Of Jesus, Zen tea and liturgy

Image: Library Thing

Brother Patrick has an excellent post which I encourage you to read. BP is commenting on yesterday's gospel passage but what he has to say certainly pertains to the running thread here on funeral rituals, beginning with his opening paragraph:

A few years ago I took a class at Notre Dame on liturgical prayer, and as it so happened, I was the only student in the class who was not specializing in liturgical studies. At one point we were talking about particular ritual gestures at particular points in the prayers, and I got exasperated at what seemed like nit-picking and blurted out, “None of this stuff matters!” The professor calmly replied, “It does matter – we are embodied beings.” “OK,” I said, “it matters that we do SOMETHING with our bodies, but I can’t imagine that God cares whether we are sitting or standing or kneeling, using the orans position or whatever else, at any given moment.” I just couldn't imagine God being a micromanager, but I could understand the importance of sacramentality, that is, the relationship between our sensory world and our spritual lives...

(read the complete post)

-ConcordPastor kenned-shriver funerals

A musical keyboard for your computer

Whether you know how to use a piano keyboard or not, you'll enjoy this site!

Check out the very simple instructions to see how you can use your computer keyboard to play the musical one. And try out the different sounds and drum beats!

H/T to Pat for the link!

-ConcordPastor

Morning Offering - 62

Image: George Mendoza

(Full disclosure: it's been a very busy weekend and I've not had time for everything. So, I'm posting last year's pre-Labor Day Morning Offering for this week.)

Good morning, good God!

My nomad friend reminds me
it’s only early spring "down under"
- and of course, you know that, Lord!

But up on this side of the equator
the sun sets sooner each evening
as Labor Day's horizon
begins to eclipse these august days…

So, I'm wondering, Lord:
why must good times come to an end?
The good times sometimes come too seldom -
and then, they’re gone...

And as wonderful as memories are,
they are, well, memories...

Why, Lord, must the good days come to an end?
Why are memories not enough?
Why is the fall-filtered beauty of light and leaves
not enough today
to help me let go summer’s warmth
and pace and peace?

Of seasons there are four...
but yet a hundred seasons more
just in my life alone, Lord:
seasons of presence, seasons of pain;
seasons of sadness, seasons of gain;
seasons of sunlight, seasons of rain;
seasons of comfort, seasons of strain;
seasons of planting, seasons of grain;
seasons of waiting and waiting for seasons
to break the seasons’ chain…

So many seasons, Lord…

And letting go of summer is not easy…

I should be grateful for autumn:
your gentle preparation
of everyone and everything
for the dying winter will surely bring…

Still, letting go of summer is not easy...

You know the seasons better than I, Lord,
and no season changes
'round me or in me
but that you first know
how the changes
will change me...

Be with me, Lord,
in all the seasons of my life
and be with me in between the seasons,
when moving from one to the next
is itself a season to bear…

I offer you my heart this Monday morning, Lord,
and every morning this week
edging me to Labor Day
and the beginning of so many things…

Help me let go of what is slipping away...
Take my offered heart
and open me to what is new and changing
in the weeks and months ahead…

You are the source of the seasons, Lord,
and the strength I need
to live in them and through them:
be my guide and walk with me
through this day, this week,
through this summer-fall season’s change…

Amen.


(Perhaps my prayer above and the video below are premature... Labor Day is not the end of warm days nor really the beginning of fall... Still, in American culture and in the clime of the northern hemisphere, many things do begin to change with the first Monday in September...)

-ConcordPastor



Every Season
by Nicole Nordeman

Every evening sky, an invitation
To trace the patterned stars
And early in July, a celebration
For freedom that is ours
And I notice You
In children’s games
In those who watch them from the shade
Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
You are summer...

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn...

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter
You are winter...

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring...

Of tributes and eulogies at the Kennedy funeral

Dina Rudick/Boston Globe Staff

(For those who think I'm too strong on these issues, check this priest's take on the funeral over at the Deacon's Bench.)

I spent a part of the afternoon watching the video of Ted Kennedy's funeral Mass. Regular readers know that funeral rites have been the topic of a series of posts here over the past couple of weeks.

From the beginning, my concern has been the impact of celebrity funerals on parish personnel. As I wrote in the first post on this topic:

It's unfortunate and a burden for local pastors when the funeral rites of celebrities place before millions a ritual that departs in many ways from what the Church intends. Such events set a false standard which makes assisting grieving families in preparing a funeral liturgy for their loved ones an even more difficult task.

It's one thing when a family says to their pastor, "But Fr. Smith over at St. Mary's lets more than one person speak after Communion." It's another thing when the family asks, "How come the Kennedy's get to do what they want?" Well, they got to do what they want because the clergy helping them prepare the funeral liturgy let them.

The comments on these posts have covered a broad range. There are some who believe that whatever the family wants is what they should be able to do. My response is that such an approach fails to understand what the liturgy is, what it offers and what how it's intended to function in the life of the Church. Wanting to discuss the matters in those terms elicits the charge that the Church is unfeeling, cold, legalistic and impersonal.

One has only to look at the liturgical books to know that this is not the way the Church wants to minister or be perceived. The failure is much more in the hands of individual clergy than in the liturgical directives. Some priests fail to understand the rites, some priests may understand them but celebrate them carelessly and others adopt a "do whatever you want" attitude when asked for exceptions to be made. Of course, many priests understand the rites, celebrate them reverently and work with family towards understanding how the Church prays and why.

