North American Martyrs

2011-10-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

St. Jean de Brebeuf

This week (October 19) the Church celebrates a feast in honor of St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean de Brebeuf, and their companions, Jesuit martyrs for the faith in North America. In 1637, St. Jean de Brebeuf wrote down some advice for his fellow missionaries about the do's and don'ts of life in the New World. These "Instructions for Missionaries" reveal his practical wisdom, as well as his insight into and respect for the new culture into which they were bringing the Gospel.

St. Jean de Brebeuf's Instructions for Missionaries (1637)

You must love these Hurons, ransomed by the blood of the Son of God, as brothers.
You must never keep the Indians waiting at the time of embarking.
Carry a tinder-box or a piece of burning-glass, or both, to make fire for them during the day for smoking, and in the evening when it is necessary to camp; these little services win their hearts.
Try to eat the little food they offer you, and eat all you can, for you may not eat again for hours.
Eat as soon as day breaks, for Indians when on the road, eat only at the rising and the setting of the sun.
Be prompt in embarking and disembarking and do not carry any water or sand into the canoe.
Be the least troublesome to the Indians.
Do not ask many questions; silence is golden.
Bear with their imperfections, and you must try always to appear cheerful.
Carry with you a half-gross of awls, two or three dozen little folding knives (jambettes), and some plain and fancy beads with which to buy fish or other commodities from the nations you meet, in order to feast you Indian companions, and be sure to tell them from the outset that here is something with which to buy fish.
Always carry something during the portages.
Do not be ceremonious with the Indians.
Do not begin to paddle unless you intend always to paddle.
The Indians will keep later that opinion of you which they have formed during the trip.
Always show any other Indians you meet on the way a cheerful face and show that you readily accept the fatigues of the journey.

Happy Michaelmas

2011-09-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel
c. 1450 Web Gallery of Art, www.wga.hu

Today is the feast of the archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, traditionally known as "Michaelmas." The three archangels figure prominently in Scripture. Raphael, who is associated with healing, appears in the book of Tobit, as the guide of Tobias who is seeking a cure for his father's blindness. Gabriel appears, of course, in the Gospel of Luke, announcing to Mary that she will become the mother of Jesus. And Michael wages war against the devil, and is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, particularly in the book of Revelation.

In the 1450 Italian depiction of the three archangels shown above, you can see some of the traditional imagery associated wit them. On the left, holding a sword, is St. Michael. In the center, leading young Tobias, is Raphael. And on the right, holding a scroll with God's message to Mary, is Gabriel.

Read a fun article about traditions associated with Michaelmas here, at Garrison Keillor's "Writers Almanac."

100 Years of Maryknoll

2011-09-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the Noon Mass, Archbishop Sartain will be with us to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Maryknoll Society, which has sent priests, sisters, and lay missioners all over the world to preach the Gospel. Many Maryknollers and friends of Maryknoll will be present for this special celebration, including former parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, the "Maryknoll parish" of Seattle which was closed back in 1953.

A Brief History of Maryknoll

The United States was still a "mission country" when Father James Walsh of Boston and Father Thomas Price of Wilmington, North Carolina began to remind the Church in the United States of its worldwide missionary obligations. The two priests believed that the Church in this country could not grow to full stature until it sent its own sons and daughters as missioners to people in lands where Jesus and his message were unknown.

On June 29, 1911, Rome approved their plan, which was endorsed by the bishops of the United States. Their vision was to found a society to train American missioners, to send them overseas in the name of the Church, and to support them and their work. On the following day, Pope St. Pius X blessed the new Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America – which we know as Maryknoll.

A gifted administrator, Father (later Bishop) Walsh spent the next 25 years bringing the vision to life from Mary’s Knoll, near Ossining, New York. He published The Field Afar, a regular newsletter intended to stimulate the interest of American Catholics in the foreign missions. Now called simply Maryknoll, the magazine continues to inspire hundreds of thousands of readers. Meanwhile, Father Price led the first group of Maryknoll priests to China in 1918. He died the following year. On receiving news of Father Price’s death, Father Walsh said, "Summon everyone to the chapel. We now have a dear friend in heaven and we must ask him to help us."

Today, Maryknoll priests, brothers, sisters, and lay missioners work in over 30 countries. "To be a Missioner," Bishop James E. Walsh once said, "is to go where you are needed but not wanted; and to stay until you are wanted but not needed."

Maryknoll’s roots in Seattle go back to 1920, when Bishop O’Dea invited Maryknoll to come to Seattle to minister to the Japanese people of the city. Two Maryknoll Sisters soon arrived and established a kindergarten at 17th and Jefferson. None of their students was Catholic, but soon some Japanese families began to express an interest in the Catholic faith. In 1930, Father Murrett oversaw the building of a parish and school which ministered to a growing Japanese Catholic community and to Filipino Catholics as well.

Father Tibesar celebrating the First Holy Communion
of some of his Japanese parishioners at the Minidoka
internment camp for Japanese citizens, 1943.

The thriving parish community was devastated by the internment of Japanese citizens that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Many of Seattle’s Japanese residents were sent to camps in Puyallup and Idaho. Their Maryknoll priests, Father Tibesar and Father Boesflug, went with them, and continued to minister to them through the war years. But when the Japanese returned to Seattle, they were uprooted from the old neighborhood. They settled in other areas, and the community was scattered. Filipino Catholics continued to worship at Queen of Martyrs until the parish was closed in 1953. The church itself was razed to make way for the expansion of Providence Hospital in 1976.

The presence and ministry of Maryknoll in Seattle has continued, however, from Maryknoll House on Capitol Hill. Through regular education programs and parish visits, Maryknoll priests and sisters have continued to spread the word about the work of Maryknoll. The first Seattle vocation to Maryknoll was Father Frank Kelliher back in 1929. Since then, many Seattleites have joined the work of Maryknoll, not only as priests and sisters, but as lay missioners and Maryknoll associates.

Our Lady of Maryknoll, pray for us.

Dismissal

2011-09-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Go forth, the Mass is ended.

or
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
or
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
or
Go in peace.

Thanks be to God.

Following Communion, a period of silent prayer is observed, and a hymn of praise may be sung. The brief after Prayer after Communion brings the Communion Rite to a close. Then come the brief concluding rites, which include the greeting, now repeated for the fourth time: “The Lord be with you.” “And with your spirit.” The greeting is followed by a blessing and the dismissal.

The dismissal, spoken or chanted by the priest or by the deacon, if present, is an ancient part of the Mass. The earliest liturgical records use the words “Go in peace,” words Jesus himself used. In Rome, the formula “Ite, missa est” was used in the liturgy as in other gatherings—it means, literally, “go, you are dismissed” or “go, it is the dismissal.” Farther north, the words “Benedicamus Domino,” “Let us bless the Lord,” were used. The response to both was “Deo gratias,” “Thanks be to God.”

The Third Edition of the Roman Missal revises the dismissal formulas. Some familiar words are gone—the new Missal does not include “The Mass is ended, go in peace,” or “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Instead, “Ite, missa est” is now translated, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” Two quite new formulas have been added. “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” is based in Scripture, and recalls the great commission Christ gave to his disciples after the Resurrection: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The commission given to the Apostles is ours as well.

The third option, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” was composed by Pope Benedict XVI. It also speaks of the evangelizing mission of the entire assembly. In 2005, in a speech to bishops gathered for the Synod on the Eucharist, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the profound meaning of the dismissal rite.

In the pre-Christian use of the words, Ite, missa est, it was only a formula to say: "The assembly is over, it has ended". The Roman liturgy has chosen these words to say: "Our assembly is now ended". Little by little, however, this has taken on a deeper significance. In ancient Rome, it only meant: "It is finished". "Missa" meant "dismissal". Today, it is no longer "dismissal" but is "mission", since this assembly is not a technical, bureaucratic one, but is a being together with the Lord who touches our hearts and gives us a new life. …I return once more to the "Ite, Missa est". Many modern translations have added to this sober phrase of the Roman rite the closing phrase of the Byzantine rite: "Go in peace". … We are aware that this peace of Christ is not a static one, a kind of "rest"; rather, it is a dynamic peace that wishes to transform the world so that it is a world of peace enlivened by the presence of the Creator and Redeemer. (Pope Benedict XVI, October 22, 2005)

This is the last in the series about the texts of the new Roman Missal. Are there missing pieces that you would like to hear more about? Please comment or e-mail and let me know!

Invitation to Communion

2011-09-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Priest:

Behold the Lamb of God,

behold him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Priest and People:

Lord, I am not worthy

that you should enter under my roof,

but only say the word

and my soul shall be healed.

Following the Eucharistic Prayer, the Communion Rite begins. This part of the liturgy includes a number of prayers of preparation. There are prayers for the entire assembly, private prayers for the priest, and rites to prepare for the communion of the assembly.

We prepare for communion as a community by praying the Lord’s Prayer and exchanging a sign of peace. Then the Body of Christ is broken and divided into patens or bowls during the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. Then, bowing before the consecrated elements, the priest prays silently one of two early medieval prayers of preparation for communion. Only after this prayer does the priest elevate the host and chalice once again, and invite the people to come forward with an invitation based on the Scriptures.

The first part of this invitation, which takes up the words of the Agnus Dei we have just sung, comes from words of John the Baptist in John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” The second part comes from the vision of the heavenly liturgy in the book of Revelation 19:9: “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These words are true; they come from God.’” In the Eucharist we celebrate, we join, for a moment, in the heavenly liturgy. In the sacrament we are about to receive, we have a pledge of eternal glory, a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

Our response is also based on the Scriptures. It is based on the Gospel account of the healing of the servant of a Roman centurion, which appears both in Matthew and in Luke. “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant shall be healed” (Matthew 8:8). The new translation of the response more accurately reflects the Latin text, and also more obviously echoes the Gospel passage, particularly the phrase “under my roof.”

Why do we recall this particular Gospel passage just before receiving communion? Perhaps because the response of the centurion combines an expression of humility with an amazing act of faith. He believes so completely in Jesus’ healing power that he is confident that just a word from Jesus will do. His faith is what Jesus remarks on: “in no one in Israel have I found such faith,” and looks forward to a time when “many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven” (8:11).

It is interesting to compare our response to those in other Christian traditions at this moment. In many Eastern Rite churches, the priest invites the people to communion with the words “Holy things for holy people,” and the response is an acclamation of praise: "One Holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father." In the Episcopal Church, a prayer before communion recalls a different Gospel story: “We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table.” Then the priest says, “The Gifts of God for the People of God.” Humble awareness of our unworthiness and faith in Christ’s saving power, joy in this moment and hope for the heavenly banquet—all these themes intertwine at this holy moment.

New Missal page

2011-09-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

We've launched a special page on the Cathedral website dedicated to the new Roman Missal. You can read and learn more about the new texts, compare some of the new texts with the current Sacramentary, and more.

Given the controversy that has swirled around the Roman Missal over the past few years, it seemed appropriate to ponder the ancient emblem of the Church as a ship sailing through stormy seas as we prepare for the transition that lies ahead. "Let not the wave master you in the troubled state of your heart," wrote St. Augustine. "Yet, since we are but human, if the wind should drive us on, and stir up the affections of our souls, let us not despair; let us awake Christ, that we may sail on a tranquil sea, and so come to our country."

Memorial Acclamation

2011-09-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Priest: The mystery of faith.

People:
We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.

or
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.

or
Save us, Savior of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.

The Memorial Acclamation is the name given to the brief sung or spoken response the assembly makes following the words of consecration. Before the reforms of the Council, the Eucharistic Prayer was said quietly by the priest, the people following along through his ritual gestures like genuflections, signs of the cross, and, above all, the elevations of host and chalice. With the Council reforms, the people’s participation was a priority, and acclamations now punctuate the Eucharistic Prayer: the entire assembly joins in singing the Sanctus, the Memorial Acclamation, and the Amen.

After the words of consecration, the priest sings or says “mystery of faith,” which refers both to what has come before—obedient to Christ’s command, the words have been spoken that change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ—and to the words with which the people now respond, words which encapsulate the saving mystery of Christ, who died and who rose and who will come again. In different ways, each of these acclamations speak what it means to do what we do, in this and every Mass – in celebrating the Eucharist we are recalling Christ’s passion. As St. Paul said (in words that are echoed in Option B): “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes” (I Corinthians 11:23).

The Constitution on the Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council encourages the regional conferences of bishops to compose new prayers, and the 1974 Sacramentary included a fourth option for the Memorial Acclamation, based on what will be option A in the new Missal: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” It is a stunningly simple expression of what we believe, and rapidly became the most frequently used acclamation for English-speaking Catholics. But it is not included in the third edition because it is not in the Latin text, and also because it is not addressed to Christ, and therefore does not involve us in Christ’s saving action in the same way as the others.

The Words of Consecration

2011-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

On the day before he was to suffer,
he took bread in his holy and venerable hands,
and with eyes raised to heaven
to you, O God, his almighty Father,
giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread
and gave it to his disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
he took this precious chalice
in his holy and venerable hands,
and once more giving you thanks, he said the blessing
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.

From Eucharistic Prayer I (the Roman Canon)

In the early years of the Church, the Eucharistic Prayer was not written down. “The one who presides over the assembly,” wrote St. Justin Martyr, “makes a long eucharist for having been judged worthy of these good things” (150). St. Hippolytus said, “It is not necessary that the bishop take up the formulas which have been consigned higher up as though he had to force himself to say them by heart in his thanksgiving to God. Let each one pray according to his capacities. If someone is capable of praying a long time while uttering a solemn prayer, that is good… provided that his prayer is sound and conforms to orthodoxy” (Deiss, 66).

With the passage of centuries, certain prayers came to be written down and shared, and the practice of improvised prayer became less and less common. By the 11th or 12th century, in the Roman Catholic tradition, this rich variety was gone, and just one prayer was used for the celebration of the Eucharist – the prayer we know today as Eucharistic Prayer I, the “Roman Canon.”

That continued until November 30, 1969, when the revised Roman Missal containing the reformed liturgy was published. The revised rites included four Eucharistic Prayers. The Roman Canon continues to be the first option, now supplemented by Eucharistic Prayer II, based on the most ancient existing text of the Eucharistic Prayer, from the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus; Eucharistic Prayer III, a new composition; and Eucharistic Prayer IV, which is based on ancient Eastern anaphora (Eucharistic Prayers). In the years since the Council, these prayers have been further supplemented by two Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation, a Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs and Occasions, and two Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children.

The new translation of the Eucharistic Prayers – in particular, the new translation of the words of consecration – have been the subject of much discussion. The translators of the new Roman Missal chose to use the word “chalice” instead of “cup,” both because the word has its roots in the Latin word “calix,” and because it is a word that is not in daily use. In Liturgiam Authenticam, the 2001 Vatican instruction on which the new translation is based, this is the recommended practice: “If indeed, in the liturgical texts, words or expressions are sometimes employed which differ somewhat from usual and everyday speech, it is often enough by virtue of this very fact that the texts become truly memorable and capable of expressing heavenly realities” (Liturgiam Authenticam 27).

