I’ll mention I liked the in-depth treatment given Psalm 109 (110 in post-conciliar rendering) and a discussion on the various antiphons for that psalm and Gospel canticle. I’ve prayed the post-conciliar office for thirty-some years, so I don’t have much connection with the preconciliar patterns. Still, very informative. I’m sure I’ll give the music a listen in the days ahead.
Aside from the readings and music, there are prayers at the funeral rites to which we give voice. The next two sections treat those of the priest/presider (28) and those of the faithful (29):
28. In the presidential prayers of the funeral rites the presiding minister addresses God on behalf of the deceased and the mourners in the name of the entire Church. From the variety of prayers provided the minister in consultation with the family should carefully select texts that truly capture the unspoken prayers and hopes of the assembly and also respond to the needs of the mourners.
29. Having heard the word of God proclaimed and preached, the assembly responds at the vigil and at the funeral liturgy with prayers of intercession for the deceased and all the dead, for the family and all who mourn, and for all in the assembly. The holy people of God, confident in their belief in the communion of saints, exercise their royal priesthood by joining together in this prayer for all who have died.
Several models of intercessions are provided within the rites for adaptation to the circumstances.
Commentary:
In all these prayers mentioned above, Christians undertake a priestly role. That is: the direct petitioning of God on behalf of others–the dead as well as those who mourn.
The minister is directed to select appropriate texts, noting that clause directing that the family be consulted.
The prayers of the faithful are defined as a “response” to the preached Word. It’s well within the confines of liturgy to use the Scriptures as a basis for style and text.
The intercessions given in the text of the OCF are defined as “models.” When we examine them, we’ll see some differences between the usual Sunday fare. Please note also that these intercessions are not intended to focus exclusively on the person being mourned, but on all people who have died.
At the center of this story is retired Archbishop Godfried Danneels. He is a classic post-Vatican II liberal, someone who had the relative sympathy of the secular elites.
And the moral condemnation of liberals predictably emerges in the commentariat:
Cardinal Danneels also approved of pedophilia-promoting catechism books and rebuked those few faithful Catholics that were offended by Danneels-approved catechism.
The next thing we’ll be hearing is that they smoked the wrong brand of cigar and drank tea wine instead of whiskey.
Interesting the meme that the police and the press went after “their” bad guys (Groër, Law, Milingo, etc.) but left the Left alone. It seems more likely that the police and the press are more careful than the blogosphere in making claims before a matter has been fully investigated.
I’m aware that Cardinal Danneels has a reputation for being a non-conservative. That may make him a centrist or even a liberal–I don’t know the man personally. And it might be that he looked the other way when his misbehaving clergy surfaced with serious allegations against them. That seems to have been an across-the-board failing of bishops, knowing no ideology. The hermeneutic of privilege. Well, let me be the first from the left to say it today: it’s still bad even if it comes from a liberal. And I’m just unorthodox enough to condemn it in my political confreres.
I’ve never visited Belgium, though I know a person or two who have lived there. I’m not inclined to believe right off that they enjoy a police state, in which law enforcement officers detain and raid people, especially the religious aristocracy, at will. Usually the police and the press, unlike the blogosphere, wait to move until they have ample evidence. The shoot-first-ask-questions-later tactic generally backfires when you carry guns (if not pens) and gets you in more trouble in the end. Doesn’t bother many bloggers, though. Worst case scenario there is to reinvent yourself with a new pseudonym.
I recall reading that an informant was at the root of the Belgian raid. We can only guess as to what that was about. Maybe it was the high road, and somebody in the chancery was having a James Connell moment. Maybe somebody got stiffed by meanies higher up and this is all about revenge. Or a lover’s spat. In any event, serious investigators aren’t going to screw up a case with an illegal search unless they know they have the goods. I’d be more worried about what the raid turns up. And what it might mean for bishops if other frustrated people in other countries get to the point of desperation in the face of that hermeneutic of privilege.
First, they’ve completed their twentieth Colloquium, so good work on a good week of renewal with the music they love.
On the other hand, I’m trying to discern what Jeffrey Tucker’s real problem is. GIA’s monopoly is a problem, but not because stuff isn’t free. Or because it’s inexpensive. Is it because the road to the psalms now goes through Chicago? Is it a problem because traditionalist money is now mixing it up with guys who are supposedly homosexuals and have weird-looking smiles? Or who are UCC Christians? Or worst of all, with music they would have screaming nightmares about being forced to perform?
I would like to be sympathetic. Honest. I think big music conferences have become too market-driven, and I know that some of the best church music being composed today isn’t being published anywhere. I would like to see a more open environment for creativity. But when I see a comment like this:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the short cut to assessment of what a religious individual or organisation is trying to sell you is the cheesiness of the photo in the publicity material.
