On the feast of the Annunciation (March 26th, this year), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reported that the Vatican approved the publication of the "Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb. “The U.S. bishops who collaborated on the development of the blessing welcomed the announcement of the recognitio, or approval, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome.”
The USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities prepared a text and submitted it to the USCCB's Divine Worship committee in March of 2008. It was approved by the full body of bishops in November of that year and sent to Rome for editing and final approval, where the English text was confirmed in December of 2011 and the Spanish text followed in March of 2012.
God, author of life,
bless, we pray, this unborn child;
give constant protection
and grant a healthy birth
that is the sign of our rebirth one day
into the eternal rejoicing of heaven.
Lord who have brought to this woman
the wondrous joy of motherhood
grant her comfort in all anxiety
and make her determined
to lead her child along the ways of salvation.
It seems it took a committee of American bishops and a Congregation in Rome over three years to compose and approve a two sentence prayer. Why is it necessary for the body of American bishops (we are taught that they are successors of the apostles) to get approval from Rome for a simple prayer? And why would it take over a year for Rome to deal with such a simple task?
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Veneration of the Cross
The Good Friday liturgy begins with a liturgy of the Word which concludes with the Solemn Intercessions. The veneration of the cross follows and the liturgy concludes with a communion service. This order has always struck be as unusual.
At a wedding, the general intercessions follow the marriage rite. Likewise, at the Easter Vigil, the general intercessions follow the initiation rites and the renewal of baptism. The sacramental action is a response to the Word that has been proclaimed. It seems to me that the veneration of the cross should be seen as a response to the proclamation of the Word, especially the Passion according to John, and be followed by the Solemn Intercessions. Such a placement would better unify the liturgy.
At a wedding, the general intercessions follow the marriage rite. Likewise, at the Easter Vigil, the general intercessions follow the initiation rites and the renewal of baptism. The sacramental action is a response to the Word that has been proclaimed. It seems to me that the veneration of the cross should be seen as a response to the proclamation of the Word, especially the Passion according to John, and be followed by the Solemn Intercessions. Such a placement would better unify the liturgy.
Mass of Chrism
In my diocese the annual celebration of the Mass of Chrism usually takes place on the Tuesday before Holy Week. The Cathedral is filled with representatives of every parish and mission in the diocese. When the time comes for the oils to be blessed, someone from the appropriate ministry in each parish presents the oil to the bishop. It is always moving to see this great corps of ministers who prepare people for baptism and confirmation and who minister to the sick.
So I was struck by the words of one bishop from another part of the country who expressed his “thanks to all who filled the Basilica as a great sign of support for our priests, and who came to witness the blessing of the oils.” The oils are primary not secondary as the name of the Mass indicates. And in our diocese, the priests renew the promises of their ordination, but our Mass celebrates the diocesan church with its diversity of gifts and its multiplicity of ministry.
So I was struck by the words of one bishop from another part of the country who expressed his “thanks to all who filled the Basilica as a great sign of support for our priests, and who came to witness the blessing of the oils.” The oils are primary not secondary as the name of the Mass indicates. And in our diocese, the priests renew the promises of their ordination, but our Mass celebrates the diocesan church with its diversity of gifts and its multiplicity of ministry.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Prayer for the catechumens
The Liturgy for Good Friday includes Solemn Intercessions. Each intercession includes the invitation to pray, time for silent prayer, and the concluding prayer.
The fourth of the ten prayers is for catechumens, those preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. In announcing the invitation for this prayer, I had to refrain from smiling. It read:
Let us pray for catechumens that our God and Lord may open wide the ears of their inmost hearts and unlock the gates of his mercy…
The earlier proposed translation read:
Let us pray also for catechumens, that God will open their ears and their hearts and unlock for them the gates of divine mercy...
I have seen illustrations which depicted a winged heart but never one with ears. The image brought to mind my childhood Mr. Potato Head.
The fourth of the ten prayers is for catechumens, those preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. In announcing the invitation for this prayer, I had to refrain from smiling. It read:
Let us pray for catechumens that our God and Lord may open wide the ears of their inmost hearts and unlock the gates of his mercy…
The earlier proposed translation read:
Let us pray also for catechumens, that God will open their ears and their hearts and unlock for them the gates of divine mercy...
I have seen illustrations which depicted a winged heart but never one with ears. The image brought to mind my childhood Mr. Potato Head.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Rubrics
“On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb in prayer and fasting, meditating on his Passion and Death and on his Descent into Hell, and awaiting his Resurrection.
“The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare, until the solemn Vigil, that is, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when the time comes for paschal joys, the abundance of which overflows to occupy fifty days.”
I had to read this second paragraph a couple of times.
The earlier translation read:
"O Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of fifty days.”
The new translation rightly includes fasting as part of our waiting. However, we do not really await the resurrection since the Lord has been raised. The notion of “abstaining from the celebration of Mass” coveys a deeper meaning than simply “not celebrating the Mass”. However, the final sentence in the earlier translation is much clearer.
“The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare, until the solemn Vigil, that is, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when the time comes for paschal joys, the abundance of which overflows to occupy fifty days.”
I had to read this second paragraph a couple of times.
The earlier translation read:
"O Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of fifty days.”
The new translation rightly includes fasting as part of our waiting. However, we do not really await the resurrection since the Lord has been raised. The notion of “abstaining from the celebration of Mass” coveys a deeper meaning than simply “not celebrating the Mass”. However, the final sentence in the earlier translation is much clearer.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Crucifixion
Paul’s letter to the Philippians includes a hymn about Christ:
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. (2:6-8)
The final phrase, even death on a cross, would have caused the original readers to take a deep breath. For them, the cross was an instrument of unspeakable brutality.
