I might sit this one out...

Have you noticed?

Nowadays, just about any performance. of any kind, by anyone, ends with a standing ovation.

I'm old enough to remember a time (and actually I hope I'm young enough to remember this correctly) when a standing ovation was something the audience gave up for an extraordinary performance, a tour de force, something truly deserving of a Brava! a Bravo!

Not so now. Today's audiences jump to their feet for just about anything that appears on stage -- and they do so as soon as the curtain falls! Please: if you're going to give a standing O, have the decency to invest in a healthy prolonged applause before adding this exclamation point in recognition of the talent before you. Rising to your feet should tell everyone, "I can't applaud loud enough! What shall I do? Ah - I'll stand!"

A difficulty tangent to this proliferation of praise is that those who choose not to rise might appear to be disappointed in or critical of the play or concert just seen or heard - but that is not necessarily so. I have never booed a performance and I am more than willing to give at least polite applause for any effort a cast or symphony has mounted for my entertainment.

But a standing ovation? Sorry, but that's for very special moments only.

Herewith I am deciding to never again gesture by posture an acclamation that is not also rising in my heart for the arts and my critic's mind. To stand without intending the praise thus proffered is to tell a lie and that does a disservice to the performers and my own integrity.

So, if you're sitting next to me in a theater or concert hall and see me sit out the curtain calls and bows, don't think less of me or presume that I think negatively of the performance. I'm only telling the truth. And when I judge a performance deserving of a standing O, you'll know - because I'll give it on the tips of my toes.

-ConcordPastor

Triduum Reflections III

(Third in a series, see Triduum Reflections I and II)

I have often considered returning to the ancient practice whereby, on Good Friday, Holy Communion was not offered. As we know, the liturgy of Good Friday is not a celebration of the Eucharist but rather a Liturgy of the Word during which consecrated Bread from the Holy Thursday Eucharist is given to the assembly.

Having been privileged for many years now to celebrate the Triduum in parishes where the Veneration of the Cross is done with solemnity, song and a deep reverence, I have long experienced the Veneration as the moment of communion among the faithful and have wondered if the ancient practice (no Holy Communion) might be worth revisiting. (Nor am I the only one to raise such questions and, indeed, I know that in some communities this has been tried.)

But this year's experience has significantly changed my mind. Our parish uses a large, almost life-size wooden cross for the veneration. It is carried in procession into the church by five women who then take turns, in pairs, holding the cross upright and secure for the people to come forward and venerate.

Because of its size and weight, we have never found a good place to retire the Cross once the Veneration is completed and it is time for Communion. Its size argues against laying it on the floor or altar steps lest it appear to be simply dropped or abandoned there. We have settled in the past for leaning it against the back wall to rear of the altar and ambo - but still it looks ill-placed there.

Only on this year's Good Friday afternoon did it occur to me that a good place to repose this large Cross would be on the altar itself. This picture was taken after the Good Friday liturgy:



While the deacon went to bring the Eucharist for Communion, we took the Cross from the place where it had been venerated (at the foot of the steps to the altar) and laid it upon the altar. I gave a brief, simple catechesis on the relationship between the altar of Eucharist and the altar of the Cross, the sacrifice of Eucharist and the sacrifice of the Cross, and how the Eucharist at the Lord's table is our share, our participation in the sacrifice of Calvary. Not only did this provide a catechetical moment for understanding Eucharist as sacrifice and the connection between the mandatum and the Cross as signs of self-giving service, it also made a graceful connection between the first two liturgies of the Triduum.

My experience was that this linked the communio experience of the Veneration with the Communion experience of the Sacrament of the altar.

(For those who are wondering: we placed a corporal in a space not taken by the Cross for placing the reserved Eucharist on the altar once it arrived. This served the purpose well.)

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome in the combox.

-ConcordPastor

Yet another take on Caravaggio...

Doubting Thomas by Ben Steele

I've posted several renderings of "Doubting Thomas," including Caravaggio and his imitators. The image here by Ben Steele takes us in another direction... or does it?

Steele's site is worth a visit for his take on art and how we view it. I'd apologize to fans of Kinkade but that would be disingenuous on my part: the visual pun in Steele's piece here is too sweet to pass up!

For some insightful commentary on all of this, check out Anneke Majors post at A Motley Vision.

-ConcordPastor

Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter

Center panel of triptych: Incredulidad de Santo Tomas by Reubens

Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter
(on the occasion of the baptism of John Thomas)
Acts 2:42-47
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31

Ah, the annual appearance of doubting Thomas…

There was a time, not too long ago,
when people confessed doubt as a sin:
an era of a commonly accepted “universe of truth”
to which all were expected to pledge their faith.
So accepted was this universe of truth that those who rejected it
were considered heretics.
So undoubtedly valid was this universe esteemed
that one who doubted the indubitable could be judged guilty of sin.
In our own times there is a commonly accepted “universe of doubt”
in which virtually no proposition is accepted as objectively true
and all truths claiming that name are, by virtue of the claim,
considered suspect and not to be trusted.