In the Archdiocese of Boston there is a policy regarding family members or friends speaking at funeral Masses. The policy is based in the directives found in the liturgical books indicating that there is never to be a eulogy at a funeral Mass. What is permitted is for one person to speak no more than five minutes after the post-Communion prayer and before the Final Commendation. At the Kennedy funeral, three people spoke for a total of 38 minutes and that was about 5 minutes longer than the entire Liturgy of the Word -- which included 10 family members offering Intercessions all based on the writing and speeches of the late Senator.

(For those who are to young to remember and for those who have forgotten: before the liturgical reforms of Vatican Council II, there was not even a homily at a funeral Mass.)

Funerals should, of course, comfort the bereaved but that is only one of the reasons the Church so solemnly and sacramentally marks the passing of a brother or sister. Folks I've heard from generally found the Kennedy funeral Mass to be warm, moving, evocative and wonderful. I wouldn't for a moment quarrel with them and say that their feelings are wrong. What you feel is what you feel. And how you make ritual is how, what and why you pray - and hand that prayer down from generation to generation.

A good deal of poor liturgical example (beyond the eulogy issue) was set in this celebration. At least in Boston, pastors will be working with the fallout from this for quite some time.

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

Humbly welcome the word planted in you...

Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Yesterday morning,
while Ted Kennedy’s funeral was celebrated and televised,
other funerals were being celebrated all around the archdiocese,
including a funeral Mass in our parish for Phil Murphy.

In the church where you and I are gathered,
Phil was baptized, received the Eucharist for the first time,
was confirmed, was married to his wife, Donna,
and yesterday he was buried from this same house of prayer.

Phil grew up in Concord but had moved to Acton
where he lived with his wife and four children.
He was not quite 51 years old when he died on Tuesday night.

Here, in their own words,
is how family and friends described Phil:

a family man through and through,
a model for husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles,
dependable, loyal, selfless to the core available
and ready to serve the needs of others…

And at the heart of all this was Phil’s faith.
Phil was a man who lived his faith.
He was faithful to prayer in church
and lived that prayer, outside of church, by the example he gave,
always putting others’ needs ahead of his own, day by day...

I share all of that with you because the story of Phil Murphy,
the life of Phil Murphy, is a beautiful homily on today’s scriptures.

Recall the words in today’s first scripture:

Observe my decrees that you may live
and may enter and take possession of the land the Lord gives you.
And thus you will give evidence of your wisdom...

Phil, for over 30 years an electronics technician in Concord,
so faithfully lived by God’s word, day in and day out,
that his family wrote in his obituary,

We find comfort in knowing
that Phil’s place in heaven was secured long ago.

Because they recognized the wisdom of his goodness and faithfulness
they were confident that Phil had entered and taken possession
of the place the Lord had readied for him in heaven.

And in the second scripture this day we heard,

Humbly welcome the word
that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only,
deluding yourselves.

Phil’s life was a simple one.
News of his death did not make the headlines or television.
But he was a headliner in the hearts of his family and friends
and in the hearts of the youngsters he coached
in the Acton-Boxborough Little League and Youth Hockey League,
and in the hearts of all whose lives were touched by his,
because he humbly welcomed the gifts God gave him
and used them generously to serve others, day by day.

The hypocrisy Jesus condemns in the gospel today finds no home
in the hearts of those who humbly welcome the Lord’s word
and live by it.

You may not have known Phil Murphy
but you know men and women like him
whose honest, genuine hearts are a blessing for all who know them.

Each of us is called by today’s scriptures to just such a life,
day by day...
Each of us knows well the ways in which we fail
to be doers of the word and not just hearers.
Each of us knows well how what’s inside us
does not always match the appearance we try to give.
We know what is genuine in our lives
and we know what is less than genuine
and we know when we are hypocrites.

The Lord set his law before the Israelites as a gift,
given that they might learn how to truly live.
The Lord sets the same promise before us today,
that we might lead lives genuinely formed by his word,
that one day we might “enter in and take possession of the place”
Christ has made ready for us in heaven.

For now, the Lord invites us now to his table to be nourished
to hear his word and to welcome it humbly.
Pray with me that one day others will say with confidence
that our place in heaven was secured, yours and mine,
by the grace of God and our living in humble fidelity to his word,
day by day...

-ConcordPastor

What I Love About Sunday

I posted a video earlier today but then discovered (H/T to Roberta) that its commercial intro wasn't appropriate. Here's a non-commercial link so give a listen. Country singer Craig Morgan has something worth while to say about keeping holy the Lord's Day.

Readers: what do you love about Sunday?



(H/T to ConcordCarpenter for the tune!)

-ConcordPastor

Edward M. Kennedy: Requiescat in pace

Image: David L. Ryan/Boston Globe Staff

It's been a very busy weekend in my parish and just now did I finally locate video of the Kennedy funeral online. (At the time of the senator's funeral, I was celebrating a funeral here at Holy Family Parish.) I won't get to see or comment on it until Sunday afternoon or evening.

