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Daily Scripture

+ 5th Week in Ordinary Time

It still has meaning.

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10 Mark 6:53-56

The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary, the holy of holies of the temple. There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel. [1 Kings 8:6, 8]
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In recent years there has been much discussion in liturgical circles about the proper location of the tabernacle in the worship space. The directives implementing the Constitution on the Liturgy by the Second Vatican Council prescribed that the tabernacle be located in prominent location in the church or chapel, preferably in a chapel dedicated to the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament and appropriate for veneration. In any case, it was not to be located on the altar table used for the celebration of the Eucharist. As a result in many churches renovations, the tabernacle was moved to the ‘side altar’ previously used for the veneration of the Blessed Virgin or St. Joseph and in some churches, it was placed on the old altar previously used for Mass. In situations the old altar was replaced with a permanent pedestal on which the tabernacle was placed.

In liturgical matters, nothing is simple. Those of a more conservative disposition insisted that the location of the Tabernacle on the side altar reduced the status of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist thereby diminishing its meaning in the devotional life of the faithful. Others of a more liberal persuasion opined that in fact, the location in a separate chapel within the church assigned to the sacrament greater prominence thereby increasing the devotional aspect. Moreover, in as much as an emphasis of the ‘action’ of the Mass as the repetition of the “Lord’s Supper” was promoted by the Council, it seemed to liturgists that the location of the tabernacle in the main sanctuary behind the free standing Eucharist table would compete with the ‘action’ of the Mass as a sacred meal.

The most recent prescriptions in the United States provide that the tabernacle be located in the main sanctuary on suitably ornate pedestal. It is ironic that in the major basilicas including the basilica of St. Peter in Rome, the tabernacle is located on a side altar that is not very prominent.

Whatever the location, it should not be a bone of contention worthy of a liturgical battle. The public and private devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is rooted in the long tradition of the Church and should not be disparaged. In the same way in which the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments was symbolic of God’s presence in the temple, so too, the reservation of the Eucharist Bread has been one of the longest-standing practices of the devotional life of Catholics. It is intended to extend the meaning and the effects of the Eucharistic celebration into the life of the faithful who continue to spend time in prayerful meditation on the mysteries of the life of Jesus not the least of which is his faithfulness unto death on the cross for the salvation of the world. The two aspects of Eucharist need not be in competition. The ‘Mass’ continues to be considered a “sacrificial” meal. But we need to be clear that its connection with the passion and death of Christ even as the lamb of God is not to suggest that his death was mandated to satisfy and angry God. That in my opinion is not an appropriate application of Old Testament sacrifices. No, Jesus sacrificial death was the completion of his entire sacrificial life of unqualified and indiscriminate love in the same way as the sacrificial love of partners in marriage offer their sacrificial love to one another or in the manner that Mother Teresa offered her live in sacrificial service to victims of poverty in the streets of Calctta. It is in this sense that devotion to the Eucharist in the tabernacle takes its extended meaning.

During the celebration of the Eucharist, we become what we eat. Through our devotion to the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle, we are reminded that the Eucharistic presence in our mind, heart and soul extends into all the good works of our lives with the hope that we too will always think and act with the same sacrificial love as did Jesus in his earthly life.

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 'A'

Sunday November 16, 2008

Dance to the Music of the Gospel!

First a disclaimer: I didn’t write this gospel passage from Matthew, especially the concluding paragraph! Moreover, Matthew was neither a capitalist nor a financier. He wasn’t a Republican, Democrat or Socialist! But he was capitalizing on Jesus original parable, which incidentally had nothing to do with money! Talent is the Greek translation of the original Aramaic word for “measure” or “treasure.” It could of course refer to gifts or talents that we have all received each according to our ability.

In any event, among the many stories that Fr. Bill Bausch provides in his excellent book, “A World of Stories,” [XXIII Publications] I found this tale that makes this gospels live. It’s not the first time I have used it but its poignancy for this gospel during this time of economic travail makes it particularly appropriate.

Once upon a time, there was a village chief who had three sons. Each of them had a special talent. The oldest had the talent of raising olive trees and would trade the oil for tools and cloth. The second was a shepherd. When the sheep were ill, he had a great talent for making them well again. The third was a dancer. When there was a streak of bad luck in the family or when everyone was bored during the hard winters and tired of work, this son would cheer them up and dance.

One day, the father had to go away on a long journey, so he called his sons together and said, “My sons, the villagers are depending on you. Each of you has a special talent for helping people. So, while I am gone, see to it that you use your talents as wisely as possible so that when I return, I may find our village even happier and more prosperous than it is now.” He embraced his sons and departed.

