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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]
_
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.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 'B'

Sunday June 28, 2009

Our God is a God of life

Our experience tells us that life is ultimately terminal. Someone put it this way, “Aging is a disease that ends in death!” I consider that a rather pessimistic view of life. Aging is privilege; aging gracefully is a precious gift not given to all.

In any event, the author of the Book of Wisdom insists that “God did not make death” but that “God formed ‘man’ [and woman] to be imperishable.”

Living within a large Jewish community residing in Alexandria and influenced by Greek philosophers during the first century before Christ, the wisdom author reasoned that if God were eternal, those who honor their relationship with God would be honored with enduring life beyond the grave. By this time in Jewish history, belief in an afterlife had become a common tenet.

The story of the healing of the daughter of Jairus and of the woman who had suffered chronic hemorrhaging for twelve years is one in a series of miraculous healing stories interspersed with ‘living’ parables intended to increase faith and the assurance that those who approach Jesus in faith will not see death.

Nevertheless death happens and despite advanced directives we may be prepared but we are rarely ready. Death is always intrusive and so we seek divine intervention and we hope for miracles. Oh, yes, by way of exception, we pray in good faith at the bedside of loved ones who have suffered far beyond human endurance that they be spared further pain and that their soul be delivered to the God of eternal life.

In the face of daily reports of global death and destruction, it may be difficult for sincere believers not to become cynical about the existence of a caring God. Where is God in war torn Iraq? In Darfur, and where was God last month when the Air France jet disintegrated in a wicked storm?

As one preacher put it, “we certainly can be happy for cure of the woman and the restoration of Jairus’ daughter but why can’t we persuade God to cure cancer or even the common cold?” Or hold back tornadoes or prevent the barbaric terrorism of suicide bombers?

The gospels contain stories of faith in order to assure us that there is more to life than what the eye can see or the hear can hear. But Jesus himself taught that only in due course will be have all the answers to life’s mysteries and those answers lie beyond the grave. We still believe that those who honor God and live according to the dictates of their conscience will indeed see God beyond the grave.

Are there beliefs for which a good Christian would die?

Absolutely!

Are there beliefs for which a good Christian would kill?

Hmm. My understanding of the teachings of Jesus would say no!

In the meantime, we listen attentively to the inspired Word of God as we search for answers to the most pressing life and death challenges of our age.

I have seen many miracles of healing in my short life—all sorts of miracles. Some of them were at the hands of wise doctors, nurses, rescue workers and even soldiers in combat. I have seen dramatic reversals in deteriorating relationships in marriage or between parents and their children. But we Catholics do not have the franchise on miracles nor do we have all the answers to the most complex life challenges of our age be they scientific, economic or even purely spiritual.

Through the kindness of a friend I received this uplifting meditation contained in a book by by Irish poet, John O’Donohue, entitled, “Benedictus” that helps to put in perspective the death that often haunts us but that also puts life in clearer perspective:

“I imagine that one of the great store houses of blessing is the invisible neighbourhood [sic] where the dead dwell. Our friends among the dead now live where time and space are transfigured. They behold us now in ways they never could have when they lived beside us on earth. Because they live near the source of destiny, their blessings for us are accurate and penetrating, offering a divine illumination not available according to the calculations of the given visible world. Perhaps one of the surprises of death will be a retrospective view of the lives we lived here and to see how our friends among the dead clothed us in weave after weave of blessing.” [“Benedictus, A Book of Blessings” by John O’Donohue, Bantam Press, London, 2007]

And a lovely verse by the same author entitled, “For Death,” to bring it home:

From the moment you were born,
Your death has walked beside you.
Though it seldom shows its face,
You still feel its empty touch
When fear invades your life,
Or what you love is lost
Or inner damage is incurred.

Yet when destiny draws you
into these spaces of poverty,
_And your heart stays generous
Until some door opens into the light,
You are quietly befriending your death;
So that you will have no need to fear
When your time comes to turn and leave.

That the silent presence of your death
Would call your life to attention,
Wake you up to how scarce your time is
And to the urgency to become free
And equal to the call of your destiny.

That you would gather yourself
And decide carefully
How you now can live
The life you would love
To look back on
From your deathbed. [Ibid]

It is never too late to begin again as if for the first time!