The use of the word “many” has also generated much discussion. It is an accurate translation of the Latin “multis,” and reflects the Gospel accounts as well--Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24. Scripture scholars emphasize that the use of the word “many” in this context “does not mean that some are excluded”; rather, it “is a Semitism [that is, a characteristic of the language Jesus spoke] designating the collectivity who benefit from the service of the one, and is equivalent to ‘all’” (Catholic Study Bible, p. 1291). (It is worth noting that some other Christian liturgies – the Episcopal Church, for example—already use this wording in their Eucharistic liturgy.)
The use of the word “many” is sure to cause confusion. In English, the meaning of “many” is unequivocal: it means a large number, even a majority, but it does not mean “all.” Does that mean that when the priest prays the words of consecration that Christ’s blood was poured out not for all, but for many people? The answer is a resounding no. Christ came to take away the sins not of many, but of all: he “takes away the sins of the world,” we will pray in a few moments. It is at the core of our belief that Christ is the Savior, not of some but of all humanity, and that he died on the cross out of love not just for those who know his name, but for all people. And it is that all-embracing love we should call to mind when we hear these words at Mass.

The Preface Dialogue

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The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.

The Preface Dialogue is one of the most ancient parts of the Mass. In the Apostolic Tradition of Saint Hippolytus of Rome, dating from around 215, much of the liturgy of ordination of a bishop is quoted, including these familiar words: “The Lord be with you. All respond, And with your spirit! Let us lift up our hearts. They are turned to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord! It is right and just!” (Quoted in Lucien Deiss, The Springtime of the Liturgy, p. 129-30).

The first part of the dialogue, as we have already seen, is rooted in Scripture, and appears four times in the liturgy today. The words “Lift up your hearts” also have their roots in Scripture—Lawrence Johnson points out their similarity to Lamentations 3:41, “Let us reach out our hearts toward God in heaven.” The last part of the dialogue, “It is right and just,” a more literal translation of the Latin “Dignum et justum est,” is thought to be a response deriving from the Greek tradition, when it was “an acclamation of agreement.” (Johnson, 79) This response of the people is echoed in the preface, which amplifies the theme: “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.”

In the 1974 Sacramentary, the people’s response was translated “It is right to give him thanks and praise” in order to express more clearly what we mean by “just,” which has somewhat different connotations in English than in the Latin. In this case, “justum” means “proper” rather than “fair,” a meaning we often assign to “just.”

The Preface which follows is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God for what he has done for us in Jesus. Each preface begins and ends in the same way. It is indeed “right and just” to give God thanks through Christ. And in giving thanks and praise to God, we do so in company with all the saints and angels. The central portion of each preface is richly varied (there are nearly 100 prefaces in the Roman Missal, to be used at different times, in celebrations of the seasons, saints, and sacraments). All of these prefaces say something about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. The Prefaces of Ordinary Time are especially direct in their presentation of the heart of the Paschal Mystery, the saving life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

I believe in the Holy Spirit

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I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The third part of the Creed speaks of God the Holy Spirit, who is one with the Father and the Son, who is both "Lord" and “the giver of life.” The phrase “and the Son” in the line “who proceeds from the Father and the Son” was added at the Council of Toledo in 589, to express more clearly the belief of the Church in the West that the Spirit proceeds from both Father and Son (in the East, many Churches do not accept this theology).

The last part of the Creed emphasizes the present and future, our place in the saving mystery we profess. We believe in “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” We believe that baptism, conferred once, takes away sins. We believe in the resurrection of the dead (St. Paul said, “if the dead are not raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins”). And we believe in “the life of the world to come,” eternal life in heaven.

In the words of the baptismal rite, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I believe in one Lord

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I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,

At the words that follow up to and including and became man, all bow.

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

The second section of the Creed, which focuses on Christ, is the longest, because it was in the midst of the Arian heresy that the Council of Nicaea was called, and this Creed was written. The Arians argued that Christ was God’s first creation, at the beginning of time. If this were true, then clearly the three persons of the Trinity could not be equal. To counter this false teaching, the Council Fathers used the Greek term homoousios to describe Christ. It is difficult to translate, but essentially means of one and the same being or substance. In Latin, this word was translated consubstantialem, and our translation now uses the word “consubstantial." In essence, the translators chose not to translate this unique word, in keeping with the new guidelines for liturgical translation on which this third edition of the Roman Missal is based: "Whenever a particular Latin term has a rich meaning that is difficult to render into a modern language (such as the words munus, famulus, consubstantialis, propitius, etc.) various solutions may be employed in the translations, whether the term be translated by a single vernacular word or by several, or by the coining of a new word, or perhaps by the adaptation or transcription of the same term" (Liturgiam Authenticam, 53). In the case of the word "consubstantial," the translators of the Roman Missal chose to use a unique word to reflect a unique reality.

This whole section of the Creed, one might argue, amplifies what we mean when we say that Christ is consubstantial wit the Father. He is what God is: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” Fully God, Christ is also fully human, and the Creed carefully situates Christ in historical time—he was “crucified under Pontius Pilate.” It also emphasizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, promised to Israel—he rose “in accordance with the Scriptures.”

I believe in God

2011-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

The first word in the new translation of the Creed is one of the most noticeable changes in the entire text. We move from “we believe” to “I believe.” Surprisingly enough, both forms are quite accurate translations! "The Church emphasizes the 'I' and the 'we' of faith by using two professions of faith in her liturgies: the Apostles' Creed, the Creed that begins with 'I believe' (Credo), and the Great Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople, which in its original form starts with the words 'We believe' (Credimus)" (YouCat 24; cf. Catechism 26). The Greek original of the Nicene Creed begins with “we.” But in the Roman liturgy, the Latin version begins "I believe." The translators of the 1974 Sacramentary wanted to take the Church back to the original form of the Creed, and to emphasize the communal nature of this profession of the faith we share as a Church. The new translation adheres to the Latin, and so we will now say “I believe.” But even as we say “I believe,” we join in a corporate expression of faith, prayed aloud together, as one body in Christ.

The first part of the Creed is about God the Father. And what do we believe about the first Person of the Trinity? That God is one and all-powerful. That God created everything; heavens and earth, all we can see, and all we cannot see. Another change in translation can be noted here: “seen and unseen” has become “visible and invisible,” to echo the Latin “visibilium omnium et invisibilium.”

The Creed

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Though it ends with "Amen," the Creed is not so much a prayer as a statement of faith. In the early Church, the Profession of Faith was part of the baptismal rite, and the candidate was questioned about faith in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the water was poured. It was relatively late--the 11th century--when the Creed was incorporated into the Sunday Mass in Rome.

Today, there are two options for the Creed – the short Apostles’ Creed, familiar as one of the prayers of the rosary, and the Nicene Creed (more accurately, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, because it took shape not only at the Council of Nicaea in 325 but at the Council of Constantinople in 381, and continued to be discussed at Chalcedon in 451 and Toledo in 589). The Creed is recited by the entire assembly as part of the Liturgy of the Word. Lawrence Johnson suggests that it also forms a kind of bridge between Word and Eucharist: "it is a response not only to doctrinal propositions but also to the person of Christ present in the word. At the same time the profession links the Liturgies of the Word and Eucharist as the congregation recalls the mysteries of faith which will again be proclaimed in the Eucharistic Prayer. The people accept God’s word before they move on to the celebration of the Eucharist, which itself is a profession of faith." (The Mystery of Faith, p. 48).

The Creed falls into four sections. The first states what we believe about God the Father; the second and longest part speaks of God the Son; the third speaks of God the Holy Spirit; and the fourth is about the Church and our participation in the life of Christ. In the posts to follow next week, we'll look at each section in more detail.

The Shape of the Collect

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Let us pray.

O God, who have prepared for those who love you
good things which no eye can see,
fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love,
so that, loving you in all things and above all things,
we may attain your promises,
which surpass every human desire.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Collect for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Collect, the Church speaks to God. In the Roman liturgy, the Collect is a formal prayer that follows a clear and consistent pattern. First comes the invitation, "Let us pray," which is to be followed by a brief period of silent prayer. Then the Collect begins with the address, which takes many variations – in this example, it is very simple: "O God." In other Collects, we call on God as "almighty," "eternal," "ever-living." Sometimes the address is followed by an amplification, a clause which tells us more about God – here, we recall that God has “prepared for those who love you / good things which no eye can see.” There is a petition – “fill our hearts... with the warmth of your love.” There is a motive, suggesting why our prayer should be granted--here, because we love God "in all things and above all things." Finally, there is a result, which expresses why we are making this petition: “that we may attain your promises.” The Collect concludes with a doxology, which may be simply "Through Christ our Lord," or more extended, as in the example above. In these words, which conclude not only the Collects but some of the other Mass prayers as well, we recall Jesus's words: "whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you" ( John 16:23).

The Collect (Opening Prayer): Part 1

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Almighty, ever-living God,
whom, taught by the Holy Spirit,
we dare to call our Father,
bring, we pray, to perfection in our hearts
the spirit of adoption as your sons and daughters,
that we may merit to enter the inheritance
which you have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Collect for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Formerly called the “Opening Prayer,” the Collect brings the Introductory Rites of the Mass to a close. We have gathered together as a community of faith; we have confessed our sinfulness and praised the triune God; and now this prayer, led by the priest, unites or “collects” our hopes and intentions into one short prayer to the Father.

The Collect is usually quite broad in its scope, and almost always says something about how we should “know and love God, and do good according to his will,” in the words of the Catechism. We ask God to intervene in our lives, to shape us so that we can do his will in thought, word, and deed.

In the Collects for Ordinary Time, we ask God to give us the strength to do what must be done (Week 1), to grant “peace in our times” (2), to “direct our actions” according to his will (3), to keep us safe (4), to “fashion us” by his grace (6), to “keep from us… all that might harm us” (9), to fill us “with holy joy” (14), to give us “the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ” (15), to deepen “our sense of reverence” (22). The Collects for other liturgical seasons have a different emphasis. In Advent, many of the Collects emphasize being ready for Christ, “worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom” (Advent I), to “gain admittance to his company” (Advent II). In Lent, we pray to “grow in understanding” (Lent I), to be nourished inwardly with God’s word (Lent II), to “hasten” towards Easter (Lent IV). The Collects of Easter emphasize our joy in the Resurrection of Christ, and our hope to participate fully in that Resurrection in heaven.

Many of the Collects have a venerable history, reaching back centuries or even millennia – the Collect above, which we pray on the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, was first written down in a Sacramentary used in Bergamo, Italy, in the 9th century.

The Gloria: Song of Praise

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THE GLORIA: TEXT AND COMMENTARY

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you,

we bless you,

we adore you,

we glorify you,

we give you thanks for your great glory,

Lord God, heavenly King,

O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us;

you take away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

One of the most familiar Christian prayers is known as the “Doxology,” meaning words of praise: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.” The Gloria we sing at Mass is sometimes called “the greater Doxology,” because it is an extended hymn of praise to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The translators of the 1974 Sacramentary wanted an English Gloria which was accurate in the essential points of the prayer, but which avoided repetitions which could be distracting in the vernacular. They also worked hard to make the text rhythmic and singable, so that it could be set to music naturally and memorably.

In keeping with the Church’s new guidelines on liturgical translation, the 2011 version of the Gloria reflects the Latin text more exactly. The most noticeable changes are in the litany of praise at the beginning of the prayer. The current version says (or sings!): “Lord God, heavenly King, / almighty God and Father, / we worship you, we give you thanks, / we praise you for your glory.” The new version changes the order of these phrases, in keeping with the Latin, and adds additional words of praise: we “praise,” “bless,” “adore,” “glorify,” and “give... thanks.” The Gloria is a poem, a song of praise, not a theological treatise, so this variety of language should probably not be read as if these phrases somehow constitute a precise summary of how we can praise of God. Rather, they should be experienced as we experience music or poetry, in which repetition is used for cumulative effect: in this case, a crescendo of praise.

The other significant difference comes in the second part of the Gloria, with the extended litany to Christ, who takes “away the sins of the world.” This litany echoes the “Lamb of God” we will pray just before communion. In this part of the Gloria, we express our faith in Christ, the “Only Begotten Son” of God, and recall his saving mission for the world - and for us. He takes away the sins of the world, and so we ask him to “have mercy on us” as well. He is “seated at the right hand of the Father” to intercede for us, and so we ask him to “receive our prayer.”

The final part of the Gloria, which is unchanged, praises Christ and the triune God, bringing to a transcendent conclusion this great song of praise.

The Confiteor - I confess

2011-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

PENITENTIAL ACT: TEXT AND COMMENTARY
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

And, striking their breast, they say:

through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

At the beginning of Mass, we acknowledge our sins and praise God’s mercy in the Penitential Act (formerly called the “Penitential Rite”). The new translation of the ancient confession of sin, the Confiteor, reflects the Latin text, with the thrice-repeated words “through my fault,” and the ritual gesture of striking the breast.

In the 1570 Roman Missal (the “Tridentine” Rite, because it dates from the Council of Trent), this prayer actually occurs twice – once at the beginning of Mass, in the prayers said at the foot of the altar, and again just before the communion of the faithful. The reformed rite places it here, and makes it a prayer said by the entire assembly – priest and people together.

The Confiteor always rings true. If one had to summarize it in one word, perhaps that word would not be “sin” or “confession” but responsibility: because this prayer is all about taking responsibility for our sins. They are not thrust upon us—they are our own fault, as we now repeat three times. We sin not only in words, but in thoughts; not only in action, but in omission.

But there is hope in this prayer as well, as we turn towards God, and there is healing in the community that surrounds us: our “brothers and sisters” in the pews with us, and the invisible communion of saints, with Mary at their head, who pray for us to God.

More on the Roman Missal

2011-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is usually a pretty slow time when it comes to liturgy - a time to organize the files and enjoy the quiet Sundays of Ordinary Time. Not this year! The summer of 2011 is countdown time, as we prepare for the new Roman Missal, which will be implemented across the United States (and much of the rest of the English-speaking world) on November 27, the First Sunday of Advent. There will be lots of learning opportunities this fall, including an adult ed series on the history of the liturgy in October, and sessions on the new texts in November. There will also be a series of special bulletin inserts exploring different aspects of the new translations, especially the people's responses, as well as some of the priest celebrant's parts, especially the Collects (Opening Prayers) and the Eucharistic Prayers.

I will be posting these segments to "Year of Grace" in the coming weeks and would appreciate any feedback before they get published in the bulletin. The first in the series follows!

+ + +

THE GREETING: TEXT AND COMMENTARY

The Lord be with you. or,
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And with your spirit.

At four important moments during the Mass – during the Introductory Rites, before the Gospel, at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, and just before the Blessing and Dismissal – priest and people exchange this greeting, which speaks of God’s presence in the midst of the liturgical assembly. Like so much of our prayer, the greeting and response come straight from the scriptures.

The short form, “The Lord be with you,” occurs several times in the Old Testament. The extended form is taken directly from the closing words of the Saint Paul's second letter to the Corinthians: “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you” (13:12-13). In Second Corinthians, this is Paul's farewell blessing to a community with faith, but also with its share of challenges and conflicts - a community not unlike our own. His prayer for them is that they may be united, in the grace, love, and fellowship of God.