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

Memorial Service and Funeral Mass for Kennedy

Penny post card of Mission Church where Senator Kennedy's funeral Mass will be celebrated (image source)

It's been just two weeks since I began what became a series of posts on the funeral of Eunice Shriver and what I thought would be its impact on pastoral ministry:

It's unfortunate and a burden for local pastors when the funeral rites of celebrities place before millions a ritual that departs in many ways from what the Church intends. Such events set a false standard which makes assisting grieving families in preparing a funeral liturgy for their loved ones an even more difficult task.

Bearing that in mind it will be interesting to see what a review of tomorrow's funeral Mass for Senator Edward Kennedy will bring.

The funeral will be celebrated at Mission Church in Roxbury. Cardinal Sean O'Malley will preside as archbishop and conduct the Final Commendation at the end of the Mass. Boston College Chancellor Donald Monan, SJ will be the principal celebrant of the Mass and Rev. Mark Hession, pastor of Our Lady of Victories Parish in Centerville, on Cape Cod, will be the homilist.

Among the music ministers will be cellist Yo-Yo Ma, tenor Placido Domingo, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a soloist from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver "the eulogy."

(Update: more details on the funeral Mass here)

As I've posted, there is no place for a eulogy at a Catholic funeral Mass. I'll be pleased to be wrong about this but I suspect it's unlikely that POTUS will limit himself to the local church policy of speaking for "five minutes in remembrance of the deceased." This is especially unfortunate since tonight (Friday, August 28) there's to be a "Celebration of Life Memorial Service" at the JFK Presidential Library at which a number of speakers will step to the microphone to offer a good word about the late senator. (Note: the word eulogy comes from two Greek words meaning a good word.) One can hardly imagine a better venue for the president's remarks than such a service.

For the record: Obama should certainly not be taken to task for something he was probably invited to do by the family and with the approval of the clergy involved in preparing the liturgy. The nation's chief executive may have made many mistakes but for this one he bears no blame.

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

Prayer for Priests in the Year for Priests

_______-Image by Spreadshirt

Each Friday in this Year for Priests I'll post this prayer and invite you to remember all priests and especially those who have been, who are and who may one day be a part of your life.

Several prayers for the Year for Priests are available through the US Bishops site. As an exercise for myself to enter into the spirit of this year, I wrote the following. For whatever use you make of it on behalf of my brother priests and me, we are most grateful. (Links to other material on the Year for Priests can be found on the sidebar.)

A Prayer for Priests

Gracious God, loving Father,
font of every gift and good,
make of priests for us we pray:

men of faith, men of love,
humble servants of your Word,
prophets of your Spirit’s grace;

men of hope, men of peace,
strong defenders of the truth,
heralds of your holy gospel;

men of prayer, men of praise,
guardians of our sacred rites,
of the scriptures and tradition;

men of changelessness and change,
men who follow you each day,
when and where your Spirit leads;

men of tenderness and strength,
comfort for the sick and weary,
shepherds leading home the lost;

men of counsel, men of wisdom,
gentle guides for the confused,
lights along the darkened path;

men of mercy, patient men,
understanding and consoling
of the grieving and abused;

men of justice and compassion,
reconciling and forgiving,
men of healing in your name;

men of sacrifice and honor,
single minded in your service,
set apart to do your will;

men of holiness and joy,
men anointed by your grace,
men ordained to serve as Christ.

Make us one with them in faith
and in Christ your only Son
in whose holy name we pray.

Amen.

-ConcordPastor

On eulogies, remembrances and Catholic funerals

A priest incenses the casket at the Final Commendation at a funeral Mass. (Image: NJ.com)

These points may be of interest to those following the conversation here on funeral rites and in anticipation of the funeral of Senator Kennedy on Saturday morning.

From the General Instruction of the Roman Missal

At the Funeral Mass there should, as a rule, be a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind.
(GIRM, no. 382)

From the Order of Christian Funerals:

• From the Introduction:

A brief homily based on the readings is always given after the gospel reading at the funeral liturgy and may also be given after the readings at the vigil (wake) service; but there is never to be a eulogy. Attentive to the grief of those present, the homilist should dwell on God's compassionate love and on the paschal mystery of the Lord, as proclaimed in the Scripture readings. The homilist should also help the members of the assembly to understand that the mystery of God's love and the mystery of Jesus' victorious death and resurrection were present in the life and death of the deceased and that these mysteries are active in our own lives as well. Through the homily members of the family and community should receive consolation and strength to face the death of one of their members with a hope nourished by the saving Word of God...
(Order of Christian Funerals, no. 27)

• At the Vigil (wake) Service, after the Concluding Prayer:

A member or a friend of the family may speak in rembrance of the deceased.
(Order of Christian Funerals no. 80)

• At the Funeral Mass, at the time for the Final Commendation:

Following the Prayer after Communion, the priest goes to a place near the casket. The assisting ministers carry the censer and holy water if these are to be used.

A member or a friend of the family may speak in remembrance of the deceased before the final commendation begins.
(Order of Christian Funerals, no. 170)

(ConcordPastor notes that the Order of Christian Funerals envisions the remarks of remembrance being delivered while the priest and ministers are standing at the casket.)

From the policy on funeral rites for the Archdiocese of Boston:

Following the prayer after Communion and before the Final Commendation, only one speaker, a member or a friend of the family, may speak for not more than five minutes in remembrance of the deceased.
(RCAB Funeral Policy, no. 18)

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

Edward M. Kennedy - R.I.P.