I’m more inclined to think the chief sin engaged here is envy. Not somebody else’s greed.
However, what was it about the St. Louis Jesuits that caused so many of them to leave not only the priesthood, but for any practical purposes, the Church? When I look at the SLJs, I don’t see much of an example worth imitating.
I had to laugh at the ignorance of the Society of Jesus, and the SLJ’s in particular here. I’m sure Mr Schutte’s detractors want to believe he is seducing people away from sexual purity through his music. I don’t doubt that the perception is that music with guitars seduced priests away from their service to the Church. But the truth can be found in the scorecard. Six men had “SJ” after their name in the various NALR recordings and sheet music in the 70′s. Four were ordained as priests and all still are Jesuit clergy. Two left the order before they were ordained.
I think there is a place to publicly question people about what they say and do in the name of God and the Church. I can’t believe that CMAA and its members are exempt from this. So I have to ask the question: do you seriously think chat like this makes CMAA attractive? Maybe two hundred fifty souls in Pittsburgh can change the world and you don’t need anybody else. If so, more power to ya.
The Schönborn/Sodano dust-up got some “clarification” from the top. This is just so interesting and snark-friendly on so many levels, I can’t resist.
Rock and a few commentators noted that while Cardinal Schönborn may have been “slapped,” the Austrian archbishop hasn’t publicly withdrawn his criticism of the former Vatican Secretary of State, nor his suggestion that some aspects of Church discipline are worth examining for possible reform. One tactic when confronted by someone is to nod and affirm their words without words of one’s own. A lack of objection makes it seem agreement is at hand. But in truth, a person keeps her or his own opinions. All while nodding and smiling.
So now we know only the pope can officially criticize cardinals. It sure seems that only God can discipline them.
It borders on disrespect, but this seems like another “Benedict moment.” The same day the council for re-evangelizing Europe kick-starts, this. And Belgium. It’s not an attractive moment for the institution. How many Catholics are hung out to dry over this with friends querying just what the heck is going on with the Church these days.
I was careful to listen for the people singing in the pews, and they did. But I’m not sold on this tune being played in 3/4 time. Maybe it was my parish musicians here–they took the tune at a good clip. Most likely, I like whatever text that is used with this melody to have some breathing room, and that means 4/4.
Anybody use this text and/or tune? What about the Brian Wren hymn, “When Love Is Found”?
How to balance the modern urge to eulogize, but yet honor the nature of the liturgy?
27. 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 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 their 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. Laypersons who preside at the funeral rites give an instruction on the readings.
Commentary:
Note the statement for a “brief” homily.
There is “never to be a eulogy.” This seems pretty black and white. My sense is that the eulogy is never to be a part of the Liturgy of the Word.
The homilist is a pastoral minister who balances the needs of the family and community with a firm root in preaching Jesus Christ. I like the sense ofr unity emphasized in this: all believers possess a piece of the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection. And this unity can be, if effectively preached, a source of consolation. We are one with the dead not primarily because of emotional ties, but because of Jesus.
And while laypersons “instruct” mourners on the readings, I would wager that the end result, the receiving of “consolation and strength to face the death” of the loved one, is still the goal here. Right?
The pastor preaches this past weekend, starting with an obscure saint, moving to the notion of discipleship and what that might mean for a serious believer. Not that we’re all going to suddenly leave families and let the dead bury the dead.
For another few days, the ISS will be in continuous sunlight as it orbits the Earth. So when you do spot it, it will be a horizon to horizon view. It will be as bright as the brightest stars in the sky, but not as bright as Venus, the evening star.
I can’t say I was terribly excited by the news this past week of generals misbehaving. Like the military leaders of the Great War, the military leaders of the so-called war on terror are wholly unprepared for the advances in communications technology and the development of morale in acolytes for what can rightly be called the triumph of extremists and of the corrupt.
Mr Bush played right into the hands of third world extremists. Our present president seems to be up for more of the same. Duped. Both of them. Both unworthy of a moral Christian vote.
It’s time to support the troops and bring them all home. Then support them some more and discharge with dishonor a line of officers who have betrayed their brothers and sisters when they needed them most.
My suggestion is if the oil companies want war, let them hire mercenaries and staff the front lines themselves. Then we’ll see how profitable fossil fuels really are without the government underwriting the game.
Equally unimpressed with the meme of contrition being promoted among citizens these days: it’s our fault too that the Gulf oil spill happened. Which isn’t to say we can’t be walking and biking more–we can. But there is a direct criminal negligence in play here–both in the Gulf of Mexico and around the Persian Gulf.
Has anybody found any of the new quarters in pocket change yet? With the economy in the tank, coin production continues to slip downward. I’ve only found two, and had to pass one on to the young miss.