If the former era was an Age of Faith,
ours is an Age of Doubt.

Doubting Thomas had, at least, the openness to say,
“I won’t believe until… until I see the nail marks in his hands,
until I put my hand into the wound in his side.”
Thomas was not without faith --
he just wanted a little proof.
A contemporary Thomas, however, seeks no proof
for he denies that any objective proof could be offered
and so he simply doubts –and dismisses – the possibility
of rising from the dead.

We can easily miss that such is the cultural matrix in which we live,
oblivious to the obvious.
(Remember: you can be sure that whoever discovered water --
it wasn’t a fish.)

We swim in the culture of doubt.
We breathe its air.
The culture of doubt distorts our world view:
it deconstructs our understanding of truth;
redefines the boundaries of morality;
warps our sense of justice;
disguises our narcissism as the appropriation of self-worth;
and twists our dreams of peace into hopeless nightmares.

Theologian Paul Tillich says that doubt is not the opposite of faith,
but rather an element of it.
Doubt, indeed, can lead us to faith
or restore us to it when faith is lost.
But when doubt consumes faith
and spits it out as so much garbage,
we are left miserably disconnected from God,
painfully estranged from love,
and achingly cut off from hope.

As Buddhist wisdom teaches:
“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt.
Doubt separates people.
It is a poison that disintegrates friendships…
It is a thorn that wounds; it is a sword that kills.”
(Gautama Siddharta)

Our culture of doubt clouds our understanding of God
and shrouds our trust in the church.
If we give ourselves over to our doubts
we will lose our faith in God
and tear apart the body of Christ, the church.
Doubt can be a deadly worm
insinuating itself in our experience and relationships
until it saps us of all the beauty of what is truly human.
Or doubt can be like a grain of sand in an oyster,
an irritant that gives rise, finally,
to a beautiful pearl of great price – faith.

It would be dishonest to artificially dismiss our doubts.
Rather, what we need is to trust that there is something greater,
brighter, more pure, true, just, loving and timeless than our doubts.
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
By faith we understand that all is ordered by the word of God,
that what is visible came into being through the invisible.”
(Hebrews 11:1, 3)

When doubting Thomas got his proof, he did not say,
“Alright. I believe you’re alive.”
Such a response would have been little more
than a skeptic’s grudging admission to the facts.
Rather, doubting Thomas’ response was one of faith:
“My Lord and my God!”

Pray with me that we who swim in a sea of doubt
may not drown in its deadly waters but rather rise up out of them,
as Christ rose from the grave,
as John Thomas will rise from the waters of this font,
to a life of love, hope and faith.

-ConcordPastor

Word for the Week of March 30

The Incredulity of Thomas by Aidan Hart (Click on image for larger version) Of interest: about half of the paintings and icons of "Doubting Thomas" are titled, "The Incredulity of Thomas."

A new Word for the Week has been posted on the side bar. I've selected the words Jesus speaks to his disciples when he appears to them first with Thomas absent and then with the doubter present.

Such are the words of Jesus when he appears to those who had denied, abandoned and doubted him -- those who were in hiding, like cowards, out of fear. Rather than point a finger of accusation or blame at their infidelities, Jesus invites Thomas to use his finger and hands to probe the merciful wounds in the Savior's side and hands...

If you are looking for an image of unconditional love... here it is: for the disciples, for Thomas, for you...

-ConcordPastor

Easter Saturday

Mary Magdalene Announces the Resurrection by Sr. Mary Charles McGough, O.S.B. (Click on image for larger version)

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:15-18)

Mary Magdalene, whose feast day is July 22, is a prominent figure in the Easter story. (Check the notes on her feast day to make sure you know who Mary Magdalene - and who she isn't!)

Mary is called the "Apostle to the Apostles" because she is missioned by Jesus to go and tell the others the he has risen from the dead. In the icon above, artist Sister Mary Charles illustrates the scene where Mary Magdalene tells the apostles of her experience of the Risen Christ.

All four gospels report this event (Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:13, and Luke 24:9, John 20:18). The apostles do not believe Mary’s words, according to the accounts in Mark and Luke, but their doubts are quickly erased when they see Christ for themselves.

"I have seen the Lord!" Mary Magdalene stands facing the eleven apostles: she is the first to proclaim the Resurrection. Their faces reflect puzzlement, scepticism, confusion, sadness and hopelessness It has only been a matter of hours since they had experienced the arrest, crucifixion, and burial of Christ and they are in hiding for fear that the same end befall them.

A outline of the city of Jerusalem fills makes for a backdrop, with a rainbow flowing like a river from where Mary has come and through the city, providing a symbol of the Resurrection.