Crucifixion was Rome’s way of terrorizing the peoples it had subjugated. It was meant to send a clear message: Oppose the might of Rome and this is what you will suffer.
Crucifixion as a means of execution had been used in the east by the Assyrians, Scythians, Phoenicians and Persians. Alexander the Great is reported to have crucified 2000 citizens of Tyre after that city fell to him in 322 B.C.
The Romans adopted this practice primarily in the provinces of its empire. Roman citizens were subject to crucifixion only if guilty of treason. The Romans reserved it for slaves who were guilty of robbery or rebellion. Such was the case in the slave uprising of 71 B.C. When the uprising was quelled, the Romans crucified six thousand followers of Spartacus along the Appian as part of a Roman victory celebration.
Nero also employed crucifixion in his persecution of the Christians in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed much of Rome. Tradition says St. Peter was executed in this persecution.
One source recounts that during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, some 500 Jews seeking to flee the city were crucified each day.
“Crucifixion was not a simple execution, but a slow torture. The victim’s vital organs were not directly damaged, so death could last many hours or even days. Furthermore, it was customary to combine the basic punishment of crucifixion with other types of humiliation and torment... It was always a public act. The victims were left totally naked, dying in agony on the cross, in a visible place: a well travelled crossroads… The spectacle of those men writhing in pain, moaning and cursing, was unforgettable.” (Jesus, An Historical Approximation, Jose A. Pagola)
It is no wonder then that the disciples of Jesus turned to Isaiah (52:14):
“Many people were aghast at him – he was so inhumanely disfigured that he no longer looked like a man.” (New Jerusalem Bible)
“So now many nations recoil at the sight of him, and kings curl their lips in disgust. His form, disfigured lost all human likeness; his appearance so changed he no longer looked like a man.” (Revised English Bible)
Nor is it any wonder that it was only in the fifth century, some decades after crucifixion had been outlawed, that Christians began to picture Jesus on a cross.
How did such a vile object become an object of veneration? The answer, I think, is found in the words of the Gospel according to John, “Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” (14:1)
The power of the cross for Christians is not its brutality but the profound depth of love on the part of Jesus to which it testifies.
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. (2:6-8)
The final phrase, even death on a cross, would have caused the original readers to take a deep breath. For them, the cross was an instrument of unspeakable brutality.
Crucifixion was Rome’s way of terrorizing the peoples it had subjugated. It was meant to send a clear message: Oppose the might of Rome and this is what you will suffer.
Crucifixion as a means of execution had been used in the east by the Assyrians, Scythians, Phoenicians and Persians. Alexander the Great is reported to have crucified 2000 citizens of Tyre after that city fell to him in 322 B.C.
The Romans adopted this practice primarily in the provinces of its empire. Roman citizens were subject to crucifixion only if guilty of treason. The Romans reserved it for slaves who were guilty of robbery or rebellion. Such was the case in the slave uprising of 71 B.C. When the uprising was quelled, the Romans crucified six thousand followers of Spartacus along the Appian as part of a Roman victory celebration.
Nero also employed crucifixion in his persecution of the Christians in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed much of Rome. Tradition says St. Peter was executed in this persecution.
One source recounts that during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, some 500 Jews seeking to flee the city were crucified each day.
“Crucifixion was not a simple execution, but a slow torture. The victim’s vital organs were not directly damaged, so death could last many hours or even days. Furthermore, it was customary to combine the basic punishment of crucifixion with other types of humiliation and torment... It was always a public act. The victims were left totally naked, dying in agony on the cross, in a visible place: a well travelled crossroads… The spectacle of those men writhing in pain, moaning and cursing, was unforgettable.” (Jesus, An Historical Approximation, Jose A. Pagola)
It is no wonder then that the disciples of Jesus turned to Isaiah (52:14):
“Many people were aghast at him – he was so inhumanely disfigured that he no longer looked like a man.” (New Jerusalem Bible)
“So now many nations recoil at the sight of him, and kings curl their lips in disgust. His form, disfigured lost all human likeness; his appearance so changed he no longer looked like a man.” (Revised English Bible)
Nor is it any wonder that it was only in the fifth century, some decades after crucifixion had been outlawed, that Christians began to picture Jesus on a cross.
How did such a vile object become an object of veneration? The answer, I think, is found in the words of the Gospel according to John, “Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” (14:1)
The power of the cross for Christians is not its brutality but the profound depth of love on the part of Jesus to which it testifies.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Prayer after Communion (Monday of Holy Week)
The prayer reads:
Visit your people, O Lord, we pray,
and with every-watchful love
look upon the hearts dedicated to you by means of these sacred mysteries
so that under your protection
we may keep safe this remedy of eternal salvation,
which by your mercy we have received.
What does it mean to “keep safe this remedy of eternal salvation”? I understand the remedy of salvation to be the Eucharist (“these sacred mysteries”) which we “have received.” The petition (“we may keep safe”) is undefined and vague.
The earlier (1998) translation which was rejected by the Congregation for Worship and Sacraments read:
Under your protection
may we hold fast to the saving remedy
that we receive through your mercy.
Visit your people, O Lord, we pray,
and with every-watchful love
look upon the hearts dedicated to you by means of these sacred mysteries
so that under your protection
we may keep safe this remedy of eternal salvation,
which by your mercy we have received.
What does it mean to “keep safe this remedy of eternal salvation”? I understand the remedy of salvation to be the Eucharist (“these sacred mysteries”) which we “have received.” The petition (“we may keep safe”) is undefined and vague.
The earlier (1998) translation which was rejected by the Congregation for Worship and Sacraments read:
Under your protection
may we hold fast to the saving remedy
that we receive through your mercy.
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