25. The psalms are rich in imagery, feeling, and symbolism. They powerfully express the suffering and pain, the hope and trust of people of every age and culture. Above all the psalms sing of faith in God, of revelation and redemption.
If this weren’t true, much of two millennia of musical inspiration would have been directed elsewhere. And indeed, most of the liturgy is constructed on the imagery of the psalms, even when the musical texts are not explicitly or obviously based on them.
They enable the assembly to pray in the words that Jesus himself used during his life on earth. Jesus, who knew anguish and the fear of death, “offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death. … Although he was Son, he learned to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation …” (Hebrews 5:7-9)
Through the psalms, the liturgy remains focused on the essential fact of the Paschal Mystery and on Jesus Christ. This isn’t to say that the psalms don’t present obstacles in comprehension for many laypeople and even some clergy. I think one way “into” the psalms is through lectio divina–finding those small points of entry for the points that touch on the human experience: hope, anger, trust, lament. Later on in this series, we’ll take a look at the choices for psalmody in both the funeral and the related liturgies.
Praying with the voice of God is endorsed also:
In the psalms the members of the assembly pray in the voice of Christ, who intercedes on their behalf before the Father. (GILH 109) The Church, like Christ, turns again and again to the psalms as a genuine expression of grief and of praise and as a sure source of trust and hope in times of trial. Pastors and other ministers are, therefore, to make an earnest effort through an effective catechesis to lead their communities to a clearer and deeper grasp of at least some of the psalms provided by the funeral rites.
26. The psalms are designated for use in many places in the funeral rites (for example, as responses to the readings, for the processions, for use at the vigil for the deceased). Since psalms are songs whenever possible, they should be sung.
One key aspect is the “surety” of the psalms in the Christian experience. The psalms work. They’ve always worked. And when they might not seem to work for believers, it’s more likely there’s something lacking on the human side.
Last Friday friends had us out to their farm for some potluck salads and fish tacos. Between us and their other friends, we had four telescopes out behind the silos and the potato garden. The weather had been mostly cloudy, if not rainy all week, cooperated in a nice way. We had some clouds in the east, but most of the sky was decently clear.
They look rather smudgy. I took these images from my cell phone early in Holy Week before they were cleaned up for their presentation (and the oils within) on Holy Thursday. Oil of the sick above. Oil of catechumens below.
And sacred chrism:
I think I had the wrong lid on the chrism here. The threaded stopper looks like it goes with the oil of the sick. I had intended to post these images before, but they were somewhere in transit between my cell, the download web site, and my image files on my home computer.
Anybody have well-crafted oil vessels in your parish?
Word is that when the new translation is out there will no longer be “sacramentaries” and “lectionaries”—just the Roman Missal. I thought that the convenience of separate books would win out, but perhaps not.
A free application for the iPad is on the way next month: the entire Roman Missal—all the readings, prayers, and Mass parts. Father Paolo Padrini, an advisor for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and developer of the iBreviary, offers this app in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Latin. Future upgrades are expected to add audio, commentaries, homily notes, and even music. The new translations, too, no doubt. Padrini:
Paper books will never disappear. We shouldn’t be scandalized that on altars there are these instruments in support of prayer.
Thinking about it for a few minutes, maybe the iPad would be a decent fit for the altar. Maybe if enough clergy request it, Apple can come up with something in shiny gold instead of that smooth, silvery metallic look. Blend in better with the chalices.
A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve in worship and spiritual growth in a midwestern university parish.
about Neil
Neil has been a blogging collaborator for the past several years on Catholic Sensibility. He brings his unique experiences from theology, spirituality, and the ecumenical sphere. Pay special attention to each one of his posts.
I took some time to listen to Professor Mahrt’s piece on Praying and Singing the Divine Office which Jeffrey Tucker posted on Chant Café today along with other recordings of music and talk from the CMAA Colloquium. Charles suggested a more positive approach with his CMAA confreres, so here goes.
Aside from the readings and music, there are prayers at the funeral rites to which we give voice. The next two sections treat those of the priest/presider (28) and those of the faithful (29):
The next thing we’ll be hearing is that they smoked the wrong brand of cigar and drank 
Just a few points from my friends in the CMAA.
Rock
This past Sunday, we programmed 
The young miss and I tracked the International Space Station tonight. It appeared in the west and scooted in a four-minute arc across the sky before disappearing in the northeast. You can check out 
I can’t say I was terribly excited by the news this past week of generals misbehaving. Like the military leaders of the Great War, the military leaders of the so-called war on terror are wholly unprepared for the advances in communications technology and the development of morale in acolytes for what can rightly be called the triumph of extremists and of the corrupt.
Has anybody found any of the new quarters in pocket change yet? With the economy in the tank, coin production continues to slip downward. I’ve only found two, and had to pass one on to the young miss.