Doubting Thomases I, II, III

Classic portrait of Doubting Thomas by Caravaggio



Contemporary rendering of Doubting Thomas, based on Caravaggio, found at The Crossroads Initiative



Another contemporary rendering of Doubting Thomas, based on the Caravaggio, by John Granville Gregory

If you haven't yet done your scripture homework in preparation for Mass this weekend, I hope these three renderings of the Doubting Thomas might pique your interest and lead you to those texts which, complete with background materials, can be found here.

Got kids? Here's some material to introduce them to this Sunday's scriptures before the getting to church.

For the freedom of the Risen Christ...

Because a large prison lies within our parish bounds here at Holy Family in Concord, we pray this intercession in our Prayers of the Faithful every Sunday:

For the freedom of the Risen Christ
in the hearts of those who are in prison
and for those who work in prisons,
let us pray to the Lord...

Here's a story of inmates celebrating the rites of Christian initiation on Easter Sunday at a prison in Ohio. In the photo above, the men in white shirts are the newly baptized.

By Ursuline Sister Eileen Connelly
Catholic News Service

CINCINNATI (CNS) -- Ten inmates at Lebanon Correctional Institution north of Cincinnati experienced the sense of hope and promise of new life that accompanies the Easter season when they were welcomed into the Catholic Church March 23.

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati celebrated an Easter Mass at the prison during which the men received the sacraments of initiation.

Since last fall, they have been part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, along with their sponsors, many of whom are also incarcerated at Lebanon, a state prison known as a "close-security" facility, which is one step down from maximum security.

The men wrote letters to Archbishop Pilarczyk petitioning him to celebrate an Easter Mass at the prison and confer the sacraments, and along with the volunteers and Lebanon staff they were thrilled to welcome him.

Joining the catechumens and their sponsors were volunteers from the prison's Kairos program and many of their family members.

Christine Shimrock, a prison chaplain, praised Lebanon's administration for the decision to allow the inmates' relatives to be present for the Mass.

"This is unprecedented," she told The Catholic Telegraph, newspaper of the Cincinnati Archdiocese. "Families aren't allowed past the visitors' area, so to see the place where the men worship is so meaningful.

"The prison administration and staff have been so supportive of our program. They realize that when the men are faith-filled, it trickles down to the entire prison," she added.

"It's really something special today for the men being baptized," said Warden Timothy Brunsman, who attended the Easter liturgy. "We're thrilled to have the archbishop here."

Among other priests at the Mass were Jesuit Father Gene Carmichael, who celebrates Mass for inmates twice a month, and Father Terry Meehan, pastor at Our Lady of Sorrows, which has a team of Catholic volunteers committed to serving the spiritual needs of the prisoners. They meet weekly with about 30 Catholic inmates.

In his homily, Archbishop Pilarczyk spoke of the joy of the Easter season saying, "Easter is the celebration of new life and Jesus' return to the living. In baptism, we begin to live a new life -- the life of the risen Jesus."

"Life's a wonderful thing," he added. "It's a great gift. Today we thank God for life. May you find peace and contentment in the life of the Lord."

Wearing crisp white shirts, the elect were then called forward to be baptized and confirmed. After the archbishop conferred the sacraments, the assembly welcomed the new members of the Catholic Church with resounding applause. The men later received the Eucharist for the first time.
...

One of the 10 inmates was Eric Edward Harmon, who attended a Catholic high school and said he decided to participate in RCIA because "it was time to put myself spiritually where I needed to be and that is being a member of the Catholic family."
...

Fellow inmate Bernard Perfetto said what drew him to Catholicism was "the message of love, forgiveness and hope -- three things that are in short supply in prison. It (becoming Catholic) really gives me the feeling that I'm a servant of God and that means a lot when you're confined in a place like this."

Perfetto said his faith also will give him the courage to re-enter society when the time comes. "It gives me hope to know that there is a faith community I can be part of on the outside, a place where I will be accepted," he said.

Raised with no religion in his life, Benjamin Charles Walton said he felt a sense of belonging when attending Mass and found RCIA to be "educational and enlightening."

"I know this is where I want to be," he said of being received in the Catholic Church. "I've been so excited. This is the day I've joined Christ. I can't stop smiling."

Easter Friday

Julian of Norwich by Robert Lentz with a hazelnut in hand; the earth a hazelnut in God's hand

Sometimes we hope for and expect too much of feasts and seasons and walk away from them disappointed. Sometimes we want Christmas to make us merry and Easter to make us happy. No holy day, no season of holy days can promise now, in full, the peace they celebrate and proclaim. St. Augustine put it beautifully, "Our hearts are restless, Lord, until they rest in you..."

Christmas and Easter come as the calendar indicates with little, even no regard for our individual feelings, difficulties, losses and emotions. Every feast and season, of course, offers healing and peace for in giving ourselves to the celebration (not always an easy thing to do) we let go into God's hands the feelings in need of resolution, the losses in need of healing, the difficulties in need of healing, the emotions in need of serenity.

