Catholic Sensibility

My first Spanish lesson today. Made a stack of note cards for vocabulary–my weak spot with languages. Only the pets were home before dinner tonight, so I got to practice …

Hola, mi gato blanco.

Mi perra negra:

The trick is, to speak so I can communicate with native speakers this coming May when I go to Honduras. My pets were decidedly unenthusiastic about my first effort in Spanish.

The decree from Bishop Foys of Covington is making the rounds.

Man, this has got to be taken from a chapter of the Joseph Ratzinger Manual for Public Relations. I can’t think of a worse time to throw a wrench from the Hermeneutic of Subtraction into the Catholic liturgical works. How about adding something to the liturgy?

• What about encouraging thirty, or even twenty seconds of silence in the liturgy in between the readings and orations to get into the spirit of Advent?
• What about singing penitential act form 3 to get people used to it?
• What about everybody taking more time to distribute the Eucharist?
• What about asking every priest to spend fifteen minutes every Friday afternoon to prepare the new translation of the orations?

What is it with these guys who are always trying to find ways to subtract something from the liturgy, and to do so in such a way to encourage Catholics to line up on both sides of a fence over it?

For the record: there is no rubric for the laity to do anything at the Lord’s Prayer, so we can pretty much do anything that harmonizes with the spirit and decorum at the Mass. The rubrics don’t instruct me to hold my wife’s hand during the homily, either. So do I stop doing that? The rubrics don’t tell us how to calm an upset child, how to pick up a dropped host, or what to do when our cell phone goes off. Do we just freeze like a liturgical deer in headlights? I think not. We do what is necessary. No more. We do not need imprudent clergy to tell us what to do on this point. We do not need another wedge driven into Catholic unity. We definitely do not need another pep rally with two sides attempting to outshout the other.

And as for the practice of holding hands during the Lord’s Prayer, it’s not a favorite of mine. Progressive liturgists were naysaying it a generation ago. I remember a liturgy conference in San Antonio where one of the presenters spoke against it. And wouldn’t you know, at the concluding Mass, everybody around her held hands, practically the entire attendance list. And her wish not to do so was respected. I think nearly everywhere the wish to not hold hands is noted and respected.

Wrapping up Chapter II, the GDC turns to the topic of “Catechesis and religious instruction in schools.” (GDC 73-76) Today’s section, 73, is labeled, “The proper character of religious instruction in schools.” Let’s read:

73. Within the ministry of the word, the character proper to religious instruction in schools and its relationship with the catechesis of children and of young people merit special consideration.

The relationship between religious instruction in schools and catechesis is one of distinction and complementarity: “there is an absolute necessity to distinguish clearly between religious instruction and catechesis”. (220)

What confers on religious instruction in schools its proper evangelizing character is the fact that it is called to penetrate a particular area of culture and to relate with other areas of knowledge. As an original form of the ministry of the word, it makes present the Gospel in a personal process of cultural, systematic and critical assimilation. (221)

In the cultural universe, which is assimilated by students and which is defined by knowledge and values offered by other scholastic disciplines, religious instruction in schools sows the dynamic seed of the Gospel and seeks to “keep in touch with the other elements of the student’s knowledge and education; thus the Gospel will impregnate the mentality of the students in the field of their learning, and the harmonization of their culture will be achieved in the light of faith”. (222)

It is necessary, therefore, that religious instruction in schools appear as a scholastic discipline with the same systematic demands and the same rigour as other disciplines. It must present the Christian message and the Christian event with the same seriousness and the same depth with which other disciplines present their knowledge. It should not be an accessory alongside of these disciplines, but rather it should engage in a necessary inter-disciplinary dialogue. This dialogue should take place above all at that level at which every discipline forms the personality of students. In this way the presentation of the Christian message influences the way in which the origins of the world, the sense of history, the basis of ethical values, the function of religion in culture, the destiny of man and his relationship with nature, are understood. Through inter-disciplinary dialogue religious instruction in schools underpins, activates, develops and completes the educational activity of the school. (223)

The footnotes:

(220) Congregation for Catholic Education, “The religious dimension of education in the catholic school” (7 April 1988), n. 68; Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, Roma 1988 cf. John Paul II, Allocution to the priests of the diocese of Rome (5 March 1981). Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, IV 1 pp. 629-630, CD 13c CIC 761.

