Catholic Sensibility

It’s always a dangerous trend in the spiritual life to move the focus to the supposed sins and sacrileges of others. In the early centuries AD, the monastic tradition began when believers felt the faith wasn’t being lived in the urban centers of Christendom. The desert was home to spiritual refugees who felt and believed strongly in a more robust and serious living of the Gospel. While the saints of the fourth and later centuries were unflinching in their witness against sin, they also turned to the inner struggle for grace and virtue.

What to make of self-styled orthodox Catholics who take a page from the liberal protest manual and let their objection be expressed at this Friday night Mass in Sydney.

The pastor, Father Peter Maher:

(T)here is nothing in the Catholic faith that says gays and lesbians don’t have rights to take communion.

The Cardinal, George Pell:

Everyone is welcome to attend any public Mass.

The fisheaters aren’t happy with their prince of the Church:

Most people think he’s conservative but he’s rotten to the core.

Okay.

More Galatians 5:15 in action.

Why do people suffer? When asked by the disciples about human misfortune–specifically about a man born blind, Jesus diverts their leading question and responds:

Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.

On Earth, only four earthquakes since 1900 have been more severe than the one to hit Chile yesterday morning. As I was reviewing news reports last night, a similar question surfaced, “Why is God punishing first Haiti, then us?”

I was pondering all this, plus some self-centered things, during my morning Lectio Divina today. I’ve come to that great chapter in John’s gospel on the healing of the man born blind. Immediately, I was drawn to this phrase above. In the JB, the term is “revealed” instead of “visible,” but the thought is the same.

When confronted with suffering, we cannot turn the clock back and warn people or undo some catastrophe. All that is left is to deal with the present reality. When natural disaster strikes, we can respond. And we do so with the offering of prayers, with donations of treasure, and if we’re fortunate, our personal talents. The Lord suggests that in this way God is glorified, through the transformation of grave misfortune into an expression of compassion and generosity. Or speaking of the Paschal Mystery, of the cheating of death and its transformation into new life.

Even our own sins can be transformed in this way. One of my favorite confessors spoke of this: the importance of not giving in to discouragement, but acknowledging the all-powerful God can turn our most grievous sins into an opportunity for amazing personal growth and for serving others in the glory and grace of God.

So while I think there are consequences to sin, I find it difficult to attribute earthquakes to any sort of punishment. (It would be an interesting theological discussion to ponder the notion of the natural world as it was created, and presumably, the conditions that did not change with the sin of Adam and Eve, but still present a challenge to life.) These natural disasters are tragedies, to be sure. But they provide the opportunity to glorify God. So let’s get to it, right?

RCIA 331-369 covers “Christian Initiation of Adults in Exceptional Circumstances.” We will examine the explanatory section (331-339) in detail. The remainder of the section gives rubrics and ritual texts for the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. When we get to that, we’ll take things a bit more quickly, just touching on comparisons to the Easter Vigil.

First, note that the bishop, not the parish priest or catechumenate director, makes the determination:

331. Exceptional circumstances may arise in which the local bishop, in individual cases, can allow the use of a form of Christian initiation that is simpler than the usual, complete rite (see RCIA 34.4).

The bishop also has flexibility in his discernment:

The bishop may permit this simpler form to consist in the abbreviated form of the rite (RCIA 340-369) that is carried out in one celebration. Or he may permit an expansion of this abbreviated rite, so that there are celebrations not only of the sacraments of initiation, but also one or more of the rites belonging to the period of the catechumenate and to the period of purification and enlightenment (see RCIA 332-335).

What might these “exceptional circumstances” be, that a bishop’s authority must be invoked for their use? You might be surprised as to what the rite tells us:

The extraordinary circumstances in question are either events that prevent the candidate from completing all the steps of the catechumenate or a depth of Christian conversion and a degree of religious maturity that lead the local bishop to decide that the candidate may receive baptism without delay.