Julian of Norwich also explores the restlessness of our hearts and souls in this image of a hazelnut:

The Lord showed me a little thing,
the size of a hazelnut,
which seemed to lie in the palm of my hand;
and it was as round as any ball.
I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding,
and thought, "What may this be?"

I was answered in a general way, thus:
"It is all that is made."

I wondered how long it could last;
for it seemed as thought it might suddenly fade away to nothing,
for it was so small.

And I was answered in my understanding:
"It lasts, and ever shall last;
for God loves it.
And even so has everything being --
by the love of God.

In this little thing I saw three properties.
The first is that God made it:
the second that God loves it:
the third, that God keeps it.

And what did I behold in this?
Truly, the Maker, the Lover, and the Keeper.

And until I am substantially united to God,
I can never have full rest nor true bliss;
that is to say, until I am so fastened to God
that there is no created thing at all between
my God and me.

For this is the reason
why we are not all in ease of heart and of soul:
that we seek here rest in this thing that is so little
and where no rest is in,
we know not our God that is almighty, all wise and all good.
For God is rest itself.

- Julian of Norwich


- ConcordPastor

Word for the Weekend

Doubting Thomas by Caravaggio

Time to look towards the scriptures for the Second Sunday of Easter. Those texts, with background materials, can be found here.

Got kids? Here's some material to introduce them to this Sunday's scriptures before getting to Mass this weekend.

Triduum Reflections II

(Second in a series, see Triduum Reflections I)

The Triduum opens with Holy Thursday's Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. Two nights later, the Vigil liturgy begins with the presider calling the people to prayer around the new fire, including the proclamation: This is the passover of the Lord!

Some years back I recall centering my preaching at all three Triduum liturgies around the Passover nature of our Paschal celebration. If I recall correctly, it was a year when the Jewish Passover coincided with our Triduum.

A major problem in the celebrating the Triduum is that Catholic people are largely uninstructed in its relationship to Passover in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Apart from a foundational understanding of Passover, our Easter celebration floats disconnected from generations of faith which deeply inform and structure our Paschal rites. It is not an exaggeration to say that those who do not understand Passover do not fully understand Easter.

I've never been a fan of Christians celebrating Seder suppers - especially in close proximity to the Triduum. The Seder is not our ritual and even para-Seder celebrations seem to me to miss the mark and run the risk of making a catechetical less of Jewish prayer and ritual. (Of course, to be invited to a Jewish family's Seder is another and wonderful thing altogether.)

One of the reasons I so love the Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I is its conscious articulation of Passover in the context of the Lord's Supper. Without an understanding of Passover we have a lesser understanding of Eucharist, of the Crucifixion, of a number of the lections at the Easter Vigil and of the initiation sacraments celebrated in the Christian Pasch.

Beginning on Holy Thursday night and continuing through the Easter seasons, I am saying, in the Communion Rite, as I show the sacred elements to the assembly, "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his Supper." It's a small measure but one I hope that will make an impression.

If you or your parish have found ways to help the assembly grasp more deeply the "Passover connection," please share them in the combox.

Easter Thursday

Apostles Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre by Eugene Burnand

This painting brings us back to Easter morning with Peter and John running to the tomb after hearing that Jesus had risen from the dead. The faces and hands of these two apostles have much to tell us. (Click on the image for a larger version.)

I like the way these two appear ready to break from the painting's frame: they are obviously in a hurry. Do we hurry towards the Lord's presence or do we sometimes hide from it, convincing ourselves that we might find a place where he cannot find us?

John's face is a combination of grief and hopefulness and his hands are folded in expectant prayer, a posture not conducive to running but one which tells us of his heart's desire that the news is true - that Jesus, his beloved, is indeed risen. Are there not times in our lives when we wonder if Jesus is risen? if he is with us? if his presence can be found?

Peter is only hours from having three times betrayed the One rumored to be risen. You can read his worry in his furrowed brow. One hand points an accusing finger, the other lays over his pained and guilty heart. Are we not sometimes afraid of how Christ will respond in the face of our unfaithfulness?

John's eyes peer into the distance hoping to see what he dare not hope to see; Peter's eyes are wide open, wondering what Christ will see in him should he encounter the risen One.

These two apostles mirror our own often ambiguous relationship with Christ. We have cause to accuse ourselves of being unfaithful to his love for us and at the same time our hearts hope beyond hope that Jesus is indeed risen and goes before us even as he walks by our side. As at the first Easter, it should not surprise us if we find ourselves in both faces, John's and Peter's. The important thing to remember is that the peace of the risen Jesus seeks a home in both of them - and in all of us...

-ConcordPastor

Holy Father, the next topic is...

A new poll by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, reports on American sentiments regards the pope's upcoming visit to the U.S.