(221) Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, Document, The Catholic school (19 March 1977) n. 26, Typographie Polyglotte Vaticane 1977.

(222) Catechesi Tradendae 69. Note also as per CT 69 the originality of religious instruction in schools does not consist solely in rendering possible dialogue with culture in general since this pertains to all the forms of ministry of the word. Religious instruction in schools seeks in a more immediate way to promote this dialogue in a personal process of systematic and critical initiation and by encounter with the cultural patrimony promoted by the school.

(223) Cf. Congregation for Catholic Education, “The religious dimension of education in the Catholic school”, l.c. 70.

The discussion:

These are high ideals. I do not recall the same seriousness in my own middle school or high school situation in the early 70′s. In the former, the main four subjects were English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Religion classes were a daily experience, but they weren’t taught with the same rigor. High school was not dissimilar.

In parish life, I’ve known young people who excelled in sports, music, and the arts. I’ve known youth who excelled in various broad disciplines. But I’ve never known a Catholic high school student who was identified as excelling in religion. In my last city, there was a broad network of Catholic high schools. They were prep schools, primarily.

The ideals of GDC 73 would have interdisciplinary exchanges between religion and science, religion and history, religion and literature, and others. The strongest interface I’ve seen would be in the extra-curricular realm: religion and community service, religion and the arts.

But perhaps some readers know of how Catholic schools apply GDC 73. Links would be most helpful.

When you sing the Gloria, do you choose option 2 (antiphonal or responsorial), option 1, or option 3?

53. The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is a most ancient and venerable hymn by which the Church, gathered in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb. The text of this hymn may not be replaced by any other. It is intoned by the Priest or, if appropriate, by a cantor or by the choir; but it is sung either by

• everyone together, or
• by the people alternately with the choir,
• or by the choir alone.

If not sung, it is to be recited either by everybody together or by two choirs responding one to the other.

It is sung or said on Sundays outside Advent and Lent, and also on Solemnities and Feasts, and at particular celebrations of a more solemn character.

This provides an interesting option, especially if one interprets “solemn” in the liturgical way, appropriately festive. Occasionally I get an inquiry about singing it at a wedding. But I’m also thinking special celebrations opening and closing a school year, on a pilgrimage, on a celebration like Thanksgiving. Any others?

A quote from Dorothy Day:

I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

He answered, ‘I will not;’ but later he changed his mind and went.

The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir;’ but he did not go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.” (Matthew 21:28-32)

A bit of discernment ahead. If any readers would like to chime in, I’d appreciate.

I’ve fielded a serious suggestion to set my next Bible musical in modern or near-modern times. Naomi and her family leave their rural homestead for the city, maybe Kansas  City. Ruth, a city-born daughter-in-law returns with her, and eventually hooks up with Boaz not through the Old Testament tradition of the redeemer, but in a more usual 20th-century courtship.

The music of the times would be easy: lots of jazz (Tin Pan Alley, St Louis ragtime, Kansas City blues, Dixieland, etc.) as well as the emerging acoustic genres of the south: bluegrass, western swing, etc., plus church genres: shape note tunes, gospel, and the like.

I had in mind to polish the Bible-set musical, to do Tobit one step better with my own style. Save the retelling for a revival. But now I’m not so sure. Ruth of the Dust Bowl would be better on a stage rather than in a church. One of the students in the cast said I should consider the marketability of the production. And he was sincere. But am I looking for a bigger market? Or artistic integration? Or inspiring faith? And perhaps all of these aspects are not necessarily exclusive. It is possible to have the story of faith get out there for the widest possible audience–that’s what evangelization is all about, isn’t it?

From William Miller’s biography:

At the church door, Cardinal Terence Cooke met the body to bless it. As the procession stopped for this rite, a demented person pushed his way through the crowd and bending low over the coffin peered at it intently. no one interfered, because, as even the funeral directors understood, it was in such as this man that Dorothy had seen the face of God.

Few have understood this passage as much as the woman who died thirty-one years ago today:

Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matthew 25:34-36)

Let us learn to peer intently, not only at the saints and heroes we honor, but also at those in our midst at whom we are inclined to glance then dismiss.