Recall that in this rite, we are speaking of the unbaptized. Uncatechized Christians are treated in RCIA 400-472. If a person is in danger of death, we will turn to sections 370-399. It might be that in largely Christian societies, that some unbaptized people will come to the Church with a well-developed Christian sensibility. I suspect that there is a twofold reason why the framers of the rite desired that exceptional cases be referred to the bishop. First, the bishop is the traditional guardian of the catechumenate. The Church is much larger and more complex than when the local Church’s leader would personally monitor catechumens and judge their progress. I suppose that the framers wanted to give parishes flexibility to raise up a religiously precocious candidate (like Saint Ambrose), while discouraging the process for the cases that would be clearly borderline or possibly frivolous. Want to get baptized early? Let’s talk to the bishop.

In the next post, we’ll look at those “events” referenced in RCIA 331. The rite expands a bit on the possibilities there. But for now, any questions or comments?

My friend John Donaghy, a long-time staff member at my current parish, has been in Honduras for the past few years assisting in the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán. Many of our students and resident parishioners have traveled there to serve for a week or two. I told John that hardly a daily Mass or student liturgy goes by that a spontaneous intercession (when they are invited) for Honduras isn’t uttered.

John sent me an e-mail earlier today describing some of his liturgical work. (Some of it’s repeated on his blog.) I asked if I could share it with my readers here, and he agreed, so here goes:

I just got back from a liturgy workshop at Dulce Nombre. The parish is doing a two year three-session prayer training first of all for the leaders of the Liturgical ministry in the villages and also for about 17 people who are in the process of becoming extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, as they call them here. It will also enable the villages to have the Eucharist in their chapel (when they have a secure tabernacle) and to have regular Liturgies of the Word with Communion.

57 people showed up. There was someone from every one of the eleven sectors of the parish, with people from early twenties (about 3) to over sixty (about 7).

My task, yesterday afternoon, was to give an overview introduction to the parts of the Mass. Now you first have to remember that most of these people have a sixth grade education  - or less! So, my challenge was to make it as participative as possible and to get them to learn as much as possible. I think I succeeded in making it participative. If they’ll remember what I taught, that’s another question – though they have a 30 page booklet to help them go over the material.

What was really fun was having them sing hymns or parts of the Mass when we discussed them. When we got to the Great Amen they sang the usual one that is used here – The Lilies of the Field “Amen.” So I gave them a challenge – which I’ll have to reiterate – to have their village music groups write an “Amen!” If they do it, I may have to record them and send them your way.

While preparing for the workshop – and being with the folks – I remembered that some of the liturgy groups (LTP?) have some materials in Spanish. I’ll have to check that out – who knows, that may be a way to begin connections with liturgy in both places.

I’m fascinated and amazed on many levels.

How other places do liturgy: a great curiosity. The “Lilies of the Field Amen.” Imagine that. Hondurans appropriating a piece of American pop culture and singing that Jester Hairston tune. On one of his last visits to Iowa, I asked John about the music sung at liturgies in Honduras. He told me one local group has written a few songs. I think I asked about their composing for Mass. If they came up with something decent, I’d seriously consider using it at our liturgies at the student center.

The challenges of Catholics in rural Honduras seem very distant from Rome, or even our political American concerns about how other people receive Communion. One missioner told me that she was the first foreign Catholic a group had ever met. They had been visited by Baptists and evangelicals from the US, but never a Roman Catholic.

John’s post script on organization:

You might find the structure of the diocese interesting. Base ecclesial communities are the basic instance of the church. There are about 5000 base communities or communities like them in the diocese (in its 41 parishes). In each villages there is a church council which usually has a representative from each base community in the council. These are then formed into sector and/or zone councils with the parish council. Then there are the deanery council and the diocesan pastoral council (which has priests and laity). But within each the structures there is what they call here “The Triple Ministry” – prophetic (catechesis, preaching), liturgical, and social. And so there are persons in each of the ministries throughout the diocese!

Not a “top ten” list here, but a brief list of essential Lenten music every church musician–singer or instrumentalist–really must know.  In some of these I don’t give specifics as to a particular piece of music, but I would assume that any musician working in any genre would have these texts somewhere in the repertoire. A parish with an “eclectic” music ministry would proabably have a few of many of these.

1. Kyrie Eleison. My parish uses a setting adapted from the plainsong Litany of the Saints and presented in Gather Comprehensive as #175B. Every cantor should have this setting or something similar and easy in his or her repertoire. It should be familiar enough that if a singer in a choir were asked to lead a group in prayer, this might come to their lips immediately.

