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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.

Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Sunday August 15, 2010

She made it! So can we!

It’s a happy coincidence that the patronal feast for our parish falls on a Sunday this year. It is also significant because in recent years Mary seems to have attracted the attention of many Catholic scholars as well as ordinary worshippers such as you and me. I suppose that puts Mary right in the center of the parish and in the center of the Church where she ought to be, as one commentator referred to her, “mother, mentor and mensch.” [Patricia Sanchez, ‘Celebration’, a homiletic resource, NCR Publishing Co., Kansas City, Mo., 2010] After Mass this morning, one of our ushers reminded me that Mary is also known as mediator. But more about these titles later.

The feast is not about the technology of her passage into heaven but about the completion of her mission on earth. According to Catholic traditional teaching, it was Mary’s destiny from the very first moment of her conception to partner with God in the birth of Christ and to live with God forever in heaven. Her acceptance of that call to mother the Christ and to adopt humanity as a spiritual mother was her unique vocation. She embraced her calling with dignity and without hesitation or equivocation. According to the midrashic tradition recorded by Luke, Mary replied to the angel Gabriel, “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

As mother, she allowed the seed of divinity to be impregnated in her very being so that she herself could bring forth the living Word allowing God’s saving grace to become incarnate in Christ. As mentor, she epitomized the wisdom of the Old Testament wisdom described as ‘sophia,’ the feminine attribute of God. As mensch, she became the woman of integrity and honor. Mensch is a Yiddish word meaning person of fortitude and firmness of purpose. As mediator, she enjoys a special relationship to her son as priest. It is curious, then, why women would be considered incapable of being ordained as priests. In fact, not many years ago, Mary was referred to as ‘co-redemptrix’ with Jesus in the economy of salvation by many mariologists including, I believe, Pope Pius XII.

Mary’s destiny is our destiny too. Although never as exalted as her call, we too were destined from the very first moment of our conception to become partners with God—to allow the seed of God’s Word to take root in our hearts in Christ. In that sense, we all ‘mother’ Christ into our world through our words and works of justice and charity. That’s what discipleship is all about. In another sense, as spiritual daughters and sons of Mary, we became in baptism, adopted sons and daughters of God, sisters and brothers of Christ. Of course this is a spiritual reality that has a solid foundation in traditional Catholic theology. It is our destiny to live with God in Christ forever. We also mentor our children with the qualities of Christian discipleship. As mensches, we stand up in the marketplace for justice for the oppressed. As mediators, we participate in the priesthood of Christ offering our sacrificial love for the salvation of all humanity.

This is not to suggest in any way that although our call is our destiny, it is an entitlement in the strict sense or that we will ever be able to achieve our destiny on our own. In truth life is a precious gift. Nothing we can achieve on our own is accomplished without grace. We are no different from Mary in this regard.

The other insight that came to me as I reflected on the feast is the fact that as Christians, we are totally absorbed—mind, body and spirit—into the life of Christ. We are spiritual but not spiritualists. The arena of sports and the world dance amply demonstrate for me the magnificent blend of body and spirit. Watch the PGA golf pros as they pitch and put their way to the 18th hole or gymnastics or ballet dancers as they dance their way to the gold. In fact, the human body exalts the soul of God as much as it does humanity.

Mary’s response to her cousin Elizabeth in the ‘Magnificat’ celebrates the enfleshment of the divine Spirit: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” In this very poetic prayer of praise, Mary’s qualities are beautifully phrased as mother, mentor, mensch and mediator. Mary was no sweet wimp!

In the light of current events at home and abroad and in the face of attempts to distort or destroy what God has created as good, we do well to celebrate the gift of our humanity and the beauty of human life. As Christians we are challenged to give witness to human potential as empowered by divine grace. It’s a good combination and brings to mind once more the sentiments of the Late Cardinal Bernardin in his now classic pastoral letter on life, “The Seamless Garment.”

In his deep respect for human life, he challenged not only Catholics in his own Archdiocese of Chicago, but believers everywhere to put an end to the culture of death that stifles human hope and accept instead the empowering gift of God’s ennobling spirit which energizes our human potential for good.

As partners with God, children of Mary, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are committed to life in all its forms—in the womb and on death row; the quality of life in ghettoes and back streets of our cities or in poverty pockets in Appalachia; on the battle front among warring nations and in the care of the environment and ecosystems that constitute our legacy to our children and grandchildren.

The greatest testimony we can give to one another and to our world it the testimony of a life lived in complete harmony with the human spirit at one with God so that Mary’s prayer can become our prayer. “My soul programs the greatness of the Lord and my spirit finds joy in God my savior.”