O God, to whom mercy and forgiveness belong,
command that Edward be carried safely home to heaven
and come to enjoy your eternal reward.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

A license for life

There's a move to have a Choose Life license plate available in the Commonwealth of Massachuetts. Some 24 states already have such an option. This effort has been endorsed by the Archdiocese of Boston. If you're interested in moving this forward to reality, check this site.

-ConcordPastor

Word for the Weekend - August 30

Image by Cerezo Barredo

Can you believe it's the end of August? I don't want to believe it's this late in the summer! But reading and praying over the scriptures before coming to worship on the Lord's Day is a good habit for any season of the year.

Coming up is the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. You'll find the scriptures for this Sunday and background material on them right here and if you're shepherding youngsters to church you might want to look here for help in preparing kids to hear the Word.

Last Sunday concluded our summer interlude of passages from the Bread of Life discourse in John's gospel. This week we're back to St. Mark and we find Jesus teaching about the contrast between interior and exterior purity of mind, heart and intention. The first lesson prepares us to hear the Lord's message through the words of Moses in Deuteronomy. Moses is instructing the Israelites on the gift of the law and the necessity of observing it carefully - that the people might live and not die.

The second lesson, from the letter of James, contains some very powerful words and ties to the other two texts here: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves..."

-ConcordPastor

Don't text while driving!

This video is a PSA from the UK. It is graphic and not easy to watch (YouTube has removed it) -- but makes its point compellingly.

(H/T to DN)

-ConcordPastor

Final (rites) Score: 40-4

I posted my initial comments on Eunice Shriver's funeral service, having only seen part of it, live, on television. After having a chance to review a video of the whole liturgy, I prepared a second lengthier critique but before I published it, a reader happened to write suggesting I continue the discussion on Catholic funerals apart from the particulars of the Shriver funeral. I thought there was a good deal of wisdom in that suggestion so I cut the pending post in half, leaving out the Shriver details, and posted on Catholic funeral rites in general.

The results have been telling.

The first post brought in 40 responses before I closed the combox.

I cut off comments because even though the post included an update linking readers to the more recent post, folks were still reacting to the first post and raising questions answered in second.

The second post has elicited only 4 responses.

I'm tempted to post the material which I held back containing further detail and critique of the Shriver funeral - but I've decided not to do that. I had hoped that discussion of the celebrity funeral might offer a teachable moment but it seems that many were more interested in the celebrity nature of the discussion rather than in the heart of the matter.

I offer for your consideration my observation that this dynamic mirrors real life. As a parish minister I know that often those who don't get what they want simply walk away disgruntled, with little patience for listening and learning how and why the Church prays, celebrates and acts as it does.

Those still hoping to learn more about Catholic funeral rites are certainly welcome to engage the questions raised in my more recent post.

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

Monday Morning Offering - 61

Image: George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

Over the past few weeks, Lord,
I've felt these little nudges,
prompts and pokes:
I know they come from you
because they nudge me where I need to go,
prompt me to what must be done,
and poke me when I must get up,
get out and get along...

I offer thanks this morning, Lord
for all the ways you press upon my heart
and gently pull me free of fears that bind
and blind me to your joy...

Grace is the word for all your prodding, Lord:
your gift of love, your Spirit keeping,
saving me from all the selfish folly
of my own designs and doings...

Does ever a day pass by
that you don't stir within my soul,
drop hints inside my heart and move my mind
to muse upon your presence all around?

Is any moment empty
of the whisper of your wisdom
nudging me beyond myself to serve
as I've not served,
to give as I've not given,
to love as I've not thought my heart could love?

The wind of your Spirit
fills the sheets of my soul,
gently guiding me in seas I've never sailed
for fear of shoals I have not known -
while your grace charts my course
steering me to parts and people new
- and with a purpose all your own...

Poke, push, prompt and prod me, Lord,
to waken to your word, calling me
to life more joyful, free and faithful
than all my days thus far...

Open my eyes and ears to those
whose paths cross mine,
who may not yet have felt the gentle press
your grace now places on their hearts...

Good God of Monday morning
and of every starry night,
I praise you for the gift and grace
of every day this week…

Amen.

-ConcordPastor

Who or Whom?

While writing my homily this week, I spent a fair amount of time struggling over a grammatical concern. Here's an example of the problem I was trying to solve:

Two really big questions staring us right in the face here:

Joshua asks: Who are you going to serve?
Jesus asks: Who are you going to follow?

Probably the most honest way to get at these questions
would be to rephrase them just a bit and ask:
Well, who DO I serve? Who DO I follow?

Do you see the problem? I was trying to decide whether I should be grammatically correct and write, instead:

Whom are you going to serve?
Whom are you going to follow?
Whom DO I serve? Whom DO I follow?

In each of these instances, "whom" would have been the correct usage but I'm aware that generally, folks don't talk that way. Many folks would use "who" in casual conversation. My concern was that the correct usage might sound stilted and be distracting.

You might recall that Joshua used the correct word in the first reading:

“If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve..."

(And Joshua never spoke a word of English!)

So, I'd be interested in your take on this question. Whether you heard my homily in church or read it on line, did you notice or not notice my incorrect usage? Was the incorrect usage distracting to you? Do you think the correct usage would have been more distracting? Would you prefer to hear/read the correct or incorrect usage? Did I make the right call on this or was I wrong?

After Mass I was out to brunch with some family members and I raised this issue. After I've read some of your comments on this question, I'll share with you what my brunch-mates thought.