In the new translation, we will respond to this prayer for God’s presence in our midst, with the words, “And with your spirit.” These words also come to us from Saint Paul, who used the phrase several times. The letter to the Galatians concludes, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (6:18), and similar words are used in Philippians, Philemon, and 2 Timothy.

Why “spirit”? In Latin, this response reads “Et cum spiritu tuo.” The translators of the 1974 Sacramentary chose to translate this as “And also with you” because of concerns that the use of the word “spirit” could be confusing for modern-day Catholics. The simple word “you” embraces the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.

The new translation uses the words “and with your spirit,” an exact rendering of the Latin. Some commentators have argued for the importance of this change, suggesting that these words (used only in dialogues with a deacon or priest) refer to the special gifts of the Holy Spirit the minister received at ordination. This explanation reaches back to some of the Fathers of the Church, and yet, that was clearly not what St. Paul had in mind when he addressed the same words to the people of Galatia. An ancient homily for the Easter Vigil echoes this liturgical dialogue in yet another way. The homily imagines Christ's descent to the dead: "The Lord goes in holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.'"

"The Lord be with you." "And with your spirit." In essence, the priest and the people say the same thing to each other: we pray for God’s presence as we begin an important action in the liturgy. In many ways, this dialogue is like others in which we see the parallelism characteristic of Hebrew prayer. In the Liturgy of the Hours, we pray, "God, come to my assistance.” “Lord, make haste to help me.” And, in the Mass, the familiar response to the Prayer of the Faithful uses a similar rhetorical pattern: “We pray to the Lord.” “Lord, hear our prayer.”

The Feast of St. James

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The Christ of the Portico della Gloria,
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

In each parish, the patronal feast day is observed as a solemnity - that's why, at St. James this weekend, you won't hear anything about the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time! Instead, we observe the feast of our patron, St. James, with great solemnity.

Last year, Pope Benedict XVI visited the great shrine to St. James at Santiago de Compostela, Spain. In his homily, he said:

For those disciples who seek to follow and imitate Christ, service of neighbour is no mere option but an essential part of their being. It is a service that is not measured by worldly standards of what is immediate, material or apparent, but one that makes present the love of God to all in every way and bears witness to him even in the simplest of actions. Proposing this new way of dealing with one another within the community, based on the logic of love and service, Jesus also addresses “the rulers of the nations” since, where self-giving to others is lacking, there arise forms of arrogance and exploitation that leave no room for an authentic integral human promotion. . . .

The celebration of this Holy Year of Compostela also brings this to mind. This is what, in the secret of their heart, knowing it explicitly or sensing it without being able to express it, so many pilgrims experience as they walk the way to Santiago de Compostela to embrace the Apostle. The fatigue of the journey, the variety of landscapes, their encounter with peoples of other nationalities - all of this opens their heart to what is the deepest and most common bond that unites us as human beings: we are in quest, we need truth and beauty, we need an experience of grace, charity, peace, forgiveness and redemption. And in the depth of each of us there resounds the presence of God and the working of the Holy Spirit. Yes, to everyone who seeks inner silence, who keeps passions, desires and immediate occupations at a distance, to the one who prays, God grants the light to find him and to acknowledge Christ. Deep down, all those who come on pilgrimage to Santiago do so in order to encounter God who, reflected in the majesty of Christ, welcomes and blesses them as they reach the Pórtico de la Gloria.

Explore more about the history and experience of the Camino in a special feature on the Cathedral website. Read more about the life and legend of Saint James here.

Corpus Christi

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This Sunday, June 26, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi. The traditional procession will take place at the conclusion of the 10:00am Mass. We take to the streets, showing forth our faith in the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament to the world - or at least to our First Hill neighborhood! And we remind ourselves that Christ is in our midst, leading us, but also walking beside us in all the various paths of our lives.

In a homily on this feast in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI said,

At the end of the Eucharistic celebration we will join in the procession as if to carry the Lord Jesus in spirit through all the streets and neighbourhoods of Rome. We will immerse him, so to speak, in the daily routine of our lives, so that he may walk where we walk and live where we live.

Indeed we know, as the Apostle Paul reminded us in his Letter to the Corinthians, that in every Eucharist, also in the Eucharist this evening, we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (cf. I Cor 11: 26). We travel on the highways of the world knowing that he is beside us, supported by the hope of being able to see him one day face to face, in the definitive encounter.

Preparing for the new translation

2011-06-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

In parishes across the country, the summer of 2011 will be a busy one as we prepare for the new translation of the Roman Missal. Jesuit Father John Baldovin has prepared a series of short video presentations to introduce the new translations to his own Jesuit community. He gives an excellent overview of the translation process and a sampling of what the new translations sound like in these videos. The first in the series can be found here:

The Holiest Days

2011-04-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

The Sacred Triduum is here - the Church's annual commemoration of the Paschal Mystery of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. (I've been a dilatory blogger during Lent - I will do better during the coming Easter Season!)

A Triduum Prayer for Liturgical Ministers

Lord Jesus Christ,we thank you for calling us

to serve your holy people
in these holiest of days.
May we bring to these sacred liturgies
the best we have to offer:
attentive minds,
loving hearts,
reverent hands,
confident voices.

May these Three Days
bring new life to our parish,
our Church, and our world.
You live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Praying with the People of Japan

2011-03-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Woodcut by Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe,
Cathedral Sacristy

It is an amazing thing that no matter what is in our hearts as we come before God in prayer, the Scriptures have been there before us, giving us words that resonate as if they had been uttered this very moment. As George Herbert wrote in his poem The Holy Scriptures, it is not we who comment on the scriptures; rather, "my life... comments on thee: for in ev’ry thing / Thy words do finde me out, and parallels bring, / And in another make me understood."

As we pray with and for the people of Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, the ancient words of the psalmist take on new meaning, as they express the grief and terror of the people of today.

The waves of death rose about me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

the snares of the grave surrounded me;

the traps of death confronted me.

The earth reeled and rocked;

The mountains were shaken to their base.

The bed of the ocean was revealed;

The foundations of the world were laid bare.

From on high he reached me and seized me;

He drew me forth from the mighty waters.

(Verses from Psalm 18, The Revised Grail Psalms)

New language for the Mass

2011-02-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog, then you've probably also kept abreast of the big liturgy news of the year (and the past several years!): a new English translation of the Roman Missal, the prayers of the Mass. A new translation has actually been in the works for many years. In fact, a revised translation was completed, and approved by the bishops for use throughout the English-speaking world as far back as 1998. But then new guidelines for liturgical translation were published by the Vatican in 2001, and the entire project was begun over again - from scratch!

Now the translation is complete, and a date for implementation has been set: November 25-26, 2011. During the coming months, we will have many opportunities as a parish to learn about the new texts. Click here for some answers to basic questions about the Missal. And stay tuned to Year of Grace for regular features to help us understand what's changing and how we can prepare.

The Prayer of the Church

2011-02-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

The Liturgy of the Hours is the Church's official prayer outside of the Mass, and includes Morning Prayer (sometimes called Lauds), Evening Prayer (also known as Vespers), as well as Night Prayer, or Compline, and four other times of prayer. Its primary function is to sanctify "the hours" of the day with prayer.

At the Cistercian monastery of Novy Dvur in
Czecheslovakia, the contemporary chapel retains the
ancient arrangement of two choirs, so that the monks
can pray the Liturgy of the Hours from side-to-side.

Isn't Mass enough? Yes - and no. The celebration of the Eucharist is the "source and summit" of our Christian lives. But, as it says in the General Instruction for the Liturgy of the Hours, "Christ has taught us the necessity of praying at all times without losing heart.... the Church satisfies this requirement not only by the celebration of the Eucharist but in other ways also, especially through the Liturgy of the Hours, which is distinguished from other liturgical actions by the fact that it consecrates to God the whole cycle of day and night." The Liturgy of the Hours reminds us that our whole lives, our working days as well as our Sundays, can be an offering to God. The Liturgy of the Hours helps us to live the Eucharist all week: it "extends to the different hours of the day the praise and thanksgiving, the commemoration of the mysteries of salvation, the petitions and the foretaste of heavenly glory, that are present in the eucharistic mystery."

The Liturgy of the Hours has changed through the centuries. But through all its variations, the essential elements of the prayer, specifically the recitation of the psalms, have endured. For the early Church, the psalms had a special place among the scriptures. They are attributed to King David, and were (and are) interpreted as prophetic of the Messiah, who is called the "Son of David" (Matthew 21:9). As the risen Lord said to the disciples, "everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44).

Today, at St. James, the Liturgy of the Hours is alive and well. Our principal celebration is the Office of Evening Prayer or Vespers on Sunday afternoons at 4:00pm, when the psalms are chanted by the entire assembly. Each Friday evening at 6:30pm, we have an ecumenical evening prayer with music from Taize. And at 12:10pm on weekdays in the Chapel, we pray the Office of Midday Prayer.

You can pray the Liturgy of the Hours online by clicking here. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod, download the "iBreviary Pro" app. It includes the Liturgy of the Hours as well as the readings for Mass for every day of the year. (Yes, there's an app for that!)

Lunar New Year

2011-01-31T16:59:00.000-08:00

This week one of the biggest festivals in the world begins: the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday of the year for many Asian cultures, including China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia. The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of spring based on the lunar, rather than the solar, calendar, and it is sometimes called the "spring festival." It is a time of homecoming, of honoring the ancestors, luck, forgiveness, gift-giving, and new beginnings. People burn incense at the shrines of their ancestors, and children receive "lucky money" from their parents. It is an auspicious day to open a shop and to pay visits to friends and relatives.

The Year of the Rabbit begins Thursday.
Image source: Google Image search, where else?

In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year celebration is known as Tết Nguyên Đán, or simply Tet. While the celebration is rooted in Buddhism, Vietnamese Catholics have adapted its traditions to the faith. Father Thanh Dao, Pastor of the Vietnamese Martyrs Church in Seattle, explains the meaning of Tet in this way: "Tet, Lunar New Year, is the greatest event sacred to Vietnamese people. It is a combination of Thanksgiving Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, and New Year’s Day where people gather to give thanks to God and filial love to parents.... For Vietnamese Catholics, celebrating Lunar New Year’s Eve Mass is the best way to give thanks to God for the past year in their filial love to our Heavenly Father. In the spirit of unity, we, children of the same Archdiocese family, gather with our Archbishop, our father and head of our household, at the Cathedral (Mother’s House) in unity to give thanks to God and ask the Lord to bless us with a year full of faith, hope, and love. With our Archbishop’s lead in the Eucharist, we unite with Jesus Christ in offering our special gifts (faith, life, family) to our Heavenly Father."

This year, Archbishop Sartain will preside at the Lunar New Year Mass in the Cathedral on Wednesday, February 2 at 8:00pm (New Year's Eve). Before Mass begins, there will be a special offering of incense in prayer for all ancestors. The liturgy will be in English and Vietnamese; all are welcome. Chúc mừng năm mới! (Happy New Year!)

Epiphany: Three Kings

2011-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Gospel according to Matthew speaks of wise men, magi, from the east, who saw the star and came in search of the infant Christ, and then returned home. Through the years, tradition has added many other details to the story. In the year 735, St. Bede the Venerable wrote, "The first was called Melchior; he was an old man, with white hair and long beard; he offered gold to the Lord as to his king. The second, Gaspar by name, young, beardless, of ruddy hue, offered to Jesus his gift of incense, the homage due to Divinity. The third, of black complexion, with heavy beard, was called Baltasar; the myrrh he held in his hands prefigured the death of the Son of man."

The wise men are honored in a special way at Epiphany, which the Church celebrates this Sunday, January 2. At the Noon Mass, the Kings will join in the entrance procession, and be added to the manger scene. The children will receive chocolate coins, an Epiphany tradition that recalls the gold the Magi brought to the infant Christ.

But Epiphany is not just about the Magi. The word "Epiphany" is Greek for manifestation or showing forth, and this feast is really about Christ revealing his glory to the nations. That is of course what happened when the Magi, foreigners from the east, followed the star: they recognized Christ as God, and worshiped him. But through the centuries, other mysteries of Christ have also been remembered on this day, especially his baptism, and the first miracle at Cana, both moments in which his glory appeared for all to see.

The origins of the feast are still apparent in some of the antiphons for the Liturgy of the Hours. At Morning Prayer, we recite an antiphon that brings the three "epiphanies" together in a wonderful way: "Today the Bridegroom claims his bride, the Church, since Christ has washed her sins away in Jordan's waters; the Magi hasten with their gifts to the royal wedding; and the wedding guests rejoice, for Christ has changed water into wine, alleluia."

The Holy Innocents

2010-12-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas, of course, is not just one day, but an entire liturgical season, lasting until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 9, 2011). We need this time to ponder the mystery we celebrate at Christmas, before the decorations get put away and everything goes back to "ordinary."

Guido Reni,
from http://www.wga.hu/

But even in this Christmas season, the Church does not linger at the Bethlehem stable. Instead, day by day, we are taken to surprising, even terrifying places. Yesterday, we celebrated the feast of St. John the Evangelist, and the Gospel reading took us to the adult Christ, to Easter Sunday and John's account of the Resurrection.

With today's feast of the Holy Innocents, the serene manger scene gives way to violence. The Holy Innocents are the children of Bethlehem who were slaughtered by Herod's orders following the birth of Jesus. These children, dying for Christ, become the Church's first martyrs. "The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs... How great a gift of grace is here! They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ. They cannot use their limbs to engage in battle, yet already they bear off the palm of victory." (St. Quodvultdeus, Office of Readings)

Many artists have depicted the massacre of the Innocents. The Renaissance master Guido Reni, like many others, emphasized the suffering of the mothers. The Victorian painter William Holman Hunt took a different approach to the scene. His The Triumph of the Innocents shows the souls of these children dancing around the Holy Family on the flight into Egypt. His painting is a perfect illustration of the antiphons for this feast: "Lord, these little ones praise you and skip with joy like lambs, for you have set them free." "Clothed in white robes, they will walk with me, says the Lord, for they are worthy."

An Advent Prayer

2010-12-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

I live my Advent in the womb of Mary.
And on one night when a great star swings free
from its high mooring and walks down the sky
to be the dot above the Christus i,
I shall be born of her by blessed grace.
I wait in Mary-darkness, faith’s walled place,
with hope’s expectance of nativity.

I knew for long she carried me and fed me,
guarded and loved me, though I could not see.
But only now, with inward jubilee,
I come upon earth’s most amazing knowledge:
someone is hidden in this dark with me.

From The Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers

Rejoice! Again I say, rejoice!

2010-12-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

Pope Benedict XVI wearing
the traditional rose-colored
vestments for Gaudete Sunday.

The Third Sunday of Advent is also called "Gaudete Sunday," from the first words of the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass: Gaudete in Domino semper, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near" (Philippians 4:4-5).