The pollsters inquired about which spiritual matters Americans would like to hear Benedict address during his visit. 70% or more want to hear the pope speak on:

- Allowing God to be part of their daily lives
- Finding spiritual fulfillment by sharing their time and talent
- How they can make a positive difference
in the world, their state and communities

I can't help but wonder if the other roughly 30% of those polled were hoping that the pope might address the sex abuse scandal - and looking for that response as an option in the survey.

If you could choose one topic for the pope to address during his visit, what would that be?

-ConcordPastor

Easter Wednesday

Image by PhotoSam88

Perhaps you participated in a sunrise service on Easter Sunday... perhaps you just love to watch the sun rise... perhaps you find the sunrise to be a sanctuary of God's presence and a place for prayer...

Easter and sunrise are two words that pair well when we celebrate the Resurrection... I remember the closing words of the Exsultet from the Light Service at the Easter Vigil:

May the morning star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all humankind,
your Son who lives and reigns
for ever and ever.
Amen.

An 18th century hymn writer sings,

The unwearied sun from day to day
does his Creator's power display;
and publishes to every land
the work of an almighty hand...

- From a hymn paraphrasing Psalm 19 by Joseph Addison


And spiritual writer Thomas Merton raises sunrise to near sacramental heights:

Sunrise is an event that calls forth solemn music
in the very depth of human nature,
as if one's whole being had to attune itself to the cosmos
and praise God for the new day,
praise God n the name of all the creatures
that ever were or ever will be.

I look at the rising sun and fell that now upon me
falls the responsibility of seeing what all my ancestors have seen,
in the Stone Age and even before it,
praising God before me...

When the sun rises
each one of us is summoned by the living and the dead
to praise God.

-Thomas Merton in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

As you ponder the sunrise and pray in its light, you may want to listen to the Sunrise movement from the Grand Canyon Suite by Grofe: see the widget at the top of the sidebar.

-ConcordPastor

Easter Tuesday

Middle panel of triptych Resurrection by Reubens
(click image for larger version)

Victimae Paschali Laudes

Victimae paschali laudes immolent Christiani.
Agnus redemit oves:
Christus innocens Patri reconciliavit peccatores.
Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando:
dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus.

Dic nobis Maria, quid vidisti in via?
Sepulcrum Christi viventis, et gloriam vidi resurgentis:
Angelicos testes, sudarium, et vestes.
Surrexit Christus spes mea: praecedet suos in Galilaeam.

Scimus Christum surrexisse a mortuis vere:
tu nobis, victor Rex, miserere.
Amen. Alleluia.

This sequence from the Easter liturgy is a beautiful text in Latin, above, as well as in English:

To the Paschal victim lift your praise, Christians!
The Lamb has redeemed the sheep.
The innocent Christ has reconciled sinners to the Father.
Death and life battle, an awesome struggle:
The author of life, once dead, now reigns, alive.

Tell us, Mary Magdalen, what you saw as you walked the path.
I saw the living Christ and the glory of the resurrected One.
I saw angels who bore witness, and the burial cloth and clothes.
Risen is Christ my hope.
He is already on his way to Galilee,
ahead of those who belong to him.

We know Christ to be truly risen from the dead:
Victor King, have mercy on us.
Amen. Alleluia!

(To hear this beautiful chant, go to the Wikipedia site for Victimae Paschali Laudes)

Triduum Reflections I

This past week I celebrated the Triduum for the 35th time as an ordained minister. And I'm pleased to tell you that I think I'm finally getting the hang of it!

For the first five years of ministry as a presbyter, I was in a parish with four full time priests which meant that presiding at Triduum liturgies was divided among us. In 1978 I went to Notre Dame for a graduate program in liturgical studies and worked as chaplain at Morrissey Manor, a men's residence hall on campus. Many students did not leave campus for Easter so we decided to celebrate the Triduum at Morrissey. This was the first time I presided and preached at all three liturgies and I realized then that this was certainly what the Triduum expects and needs: one presider for the one feast that spreads itself over three days. Do we not describe the Triduum as one feast that begins with the entrance song at the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Thursday and ends with the blessing and dismissal at the Easter Vigil. (I would still hold out for the Triduum not concluding before Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday - but I'll address that in a subsequent post.)

Being the sole presider at Morrissey for four years, I returned to a campus assignment in Boston where once again, presidency at the Triduum was a shared ministry (between myself and the pastor of the campus parish). It would be another nine years before I found myself in a pastoral situation (Concord) where there was no choice to be made because I was the only priest in the parish community. For 15 years now I have had this experience and my delight in it far outweighs any burden it creates. I also believe that it benefits the assembly when one presider serves to link the major moments of Triduum as one.

The question of "splitting up the Triduum" with regard to presiders is being resolved by default as more and more rare are the parishes with more than one priest assigned. (Remember: in my first parish assignment there were three other priests assigned full time to that community.) Still, the question of preaching at the Triduum will remain as the number of deacons increases. While the homilies at the three liturgies need not be explicitly connected, clear threads of continuity would be surprising only by their absence and certainly contribute to the assembly's understanding and appreciation of the whole Paschal feast. For this reason I have not invited a deacon to preach at one or more of the Triduum liturgies, although I know this happens in many parishes where deacons are assigned.