-ConcordPastor

Lord, to whom shall we go?

New York's Archbishop Dolan's coat of arms bears the motto, "Ad Quem Ibimus" which is Peter's question to Jesus in today's gospel, "Lord, to whom shall we go?"

Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Readings from this Sunday's liturgy)

Two really big questions staring us right in the face here:

Joshua asks: Who are you going to serve?
Jesus asks: Who are you going to follow?

Probably the most honest way to get at these questions
would be to rephrase them just a bit and ask:
Well, who DO I serve? Who DO I follow?

My guess is that most of us serve many masters.
The ones we serve are those who get
our priority, our time, our sweat, our energy and our focus.
For some that’s work; for some it’s a family; for many it’s school;
for others it’s a drink or a drug, sports or sex,
a wager or the Internet;
for more than a few it’s fear, worries, grief, or loneliness.
And most of us, whether we have a lot or a little,
are servants of money.
We have many masters, each of us, and our masters have a hold on us
and often manage our lives in ways we may not even notice.

Most of us follow many leaders as well.
Those I follow take hold of my attention, my desires, my politics,
my beliefs, my imagination, my pride, my mind - and my heart.
We follow many leaders, you and I,
and the ones we follow are good at convincing us
that each of us is really an “independent thinker,”
- certainly not given to being misled or fooled or taken in.
But as every con artist knows:
the easiest marks are those convinced they can’t be conned.

So, here’s Joshua asking, Who are you going to serve?
And Jesus asking Will you leave me to follow someone else?

Well, the Israelites knew the right answer to give Joshua
and the disciples knew the right answer to give Jesus,
and we know what the right answers are supposed to be, too.

But knowing the right answers and living the right answers
can be two very different things.
How do I live what I know to be right?
How do I come to serve what I know to be honorable and true?
How do I follow the One whose path leads to the peace I want?
How do I choose to serve the Lord? to follow Christ?

We’re all familiar with one way to try to do this
On Sunday morning I invite the Lord
to be my master and I promise to follow only him.
But then Monday comes, maybe Tuesday,
and before you know it - things are back to status quo.

But how about this for an alternative approach?
What if I decided to introduce the Lord to his competition?
I imagine myself... perhaps at a big conference table,
or in my living room, or at the kitchen table
or in the back yard for a cookout...
I'm meeting with Jesus -
and all the masters I serve and the leaders I follow...
“Jesus,” I say, “I want to serve you but I’ve got other masters, too.
Allow me introduce you to my work, my fears, my self-doubt,
my computer and my bank account.
Most of the time, these guys run my life, Lord,
and they make a lot of my decisions for me.
And while we’re at it, Jesus, please meet the media,
the entertainment, the desires and fantasies,
the ideologies and politics that map the paths
my mind and heart follow
- even if I’m not sure where those paths will lead me...”

What would happen if I were honest enough with myself
and honest enough with God to arrange such a meeting
in my mind, my heart, my prayer?

Of course it’s easier
to make the quickly broken Sunday morning promises
than to invite Jesus to meet his competition as Lord of my life.
The first approach avoids any honest engagement of the question
while the second strips away all my pretense as I stand before God.

Jesus knows that serving and following him is not always easy:
it often means dismissing other masters I serve
and following a path I did not choose.
And so he asks you and me this day:
“Do you want to leave me – or will you follow and serve me?”

I don’t want to leave.
And I believe you want to serve and follow the Lord, too.
So come to this table where he serves us
and strengthens us to say as his followers,

“Lord, where else would we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
You are the Holy One of God.
Be the master of our lives,
lead us on your path to peace
- and we will serve you.”

-ConcordPastor

Preparing to hear the Word of the Lord!

Have you taken some time to look over the scriptures for this coming weekend? You're not too late! Link to the readings, background on them and hints for helping children get ready to hear the Word.

-ConcordPastor

Does God make all things uncomfortable?

In this Year for Priests, Basilian Fr. Chris Valka has a series on ministry for Catholic News Service. Just newly ordained (May '09), there's a truth and wisdom in his words that's as refreshing as it is compelling. Here's a link to his series to date, and a snip from his latest entry:

If God makes “all things new,” then one could argue that God makes all things uncomfortable. It is the kind of position that I believe many people hold, and the kind that keeps many on the fringe edges of religion. However if I am honest, my discomfort comes from the difficulty I find letting go of what has been. Just as I have told all my new students this week, “learning is not meant to be comfortable,” so I believe God is asking me to be comfortable in the newness and to live always in the present moment. Thus, herein lies my prayer for the first few weeks of school: May all of us — teacher, student and parent alike — find comfort in the newness and excitement in the routines that are soon to follow.

I'm adding a link to Valka's series on the sidebar here under "Year for Priests: CNS. Here's an interview with Chris Valka in his graduate student days, discussing the Church and new media.

(And I'm happy to add in this context that this is the first wmv file I've posted to my blog - and it works!)



-ConcordPastor

The simple life in Finland

A friend gave me an issue of The Atlantic a few months ago for the purpose of sharing a particular article with me. But I've been browsing through the magazine and came upon this link to a video on the simple life in Finland. Not sure I'll ever get there, but the thought of having a little cabin to escape to just outside the city is enticing.

Guess that's what Thoreau had in mind!