The Advent season is all about waiting for the coming of the Lord. Some of the Gospel readings we hear in Advent are full of terrifying apocalyptic imagery: the coming of the Lord is associated with earthquakes, flood and fire, wars and insurrections (cf. Matthew 24, Luke 21). But this short passage from the letter of Saint Paul to the Christian community at Philippi takes a different tone. We are, emphatically, to rejoice! And why? Precisely because the Lord is near. The coming of the Lord should not terrify us, St. Paul says, but rather fill us with joy. That passage from St. Paul goes on: "Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God" (4:6). It is a simple recipe for the Christian life: kindness, prayer, hope, and joy.

The words of Pius Parsch, the early 20th-century liturgist, are flowery but true. "Like children awaiting the Christ Child, we are hardly able to restrain our happiness over the coming of the Lord. It is Christmas joy anticipated.... Rarely is the Church's mood so unmistakable." (Year of Grace, 1957)

P. S. Apologies for the long hiatus while preparing for the installation of our new Archbishop, and thanks to those who missed Year of Grace enough to ask for an update!

Saint of the Council

2010-10-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

October 11 marks the feast day of Blessed John XXIII - Pope John XXIII, affectionately known as the "good Pope." While most saints in the calendar are remembered on the day of their death, Pope John XXIII is remembered in the liturgical calendar on October 11 - the opening day of the Second Vatican Council. Here is a wonderful video reflection on this holy man. Blessed John XXIII, pray for us!

A new saint

2010-09-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

This portrait of Newman later in life
was painted by Sir John Everett Millais.

This week, Pope Benedict XVI will visit England and Scotland, in the first papal visit to Great Britain since 1982. He will celebrate Mass in Glasgow, London, and Birmingham. He will also participate in Evening Prayer at Westminster Abbey with Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and meet with civic and educational leaders.  His visit will culminate in a Mass at Cofton Park in Birmingham on Sunday, September 19, when he will beatify John Henry Cardinal Newman - one of the best-loved figures of English Catholicism.

Only God makes saints, of course, but through the centuries the Church has developed ways to determine who will be "raised to the altar" (to use an old phrase) for the veneration of the faithful. It all starts with the people. The cause begins with the region where the holy person died. The people appeal to the bishop, who begins an investigation. If he decides that the cause has merit, he introduces it at the Congregation of Saints in the Vatican. When a cause is accepted at the Vatican Congregation for Saints, the person is called "Servant of God" (Pope John Paul II, whose cause was introduced shortly after his death, is currently in this stage of the process).  Then, when the cause is completed and approved, the holy person is called "Venerable." Only after a miracle do they advance to the next stage - beatification - after which they are called "Blessed" and have a feast day on the liturgical calendar. Another miracle, formally attested by doctors through a rigorous process, is required before the holy person can be called "Saint."

The solemn rite of beatification is one that most of us never see!  Here's what will happen on Sunday during the Mass in Birmingham: After the entrance procession and Kyrie, the Rite of Beatification begins. The Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, will formally ask the Holy Father to beatify Cardinal Newman. Then the Vice-Postulator (the person who has overseen the cause for the canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman) will read a brief biography of Newman, after which the Pope will declare him Blessed. The people assent by saying "Amen" and then all will sing an acclamation of thanksgiving in Newman's own words: "Praise to the Holiest in the height, and in the depth be praise: / In all his words most wonderful, most sure in all his ways." The portrait of the new Blessed is unveiled, and his relics are brought in procession to be placed near the altar during the remainder of the liturgy. The Holy Father then exchanges a sign of peace with the Archbishop of Birmingham and the Vice-Postulator, representing the people of the local Church who have prayed for the beatification.

This weekend, we'll be united in prayer with those gathered for the beatification at Cofton Park in Birmingham as we sing hymns written by Cardinal Newman himself at all the Masses. At the 10:00am Mass, the Cathedral Choir will sing movements from The Dream of Gerontius, a religious oratorio written by Newman and set to music by Edward Elgar.

Mary's Assumption

2010-08-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is August 15 - the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though the dogma of the Assumption was declared very recently (by Church standards!), in 1950, the Church has long professed that when Mary died, she was taken body and soul into heaven, as the first to share in the resurrected glory of her Son. For Mary, the resurrection of the body - which we shall one day share - has already taken place.

In a homily on this feast in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI said, "Love has won... Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven: there is evenr oom in God for the body. Heaven is no longer a very remote sphere unknown to us. We have a mother in Heaven... Heaven is open, Heaven has a heart." (Read the entire homily here.)

Artists have depicted the Assumption in a variety of ways. In the traditional icon, above, known as the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we see Mary lying in the sleep of death, surrounded by the Apostles. At first glance the icon resembles the icon of the Nativity of the Lord - but this time, it is Jesus who holds a newborn infant in his arms, representing the soul of his holy Mother.

In the West, artists have emphasized the Assumption, rather than the Dormition: the moment of Mary's being taken into heaven, rather than her death. In this grand vision by Francesco Botticini, we see the apostles surrounding the empty tomb, while all the ranks of heaven sing the praises of Mary, as she is taken into heaven by her Son. In the words of the medieval bishop and martyr, Saint Gerard, "The Lord Jesus Christ alone can give such greatness as he gave to his mother. She is attended by choirs of Angels, compassed about by troops of Archangels, accompanied on all sides by the jubilation of Thrones, encircled by the dances of Dominations, by the plaudits of Powers, by the honors of Virtues, by the chants of the Cherubim and the songs of the Seraphim. The ineffable Trinity also applauds her with unceasing dance, and the grace with which the three Persons totally infuses her draws the attention of all to her."

Transfiguration

2010-08-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

This Friday, August 6, we observe the Feast of the Transfiguration, which recalls the moment - described in all three synoptic Gospels - when Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain with him, and is transfigured in their sight: his appearance changes, and his face and clothing become dazzlingly bright; Moses and Elijah appear, speaking with him; and the voice of God is heard proclaiming Jesus as the beloved. In the Transfiguration, the Apostles have a glimpse of Jesus in his heavenly glory.

So the Transfiguration is a feast of Christ's glory. But it is also feast of Christ's passion. What does Jesus discuss with Moses and Elijah - the lawgiver and the prophet? "The exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31), his saving passion, death, and resurrection. In the Gospels, the Transfiguration account comes immediately after Jesus tells his disciples of his approaching crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Only to those who know what lies ahead does Jesus reveal his hidden glory. "He revealed his glory to the disciples," we hear in the Preface of the Transfiguration, "to strengthen them for the scandal of the cross. His glory shone from a body like our own, to show that the Church, which is the body of Christ, would one day share his glory."

In Giovanni Bellini's Transfiguration, the artist suggests the deeper meaning of the vision of Christ in glory through subtle details. The bare tree on the left suggests the tree of the cross; the cave in the hillside beneath Jesus' feet suggests the tomb in the rock where his body will be laid. The Transfiguration is a feast of Christ's passion.

This year, the Transfiguration falls on the First Friday of the month. There will be Masses at 8:15am and 5:30pm. The 8:15am Mass will conclude with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which will continue until 1:00pm, with Holy Hour beginning at 12 Noon.

A Novena of Prayer to St. James: July 16-25

2010-07-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

The official logo for the Compostela Holy Year 2010

Each year in Santiago de Compostela, a special novena of Masses is prayed on the nine days leading up to the solemn feast of St. James, July 25. During the novena, the scripture passages that refer to Saint James are read - and there are many of them! James was one of the first disciples Jesus called. James was with Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration, he was with Jesus when the daughter of Jairus was raised from the dead, and he was with Jesus in the garden at Gethsemane. This year, we join in that prayer with a special feature on the Cathedral website. Each day you'll find a Gospel reading and a reflection that shed light on our great patron saint.

Here is our Novena Prayer, based on a prayer of Pope John Paul II, prayed at Santiago de Compostela in 1989.

St. James! We come to you in eager pilgrimage.
We come as part of a great throng of pilgrims
who through the centuries have come to this place,
where you are pilgrim and host, apostle and patron.
We come to you today
because we are on a common journey.
Place yourself, patron of pilgrims,
at the head of our pilgrimage.
Teach us, apostle and friend of the Lord,
the WAY which leads to him.
Open us, preacher of the Gospel,
to the TRUTH you learned from your Master’s lips.
Give us, witness of the faith,
the strength always to love the LIFE Christ gives.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rites of the Pilgrim

2010-07-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Pope John Paul II became a pilgrim to Compostela
in the Holy Year 1989. He carries traditional emblems
of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: the cloak with
scallop shells, and the walking staff.

As we prepare to celebrate our patronal feast on July 25, it is interesting to explore the history of the Camino to Santiago de Compostela, along which an uninterrrupted stream of pilgrims has marched for more than 1,000 years. (Coming soon: visit the special feature at the Cathedral website for a fun way to explore the history of the Camino.)

A pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is more than a journey; more than an adventure or a feat of physical endurance. A pilgrimage is a prayer--in a sense, it is a liturgy because liturgy means "public work," and a pilgrimage is just that. In setting foot on the Camino, the pilgrim acknowledges before the world that he or she is seeking God's forgiveness and grace, setting forth as a wayfarer who will need to accept hospitality from others, just as the disicples did when Jesus sent them forth to preach the good news.

In the Middle Ages special rites accompanied the pilgrimage to Compostela. Before they left home, pilgrims were solemnly blessed, and even their purse and staff received a blessing. A 12th-century sermon of Pope Calixtus II preserves the words of this blessing rite: "In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, accept the purse, this symbol of your pilgrimage, that you may be worthy to arrive chastened and cleansed at the threshold of Saint James to whom you wish to go; and with your journey completed, may you return safe to us with delight." The pilgrim's staff was blessed: "Accept this staff as a support for the journey and for the labor on the route of your pilgrimage, so that you may be able to overcome all the throngs of the enemy and arrive secure at the threshold of Saint James."

Today, this tradition continues. Pilgrims who arrive in Santiago de Compostela are surrounded with prayer. In fact, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has its own special Sacramentary with prayers and prefaces related to St. James, and there are a number of special rites for pilgrims, most famously, the "Misa do Peregrino," or "Pilgrim Mass," which is offered every day in the great Cathedral.

The Compostela Holy Year

2010-07-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

This welcoming image of St. James greets pilgrims who
enter the great cathedral through the Holy Door during
a Compostela Holy Year, like this year.

This year, 2010, marks a special time for churches dedicated in honor of St. James: the feast of St. James, July 25, falls on a Sunday. (The next time this will happen is in 2021!) These special years are called Holy Years in Santiago de Compostela, the great shrine in northwestern Spain where the relics of St. James have been venerated for centuries.

In Santiago de Compostela, the Holy Year is marked by many special rites and liturgies. This year, it began on December 31, 2009, with the opening of the Holy Doors. The Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, with the priests and ministers, processed from the Cathedral to the Praza da Quintana, the great square on the east side of the cathedral. There, in the presence of various dignitaries and a great assembly of the faithful, the Archbishop intoned the ancient chant, Veni, creator Spiritus. Then, turning to the Holy Door, he struck it with a silver hammer, saying, "Open to me the doors of the house where the just dwell," to which all responded, "that I may enter through them and praise the Lord." Then he struck it a second time, with the words, "I will enter into your house, O Lord," and the people's response came: "I will adore you reverently in your holy temple." Finally, the Archbishop struck the doors a third time: "Open the doors, that the Lord may be with us, and God may show his power to Israel." Then the doors opened, and the bells rang from the Cathedral. All the people followed the Archbishop into the Cathedral, and the rite concluded with solemn Vespers and Benediction.

During the weeks to come, there will be a number of ways to feel close to our heavenly patron during this special year. Stay tuned!

Liturgical Birthdays

2010-06-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today the Church observes the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. There are not many birthdays on the liturgical calendar. In fact, there are just three: the birth of Mary (September 8), the birth of Jesus (December 25), and today's solemnity, the birth of John the Baptist. That's because most saints are remembered not on the day when they were born, but on their other dies natalis, the day they were born into heaven.

Zechariah writes the name of John the Baptist - the
Gospel narrative we hear at Mass today.
Fresco by Fra Angelico.

But we celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist because John is unique among saints - Jesus told the crowds, "among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). And because his birthday figures significantly in the Gospel according to Luke, where the detailed narrative of John's conception and birth both prepares the way for - and contrasts with - the narrative of Jesus' birth.

The feast of John the Baptist occurs at Midsummer, close to the summer solstice. The Nativity of Jesus takes place close to the winter solstice. And that is not, of course, accidental. After pointing to Jesus as the Lamb of God, John said to his own disciples, "he must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30). John's birthday takes place at the summer solstice, when the days are at their longest; from now on the days will get progressively shorter. Jesus' birthday takes place at the winter solstice; after Christmas, the days get longer and longer. This astronomical reality reinforces a spiritual truth: with the birth of the Word made flesh, a new light comes for humankind.

Ordinary Time: The Green Season

2010-06-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

Green is the season after Pentecost.
The Holy Ghost in an abstracted place
spreads out the languid summer of His peace,
unrolls His hot July.
O leaves of love, O chlorophyll of grace.

Native to all is this contemplative summer.
The soul that finds its way through Pentecost
knows this green solitude at once as homeland.
Only the heart, earth held and time engrossed,
dazed by this unforeknown and blossoming nowhere,
troubles itself with adjectives like “lost.”

-- Jessica Powers

After forty days of Lent - fifty days of Easter - and then the feasts of the Trinity and Corpus Christi - our Sundays finally return to the green season, Ordinary Time. The term "ordinary" has more than one meaning when it is used liturgically. It means "numbered" or "counted" time (as in the term "ordinal" numbers) but it also suggests the regular, the day-to-day--the ordinary! Green is the liturgical color for this, the longest season of the liturgical year, because green is the color of growth, of life, and this green season - which will continue, with a few interruptions, until the end of November - is a season for us to let the Paschal Mystery we have celebrated take root in our lives, as Jessica Powers suggests in the wonderful poem quoted above.

It is fitting that we begin this green season by being reminded of our Christian call to the reverent use of creation. On Friday evening, at 6:30pm, you are invited to our weekly Taize prayer, which will focus on the oil disaster in the Gulf. Then, after the Sunday morning Masses, we have our Health and Eco Fair, with many exhibits to explore ways to take care of yourself and the world around you. Find out more at the Cathedral website.

Corpus Christi

2010-06-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi. The liturgy of Holy Thursday is of course the oldest feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament; but on Holy Thursday, there is little room for the expression of "unfettered joy," as one liturgist has said. This Solemnity gives the faithful a day to celebrate Christ's self-gift in the Eucharist with songs, banners, bagpipes, and a great procession.

As far as Church feasts go, Corpus Christi is quite new! It dates to the 13th century, and had its origin in a humble Belgian convent, where Saint Juliana had a recurring dream. In her dream, she saw the full moon, shining splendidly, but with one part of its disk in shadow. Eventually, the meaning of the dream was revealed to her: the moon was the liturgical year of the Church; the portion in shadow, a missing feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. Juliana carried the message to the priests and bishops, and after enduring much ridicule, they eventually instituted such a feast in the diocese of Liege, Belgium. And when the Archdeacon of Liege became Pope Urban IV some years later, he extended the feast to the entire Church, and commissioned St. Thomas Aquinas to write the prayers and hymns for the solemnity.