For a while, things went very well. Then the cold winter winds began to blow, and the blizzards and snows came. First the buds on the olive trees shrank and cracked, and it would be a long time before the trees could recover. Then the village, because of the especially long winter, ran out of firewood. So the people began to cut down the trees but in the process they were denuding and destroying the village. Even though the first son did not want to see the trees cut down, he knew the villagers needed heat to survive, and so he helped them make firewood from the olive trees.

Then too, the snow and ice made it impossible for the traders to come up the river or over the mountain pass. So the villagers said, “Let us kill the sheep and eat them so we do not starve to death.” The second son refused for a time, but finally had to give in to the hungry villagers. He said, “What good would it be to spare the sheep only to have the villagers perish?’”

In this way, the villagers had just enough wood for their fires and food for their tables, but the bitter winter had broken their spirits. They began to think that things were rally worse than they were and they began to lose all hope—so much so, that family-by-family they deserted the village in search of a more hospitable environment.

As spring began to loosen the icy grip of winter, the village chief, the father of the three sons, returned only to find smoke rising from his own chimney. “What have you done?” He asked when he reached his house and spoke to his sons. “What has happened to the villagers”?

“Oh, father, forgive me,” said the oldest son. “The people were freezing and begged me to cut down the olive trees and so I did. I gave away my talent. I am no longer fit to be an orchard keeper.”

“Don’t be angry, father,” said the second son. “The sheep would have frozen to death anyway, and the people were starving, and I had to send my flock to the slaughter.”

But the father understood and said, “Don’t be ashamed, my sons, you did the best you could and you acted rightly and humanely. You used your talents wisely in trying to save the people. But, tell me, what has become of them? Where are they?”

The two brothers fixed their eyes on the third son who said, “Welcome home, father. Yes, it has been a hard time. There was so little to eat and so little firewood, I thought that it would be insensitive and improper to dance during such suffering. Besides, I needed to conserve my strength so that I could dance for you when you came home.”

“Then dance, my son,” said the father, “for my village is empty and so is my heart. Fill it with joy and courage once again. Yes, please dance!” But as the third son went to get up, he made a face of pain and fell down. His legs were so stiff and sore from sitting that they were no longer fit for dancing. The father was so sad that he could not even be angry. He simply said to the third son:

“Ours was a strong village. It could have survived the want of fuel and food, but it could never survive without hope. And because you failed to use your talent wisely and well, our people gave up what little hope they had left. So now? Now the village is deserted and you are crippled. Because you did not use your talent, you lost it!”

And with these two words, he embraced his two sons and they wept for the third.

This is the end of Bill Bausch’s story, but it is not the end of the gospel story. You and I must complete it.

Christianity is an opportunity to use the measure of gifts and talents we received when an incredibly talented and gifted God loved us into being.

Christianity is not a spectator sport or a part-time endeavor.

All of us have at least one talent and most of us have many talents that were given to us to make the world a better place for others and in so doing, make it better for ourselves.

To truly reap the rewards of our talents, we need to take the risk in giving them away.

Though parish dances are a thing of the past, I think we need more ‘dancing’ in our parishes. I’m not referring to a parish dance but to the gift of leading one another in the dance of life. We used to incorporate liturgical dance into Sunday worship and other special liturgical events at St Joseph in Mendham in order to allow God’s right brain to touch our right brain. It helped to bring a little heart to the message.

My mom and dad were great dancers – the first up on the floor and the last to sit down. As we watched them dance to the music, it was difficult to know who was leading whom, because they had the gift of dance. And that was what their marriage was like. Ah, the gift of compromise and yielding – not to one another’s whine or whim but to the spirit of love that bound them together, mind-to-mind, heart to heart.

Shepherds and pastors – bishops and priests and yes, even the Pope, need to dance more with their flock, mind-to-mind and heart to heart in the dance of the Gospel. Only then can the words of Christ truly become ‘good news’ for the world.

We can dance to the beat of different drums – young and old, male and female, around the table of Eucharist at which there is a place for everyone. Jesus is the one who makes us one. Only then can we embrace the world with the credibility that will make people listen to the music.

So lets get the lead out and dance!

Dance at home, dance at work, dance in the streets and dance in the market place. People may think we’ve lost our marbles but I’ll bet they will listen.

Wherever you dance, your talent will show because your talent is your dance and the Gospel is your music.