It would be interesting to hear from readers outside my own parish whose experience of Triduum presiding and preaching is the same or other than what I have described as my own practice. (Perhaps this post will tease into the combox some of my ordained readers who have so far remained uncharacteristically silent.)

More reflections to follow during this week...

-ConcordPastor

Easter Monday

Just yesterday, we answered these questions addressed to us in the renewal of baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday:

Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God's children?
Do you reject the glamor of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin?
Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?

As far as I could tell, everyone at Mass in my parish over the weekend responded in the affirmative to the above and that would be close to 2,000 people. Yours truly responded in the affirmative at three liturgies.

The harder question now is this: what did we mean when we said, "I do"? Did we actually mean it when we said, "I do"?

Whether I name it Satan or not,
do I believe that there is a power for evil
at work in the world?
in my life?
Do I believe that there is a darkness that beckons me
and draws me away from the light in my life?
Which do I prefer: the darkness or the light?
Which do I seek? Which do I long for?
Which do I choose?
Which will I choose today?

What sins of mine inhibit my freedom as a child of God?
How do they inhibit my freedom?
Why do I choose the sin rather than the freedom?
Am I mastered by my sins?
Do I want to be more the master of my own life?
When I said, "I do" at Mass -
did I mean that I wanted to reject my freedom-inhibiting sins?
Will I reject them today?

How is evil glamorous to me? What evil attracts me?
Seduces me? Cons me? Tricks me?
What would I need to do to "reject the glamor of evil?"
Will I do that today?

These are hard questions for Easter Monday!
It might be well next year to consider these questions
as part of our Lenten discipline.
But now it's the Easter season and we have said, "I do"
in renewing our baptismal promies...

Will I keep my promises?

-ConcordPastor

Homily for Easter

Homily for Easter 2008, - March 23, 2008
Easter Vigil Lections - Matthew 28:1-10

This gospel passage
is as sweet as anything you’ll find in your Easter basket.
Unfortunately, we often approach the scriptures
with a grim seriousness that easily blinds us
to the delicious beauty in God’s word.
Like the scene in the gospel just proclaimed!

Did you miss the super-hero
who descended from the heavens, in an earthquake?
He came in the form of lightning - and was dressed in human clothing!
I wonder:
what did well-dressed lightning wear in first century Jerusalem?
We know the color was bright white - but what about the style?
Would you agree
that lightning probably prefers clothes with a looser fit?
And imagine how quickly lightning goes through new clothes!

So we have an angel who looks like lightning, dressed to the 9’s,
who (grunt) rolls - back - the - stone - sealing - the tomb…
and sits on it!

The word of God made flesh, the Savior of the world,
the Lord and Redeemer of us all is risen from the dead –
and Lightning-Angel takes a breather from stone-rolling -
and sits down.

This is some cool angel – hot as lightning – but still cool!

And the Lightning-Angel speaks to the two women:
Take it easy... Chill! Don’t be afraid.

But they are afraid!

The guards are frozen in their fear
and the two women are frightened…
and grieving,
and disappointed, depressed, defeated,
confused, overwhelmed, hopeless,
and bereft of their friend, the Teacher, the Master – Jesus.

So the angel goes easy on them... One step at a time…
I know why you’re here.
You came to see the body of Jesus,
the one who was crucified.
I know how you feel - but he’s not here:
he’s been raised from the dead…
Remember? he told you this would happen – and he meant it.
I know it’s hard to believe but come here and look –
that's why I rolled the stone away -
see, the tomb is empty.
He’s no longer among the dead – he lives –
and he has gone ahead of you to Galilee.
Now, you go and tell the men...

And still afraid, but joyful, too,
they ran from the tomb
but before they got back to tell the others,
Jesus met them on their way and said,
"Don’t be afraid…"

If the message of Easter is "Don't be afraid..."
then we need to ask ourselves,
"What do we fear?" this Easter 2008?

What are the fears, the disappointments, the confusion,
the grief, the hopelessness, the losses in our lives
in need an earthquake and Lightning-Angel
to help us confront our difficulties
and begin to believe, again,
that no matter how great the pain, even the pain of death,
Jesus, our friend,
our Teacher and Master is with us through it all
and that he knows the way out – not just the way to Galilee –
but the way out of death to life.

He knows that road because he has traveled it himself.

And he’s not just sitting at the end of the road,
waiting for us to get there.
Rather, he meets us, as he met the two women,
- along the way -
because he wants to walk with us and show us the way – to life.

Jesus didn’t spend long in the tomb himself
and he doesn’t want us to hang around there, either.