It wasn't long before the Corpus Christi procession - in which the Blessed Sacrament, exposed in a monstrance, is carried out of the church and into the streets following the celebration of Mass - became one of the most memorable aspects of this feast. In the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, we profess our faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. And there is more. As Pope Benedict XVI said in a homily on this day in 2005, "we bring Christ, present under the sign of bread, onto the streets of our city. We entrust these streets, these homes, our daily life, to his goodness.... The procession represents an immense and public blessing for our city: Christ is, in person, the divine Blessing for the world... In the Corpus Domini procession, we walk with the Risen One on his journey to meet the entire world."

Trinity Sunday

2010-05-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

The Holy Trinity, 16th. c.
Pieter Coecke van Aelst.
Web Gallery of Art

On the day after Pentecost, we return to the green season - the season of Ordinary Time. But on the Sundays following Pentecost, we celebrate two special feasts: Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi.

Trinity Sunday is what is sometimes called an "idea feast," in that it celebrates not a particular moment in the life of Christ, but a mystery of faith (the feast of Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are also 'idea feasts'). This solemnity has been observed from about the 7th century, and it focuses on the "central mystery" of our faith (Catechism, 234): the mystery of God, who is three in one.

Every Sunday, our Opening Prayer is addressed to God the Father, through Christ the Lord. The Alternative Opening Prayer for Trinity Sunday is unique in that it is addressed to the Triune God.

God, we praise you:
Father all-powerful, Christ Lord and Savior, Spirit of love.
You reveal yourself in the depths of our being,
drawing us to share in your life and your love.
One God, three Persons,
be near to the people formed in your image,
close to the world your love brings to life.
We ask you this, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one God, true and living, for ever and ever.

What does it mean to be "formed in the image" of the triune God? Perhaps it means that we must seek the fullest meaning of life in relationship: with God, with others.

The spirit moving: Pentecost

2010-05-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

The descent of the Holy Spirit
by Hans Gottfried von Stockhausen

The solemnity of Pentecost, which we will celebrate this Sunday, marks the conclusion of the Easter Season. It was on the feast of Pentecost--a Jewish feast of thanksgiving for the firstfruits of the land--that the disciples, gathered in Jerusalem, received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost completes the Easter story: Jesus rose from the dead, was seen among his disciples, and then ascended into heaven. Nine days later, he sent the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, to remain with them forever. In a sense, Pentecost brings us to the present, to the Christian life as we know it. The Lord's Spirit is with us, though we do not see his face.

Pentecost is one of the great feasts of the entire liturgical year, and through the centuries a number of colorful customs developed around it. In some of the medieval French cathedrals, a dove descended from the ceiling during the singing of the Pentecost sequence, "Veni Sancte Spiritus." In other places, flowers or even bits of burning wick were dropped from the galleries, suggesting the tongues of flame that hovered over the disciples. Organs and variety of other instruments simulated the "sound of a mighty rushing wind" which accompanied the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. In some places, live doves were set loose to fly about the church on this day!

While you won't see any live doves in the Cathedral this Sunday, you will see other signs of the Spirit's living presence in our midst, through the music and the liturgy, and above all, through the celebration of the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ's living presence in our midst.

The first novena

2010-05-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Novenas - nine days of prayer for a particular intention - are a favorite Catholic devotion. Novenas take countless forms, from simple prayers to a favorite saint we pray by ourselves, to solemn Masses in which hundreds or thousands take part. The devotion has a scriptural origin. Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection from the dead. As he departed from his disciples, he told them, "behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). And, obedient to his command, they remained together in intense prayer until Pentecost, nine days later, when the Spirit descended upon them like a mighty rushing wind, and tongues of flame.

That was the first novena of prayer: the disciples of Jesus united in prayer for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. This year, in the days leading up to Pentecost, the entire Cathedral community is invited to join in a novena of prayer for the Church. Now, more than ever, our Church is in need of renewal and transformation. We need a new Pentecost. You can join in the prayer at the weekday Masses, or through the special page on the Cathedral website.

First Communion Sunday

2010-05-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend, 23 parish children will receive Holy Communion for the first time at the 12 o'clock Mass. First Communion is a memorable day, full of traditions: the special finery, the photos, the celebration afterwards.

Surprisingly, the Church does not provide any specific ritual for this celebration. In our parish, the liturgy of First Communion is full of reminders of baptism. At the beginning of the Mass, the children, and all present, are sprinkled with baptismal water. Then, following the homily, the children light candles, a reminder of the candle they received on their baptismal day. The beautiful white dresses and suits they wear are another reminder of their baptism, when they were clothed in a white garment. And the children, with all gathered, renew their baptismal promises. Why all the reminders of baptism? Because Eucharist, in which they are to share for the first time, is one of the three sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. The link between these three sacraments is clear in the initiation of adults at the Easter Vigil, when they are celebrated in sequence within a single liturgy. But when infants are baptized, the three sacraments are separated, with First Holy Communion taking place when the children have reached the "age of reason," and Confirmation even later. (In some Christian traditions, particularly in the Orthodox churches, all three sacraments are celebrated at once even for infants.)

In The Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux recalls the day of her first Holy Communion: "The beautiful day of days finally arrived. The smallest details of that heavenly day have left unspeakable memories in my soul! The joyous awakening at dawn, the respectful embraces of the teachers and our older companions! The large room filled with snow-white dresses in which each child was to be clothed in her turn! Above all the procession in to the chapel and the singing of the morning hymn: 'O altar of God, where the angels are hovering!' I don't want to enter into detail here. There are certain things that lose their perfume as soon as they are exposed to the air; there are deep spiritual thoughts which cannot be expressed in human language.... Ah! how sweet was that first kiss of Jesus! It was a kiss of love; I felt that I was loved and I said, 'I love you, and I give myself to you forever!' There were no demands made, no struggles, no sacrifices; Jesus and poor little Therese looked at and understood each other."

Congratulations to our First Communicants!

Good Shepherd Sunday

2010-04-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is sometimes called "Good Shepherd Sunday." The readings are full of imagery of sheep and shepherds. In the Psalm, we sing to the God who made us and who guides us as a shepherd guides his sheep: "we are his people, the flock he tends" (Psalm 100:3). In the Gospel, Jesus, one with the Father, is the Shepherd: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." But Jesus, our Shepherd, is also the Lamb, the Paschal Lamb sacrificed for us, and the Second Reading from the Book of Revelation brings these two images of Christ together: "The Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water."

Good Shepherd Sunday is a day to pray for all our shepherds: our parents, our bishops and Church leaders, teachers, supervisors - all who are in authority over others. And that includes us, because by our words and example, we all act as "shepherds" to those around us.

Reading the Word

2010-04-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

The reading of the Word of God is at the heart of Jewish worship - in the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus inaugurates his public ministry by reading a passage from the prophet Isaiah in his hometown synagogue. The reading of God's Word is still an essential part of our worship today, because through the readings, God speaks to us. In the words of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, "In the Liturgy God speaks to his people, Christ still proclaims the good news. In their turn the people answer God by their hymns and prayer" (33).

In our liturgy today, we hear a great wealth of readings, almost more than we can take in on a Sunday! But it was not always so. Before the Second Vatican Council, there were just two readings at Mass - a passage from one of the New Testament letters (the Epistle) and a Gospel passage (the majority of these were from Matthew's Gospel), and these were repeated year after year. Today, the three-year cycle of Sunday readings gives us the four Gospels almost in their entirety, plus the bulk of the New Testament and a substantial portion of the Old Testament as well, a real feast of faith! In the words of James Schellman: "The present Lectionary for Mass must be viewed as one of the most remarkably effective achievements of the Church in centuries. Through it the Catholic community as a whole now experiences the biblical word in corporate worship in a breadth and depth unknown for hundreds of years.... This prayerful communal discipline is forming us in ways we can only begin to imagine." (Celebrating Good Liturgy, Ed. James Martin)

Did you know? The website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops includes wonderful resources for reading and exploring the word, including a daily podcast of the Mass readings and video reflections on each day's readings by priests and bishops from across the country.

Exploring the Mystery of Faith

2010-04-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

During this Easter Season, as we explore the Eucharist through our Believe, Celebrate, Live the Eucharist, series, you might be interested in some good reading on the subject. Here are a few books I have used often and highly recommend!

Timothy Radcliffe, OP. Why Go to Church? Continuum, 2008. This book, written at the invitation of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, is an extended answer to the question posed by the title - why go to Church? Why participate in the Eucharist? Radcliffe explores what he calls the "drama of the Eucharist" in three acts: faith, hope, and love.
Jeremy Driscoll, OSB. What Happens at Mass. LTP, 2005. What happens at Mass? A lot! Driscoll explores God's action in the Mass in this short and readable book.
Father Joseph M. Champlin. The Mystery and Meaning of the Mass. Crossroad, 1999. This is a short and simple exploration of the different parts of the Mass - their meaning and some historical background.
Edward Foley. From Age to Age: How Christians Have Celebrated the Eucharist. LTP, 1991. This is a wonderful exploration of the liturgy through the centuries, tracing our Christian prayer from the home churches of the first century to the Second Vatican Council. I especially like the fictional reflections that are included, as Foley imagines what the experience of an ordinary person participating in the liturgy would have been like.
Lawrence J. Johnson. The Mystery of Faith: A Study of the Structural Elements of the Order of the Mass. Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, 1981, 1999. When you want to go a little deeper, this is the perfect guide. This book brings together history, passages from Church documents, and challenging reflection questions.
Lucien Deiss, CSSp. The Mass. Liturgical Press, 1989. This simple book by a liturgical pioneer is a walk through the Mass. Deiss reveals the origins of the different parts of the Mass, and their essential meaning, and offers glimpses along the way into the history of the liturgical reform.
Rita Ferrone. Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Rediscovering Vatican II). This is a short history of the reform of the liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, and includes a detailed look at the key Vatican II document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.

Living the Eucharist - Part I

2010-04-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we talked about the first part of the Mass - the gathering of the assembly and the entrance procession, and considered, too, the singing that both expresses and helps to build our unity. This week, let us continue to reflect on what - on who - it is that gathers us together. (These verses are by William Gladstone, 1809-1898, who also happened to be the Prime Minister of England under Queen Victoria.)

O lead my blindness by the hand,
Lead me to Thy familiar feast,
Not here or now to understand,
Yet even here and now to taste,
How the eternal Word of Heav’n
On earth in broken bread is giv’n.

We, who this holy precinct round
In one adoring circle kneel,
May we in one intent be bound,
And one serene devotion feel;
And grow around Thy sacred shrine
Like tendrils of the deathless Vine.

Believe, Celebrate, Live the Eucharist

2010-04-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

For the neophytes--the newly-baptized--the Easter Season is the time for mystagogia, a Greek word which means "education in mysteries." After the great outpouring of sacramental grace they experienced at the Easter Vigil, all is new for them. For the next fifty days, they will reflect on the mystery in which they have been immersed, and which has given them "a new perception of the faith, of the Church, and of the world" (RCIA, 245).

Whether we were baptized this year or many years ago, we all need to take time for mystagogia; we all need a deeper understanding of the Paschal Mystery in which we participate, Sunday after Sunday. This weekend, we'll begin a five-week exploration of the Eucharist, which is a mystery to be believed in and celebrated well, but also to be lived - and not only on Sunday!

Each week, a spoken reflection at Mass and special inserts in the bulletin will help us explore a different part of the Mass. There's also a special page on the Cathedral website where you can look at each part of the Mass in more detail.

This series on the Eucharist was originally presented at St. James in 2006, as part of our Centennial Year of Prayer and Renewal. It was then published by World Library Publications in 2008, and has since been used at dozens of parishes across the country. The title, Believe, Celebrate, Live the Eucharist, is taken from Pope Benedict XVI's Sacramentum Caritatis, "Sacrament of Charity," an extended reflection on the Eucharist. The Holy Father emphasizes that the Eucharist is not just something we celebrate at the Mass. The Eucharist is also to be believed and lived.

Easter Joy

2010-04-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Easter Proclamation, the Exsultet, begins with a series of exuberant exclamations: Rejoice! Sing! Exult! Sound the trumpet! The Exsultet sets the tone for the whole Easter Season: it is a season of joy. Through the centuries, the Church has expressed that joy in a variety of ways. There were songs and dances, plays, games, and jokes. According to medieval legend, even the sun danced for joy on Easter morning! (Francis X. Weiser).
Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit – it is a foretaste or first installment of the glory that is still to come (cf. Compendium of the Catechism, 390). Joy should be the hallmark of Christians, whose hope in the resurrection changes everything: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

How can the ministers of the liturgy express the joy of Easter? By their whole-hearted participation in the sung and spoken responses of the Mass, as well as by the way they enter prayerfully into the silences. By their joyful expression and demeanor as they serve. By the freshness and energy with which they proclaim the word. By the gentleness and kindness with which they welcome those who come forward to receive the body of Christ. By their warm and genuine welcome of all who come to celebrate the liturgy, especially visitors and newcomers. As the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins, the priest reminds us to “lift up your hearts,” and we respond, “we lift them up to the Lord.” We must not keep our Easter joy and thanksgiving hidden in our hearts. In the words of the Entrance Antiphon for the Third Sunday of Easter, “let all the earth cry out to God with joy!”

An Easter Prayer for Liturgical Ministers

Lord God,
we rejoice in the resurrection of your Son,
whose triumph over death is the source of our hope.
As we serve your holy people today,
may the joy of Easter shine forth
in all our words and actions.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Easter Vigil

2010-04-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Easter Vigil is not convenient. It begins late in the evening, for one thing (at the Cathedral, 8:30pm; in some places, even later!), after the last glow of twilight has left the sky. And it is long - there is the service of light, the nine scripture readings, and the great outpouring of grace in the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and all of that before the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins. It will probably be after midnight before you get home and fall exhausted into bed!

The poet Paul Claudel wrote, "I do not sleep; but the night between Holy Saturday and Easter was not made for sleeping." This night was made for keeping vigil, for wakeful remembering of God's mercy in Jesus Christ. As the Easter Proclamation, the Exsultet, continually reminds us, "this is the night." This night of Christ's resurrection is everything: it is our "passover feast," it is the the night when God "freed the people of Israel from their slavery and led them dry-shod through the sea." And the glories of this night are not past, but present: "this is the night when Christians everywhere, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement, are restored to grace and grow together in holiness." As Pope Benedict XVI said in a homily on this day in 2005, "The Resurrection of Christ is not merely the memory of a past event. On Easter night, in the sacrament of Baptism, resurrection, the victory over death, is truly achieved."

See you at the Easter Vigil!

"A certain man"

2010-03-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Gospel accounts we hear during Holy Week are full familiar names--Mary, Peter, John; Judas, Herod, Pilate. But there are also references to unknown people. For example, in the Gospel we hear today, Wednesday of Holy Week, Jesus tells his disciples: "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The teacher says, My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.'" Who was this man who prepared the place for the Last Supper for Jesus? A reflection in Living with Christ for Holy Week 2010 (copyright Bayard Publications) imagines what his experience was like. It's the perfect reflection for liturgical ministers in Holy Week.

