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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.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 'B'

Sunday September 13, 2009

Sometimes you just have to ride things out.

Despite the advances in pre-school education and sophisticated internet connections, children still learn best from their earliest at their ‘family table,’ (literal and metaphoric) the basic rules for successful living that include anything from good manners to dealing with crises and life-threatening situations.

Axioms and words of wisdom that flowed from my parents and grandparents at table still stick in my memory. Many of them did not have a full impact on my life until years later.

Indeed, as I grew up and got knocked around a bit by situations and circumstances beyond my control, I began to understand the import of my dad’s words of wisdom, “Ken, sometimes you just have to ride things out.” Life is not always under our control. The truth is, life is rarely under our control! One sage put it this way, “Life is what actually happens when you’re setting your goals.”

Jesus was a master teacher. In fact he was called ‘The Teacher’ or Rabbi. He was an itinerant preacher. I don’t think he expected his disciples to grasp the full meaning of his sayings just as I’m sure my mom and dad did not expect me to grasp the full meaning of their maxims as they spoke them. In fact Jesus’ companions would not see the light until after Pentecost. The full impact of my dad’s words didn’t hit until long after ordination.

When we come to this Eucharist every week and listen to the Scriptures, we bring a lot of baggage with us—our life story and our life stories. Each of us hears the words of Scripture in a way slightly different from our neighbor or even from other members of our family. We filter the words of the Bible through the lens of our human experience and connect them with real life issues and events—past, present and even future as we anticipate them but there is always at least one lesson for everyone.

It is interesting that Mark sandwiched this little exchange with Peter between two other exchanges. The first occurred earlier in this same chapter in Peter’s ‘confession’ of Jesus as the Messiah: “Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the village of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ and then he asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘You are the Messiah.’ The other exchange is Peter’s response to the Transfiguration found in the ninth chapter: “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here.”

Mark was apparently making the point that Peter didn’t have a clue before or even after Jesus’ reprimand about what it meant to be ‘Messiah.’ Peter later denied Jesus at his arrest not once but three times. He didn’t get it until he himself faced his own ‘Gethsemane’ and crucifixion.

Many years ago as a young priest, I was on a retreat for priests at a seaside retreat house. The retreat director said something that has never left me. We were in the conference room that faced the ocean. As he was speaking, I was looking out into the sea but I was listening attentively. The conference was a meditation on the passion and death of Christ. He said to us, “You will never be worth your salt as a priest until you have accompanied Jesus at Gethsemane at least once.”

At the time, I thought I understood what he meant but I didn’t have a clue. After all, I had been a priest only ten years or so at that time and had yet to experience anything even close to Gethsemane—I just thought I had. The clerical world can be very closed and protected at times.

God did not send his son to suffer and die in protest or as a punishment to make up for humanities sins, he sent him to live fully and faithfully with enthusiasm for life. Jesus accepted his call but in doing so, it became clear to him that it would cost him his life, a strange paradox indeed. Jesus ‘rode it out’ to the very end but in the end was raised up in glory.

In a book entitled, “My Grandfather’s Blessings” by Rachel Remen I came upon this bit of wisdom:

“Whether we are aware of it or not, we will refine the quality of our humanity throughout the course of our lives. More and more, people seek spiritual techniques to help them do this. But joy and suffering will do this for you, too. Every lifetime offers countless opportunities to become more whole.”

“Life offers its wisdom generously. Everything teaches. Not everyone learns. Life asks of us the same thing we have been asked in every class: ‘Stay awake.’ ‘Pay attention.’ But paying attention is no simple matter. It requires us not to be distracted by expectations, past experiences, labels and masks. It asks that we not jump to early conclusions and that we remain open to surprise. Wisdom comes most easily to those who have the courage to embrace life without judgment [or condition] and are willing to not know, sometimes for a long time. It requires us to be more fully and simply alive than we have been taught to be. It may require us to suffer. But ultimately, we will be more than we were when we began. There is the seed of a great wholeness in everyone.”

There was a woman in my life other than my own dear mother who was a quiet and sometimes not-so-quiet mentor whom I met much later in my life as a priest. She was our housekeeper and cook at St. Joseph. Mary Lou also known by her own children and dear friends as “Lulu.”

She experienced her Gethsemane early in life with the death of her husband not long after the birth of the last of her eight children one of whom died at the age of two. Mary Lou knew all about life without ever having to go to theology class. She was a gifted cook but more than that, she was woman of homey wisdom who knew how to make lemonade when handed a lemon. She completed her daily tasks day in and day out and never asked why she was dealt a tough hand. She always found time to do nice things for others without fanfare.The Lord was her shepherd, no doubt about it and the Lord upheld her to the very end.

Rachel Remen concluded the introduction to her book with these words: “According to those who have returned from a near-death experience, we are all here to grow in wisdom and learn how to love better. As we each do this in our own ways, we slowly become a blessing to those around us and a light in the world.”

Amen!