He wants to bring us from fear to confidence,
from hopelessness to trust,
from grief to joy,
from confusion to understanding,
from depression to serenity,
from loss to fulfillment -
and from defeat to victory.

The message of the angel
is the message of Easter:
"Don’t be afraid,” says the Lord,
“I have walked this road already
and I walk it with you now
and I go before you...
Don’t be afraid.”

-ConcordPastor

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples said to Jesus, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover? He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him the Teacher says, "In your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples. Make the preparations for us there" The disciples did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. (see Matthew 26: 17-19 and Mark 14:12-16)

Around the world, there are people breathing a sigh of relief and relaxation as the Triduum celebrations come to a close. Like the disciples before the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples, these folks have been preparing for you to celebrate the Passover Triduum of the Christian faith.

There are so many who help to prepare the liturgies we celebrate. Some of them are obvious to everyone because they are in the sanctuary, in the choir, welcoming you at the door, proclaiming the word, serving at the altar; sharing the Sacrament with you. Others work quietly, ahead of time, preparing the liturgy; cleaning the worship space; scheduling liturgical ministers; preparing worship aids; arranging flowers and the environment for worship; counting palm branches and tapers; ironing, polishing, vacuuming, sweeping and dusting; hanging banners; cleaning out pews as you leave for the people coming in for the next liturgy; and in general, worrying about things you'd never dream need to be worried about -- but that you'd notice right away if someone hadn't worried about them!

Catechumenate teams meet weekly or even more often to prepare the elect and candidates for the Easter sacraments; Spiritual Life Commissions prepare Lenten programs to enhance spiritual preparation for Easter; Christian Service Commissions plan opportunities for Lenten sacrificial giving in preparation for Easter; Youth Ministers and Faith Formation teams work Lenten and Easter themes into their programs in preparation for the Easter liturgies; Liturgical Commissions meet months ahead of time to prepare for the Triduum; choirs, cantors spend hours upon hours rehearsing; good lectors spend hours preparing to proclaim the word; preachers (it is to be hoped) spend a good deal of time preparing homilies; and pastoral associates and parish administrators answer phone calls, reply to emails, run copies, answer questions, stand by to be of assistance and fill in a hundred gaps a day!

When things go well, it's often the pastor who gets the kind words and compliments but in hundreds of ways, the thanks should go to scores of others who work so hard to provide the time, the place, the word, the song and the stuff of sacraments for these holy days.

I know these folks in my own community and I'm ever grateful for their faithful devotion to the prayer and worship we offer as a parish. Without them: there would be no Triduum at all!

You know these folks in your parish (and if you don't, find out who they are!) Seek them out, speak to them after Mass, call them, email them and let them know that you appreciate all they've done -- because through their work, the Lord saves his people!

-ConcordPastor

Links and Butterflies

An emailer has asked why my LINKS image is a butterfly for Easter. Good question - simple answer. The butterfly is sometimes seen as a symbol of resurrection because it emerges from its tomb-like cocoon to life - in all its beautiful glory. In some places the Cleopatra butterfly (pictured above) is nicknamed the Easter Jesus because it makes its appearance in the spring, around Easter. Here's a close-up, larger image of an Easter Jesus.

Sunrise Service

Image of sunrise in Jerusalem by Don Schwager


And very early,
when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week,
they came to the tomb
that they might anoint him...

- see Mark 16: 1-2

Joyous Easter!

Icon of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"

- Mark 16:1-7

A story some 2,000 years old - and yet the words ring so true today.

We are still afraid and need to hear the angel's message... we are still among those seeking Jesus, crucified and risen... we still have questions about his life, his death, his rising... we are still afraid but often joyful... Jesus continues to meet us "on our way" - whether we recognize him or not... the Lord still goes ahead of us, always, and yet never leaves our side... others are still waiting to hear from us that Jesus is risen from the dead!

Happy Easter to you all!

-ConcordPastor

Holy Saturday

The Dead Christ by Mantegna (click on image for larger, more detailed version)

On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord's tomb, meditating on His suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of fifty days.

Homily for Good Friday

Homily for the Good Friday, March 21, 2008
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1—19:42

This story is rife with elements that offend the sensibilities
of 21st century Americans.
So much is so wrong in the story of the suffering and death of Jesus.

Jesus was up against a "system" that was was corrupt and self-serving:
when it suited the needs of the religious or civil authorities
both were willing to cooperate for personal or corporate gain.

The court proceedings involving Jesus were ludicrous
and about as far from our standards of common law and common sense
as one might imagine.

Jesus is hauled in on trumped-up charges
on the word of a dime-dropping traitor.
False witnesses are seriously entertained.
The defendant is invited to incriminate himself.
The defendant’s only counsel is that of another kingdom.
He is judged by a governor who admits ignorance of truth.
He is subjected to the brutality of the military police.
The sentence is handed down by a mob
which has not had the benefit of witnessing the proceedings
of the kangaroo court that found Jesus guilty.