2. Parce Domine. Regardless of genre, any Catholic choir or ensemble should know this by heart. Any serious singer should be able to use the chant tone for the verses to expand beyond the select verses of Psalm 51 a hymnal might provide.

3. Another setting of Psalm 51. Any serious Catholic choir should have at least one setting of this text in its repertoire. Ideally, maybe even three or four from different periods: polyphony, baroque, classical/romantic, and something from the last century. Any cantor should know a few settings–minimum of one. And no Catholic choir or ensemble of any size can really say it has arrived without a good setting of this essential penitential psalm.

4. A setting of Psalm 130. The Latin title De profundis may be better-known than the psalm number.

5. A setting of Psalm 91. These three psalms are assigned by the Lectionary as “common psalms” for the season. They can be used in place of psalms of the day, presumably if your parish, group, or choir doesn’t know a particular setting of the psalm of the day. But even if you do, these three psalms represent the best of the Psalter for a harmonization of the themes of Lent.

6. A hymn or song about baptism. Or maybe a good chunk of the parish repertoire. Lent’s taproot as a period of preparation for baptism cannot be ignored or set aside for the inward-looking penitential sensibility. David is part of Lent, but so is Saint Paul. A hymn like “Lift High The Cross,” is nearly ideal, connecting the cross with our baptismal call, like in verse three:

Each newborn follower of the Crucified bears on the brow the seal of Him who died.

7. A hymn or song about the Christian apostolate. Almsgiving is a huge part of Lent–one of the three pillars. A piece like Ricky Manalo’s “InThese Days of Lenten Journey” is essential for any serious parish. The refrain, in case you are unfamiliar:

In these days of Lenten journey we have seen and we have heard the call to sow justice in the lives of those we serve.

If a choir or community can’t sing about the mission of the Christian in the world during Lent, I would question why the expression of such a responsibility takes second fiddle to traditional Lenten fare about, again, personal penitence. Is Lent only about the self?

What else would you add, either a community favorite, or a personal choice?

More from the self-styled orthodox in the combox at Rorate Caeli:

If Benedict XVI revokes completely communion in the hand I shall return to Mass.

Does this seem to be eerily similar to the pro-torture premise:

(L)et’s say that I lose my soul to save innocent lives. Then so be it.

Let me get this straight: other people receive Communion in the hand … people concede you may receive on the tongue … there are certainly Catholic Masses in the world in which one need not even watch believers receive in the hand … and this is why a person has boycotted the source and summit of the Christian life? That somewhere, out of sight, some Catholic is touching the host not with their lips, tongue, and palates, but their palm and fingertips.

Another wonderful politicization of the Eucharist. Do you suppose it ever occurs to such protesters–aside from the damage done by absenting oneself from Christ’s worship of the Father–that the tactics of bygone days get rather tired.

We have a new parishioner, a university post-doc from Poland. She has ample singing experience in some really fine choirs in her native land as well as Scotland. Last week she mentioned her famous countryman’s favorite liturgical song, and look here: an illustrative discussion on it appears at PrayTell.

The protest began, but commenter Adam Wood has the true measure of the piece:

The song isn’t Mariachi. The composer was Spanish, not Mexican. Of course, you can do a Mariachi arrangement (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ5xJDOZbhA), but that’s not a natural style for the piece.

Agreed. If a church musician finds himself or herself slipping into such a style, it’s indicative more of artistic laziness than any defect of the music. It’s true. You can give me almost any serious piece of music, and I can fabricate a parody if I put my mind to it. PDQ Bach could, of course, render even more hilarity from an attempt.

I like singing Pescador in Spanish. I think the text and melody both are sturdy and wear well. It probably takes better musicians to piece together a tasteful accompaniment, but I’d say it’s a worthwhile effort. I can’t say I’ve ever lapsed into pseudo-Mariachi in arranging it for an ensemble. But maybe not every church musician is up to the task.

Zenit offers concerns about sex education in the UK, but I wonder what the fuss is about.

But pro-life organizations and many orthodox-thinking Catholics say the (legislation) is deceptive and misleading, as it will still require all schools, including Catholic schools, to give information about contraception, abortion, and homosexual partnerships in the name of equality and diversity.