"I can't believe that I have been so blessed! I have always hoped that I would be able to do something very special for God's glory, and today was the day. It was amazing how it happened. A couple of Galileans approached my home. When they got closer, I recognized them as followers of Jesus the Nazarene. They had a message for me from their teacher, Jesus himself. A message for me! I couldn't believe that he remembered me! Jesus asked them to tell me that his appointed time is drawing near and that he will celebrate the Passover with his disciples in my house. In my house!

"Of course, I was tempted to stay around after everything was prepared. But my heart told me that God had another plan in mind. This would be very sacred ground and my presence there tonight was not part of the scenario. So I slipped away - even before Jesus arrived.

"It is enough for me to know that I was able to 'set the stage' for what will be an unforgettable evening for Jesus and those who love him so much. Surely God has great plans for this remarkable holy man and his followers. I am just happy to be able to play a small part in what God is doing through him.

"My wise mother always used to say, 'Do your best to prepare for all contingencies, then trust it all to God--and get out of the way!' In a way, it's satisfying to know that today I was able to do exactly that. I may never know personally what takes place in my house tonight (and I'm sure that no one there will remember my name!) but I will forever be a part of something very holy. For I have prepared the way of the Lord. Blessed be God forever!"

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

In many countries, the first three days of Holy Week were devoted to a thorough "spring cleaning," the most extensive of the entire year. "Carpets, couches, armchairs and mattresses are carried into the open and every speck of dust beaten out of them. Women scrub and wax floors and furniture, change curtains, wash windows; the home is buzzing with activity. No time is wasted on the usual kitchen work; the meals are very casual and light. On Wednesday night everything has to be back in place, glossy and shining, ready for the great feast.... This traditional spring cleaning is, of course, to make the house as neat as possible for the greatest holidays of the year, a custom taken over from the ancient Jewish practice of a ritual cleansing and sweeping of the whole house as prescribed in preparation for the Feast of Passover." (F. X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs)

We hear an allusion to that ancient Jewish custom in one of the readings of Easter Sunday. St. Paul reminds us to "clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough" (I Corinthians 5:7). Our spring cleaning is not to be external only, but internal as well. What is the "old yeast"? The old ways of thinking, the old ways of doing things, the old selfishness, the old pride that puffs us up as yeast puffs up the dough. In its place, we are to celebrate the feast with the "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth," living the new life of love and service.

Palm Sunday

2010-03-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Holy Week begins today, with the great feast of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday has evolved over the centuries. In ancient Jerusalem, it was a liturgical re-enactment of Christ's triumphant entry into the holy city, as the bishop led the entire assembly from the Mount of Olives into the city, singing "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" as it is recounted in the Gospels. In Rome, meanwhile, the Sixth Sunday of Lent had a different character: it was called "Passion Sunday." There were no palms; instead, the Passion according to Matthew was read. It wasn't until the 9th century that the liturgy took the form we know today, which includes both elements: the glorious entry into Jerusalem, and the reading of the passion.

The juxtaposition of triumph and tragedy on Palm Sunday--Christ the King, Christ the Suffering Servant--is one of the most striking in the liturgy. And perhaps one of the most important. One of the stained-glass windows in the Cathedral's Reconciliation Chapel, formerly the baptistry, features a palm, superimposed on a sword. It is a reminder that all who are baptized in Christ will follow his path, a path marked by both glory and suffering.

The Chrism Mass

2010-03-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Chrism Mass will take place on Thursday, March 25 at 7:00pm at the Cathedral. The Chrism Mass is one of the most important annual Archdiocesan celebrations, gathering priests and deacons, religious and lay ministers, candidates for full communion and Elect from parishes across the Archdiocese. While the Chrism Mass is traditionally celebrated on Holy Thursday, the Church allows for it to be celebrated earlier in Lent in dioceses like ours, where the wide geographical reach would make it difficult for the priests and people to gather on Holy Thursday.

At the center of the Chrism Mass is the blessing of the oils to be used in sacramental celebrations throughout the Archdiocese. The Archbishop blesses the Oil of Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick. The Sacred Chrism-used in the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders, as well as for the dedication of new altars and church buildings-is not simply blessed, but consecrated, with a solemn prayer and other special rites. The Archbishop mixes the oil with sweet-smelling balsam essence, and then breathes over the oil, a gesture which recalls the Holy Spirit, which God breathed over the deep at the dawn of creation.

The Chrism Mass is not just about the holy oils. In the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass, we hear words from the Book of Revelation: "Jesus Christ has made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father: glory and kingship be his for ever and ever. Amen." The Chrism Mass is also about priesthood: the royal priesthood of all the baptized, and the special priestly ministry of the ordained. The rites for the Chrism Mass include the Renewal of Commitment to Priestly Service for priests and bishops. And the entire assembly has the opportunity to renew their commitment to live their vocation with integrity. "Lord, stretch forth your hand from your dwelling-place on high, and strengthen us for your ministry."

Remembering Archbishop Romero

2010-03-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

This week, we will celebrate a special Mass remembering the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero. For much of his life, Romero followed a very conventional path: raised in a poor family, he discovered his vocation to the priesthood early in life. A gifted student, he was sent to Rome to study. He was thought of as academic, a by-the-book bishop. But when he became Archbishop of San Salvador, things changed. He came into contact with the poor, and he became an outspoken advocate for justice. He died on March 24, 1980, shot to death shortly after preaching the homily at a weekday Mass in the chapel of the hospital where he lived. His death came just a few days before the beginning of Holy Week.

The day before he died, Romero said in a homily, "Easter is a shout of victory! No one can extinguish that life that Christ resurrected. Not even death and hatred against him and his Church will be able to overcome it. he is the victor! Just as he will flourish in an Easter of unending resurrection, so it is necessary also to accompany him in Lent, in a Holy Week that is cross, sacrifice, martyrdom… Happy are those who do not become offended by his cross!"

The Mass remembering Archbishop Romero will be on Wednesday, March 24 at 5:30pm. Bishop Elizondo will preside and preach. Following Mass, Father Ryan will lead the Stations of the Cross, with meditations drawn from the writings of Archbishop Romero.

The Day of Reconciliation

2010-03-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 20, the Cathedral will host a unique Archdiocesan event: a Day of Reconciliation as the entire Cathedral is given over to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession), beginning at 10:00am in the morning, continuing until 5:00pm in the evening. Archbishop Brunett, Bishop Tyson, and priests from around the Archdiocese will hear confessions at stations set up throughout the Cathedral. A brief call to prayer will mark the beginning of each hour.

The Day of Reconciliation highlights the importance of the sacrament of penance. The Sacrament of Penance is surely the most private of the sacraments - after all, the other sacraments are usually celebrated in the context of a community, large or small, and this is celebrated in the presence of just two people - the preist and the penitent. And yet, Reconciliation has a public dimension as well, which is brought out very clearly when we celebrate it individually, and yet together, as we do on the Day of Reconciliation. Because sin always has a communal dimension. The evil that we do does not only impact us; it impacts our relationship with God, our relationship with other people. As it says in the Rite of Penance, "Penance always entails reconciliation with our brothers and sisters who are always harmed by our sins. In fact, people frequently join together to commit injustice. It is thus only fitting that they should help each other in doing penance so that freed from sin by the grace of Christ they may work together wiht all people of good will for justice and peace in the world."

I hope you will be able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Not sure exactly what to do, what to say? Click here for a simple guide to celebrate the Sacrament.

The Second Scrutiny

2010-03-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

The first words we will hear at Mass this Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, are "Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts" (Isaiah 66:10-11). In Latin, this Entrance Antiphon begins with the word "Laetare," hence the other name for the Fourth Sunday of Lent: Laetare Sunday. Like Gaudete Sunday in Advent, this is a day for quiet joy in the midst of a somber season, a reminder that even in Lent, we are Easter people.

This Sunday at the 10:00am Mass we will celebrate the second of the three Scrutinies of the Elect. Scrutinies are special rites for the Elect, those preparing to receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil. "The scrutinies," the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults says, "are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then strengthen, all that is upright, strong, and good." The scrutinies are intended to make the Elect more aware of their own sinfulness and their need for a Redeemer.

The Scrutinies are ancient rites, reaching back into the early years of the Church. The Elect come forward before the assembly. Special petitions ask God's blessing on the them. Then Father Ryan prays an exorcism, asking God to cast out the spirit of evil from their hearts. This prayer is followed by the ritual gesture of the laying on of hands. Father Ryan then prays a concluding prayer for the freedom and protection of the Elect, and dismisses them from the assembly. The Scrutinies are solemn prayers that are meant to do nothing less than "complete the conversion of the elect."

If you haven't yet adopted one of our Elect as a Lenten Prayer Partner, click here.

RCIA is for everyone

2010-03-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

During the season of Lent, we are constantly reminded of the RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and of the Elect--those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil. There is a place of prayer in the Cathedral, there are bulletin announcements every week, and there is even a special page on the website. We remember the Elect in the general intercessions at Mass, and we see them trooping out each week in their brown robes. And on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent, we pray for them in a special way as we celebrate the Scrutinies (what are the Scrutinies? Stay tuned!).

The Church keeps the Elect in the forefront of our minds and hearts during Lent for a reason. "For both the elect and the local community... the season is a time for spiritual recollection in preparation for the celebration of the paschal mystery," the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults tells us. The Elect are preparing for baptism through an intense period of repentance and purification. For those who already baptized, Lent is not that different: it is a season of renewal in what baptism means, a time for penance and reflection which will culminate, for us, in the renewal of our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday.

Even if we are not actively involved in the RCIA process as a sponsor or teacher, the initation of new members into the Catholic Church depends, at least in part, on us. "The initiation of adults is the responsibility of all the baptized... The entire community must help the candidates and the catechumens throughout the process of initation." We do this by our words, yes, but even more, we do it by our prayers and by the example of our lives. Will those whom the Spirit is leading to the Church see the joy and hope of the Christian life reflected in us?

The Penitential Psalms

2010-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Another Lenten practice - and a penitential practice outside of Lent - is the recitation of the seven "Penitential Psalms," which, according to tradition, were prayed against the seven deadly sins. The Penitential Psalms have been so-called from the sixth century. They are: Psalm 6; Psalm 32; Psalm 38; Psalm 51; Psalm 102; Psalm 130; and Psalm 143. (Click on any of the psalms to read the New American Bible translation.) These psalms also occur frequently in the liturgies of Lent, especially Psalm 51, the Miserere, which is one of the psalms most associated with this Lenten season.

The psalms, the prayerbook of the Church, are variously lyrical and harsh in their language, expressing a vast range of emotion: "joy, gratitude, thanksgiving, love, tenderness, enthusiasm, but also intense suffering, complaint, pleas for help and for justice, which sometimes lead to anger and imprecation. In the Psalms, the human being fully discovers himself" (John Paul II). The Penitential Psalms are full of such contrasts. The psalmist expresses his guilt, his suffering, and his longing for God in language we probably would not dare to use:

All day long my enemies taunt me;
in their rage, they make my name a curse.

I eat ashes like bread, mingle my drink with tears.

Because of your furious wrath,
you lifted me up just to cast me down.

My days are like a lengthening shadow;
I wither like the grass. (Psalm 102)

But each of the Penitential Psalms comes to a place of hope, of confident faith that no matter how heavy the burden of sin and suffering, God is able to save us.

My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit;
God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.

Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifice,
burnt offerings and holocausts;
then bullocks will be offered on your altar. (Psalm 51)

The Lenten fast

2010-02-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Our Lenten fasting is more a reminder than a hardship: to go without meat on the Fridays of Lent, and to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, is not difficult or burdensome. "We serve a gentle and merciful Lord," wrote St. John Chrysostom in 461, "who expects nothing beyond our strength." But our simple fasting does serve to arrest our attention, to remind us of our dependence, and hopefully to bring us into greater solidarity with those who go hungry day after day.

The Church's laws of fasting have changed much through the centuries. St. Gregory the Great, in a letter to St. Augustine of Canterbury, explained the Lenten fast as it was observed at Rome in the year 607: Throughout the entire season of Lent, "we abstain from flesh meat and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, eggs." It was in this time of strict fast that the custom of Easter eggs arose - what better way to celebrate the end of the fast than by enjoying an egg on Easter Sunday?

Christian fasting is different from other kinds of fasting we do - when we are on a diet, for example. This kind of fasting is meaningless unless it is connected to our other Lenten practices of prayer and almsgiving. St. Leo I said it very simply in 461: "What we forego by fasting is to be given as alms to the poor."

At the great Cathedral of Rouen in France, the south tower is known as the "Tour de Beurre," the "Butter Tower." It is so called because it was built with the contributions of the faithful, the money they saved from giving up some good things (like butter!) throughout the forty days of Lent. The butter tower is a good image for Lent. It is a reminder that our Lenten fasting can really make a difference in the world.

Stabat Mater

2010-02-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

Singing the Stabat Mater is one of my favorite parts of Lent. This medieval hymn is attributed to Jacopone da Todi (1236-1306), a Franciscan friar and composer of many laude, or praise-songs for the lay faithful. The poem begins by describing Mary, standing at the foot of her Son's cross, and goes on to imagine the intensity of Mary's suffering: "his sorrow sharing, / All his bitter anguish bearing." The poet asks in wonder, "Is there one who would not weep, / Whelmed in miseries so deep / Christ's dear Mother to behold?" And yet, doubtless aware of how often we are indifferent to the pain of others, the poet concludes with a fervent prayer that we might share Mary's feelings: her suffering and pain, yes, but also her love and compassion.

The Stabat Mater has found its way into the liturgy. It is sung as a sequence on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15). And it forms a traditional part of the Way of the Cross: a verse of the hymn is usually sung at the conclusion of each of the fourteen stations. With its emphasis on compassion - feeling with Jesus and Mary in their agony - the Stabat Mater is the perfect accompaniment to the Stations of the Cross.

The Rite of Election

2010-02-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Rites of Election are underway! The Rite of Election ideally happens in the cathedral church of each diocese at the beginning of Lent. In this rite, those who have been preparing for baptism from all over the diocese come to the cathedral with their RCIA teams and their sponsors, and are presented to the bishop, who listens to the testimony on their behalf, and then chooses or "elects" them for the Easter sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

The heart of the Rite of Election is the enrollment of names. The catechumens of each parish are greeted by Archbishop Brunett and then they proceed to sign their names in the Book of the Elect. It is always moving to see this procession. They are joyful, nervous, people of all backgrounds and all ages, from children who have to look at their name tags to be sure they spell their last names correctly, to senior citizens! All of them will now enter the most intense period of the Rite of Christian Initation of Adults, called the "Period of Purification and Enlightenment," as they prepare for the night of all nights - the Easter Vigil.

The Rite of Election can be pretty intimidating for the catechumens, especially the young ones. But not nearly as intimidating as it used to be! I hope you will enjoy the description Egeria, a 4th-century pilgrim to Jerusalem, gives of the Rite of Election in her journal:

On the second day of Lent, the bishop's chair is placed in the middle of the Great Church, the Martyrium, the presbyters sit in chairs on either side of him, and all the clergy stand. Then one by one the ones who are seeking baptism are brought up, men coming with their fathers and women with their mothers. As they come in one by one, the bishop asks their neighbors questions about them: "Is this person leading a good life? Is he a drunkard or a boaster?" He asks about all the serious human vices. And if his inquiries show him that someone has not committed any of these misdeeds, he himself writes down his name.