A known rebel and murderer is set free
and Jesus becomes the victim.

Nothing here is as it should have been.
Nothing here is right or fair or just.
Everything here is so wrong.

“Jesus, innocent and without sin, gave himself into our hands
and was nailed to a cross.”
(First Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation)

Jesus is the victim – the innocent victim:
“the lamb led to the slaughter,” (first reading)
the holy, spotless scapegoat
who took upon his shoulders our sins, our failures, our injustices,
our faults, our transgressions, our infidelities.
He deserved what he suffered
no more than we deserve his suffering for our sakes.

Is there an injustice greater than this:
that the guilty one is freed and the innocent man condemned?
that Barabbas is let go and Jesus put to death?
that we be forgiven and Jesus pay the price?

Everything here is so wrong,
and yet it is in this very injustice done to Christ
that we are justified before God.

It was “our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured…
he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole…
upon him was laid the guilt of us all…
by the stripes on his back, we were healed.” (second reading)

If such justification offends our modern sensibilities,
it’s possible that we run the risk of dismissing
the suffering and death of Jesus as something foolish;
a waste; a sad, pious dated story.

But only at our own peril
do we not take seriously the gift of God’s mercy
mediated in the tragic and redeeming death of Christ.

Apart from the sacrifice of this tremendous lover named Jesus,
what hope has any of us before the judgment seat of God?
Outside the embrace of Christ’s arms outstretched on the Cross,
how will we hope to be gathered into and held
in the everlasting arms of God?

If this story in any way offends our sensibilities,
- let us use our indignation to fuel our efforts
to right the injustices in the governments, civil and ecclesial,
of the institutions we belong to;
- let us use our righteous anger to rescue the innocent
victimized by war, power and finance;
- let us use our embarrassment to right the wrongs in our own lives,
in our families, our schools, our communities and our work.

But let us never be offended by the outpouring of love
flowing from the wounds of him
who was never offended by taking on his shoulders
the shame of our sins.

“For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and find grace for timely help.”
(second reading)

“We should glory in the Cross of Christ
for he is our salvation, our life and resurrection;
through him we are saved – and made free!”
(Galatians 6:14)

-ConcordPastor

They took the body of Jesus...

They took the body of Jesus
and bound it in burial cloths along with spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.

Now in the place where he had been crucified
there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb,
in which no one had yet been buried.

So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day,
for the tomb was close by.

- John 19: 41-42

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Crucifixion by S. Dali (click on the image for a larger, powerful version)

See, my servant shall prosper,
he shall be raised high and greatly exalted...

Yet is was our infirmities that he bore,
our sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed...

because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked,
he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses.

What Jesus saw...

What Our Savior Saw from the Cross -by Tissot
(click on the image for a larger, clearer version)

Reflection for Good Friday Afternoon

Meditation on the Crucifixion by Mimi Ess (be sure to click on image for larger version)


While Meditating Upon the Passion

I long to be the teardrop
Rolling ever so slowly down your cheek
Searching the curves and creases of your most holy face
Lightly kissing moisture upon your dry lips.

I long to be the air that becomes your breath
Bought with your agony as you push up to draw me in,
Absorbed into your body offered to the Father,
Flowing mercy from your wounds,
Exhaling love upon the world.

I long to be the cry
Welling up from the depths of your soul
Blinded by the night that envelops it.
Rushing to meet you as the all-consuming pain
draws you deeper into the darkness,
Finally bursting forth a helpless scream,
The cry of God - to God -
For mercy.

I long to be the last beat of your heart,
Suspended there in time
Until the Father grants you life anew
And then -
Captured there in eternity,
A prisoner of Divine Love.


- Brenda Stinson

Oh, Jesus! Do not go...

Do not go into the garden,
Oh! Jesus,
do not go into the garden before dawn!

But if I do not go into the garden in the dead of night,

who will lead you to the sunrise of Paradise?
I will go into the garden in the dead of night.

Do not let them bind your hands,
Oh! Jesus,
do not let them bind your hands without a word!

If I do not let them bind my hands like a thief,
who will break open the prisons
in which you languish?
I will let them bind my hands like a thief.

Do not hang on the cross,
Oh! Jesus,
do not hang on the cross 'til you die!

If I do not hang on the cross like a bird,
who will protect you from the flames of hell?
I will hang on the cross like a bird.

Do not let your heart be pierced,
Oh! Jesus,
do not let your heart be pierced by executioners!

If I do not let my heart be pierced like a ripe fruit,
from whom will you drink the blood and water
that will heal you?
I will let my heart be pierced like a ripe fruit.

Do not to into the tomb,
Oh! Jesus,
do not go into the tomb that they have dug!

If I do not go into the tomb
like a grain of wheat,
who will lift from your coffins your lifeless bodies?
I will to into the tomb to sleep there.

- The Days of the Lord