-ConcordPastor

New Roman Missal

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a new web page on the revised version of the Roman Missal. The date for using the new version of the Missal has not been determined but it is probably still a year or two or more away. This new USCCB page is intended to begin to introduce some of the new texts to those who will be praying with them. (I will add a link to this on the sidebar here.) Below is the intro material from the new web page. Check it out to see some of the changes that will be made in the words we pray.

The Missale Romanum (the Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was first promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. A second edition followed in 1975.

Pope John Paul II issued a revised version of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year 2000. The English translation of the revised Roman Missal is nearing completion, and the Bishops of the United States will vote on the final sections of the text this November. Among other things, the revised edition of the Missale Romanum contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. The English translation of the Roman Missal will also include updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well–known responses and acclamations of the people.

This website has been prepared to help you prepare for the transition. As this site continues to be expanded, you will find helpful resources for the faithful, for the clergy, and for parish and diocesan leaders.

May this process of the implementation of the revised Roman Missal be a time of deepening, nurturing, and celebrating our faith through our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.

-ConcordPastor
New Roman Missal links

Prayer for Priests in the Year for Priests

_______-Image by Spreadshirt

Each Friday in this Year for Priests I'll post this prayer and invite you to remember all priests and especially those who have been, who are and who may one day be a part of your life.

Several prayers for the Year for Priests are available through the US Bishops site. As an exercise for myself to enter into the spirit of this year, I wrote the following. For whatever use you make of it on behalf of my brother priests and me, we are most grateful. (Links to other material on the Year for Priests can be found on the sidebar.)

A Prayer for Priests

Gracious God, loving Father,
font of every gift and good,
make of priests for us we pray:

men of faith, men of love,
humble servants of your Word,
prophets of your Spirit’s grace;

men of hope, men of peace,
strong defenders of the truth,
heralds of your holy gospel;

men of prayer, men of praise,
guardians of our sacred rites,
of the scriptures and tradition;

men of changelessness and change,
men who follow you each day,
when and where your Spirit leads;

men of tenderness and strength,
comfort for the sick and weary,
shepherds leading home the lost;

men of counsel, men of wisdom,
gentle guides for the confused,
lights along the darkened path;

men of mercy, patient men,
understanding and consoling
of the grieving and abused;

men of justice and compassion,
reconciling and forgiving,
men of healing in your name;

men of sacrifice and honor,
single minded in your service,
set apart to do your will;

men of holiness and joy,
men anointed by your grace,
men ordained to serve as Christ.

Make us one with them in faith
and in Christ your only Son
in whose holy name we pray.

Amen.

-ConcordPastor

Speaking of funerals...

I had just completed writing a very long post to follow up on my earlier comments on the Shriver funeral. Before wrapping up the post I checked my email and there was a comment from a reader named Peter encouraging me to continue the discussion on funerals but not in the context of the Shriver rites. So, at least for now I'm going to follow Peter's suggestion. Here follows the first part of what I was about to post. (There are a few references here to the Shriver funeral but I don't believe they're of a critical nature and they do help me get at some of the basic issues here.) Let's see how folks respond to the following...

Whenever possible, ministers should involve the family (of the deceased) in planning the funeral rites: in the choice of texts and rites provided in the ritual, in the selection of music for the rites, and in the designation of liturgical ministers. (Order for Christian Funerals, no. 17)

I’ve already posted on the funeral of Eunice Shriver. My criticism of the manner in which her funeral Mass was celebrated drew a number of diverse comments. Although I noted in my post that my remarks were certainly not directed at Mrs. Shriver but rather at those responsible for assisting her family in preparing the funeral liturgy, some readers thought my tackling this subject was prematurely timed. I’m not sure just how long one should wait before commenting on a funeral which received international attention.

Others chided me for not posting, instead, on the wonderful life and work of Eunice Shriver. Well, I don’t think the media let us down in that regard. And I did post a lengthy excerpt from a beautiful essay on Mrs. Shriver’s faith by her son, Tim, with a link to the whole article.

Then, there are those who evidently believe that at the time of a funeral the Church and her ministers should abandon just about all liturgical principles and guidelines and accede to whatever the family of the deceased may want to do. Some have hinted that this is what Jesus would do. Well, I can’t speak for Jesus on that matter but I believe that the Church’s prayer has a well-deserved integrity and that in almost every instance, celebrating the liturgy as the Church intends will yield a prayerful, meaningful, spiritual, healing experience for at least all believers and also, often, for those who do not share our faith in the risen Christ.

That’s what 36 years of celebrating funeral liturgies has taught me.

The quote at the head of this post is from the introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals (OCF). Clearly, it’s the mind of the Church that the family have the opportunity to be personally involved in preparing the funeral liturgy. And that’s just how it should be: nothing less than this - not too much more than this, either. The Church’s invitation to families here is to participate in preparing the celebration of the rite, not to rewrite the rite. Unfortunately and for various reasons, some have come to expect that they have a right to fashion the Church’s prayer according to their own tastes and inclinations. The invitation to families in the OCF does not share that vision and it’s often the work of parish ministers to help families understand this.

Every sacramental celebration is marked by the warm fingerprints of those who celebrate it. In the liturgy, we are human beings sharing in the eternal and divine liturgy of Christ’s paschal mystery. While it’s appropriate and inevitable that the liturgy bear the traces of our holding it in our hands, the liturgy’s first purpose is to glorify God with thanks and praise and for us to become more like Christ through, with and in whom we pray.