Click here to see video of the lively and joyful Rite of Election celebrated in the Diocese of San Jose, California.

Via Crucis - The Way of the Cross

2010-02-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, new Stations of the Cross were hung in the Cathedral, just in time for the season of Lent. The new Stations are the work of Joan Brand-Landkamer, who also created all the seasonal icons which are carried in procession at the Cathedral on Sundays and feasts. Though Joan was inspired by the work of 20th-century master Georges Rouault, the Stations are totally her own - and, I'd venture to guess, quite unlike anything you've seen before. Be sure to find time during the Lenten season to pray these new Stations! (You can also pray them online here.)

The Stations of the Cross are one of the favorite Catholic devotions. They are a spiritual pilgrimage, a way to walk alongside Jesus on his last journey to Calvary. The devotion originated in Jerusalem, where as early as the fourth century pilgrims were walking in the footsteps of the Lord, pausing to pray at the various places mentioned in the passion narratives. In the late Middle Ages, when pilgrimage to the Holy Land became more and more difficult, people found ways to make that holy pilgrimage at home. The Stations varied widely in number, from as few as five to as many as twenty. Not until the 18th century, under the influence of the Franciscans, did the Stations settle into the shape we know today, with fourteen stations, recalling both scriptural and traditional episodes on the road to Calvary.

In more recent years, alternate sets of Stations (like those prayed by Pope John Paul II for the first time in 1991) have developed, eliminating those episodes not mentioned in the scriptures – for example, the meeting with Veronica - and substituting others, like Peter's denial of Jesus. In addition, it is now customary to add a fifteenth station, recalling the Resurrection. There are many opportunities to pray the Stations in the Cathedral during Lent.

Sunday, February 21, following the Noon Mass - Father Ryan will bless the new Stations and pray the Stations with the children
Every Monday in Lent following 12:10pm Midday Prayer
Every Wednesday in Lent following the 5:30pm Mass
Every Friday in Lent (except March 5) following the 8:15am Mass

Farewell to the Alleluia

2010-02-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

In the Middle Ages, a variety of traditions developed to mark the last singing of the Alleluia before the season of Lent began. In some places, the children of the choir had a mock funeral: the word "Alleluia" was written on a scroll and placed in a miniature casket, carried from the church with full funeral panoply, and buried - to be resurrected at Easter. In other places, more and more Alleluias were added to the antiphons of the Mass - at Auxerre, in France, there were twenty-eight final Alleluias!

"Great Music for Great Cathedrals," an annual concert in the Cathedral which runs from February 11-13, is our farewell to the Alleluia, our Mardi Gras, our big bang before the beginning of Lent. It is a celebration of the role cathedral churches have played in art and history through the ages. All the music that is performed was composed for different cathedrals around the world, while the lights, visual effects, and costumes evoke other great cathedrals - London, Paris, Venice, Constantinople, even Malawi and Santiago de Compostela.

In the words of Tom Stratman, who wrote many of the narrations for Great Music: "What makes a cathedral great? Two things perhaps! These make the Church brilliant; her saints and her art. 'Church' - a lovely play on words; it intends a people and a building both. The Church finds its splendor in holy women and men with beacon spirits, and in music, architecture, art and letters... It is these that make a thing to celebrate, and a cause and place to gather, and more."

Palms to ashes

2010-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today I took part in a very old ritual - creating the ashes for Ash Wednesday. According to a longstanding tradition in the Church, the ashes for Ash Wednesday are made by burning the blessed palms from last year's Palm Sunday procession. It is a fitting reminder that our Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving have an Easter purpose.

The process of preparing the ashes is a messy, smelly business. The blessed palms, stored in a dry place since last Palm Sunday, are cut into small pieces and slowly burned in a covered vessel over an outdoor fire. Once they are thoroughly charred, they are removed from the fire, then broken, smashed, and ground until they are as fine (and as black!) as soot.

In these last days before Lent begins, I hope you will enjoy this story of a 16th-century Muslim visitor to Italy, told by Francis X. Weiser in his The Easter Book. "A certain Turkish official travelled on a diplomatic mission through some European countries and observed the carnival revelries in one of them. Upon his return to Constantinople he reported to the sultan that at certain times of the year the Christians went raving mad, but that a mysterious powder of ashes sprinkled on them by their priests would instantly restore them to sanity and heal them from all their madness." An outsider's view of the sudden transition from Mardi gras to Ash Wednesday!

Blessing candles... and throats

2010-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

On February 2, the Church observes the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This feast commemorates the event described in Luke 2, when Mary and Joseph bring the child Jesus in the Temple forty days after his his birth, and when Simeon and Anna hail him as the long-awaited Messiah.

How the blessing of candles became associated with this feast is another long and involved episode in liturgical history! The most likely explanation is that this was one of many instances in which Christians "baptized" a pagan rite - in this case, a penitential torchlight procession that took place in Rome at the beginning of February. Be that as it may, it would be hard to find a better time to bless candles than this feast, when Simeon hailed Jesus as "a light to reveal you to the nations, and glory for your people Israel" (Luke 2:32). Candles to be used in Cathedral liturgies during the coming year will be blessed at the Masses on February 2, and you are welcome to bring your own candles from home to be blessed as well.

On the day following the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 3, we have another special blessing, totally different, but also wonderful: the blessing of throats on the Feast of St. Blase. St. Blase was a bishop in Armenia, about whom almost nothing is known. We do know that he is thought to have been a physician before he became a bishop, and that he is credited with saving the life of a boy who was choking to death on a fishbone. From that story comes the custom of blessing throats on his feast day. The blessing is carried out in a way that is quite unique in the liturgy: the minister crosses a pair of blessed (unlit!) candles around the throat of each person, and says a simple prayer: "Through the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr, may the Lord deliver you from every disease of the throat and every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This blessing is not just for those who are sick, but for everyone.

Praying with the Church

2010-01-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

What exactly is the Roman Missal?

The Roman Missal is the official name for the book the priest uses at Mass. ("Sacramentary" is another name for the same book.) It contains almost all the prayers of the Mass - the Eucharistic Prayers and the Preface, the Opening Prayer, the Prayer over the Gifts, and the Prayer after Communion. With the Lectionary, it is the essential book for the celebration of the liturgy.

But where do all these prayers come from? Who wrote them?

The Bible, as we know, does not have a single author - it is an anthology of sacred texts, the work of many different hands from many different eras in history. It is helpful to think of the Roman Missal in the same way. It is a collection of prayers gathered from many different sources. Some are quite new compositions. Others are ancient texts - the Opening Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, for example, which we will hear this Sunday, comes from the most ancient liturgical manuscript in existence, and dates to sometime before the year 561.

And yet I think many Catholics barely notice these prayers. Perhaps that's because they seem so simple, so obvious. As Daniel McCarthy OSB has written, they "beguile with brevity and apparent simplicity, and we too easily shy away from the rewarding harvest of encountering them in their mature abundance and gleaning the fruit in their proclamation."

This Sunday, listen carefully to the prayers of the Mas, especially the Opening Prayer, the Prayer over the Gifts, and the Prayer after Communion. What is the Church praying for? The answer may surprise you!

Rogation Days

2010-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

"Rogation Days" is not a term you hear very often. Before the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, however, "Rogation Days" were a familiar part of the liturgical year. Rogation Days (the word "rogation" comes from a Latin root meaning, simply, to seek or to ask) were days of prayer and supplication, fasting, and penance, placed, oddly enough, in the Easter season. As early as 850, Amalarius of Metz observed, "I am amazed that our Church should have allowed this fast to become customary, when the holy Fathers tell us that there is to be no fasting during these fifty days!"

How the rogation days ended up in the Easter Season offers an interesting and characteristic glimpse into the colorful, complex history of the liturgy. On April 25, pagan Rome observed a solemn procession in honor of the god Robigus (meaning mildew!) to ward off mildew from the crops. The Christians soon developed their own procession as an alternative, which took place on the feast of St. Mark - not coincidentally, April 25. Then, in the year 469, the people of Vienne in ancient Gaul were severely afflicted by earthquake and crop failure. Their bishop ordered three days of prayer, fasting, and penance to be observed just before the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord. The exceptional observance of these "rogation days" became a tradition, which spread to all of Gaul and eventually to the universal Church.

The reforms of the liturgy of the Second Vatican Council eliminated the "greater and lesser litanies," as these rogation days came to be called, but they retained the idea of special days of prayer, encouraging each bishops' conference to designate their own. In the United States, we observe one of these new rogation days today. January 22, the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, has been designated "a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right of life." Violet vestments are worn, as in Lent, and the focus of the day is both penance and petition.

Praying for Christian Unity

2010-01-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Today we enter the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is observed worldwide from January 18 through January 25. The week was established by Episcopalian priest Paul Wattson in 1908. For Wattson, this octave of prayer was focused on reunion with the Roman Catholic Church (in fact, Wattson became Catholic in 1909). It was a French Catholic priest, Father Paul Couturier of Lyons, who gave a new focus to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the 1930s, when he suggested that our shared prayer be for the "unity that Christ wills, as he wills, and when he wills."

Ecumenism is not glamorous. There are no quick fixes, no easy solutions. Dialogue takes time and it can be tedious, even frustrating. But though we move slowly, we move forward. During the past century, we have made many advances in ecumenical understanding, with important accords and statements of shared doctrine with other Christian denominations. This week, we give thanks for what has already been accomplished, and pray that the Spirit may continue to guide us to unity.

The 2010 Citywide Prayer for Christian Unity will be Tuesday, January 19, at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, 1245 10th Avenue East, at 7:00pm.

Prayer for the Week of Christian Unity 2010, prepared by an ecumenical group from Scotland

Take us from where we are, to where you want us to be;
make us not merely guardians of a heritage,
but living signs of your coming Kingdom;
fire us with passion for justice and peace between all people;
fill us with that faith, hope and love which embody the Gospel;
and through the power of the Holy Spirit make us one.
That the world may believe,
that your name may be enthroned in our nation,
that your church may more effectively be your body,
we commit ourselves to love you, serve you,
and follow you as pilgrims not strangers.

Praying for the Victims of the Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we'll be offering a special prayer for the victims of the Haiti earthquake in the Cathedral at 6:30pm. I thought I'd share with you this prayer, composed by Diana Macalintal of the Diocese of San Jose. The crucifixion is the work of a Haitian artist.

A Prayer after the Earthquake in Haiti

Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever‐changing, ever‐moving, fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air
with wails of grief and the names of missing dead.
Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.
Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.
Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion, we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day, to give generously every day,
to work for justice always, and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.
And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Amen.

Copyright © 2010, Diana Macalintal, Diocese of San Jose.

We return to Ordinary Time

2010-01-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

Today's feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the conclusion of the Christmas season. If we think of the Christmas season as being about the infancy of Christ, then the Baptism of the Lord might seem an odd way to end it: for here is Jesus, all grown up, and entering on his active ministry. But Christmas isn't so much about the infancy of Christ as it is about the mystery of the Incarnation, a mystery that is gradually revealed to more and more people: first to Mary, then to Joseph, then to the shepherds and the wise men, and, in ever widening circles, to the whole world.

At the birth of Jesus, angels spoke to shepherds, declaring good news and glad tidings; at the baptism of Jesus, the Father's voice is heard, declaring, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." These words echo the prophecy of Isaiah: "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased" (Isaiah 42:1). Jesus is that chosen servant, the one who came to be a light to the nations; to set prisoners free; to bring comfort to the sorrowful. The glad tidings the angels spoke of are no longer a promise for the future; they are a present reality.

It is fitting that tomorrow we return to Ordinary Time. In this season we do not mark a particular mystery of the faith, but rather walk with Jesus in his day-to-day ministry. We enter into the rhythm of his life--his prayer, his teaching, his service of others--and we learn to make it the rhythm of our lives, too. For by our baptism in Christ, we are called to be like Christ, and more: we are called to be Christ for others.

Epiphany

2010-01-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

January 6, the twelfth day after Christmas, is the traditional date for Epiphany, though in the United States (and most other countries where January 6 is not a national holiday!) the feast is transferred to the nearest Sunday. But I thought it would be appropriate to hear today from an Epiphany sermon by the 17th-century Anglican divine, Lancelot Andrewes. This passage was the inspiration for T. S. Eliot's poem "The Journey of the Magi," which Father Ryan quoted last Sunday.

Consider the time of their coming, the season of the year. It was no summer progress. A cold coming they had of it, just the worst time of the year to take a journey, and specially a long journey. The ways deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off, in the very dead of winter. And for all this they came. And came it cheerfully and quickly, as appears by the speed they made.

And we, what should we have done? Come such a journey at such a time? No; but fairly have put it off to the spring of the year, till the days be longer, and the ways fairer, and the weather warmer, till there be better travelling to Christ. Our Epiphany would sure have fallen in Easter week at the soonest.

…We cannot say 'we have seen his star'; the star is gone long since, not now to be seen. Yet, it is enough we read of it in the text; we see it there…. and it will bring us whither it brought them - to Christ.

The drawing of the Kings from our manger scene is by Seattle Times artist and blogger Gabriel Campanario. Read his blog here.

Liturgical New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

We knew it was coming, but somehow the New Year still catches us by surprise. If you're like me, "Make New Year's resolutions" is still just an item on your to-do list! I thought I would share with you these "Simple Liturgical Resolutions for the New Year." They are adapted from Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons 2007 (Liturgy Training Publications) by D. Todd Williamson.

I resolve to treat each Sunday Eucharist as the most important event of that week.
I resolve to do all I can to participate more fully in the celebration of the Sunday Mass. For example: I resolve to sing all the songs and acclamations; I resolve to join in the responses with conviction and whole-heartedness; I resolve to make use of the liturgical silences by praying as I've been invited to do.
I resolve to reflect prayerfully on at least one of the Eucharistic Prayers, so that I may enter more fully when it is prayed on Sunday.
I resolve to read prayerfully and carefully the Sunday scriptures at least once during the week before Mass.
I resolve to arrive before Mass begins and to leave the church only after the liturgy has ended.
I resolve to read at least one book on the topic of the Sunday Mass.
I resolve in the next year to take part in at least two other liturgical celebraitons of the Church as they are celebrated in my parish (e.g., seasonal Reconciliation services, Holy Hour, Vespers with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, etc).
I resolve to take the dismissal of the Mass--"Go in peace to love and serve the Lord"--seriously, and to somehow make it real in my life during the week.

Any year where we did all that would surely be a great year. Happy 2010!

O Christmas tree...

