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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.

Good Friday 2010

Friday April 2, 2010

To love and not to count the cost.

Readings: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1-19:42

It is finished. [John 19:30]

But the story is not over.

If ‘good’ comes from the word “God,” then today is “God’s Friday.” For many – including Catholics – it is the beginning of the Easter holidays. Some offices and most schools are closed. Packing day. Off to the Bahamas for ‘spring break.’ Happy Holidays! Why not? After all, we celebrate the death of great leaders – George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the martyrdom of other heroes such as Martin Luther King. So why not let Good Friday be good?

As with every exaggeration, there is an element of truth to the celebratory nature of the ‘feast.’ As believers, we have a right, indeed, an obligation to be grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus’ life, which, we were taught, saved us from our sins and won our redemption.

But there is a deeper reality that I believe we need to ponder. It is the reality of choice that we believers face every day of o lives. It is the choice to ‘listen’ to the voice of God within our deepest selves or to tune it out.

Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians that he was “obedient” unto death. The word obey comes from the Latin word, “obedire” which at its root means “to listen.” He listened to ‘Abba’ his father who told him that he must be faithful to life and to goodness though it cost him his life but never to destroy his goodness or ‘Godness. Remember, God did not will his death. This is heresy! He willed that he live – faithfully. It was because he lived so faithfully to the spirit of the ancient law that he was rejected.

It’s a day to ponder all that we live for or perhaps to ask, what do we live for? And for what or for whom are we willing to die? What is the driving force that bids us rise each day? To what or to whom are we committed as Christians in the Catholic tradition? Money? Status? Power? Title? Or truth, integrity and the pursuit of what is right and just for humanity?

Let us go together into the garden and ponder these questions in depth and then listen attentively for God’s voice.

The story is not over until we add our own chapter.