What should a Catholic school teach about abortion? When I was in Catholic school in the early 70′s, we were introduced to the methods of abortion in use at the time. We learned about D&C, suction, saline solutions, the collapse of the fetus’ head to fit through the birth canal, and what certain medications did with regard to implantation of the embryo. It was far from likely that any of us were going out to practice on pregnant people. We were also very aware that not all people saw abortion as an absolute prohibition. We also knew there are people who would themselves decline to abort a child, but were unwilling to extend that stance legally. And there were folks who had no problem with abortion, and many of them were Republicans.

I hate to scandalize some readers, but we were also introduced to methods of contraception and how they worked. I know I didn’t learn about all this from my peers, and certainly not my parents.

The alternative to having competent and knowledgeable teachers present this information is to acquire it through parents who educate themselves on it all. Or failing that, from peers who may or may not be severely misinformed.

Every Catholic teen should know the facts about this stuff, if for no other reason than to be able to arrive at a sound moral judgment when confronted with the inevitable choices the wide world brings.

The deception I’m far more concerned about, and something my wife and I have policed in television commercials for years (even and especially the Disney Channel), is the promotion of sex as a sales subsidiary to products for children and teens. Many of the so-called orthodox-thinking Catholics do indeed police the advertising bombardments aimed at their kids. But many of them look the other way when the political content of the corporation (I think of the Fox network) is deemed a cure for the sales interstitials, or the content of entertainment programming.

So if the UK thinks five-year-olds should be taught to be nice to homosexuals, I don’t have a problem with that message. Children should be taught to be nice to everybody. If ten-year-olds are told that many people don’t see abortion as a moral problem, I think they need to know that, especially if they expect to engage and persuade others on the issue. And if a teen finds herself pregnant, she shouldn’t have to rely on hearsay to determine it’s really okay to have an abortion, especially if its the day after, like she saw on Fox.

I suppose I could have added this to yesterday’s post, but here’s the one-section summary on mystagogy:

330. A period of post-baptismal catechesis or mystagogy should be provided to assist the young neophytes and their companions who have completed their Christian initiation. This period can be arranged by an adaptation of the guidelines given for adults. (RCIA 244-251).

A sure sign that the pastor and parish leadership have failed to discern well with candidates for initiation is of the mystagogy period falls flat. Parents are often willing to jump and jump their kids through hoops to get what they want. If children disappear after Confirmation, it would be a good opportunity for serious soul-searching.

That said, note that mystagogy is expected not only of the newly baptized, but also of the “companions” who have been confirmed or received First Eucharist. How many parishes out there provide this post-sacramental catechesis?

First torture, now Tom Golisano. The Catholic Right chews itself up over the suspicion of cooperating with evil.

Seriously, this is a prime example why the methods of disinvite, pink slipping, boycotts, tea parties, et cetera will be the potential downfall of conservative causes. The alternative, of course, is not caving in to one’s principles, but indeed, to apply the highest moral standards to oneself and one’s movement.

Not to stir the pot*, but did you know that Golisano’s Paychex company does business with churches? For those concerned about his association with AMU, do you know his company wasn’t hired to do your parish’s payroll? Your money. Pro-choice political candidates. There’s a combination for consternation, eh?

* much

Except for a pastoral concern for children already baptized who have associated with the youth catechumens/elect, the rubrics and rituals for the sacraments are virtually identical in text to that of adults (RCIA 226-243): the baptism (RCIA 317) in the name of the Trinity, either by immersion or pouring, followed by an optional anointing (319) with chrism (if Confirmation will not be conferred) and an optional clothing (320) with baptismal garment. The presentation of a Lighted Candle always takes place (321).

One significant addition to the Confirmation rubrics (322-323) is this provision:

If previously baptized children of the catechetical group are to be confirmed, they with their sponsors join the newly baptized children to receive the sacrament.

It might make for a crowd, but it does make sense from a pastoral and catechetical viewpoint.

RCIA 324-326 covers the ritual of Confirmation–nothing different from the adult neophytes.

Sections 327-329 offer rubrics for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. These, too, are identical to RCIA 241-243, with the following addition:

The celebrant should also pay special attention to any previously baptized children of the catechetical group who at this celebration are to receive communion for the first time. These children, together with their parents, godparents, sponsors for confirmation, and catechists, may also receive communion under both kinds.