Some have the mistaken notion that a funeral Mass is, “A Celebration of the Life of John Smith.” Not only is this not what a funeral Mass is about but such a notion seriously misunderstands the liturgy in general and the Mass of Christian burial in particular. Every liturgical rite is a celebration of the Paschal Mystery: the salvation that is ours in the death and resurrection of Jesus. A funeral Mass celebrates the life of the risen Christ and the decedent’s share in the Lord’s Resurrection.

(In the same way, a wedding Mass is not “A Celebration of the Love of Mary and John.” A nuptial Mass or ceremony is a celebration of the mystery of God’s love revealed in Christ, in which love the bride and groom are about to seal a lifelong covenant of fidelity.)

And all of this is not just pious fluff - this is how Catholics are called to understand their faith, their prayer and their Church.

Especially at a time of loss and sorrow, there is an understandable desire for personal recognition of the one being prayed for and opportunities for those close to the deceased to express their affection, their sorrow and their prayer that God will be mercifully faithful to the promise of eternal life offered the deceased in baptism. Fortunately, the funeral rites of the Catholic Church offer many opportunities for all of this. In fact, at the time of a death there are a number of opportunities for personal expression within and outside of the Church’s ritual. A problem arises, however, when there is a desire and an effort to have the funeral Mass bear the burden of all or most of that personal expression and emotion.

*************************************************

Ok! Prescinding from the particulars of the Shriver funeral, what do you think of what you've read above? What questions does this post raise for you? Does it answer any questions you had? What do you think?

H/T to Peter!

-ConcordPastor Kennedy-Shriver Funerals

Summer Snapshots

(Some of the clergy in Concord rotate authorship of a column in the local weekly, The Concord Journal. Here's my entry for this week's "Voices of Faith.")

Summer Snapshots

No cell phone pictures here, just a few prose “snapshots of summer” from the last couple of weeks…

• Just before the elevator door closed, another hotel guest and his five or six year-old son came aboard, fresh from the Marriott indoor pool. With a towel around his still wet shoulders the youngster looked up at me and with triumph in his voice announced, “We were in the pool!” Before I had a chance to respond he gushed, “We were in BOTH pools: the cold one and the hot one!” He paused, his grin in freeze frame, now hungry for reply so I asked, “Which pool did you like more - the cold one or the hot one?” He shot a glance to his dad and I knew I’d asked a difficult question. “It’s just too hard to know,” he said, “they were both so great!” The elevator chimed, the door opened and we all made our exit. They turned left as I headed right and a young voice called out, “And we’re goin’ in the pool tomorrow, too!”

A child splashing unrestrained joy from a pool somewhere deep in his heart… For the gift of such moments, I praise God!

• At the church, for the funeral, he sat in a front pew, his wheeled walker standing guard at his side, ready to steady his step and make safe whatever short path he might need to travel. At the cemetery, those same wheels walked him to his sister’s grave. The path from car to casket began on blacktop until it met an uneven slope of lawn leading to a mat of plastic grass covered in floral arrangements carefully placed, insuring that no one see the waiting, yawning mouth of earth around which we had gathered. Escorted by the more sure-footed but under his own steam he walked and wheeled his way to pray a goodbye to his last sibling. Well maybe not so much a farewell as “See you soon, Mary, I’m coming right behind you…” And then back down the slope to the car and a ride home to wait for the day when others will come to pray for him.

The path may be decades long but it does not end in a cemetery. Burial grounds are, after all, but resting places. An easier, peaceful leg of the journey waits and will lead to where we’ll see each other again. Yes, Mary, we’re all coming right behind you...

• Halfway through my vacation I stopped in at a laundromat in Hyannis to restock my suitcase with clean clothes. My eye’s camera focused on a young couple and their infant. They spoke a language I didn’t recognize so I’m not sure if the baby was a boy or a girl. What I am sure of is how much these parents loved their child and each other. It’s amazing what can be revealed in glances, touches, tones of voice and laughter. The couple shared some silent moments, too, gazing on their little one with the wonder that only a newborn can waken in us. Once, I caught the father watching his wife studying their child. When she became aware of her husband’s gaze she took his hand and for a while they simply looked into each other’s eyes. Then, as if on cue (or perhaps one hand squeezed another’s) they both looked back to the baby, sharing something only they could hear or know.

What they wore and what they washed were not the stylish togs of Cape tourists. Before they left they folded their laundry into a large plastic trash bag and piled into a car that has seen better days and many miles. Against the backdrop of Hyannis center in mid-August, this young family might appear to have been wanting for many things. But of love, intimacy, joy and hope they had plenty: an abundance of the truly finer things in life.

Summer’s not over yet. Keep your eyes open for moments of grace like these and store them in the album of your heart.

Image: MCPL

-ConcordPastor

Word for the Weekend - August 23

Getting back into the swing of things after being on vacation for two weeks has made for a busy re-entry! I'm at least a day late on getting this coming weekend's scriptures to you with a reminder to begin studying them, praying over them and getting ready to hear them proclaimed!

We're coming up to the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time and the scriptures for this day and background material on them can be found right here. Bringing children to church? Help them prepare to hear the Word by checking out this page.