2009-12-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

In F. X. Weiser's The Christmas Book (1952), I ran across an interesting explanation for the origins of the Christmas tree. Weiser explains that this custom is traced to the medieval mystery plays of Germany. One of the most popular plays was the "Paradise play," which told of the creation and fall and ended with the promise of the Savior. It was often performed during the Advent season, and sometimes it was immediately followed by a play telling of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem. The centerpiece of the Paradise play was a fir tree hung with apples, representing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

With the Protestant Reformation, the mystery plays were suppressed, but people continued to set up the "Paradise tree" in their homes. (In some parts of Bavaria, the Christmas tree is still called a Paradeis.) In the 15th century, the custom developed of hanging small white wafers on the tree, along with the apples. The wafers represented the Eucharist. The Christmas tree thus became a rich symbol of faith: "the tree which had borne the fruit of sin for Adam and Eve, now bore the saving fruit of the Sacrament, symbolized by the wafers" (Weiser). The wafers later evolved into cookies in various shapes, and the rest, of course, is history!

In the Cathedral's Mary shrine, there is a similar reminder of the Genesis story. The child Jesus holds an apple, reminding us of the fruit for which Adam and Eve forsook the earthly paradise. But with the other hand, he seems to beckon to us, inviting us to taste of what he offers--the food that gives us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

It's still Christmas!

2009-12-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas, like Easter, is too big for just one day. It overflows into a whole liturgical season, which stretches from Christmas Eve to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this time the Church gives us a wonderful sequence of feasts and memorials that lead us from the Bethlehem manger to many other places: joyful places, like the encounter of the Magi with the infant Christ (January 3), the finding of the child Jesus in the Temple (December 27), and his baptism in the Jordan (January 10); but sorrowful and even terrifying places, too: the death of the first martyr, Stephen (December 26) and the slaughter of the Holy Innocents (December 28). The cross is never far from the crib.

In Murder in the Cathedral, a wonderful play about the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, T. S. Eliot writes: "Is it an accident, do you think, that the day of the first martyr follows immediately the day of the Birth of Christ? By no means. Just as we rejoice and mourn at once, in the Birth and in the Passion of our Lord; so also, in a smaller figure, we both rejoice and mourn in the death of martyrs. We mourn, for the sins of the world that has martyred them; we rejoice, that another soul is numbered among the Saints in Heaven, for the glory of God and for the salvation of men."

House of God, Gate of Heaven

2009-12-22T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today is the anniversary of dedication of St. James Cathedral, a day that is celebrated as a feast day throughout the Archdiocese of Seattle, and as as solemnity in the Cathedral itself. At the beginning of the solemn liturgy last evening, the entire assembly joined Father Ryan in a procession to light the twelve dedication candles at the entrances of the Cathedral. (Father Jim Johnson, who served as the Cathedral's sacristan for several years before entering the seminary, concelebrated the Mass.)

December 22 is a date that looms large in the Cathedral's history. It was on December 22, 1907 that Bishop O'Dea dedicated St. James Cathedral. He had hoped to dedicate his new cathedral on Thanksgiving Day, but various delays forced a change in plan, so he chose another important date: the twenty-fifth anniversary of his own priestly ordination.

It was on another December 22, in 1994, that Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy rededicated St. James Cathedral when it reopened after nine long months of restoration and renovation. The beauty of the Italian Renaissance-style architecture of the building shone out as never before, and the interior was transformed in light of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The Cathedral, as Father Ryan said in his homily last evening, is truly an icon of the Council. The altar is at the center of the building just as Christ is at the center of all we do. The white marble of the altar glows in the light that streams through the oculus, lifting our gaze heavenward. The central placement of the altar allows the assembly to gather on all four sides, drawing us into the mystery we celebrate, and reminding us that the liturgy is not only the source and summit of our Christian worship, but also the work of the people (the Greek word leitourgia literally means "the people's work"). Celebrating the Eucharist in the Cathedral, we learn to love the God who is both transcendent and immanent.

In addition to the Cathedral's twelve dedication candles, there are two other reminders of the Cathedral's dedication day at St. James. If you go into the Mary shrine and look up at the ceiling, you'll see a pattern of stars. These stars - a favorite emblem of Mary - are actually an accurate star map of the night sky over the Cathedral on the night of its dedication, December 22, 1994. And in the Archbishop Murphy Courtyard, you'll find a massive stone from the Cathedral's old high altar, with an inscription recalling several key moments in the Cathedral's history. The stone was placed on another historic day: December 22, 2007, the conclusion of our Centennial observance.

The Great O Antiphons

2009-12-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

Beginning today, the Church prays the great O Antiphons. From now until Christmas, these antiphons (each beginning with the word "O," hence their name) are heard at the Office of Evening Prayer and before the Gospel at daily Mass. Each of the O Antiphons calls on Christ under titles drawn from the prophets of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Lord, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King, Emmanuel. Medieval poets loved intricacies of language, and in Latin, the first letters of each of these titles spell the words ero cras: "I will come tomorrow." Even if you've never heard of the great O Antiphons, you probably know some of them by heart: they are the basis for the great Advent hymn "O come, O come Emmanuel."

Liturgist Pierre Jounel has written eloquently about the great O Antiphons: "These antiphons, which the Roman Church was singing as long ago as the time of Charlemagne, not only synthesize the messianism of the Old Testament in its purest form. Using ancient biblical images, they also present the divine titles of the incarnate Word, while their Veni ('Come!') is freighted with all the present hopes of the Church. In them the Advent liturgy reaches its culmination."

You can pray the Great O Antiphons here in a special novena of prayer on the Cathedral's website. Or you might like to pray the O Antiphons in a new way with the following reflection, prepared by the Marianist Fathers.

O Wisdom, O Word of God and source of all life, come and teach us the way of truth. Open our hearts, reveal the plan of love that guides our way to you.
What wisdom do I seek at this time?

O God of Moses, protector of your chosen ones. Come, be with us, stretch out your hands, set your people free.
What strength do I need in my life at this time?

O Flower of Jesse's stem, an ageless sign to your people of God's holy care. Come, bloom in our midst, show us God's undying love.
What needs to take root in me?

O Key of David. We ask you to lead us forth. Come and open the way, unlock the door of death and set your people free.
What is the key that I am searching for?

O Radiant Dawn....O morning star, splendor of eternal light. Come to conquer the night, lift our anguish, dispel the shades of darkness and bring new day to light.
How do I bring light for others?

O King of Nations....in you we build our deepest hope in life. Come with wholeness, create us anew, restore us in your love and grant life without end.
What in me needs new life?
What is my prayer for the nations of the earth?

O Emmanuel. O Long-awaited one, promised from of old, desire of every heart, giver of the law of love that transforms every heart, be with us now.
In what way will Jesus' coming affect my life this year?

A glimpse of Bethlehem

2009-12-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

On the Third Sunday of Advent, the children of Rome bring the "Bambino" (the figure of the Christ Child) from their home manger scenes to St. Peter's Square for a special blessing by the Holy Father. In a few years, this has become a well-loved tradition, so much so that some Romans call the Third Sunday of Advent "Bambinelli Sunday"!

The manger scene has been part of Christmas for centuries. The custom is traced to none other than St. Francis of Assisi, who created the first manger scene in the village of Greccio on Christmas Eve, 1223. He said, "I wish to do something that will recall to memory the little Child who was born in Bethlehem and set before our bodily eyes in some way the inconveniences of his infant needs, how he lay in a manger, how, with an ox and an ass standing by, he lay upon the hay where he had been placed." And so Francis placed the image of the Christ Child in a real manger, filled with hay, and brought in a live ox and ass to take their places in the scene. The people crowded around this vision of Bethlehem and listened to Francis' preaching, and then "each one returned to his home with holy joy," as the chronicler wrote.

For Francis, who followed "Lady Poverty" all his life, the manger scene was an image of the self-emptying poverty of Christ: he had no place to lay his head. And for us it is the same. As Pope Benedict said in his message yesterday at the blessing of the "Bambinos":

"The crib is a school of life where we can learn the secret of true joy. This does not consist in having so many things, but in feeling loved by the Lord, in becoming a gift for others and loving one another. Let us look at the Nativity Scene: the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph do not seem like a very lucky family, they had their first child in the midst of great hardship, and yet are filled with deep joy, because they love each other, help each other and, above all, are certain that in their history God is at work, present in the Infant Jesus.... This, dear friends, is what true joy is; the feeling that our personal and community lives are visited and filled by a great mystery, the mystery of God’s love. We need more than things to rejoice, we need love and truth: we need a God close at hand, who warms our hearts, and responds to our deepest yearnings."

Gaudete Sunday

2009-12-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

The Third Sunday of Advent is also known as "Gaudete Sunday," from the first words of the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass: Gaudete in Domino semper, "Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4: 4,5). Like the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday), it is a day for rejoicing in the midst of a penitential season. The organ returns, flowers again grace the altar, and the liturgical color shifts from violet to rose. "Like children awaiting the Christ Child, we are hardly able to restrain our happiness over the coming of the Lord," wrote the liturgical pioneer Pius Parsch more than half a century ago. "It is Christmas joy anticipated."

Why do we rejoice? Because even as we continue to await the Lord's coming, we know that the Lord is with us: in his word and in his sacraments, and in the Church, which is his body. And he is with us in his beloved poor. In the Gospel reading for Gaudete Sunday in this Year C, the crowds ask John the Baptist, "What should we do?" And he responds: "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise." That is how we prepare for the coming of the Lord.

The Immaculate Conception

2009-12-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

Beginning this evening, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dogma that Mary was kept free from original sin from the first moment of her conception was solemnly declared by Pope Pius IX in 1854, but it was by no means a new invention. The Eastern Church had celebrated the feast from as early as the eighth century, and it soon spread to the Church in the West. It has been on the universal calendar since 1708.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception acknowledges the singular grace of God in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: God kept her free from original sin from the first moment of her conception, and thus enabled her to say “yes” to God (the yes we will hear in the Gospel reading tomorrow). And yet, even as we focus on this utterly unique grace given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are reminded that Mary is “our pattern of holiness” (Preface of the Immaculate Conception). She “had a faith that your Spirit prepared / and a love that never knew sin,” we pray in the Alternative Opening Prayer. And we ask God to “trace in our actions the lines of her love, / in our hearts her readiness of faith.”

The Immaculate Conception is celebrated with great festivity in many places around the world, particularly in Spain. In the Cathedral of Seville, a unique tradition takes place on the feast: “Los Seises” or the “Dance of the Six.” Six boys perform a solemn dance before the Blessed Sacrament as hymns are sung in honor of the Immaculate Conception. It is a tradition that survives to this day, a vivid image of the joy of the Church in this feast of the grace of God at work in the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The cool photo of the "Dance of the Six" at the Cathedral in Seville is borrowed from a Spanish blog - see more photos of Los Seises here.

Source and Summit

2009-12-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

December 4 is a special day, and not just because it's First Friday, the Memorial of St. John Damascene, and Friday of the First Week of Advent! December 4 is also the anniversary of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, which was promulgated on December 4, 1963. Gathered with Pope Paul VI around the altar of St. Peter's Basilica, the bishops of the world chanted Veni, Creator Spiritus as the ballots were collected and counted, and then the results were read: the Constitution had been approved by an overwhelming majority, with 2,147 favorable and only 4 opposed.

The Constitution made possible the Roman Catholic liturgy as we celebrate it today. It mandated reforms that cleared away the liturgical cobwebs, letting the simple dignity of our Christian worship shine through. It permitted the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the Mass and other rites of the Church. And it restored the active participation of the people in the liturgy: "Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy," the Council Fathers wrote. "Such participation by the Christian people is their right and duty by reason of their baptism."

What does full, conscious, and active participation mean? It goes beyond joining in the prayers and responses, kneeling and standing at the right time. It means something more than taking an active role in the celebration, whether as a reader or altar server or other minister. Full, conscious, and active participation is interior as well as exterior: it means offering the Mass together with the priest; it means letting the liturgy shape us, until the pattern of Christ's self-gift - blessed, broken, and given - becomes the pattern of our own lives.

The Feast of St. Nicholas

2009-12-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

This year, the Second Sunday of Advent falls on December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, so we'll have a special blessing for the children of the parish during the 12 Noon Mass this coming Sunday.

St. Nicholas, who was the Bishop of Myra, is said to have saved three daughters of a poor father by giving them money for their dowries - he threw it through the window, secretly, hence the association of St. Nicholas with gift-giving. Legend has it that he also brought back to life three boys who had been pickled by some hungry grown-ups during a famine. (!) Because of these stories St. Nicholas became the patron saint of children, and over the centuries evolved into Santa Claus, the gift-giving friend of children everywhere.

Santa Claus isn't the only tradition we owe to St. Nicholas. Through the centuries there have been many other colorful customs associated with his feast. One of these is the tradition of the "boy bishop," which was celebrated throughout the Middle Ages, especially in the English cathedrals. On the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, December 5, one of the boys in the choir would be chosen as "bishop." During the Office of Evening Prayer (Vespers), the Bishop would present his ring, miter, and crosier to the child, who would then preside and even preach at several non-Eucharistic liturgies during the season of Advent and Christmas, until he stepped down from his high office at Epiphany. The Boy Bishop tradition was one way the medieval Church acknowledged that children have as much to teach us as we have to teach them!

In recent years, this medieval custom has been revived in several English cathedrals, including Westminster Cathedral, the Catholic cathedral in London (see picture). The boy bishop is chosen from among the choristers of the boys' choir. The following prayer is prayed over him before he delivers his "sermon" to his classmates:

Lord, who hast set before us the example of children,
that we may learn of them
the ways of wisdom and purity of heart;
grant to this thy son
that, like the young prophet Daniel,
his eloquence may lead his elders into the ways of truth.
Give him faithfulness,
That, like the boy Samuel, he may hear your divine prompting.
We ask this though Christ, our Lord.

Happy New Year!

2009-11-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

The season of Advent, which begins this Sunday, November 29, marks the beginning of a new liturgical season and a new liturgical year.

Advent (the word means “coming”) grew out of Christmas in much the same way that Lent grew out of Easter. Beginning about the 5th century, Christians set aside a time to prepare for Christmas, though this preparation took a wide variety of forms. In Ireland it was a penitential season, a time for repentance and readiness for the last judgment and the second coming of the Lord (the Dies Irae was sung on the First Sunday of Advent!). In southern France, Advent was, like Lent, a time of preparation for baptism, which at that time was celebrated on the Epiphany of the Lord. In Rome, Advent focused on Mary and the incarnation of the Lord. Only in the eleventh century did the Roman liturgy for Advent—influenced by all these different traditions—take a shape we would recognize today. It has aspects of a penitential season, like the use of violet vestments, but it is primarily a time of joyful expectation. We look to the second coming of the Lord even as we prepare to remember and celebrate his first coming at Christmas. This dual purpose is reflected in the prayers and readings of the Mass: at the beginning of the season we focus on the second coming, but the closer we get to December 25, the more our readings and prayers will focus on the incarnation of the Lord.

With the First Sunday of Advent, we also begin the third year in our three-year cycle of Sunday readings, known as Year C. The Sunday Gospel readings in Year C are drawn primarily from the Gospel according to Luke. Saint Luke, who is thought to have been a physician, emphasizes the healing ministry of Christ. In art, Luke is often shown painting a likeness of the Mother of God. His Gospel gives us a vivid picture of Mary, awaiting the birth of Jesus with joy and hope.