William Newton’s Zenit piece today takes as a starting point Pope Benedict’s address earlier this month, but doesn’t really go anywhere with it. For starters, the use of “relativism” in the headline is another example of the erosion of meaning in that term. It might as well be defined as “something I don’t like,” for all the times it gets used, abused, and misapplied. Getting back to the content of the essay, I thought there were two glaring omissions.

First an acknowledgement:

While the Convention points out that the welfare of children is best secured by being part of a family …

… but without any reference to the millions of children worldwide who have no parents, and nothing to say on adoption, the harping on same-sex unions seems pretty hollow to me. The Church is likely powerless to do anything about the sexual orientation of people, especially its five billion non-members. But it seems to me that the Pontifical Council for the Family could do much more to promote the right of a child to have parents. A perusal of recent meetings, addresses, and other documents on the Vatican web site shows no mention of adoption anywhere going back five years.

Number two: speaking of rights, this emphasis on “rights” strikes me as evidence of an entrenched narcissism. When Mr Newton writes:

Another contradiction that has emerged in recent years (and this was foreseen by the Holy See in its main reservation to the Convention) is to pit the rights of the child against those of the parents; minimizing the influence of parent while increasing the influence of the state.

… it makes me want to grind my teeth. Children have rights. Parents have responsibilities. Parenting a child isn’t a right. This sense of entitlement, something we see in such statements like, “Every adult has a right to a child,” or “I have a right to control my child,” can be taken–and is indeed held–to unhealthy extremes. I’m amazed that otherwise self-styled orthodox Catholics don’t recognize this line of reasoning is all wrongheaded. The harping on rights cheapens the role of the parent. And at worst, it becomes a sort of competition. We see it when parents are pitted legally against children, or one parent against another.

In continuing to miscast duty, obligation, and responsibility as “rights,” otherwise well-intentioned people are totally missing the boat. How can I drive the point home?

I have a friend. I don’t have a “right” to hang around significantly with a peer. But I do have obligations to anyone I consider a true friend. I have a duty to listen to my friends, to spend time with them, to be gracious, accommodating, generous, and the like. They don’t have a “right” to my attentiveness. But in mutual friendship, we have mutual responsibilities, as long as we agree to maintain our friendship. In this mutuality of giving, of sacrifice, the friendship blossoms and functions as an aid to both our lives. That’s the way it should be.

I also have a spouse. Marriage brings certain privileges, but I don’t think any of the shared legal and moral obligations can be termed “rights,” at least not in a Christian context. I don’t have a “right” to sexual intercourse, for example. Intercourse is part of the privilege of marriage. I would say that a spouse has a responsibility for the overall physical, emotional, and spiritual care of the partner. Sex is part of that, but sex becomes a means to an end, not the ultimate value in the marriage itself. By framing the context in this way, it keeps the notion of sacramental sacrifice in the foreground. And it shades any sense of entitlement to the rear.

When we approach friendship, marriage, or parenting as containing privileges and rights for the self, I think we do ourselves and our partners an injustice. Not to mention Christ’s notion of self-sacrificing love.

Let’s take adoption now. Children live without parents, despite the UN and the Church saying they have rights to a family. By inaction or by distraction, these rights, these needs go unaddressed. This is a grave moral omission on the part of society, and it convicts the Church as well–as long as we are unable or unwilling to promote a far more widespread adoption of needy children. That few of these children are in the direct care of the Church is irrelevant. The Church feeds hungry people, cares for sick people, advocates for disenfranchised people–and we don’t require membership for this work of charity and justice.

Lacking a more convincing pro-life witness on the adoption front, I can’t consider the institution’s stated opposition to same-sex unions as a support for the family as anything more than a smokescreen. Now, don’t get me wrong: I believe the Church has a responsibility to preach moral virtue. But we do not have the right to be wrong or wrongheaded about blaming one problematic aspect of family life (the lack of support for married couples) on the willingness of some same-sex couples to add a legal dimension to their acknowledged personal commitment and responsibilities.