This Sunday is the last of the series of gospel passages from John - next week we return to Mark. In this week's gospel, the disciples are dealing with the "hard sayings" of Jesus about the necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Will they stay with Jesus even when his words are hard to swallow? Or will they walk away? The same question rises in the first scripture this Sunday, taken from the Book of Joshua: whom will you serve? The second lesson for this weekend is from Ephesians, with an option for a longer and shorter version. This is the section of Ephesians where the marriage of husband and wife is used as an image to describe Christ's self-giving love for the Church.

Image by Cerezo Barredo

-ConcordPastor

Back to School Prayers 2009

You'll find a 2010 updated version of this post here!

My sister teachers in a middle school in Colorado and is already back in the classroom. Here in Concord, MA school begins this year on the Thursday before Labor Day and many college students have already left home for campus. Seems it's time again, then, to post these prayers for all the back-to-schoolers and their families and teachers.

You might think of praying the Student's Prayer with your children on the first day of school. Some families pray these words every Monday morning as a new school week begins. And the Parents' Prayer? Well, I know moms and dads who pray that every day of the week!

In addition to backpacks and lunch kits, the refrigerator door makes a good home for these texts if you print them out! In my own parish we have the Student's Prayer printed as a bookmark which we distribute at weekend Masses along with a special blessing for students and school personnel beginning a new year.

At the end of the post are prayers for Parents of Students Off to College.

Grandparents, godparents and aunts and uncles: share these prayers with the ones you love...

A Student's Prayer

Dear Lord,
Help me to be the best student I can be.
Help to study well and to study often,
especially when I don't feel like studying at all.
Help me to be honest when I'm tempted to cheat.
Help me to listen to my teachers and my coaches.
Help me to play fair and to play safely.
Help me to be kind to everyone at school
and especially to those whom others treat unkindly.
Help me to treat others as I would like them to treat me.
Help me to be a good friend to others.
Help me to help others who need my help.
Help me to do the best work I can do.
Help me to use all the gifts you have given me.
Help me to love and respect my parents.
Help me to trust in you, Lord, and in your love for me.
Help me, Lord, I need you! Amen.
ConcordPastor.blogspot.com


Parents' Prayer for Students

Dear Lord,
As my children leave for school,
I pray that you will keep them in your care.
Send your Spirit to open their minds
to all that is true and beautiful and good.
Help them to see the gifts and talents
you have given them and to use them well.
Help them to grow in knowledge and wisdom.
Help them to be kind to others
and lead others be kind to them.
Give their teachers patience and understanding
and help them teach what is just and true.
Send your angels to guide and guard my children
and to keep them from all harm.
Open their young hearts to your presence
and enfold them in your peace and protection.
Hold them in the palm of your hand
and bring them home safely at day's end. Amen.
ConcordPastor.blogspot.com


Prayer for Teachers

Dear God,
A new school day is about to begin
and my classroom door will soon open
to the students you've assigned to my care...
Open my mind and heart to each of them
and especially to the ones
who will challenge me the most...
Help me challenge my students, all of them,
to study, to learn, to grow in knowledge
and even in a little wisdom...
Help me remember, Lord,
how young my students are:
give me patience to help them grow up, at least a little,
and insight to know the help they need...
Help me to understand that sometimes
my students may not understand me:
may I be clear in the things I say and do,
and in how I say and do them…
These children don't know the burdens and worries
my heart may bring to the classroom,
so help me remember, Lord,
that their hearts may be anxious and heavy, too...
Keep me from favoring any particular students, Lord,
except for those who most need my help...
Let my decisions in the classroom
be fair and just, honest and true...
Send your Spirit to fill me with gifts
of knowledge and understanding, counsel and wisdom…
Lord, open my mind and heart to my students' parents,
especially those who will challenge me the most:
help me challenge them to challenge their children
to study, to learn and to grow...
Help me to teach as you teach, Lord:
make me firm when I need to be,
gentle in all things,
and patient until the last bell rings…
A new school day is about to begin, Lord:
I wonder: what will you teach me today? Amen.
ConcordPastor.blogspot.com

Many mothers and fathers are sending sons and daughters away to college. For both parents and children, this rite of passage is often moistened with tears and burdened by aching hearts. I offer you here Diana Macalintal's Empty Nester's Prayer in two versions: one for a daughter, one for a son.

A Parent’s Prayer
When A Daughter Leaves Home

Gracious God, you blessed me with the gift of my child
and entrusted me with her care.
Now she leaves this home and begins a new life apart from me.
Surround her with good people and watch over her each day.
And let her know that I will always be near
whenever she may need me.
Heal any hurts we may harbor with one another
and forgive our failings
as we learn to be in a new kind of relationship with each other.
And when the sight of her empty room
pierces my heart with sadness,
may I find comfort in knowing that my child is your child too,
filled with your grace and sheltered by your love. Amen.
Diana Macalintal


A Parent’s Prayer
When A Son Leaves Home

Gracious God, you blessed me with the gift of my child
and entrusted me with his care.
Now he leaves this home and begins a new life apart from me.
Surround him with good people and watch over him each day.
And let him know that I will always be near
whenever he may need me.
Heal any hurts we may harbor with one another
and forgive our failings
as we learn to be in a new kind of relationship with each other.
And when the sight of his empty room
pierces my heart with sadness,
may I find comfort in knowing that my child is your child too,
filled with your grace and sheltered by your love. Amen.
Diana Macalintal

-ConcordPastor