When I see more support for Catholic families* and couples adopting fatherless and motherless children, I think our pro-life witness on the family front will ring less hollow than it does these days. And if the institution is looking for ideas, I’ll clue you in: my phone hasn’t been ringing off the hook about it, not unlike the phones of the overburdened secular social workers.

* Adopted children are not solutions for the fertility problems of couples. I applaud infertile couples who do want to adopt out of a sense of addressing a need in the life of another person. But adoption is not a “cure” for infertility. This is why families with children probably should be considering adoption more seriously, especially families that have discerned that being large is a basic good. For the record, I have no problem with families of six, eight, or more children. As long as they don’t mind my suggestion that maybe a few of their children could be adopted.

Since we’ve already covered the adult initiation rite (Easter Vigil) in detail, with this post, I thought I’d zero in on a few rubrics, rituals, and texts of note in the rite for initiating children of catechetical age.

The rubric in RCIA 310 commends visibility, possibly at the expense of the form and proper location at (hopefully) an immersion font:

310. After the homily, the celebrant and the children with their godparents or guardians and godparents go to the baptismal font, if this is in view of the faithful; otherwise they gather in the sanctuary, where a vessel of water should be prepared beforehand…

Visibility is a good thing: don’t get me wrong. Baptism is not an everyday ritual, so visibility, especially for the baptized companions of the newcomers, is an important value. And yet, if the choice in a parish were stark: baptize by a fuller sign–immersion in a font or improvise a container in full view, my own sense would be to go with the former. What about your sense?

In RCIA 311, two options are given, plus a reference to the five options of the adult rite, RCIA 222. Option A is the Easter Vigil blessing, reproduced in its entirety without adaptation. Curiously, RCIA 222B is preserved also, but only the first half of the prayer. As I mentioned in my last post, the Litany of Saints is omitted.

It’s hard for me to review these rites of 310 and 311 and conclude this was as well-constructed and edited as the adult rite. The Litany of Saints is a good focal point for children of catechetical age, and its omission is a real curiosity for me, especially given that the blessing of the water, a rather long narrative prayer, is kept in its entirety.

In RCIA 312, the community may, “if this is in keeping with the circumstances,” profess faith either by the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene.

RCIA 313 through 316 turns the focus back to those to be baptized. The children are invited (RCIA 313) first to renounce sin (314). If the children have not been anointed, this will take place after the renunciation (315) and before their question & answer dialogue with the presider (316). The US bishops have determined that “ordinarily, this rite is to be omitted,” which suggests that an earlier anointing, possibly as part of the Lenten penitential rite, should be planned ahead of time and celebrated. I’ll note that the renunciation of sin is done by the children as a group. RCIA 316, however, places a strong preference for children to be questioned individually for their Q&A profession of faith. With typical Roman pragmatism, “if there are a great many children to be baptized,” this preference is abrogated–all the kids together may respond to the questions of faith. If baptism is by immersion, it is hard for me to imagine, even in a very large group of children, that omitting these questions will save much time, especially if the ritual is choreographed well.

Whew! Are you seeing anything of importance I’ve missed? How many of you out there actually have baptized children of catechetical age in keeping with the rite, but separate from the adults at the Easter Vigil?

… to involve yourself in RCIA. From the USCCB:

1. Pray
2. Listen
3. Participate
4. Attend the Easter Vigil
5. Have a welcoming spirit
6. Witness
7. Invite
8. Get Involved
9. Ongoing Conversion
10. Know Mystagogy is for all

Check the link for details, but I’ll put in a big plug for #4.

Bring the kids, too. If you want extra insurance on keeping your young people’s Catholic imagination engaged, bring the family to the Vigil every year. Make it a tradition. It’s the best liturgical piece in the Roman repertoire, and beats anything the TLM can throw up there.

This CNS feature on Mary MacKillop notes a print interview from Perth, Australia:

Irish clergy in Adelaide were “determined to bring her down,” said Sister Anne Derwin, head of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, which Blessed MacKillop founded with Father Julian Tenison Woods.

Money mismanagement, drunkenness, disobedience … some might say in response, pot, kettle, black.

If she is adopted by the persecuted, I hope they (and we) don’t lose track of the woman’s saintly accomplishments in education, charity, justice, and forming her community.