I do miss the frenetic pace of rehearsal and production. I thought I had posted these images, but only on Facebook. Anyway, the cast group image above, the band below.

Meanwhile, the current draft of Ruth: The Path of Loyalty has twenty-three songs and four instrumentals.

After three Masses, I have to say that chalice comes off as fussy and clunky. It’s the wrong word, pure and simple.

As for the orations, they will have to be prepared with more diligence than your usual Pauline pericope. A minority of priests will do this, and in some of their parishes, it might not be an obstacle. But the end result in most places will be the marginalization of orations in the awareness of the laity. Just another hoop to get through before the first reading or the announcements.

Unlike great phrases in the Eucharistic Prayers (like “that we may live no longer for ourselves”) orations don’t get as much repetition, coming up once a year. The Lectionary will be even more important in the ears of the laity. People might find more inspiration in the texts of vernacular songs than before. That might or might not be the texts of the psalms. I know I’ll be attending even more carefully to the texts of new music. Those will catch attention even more today than yesterday. These will be the sparks for religious imagination in the future.

People have noted that archaic English carries the Lord’s Prayer pretty well. No denying it. But the advantage of the Lord’s Prayer is that it is always invoked by the assembly at Mass, and many Catholics say it several more times a day. I could see a fussy vernacular working in the Eucharistic Prayers. The orations far less so. While these prayers are required for the celebration of Mass, they just don’t serve the same purpose as the anaphora, acclamations, or readings. Think of them as being on the periphery of the essential elements. I suspect they will remain so until MR4 at least.

A few faith communities may have difficulty with the coordination suggestion here:

72. It is fundamentally important that initiatory catechesis for adults, whether baptized or not, initiatory catechesis for children and young people and continuing catechesis are closely linked with the catechetical endeavour of the Christian community, so that the particular Church may grow harmoniously and that its evangelizing activity may spring from authentic sources. “It is important also that the catechesis of children and young people, permanent catechesis and the catechesis of adults should not be separate watertight compartments… it is important that their perfect complementarity be fostered”. (Catechesi Tradendae 45c)

John Paul II’s 1979 document once again figures prominently. In some parishes, alas, RCIA, schools, parish religious education, and adult formation operate under different committees, staff members, and buildings. That’s probably a matter each faith community and staff need to ponder and discern. What about yours?

Most often Mass continue with the Penitential Act after the greeting. Note there is a formula for confession, and also an absolution. The 2000 edition was amended with the last sentence of 51a to remind readers that this absolution isn’t quite what the ordinary form provides:

51. After this, the Priest calls upon the whole community to take part in the Penitential Act, which, after a brief pause for silence, it does by means of a formula of general confession. The rite concludes with the Priest’s absolution, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance.

Sometimes the Penitential Act will be replaced:

From time to time on Sundays, especially in Easter Time, instead of the customary Penitential Act, the blessing and sprinkling of water may take place as a reminder of Baptism.[Cf. The Roman Missal, Appendix II]

Some interesting material on the Kyrie Eleison:

52. After the Penitential Act, the Kyrie, eleison (Lord, have mercy), is always begun, unless it has already been part of the Penitential Act. Since it is a chant by which the faithful acclaim the Lord and implore his mercy, it is usually executed by everyone, that is to say, with the people and the choir or cantor taking part in it.

Each acclamation is usually pronounced twice, though it is not to be excluded that it be repeated several times, by reason of the character of the various languages, as well as of the artistry of the music or of other circumstances. When the Kyrie is sung as a part of the Penitential Act, a “trope” precedes each acclamation.

This piece may or may not be considered part of the Penitential Act. If not, it would be one of those musical elements which stands as a rite on its own.

This may be a choral piece, but “usually” is a matter for assembly participation. My interpretation would be that the usual experience of any worshiper would be to participate, not just attending to a majority of Masses offered.

There is considerable leeway for the multiple repetition of invocations, rather than just the common call and response. Composers or arrangers are given room for “artistic” expression.

Thoughts?

This section highlights six possible ways to continue faith formation in believers.

71. For continuing education in the faith, the ministry of the word uses many forms of catechesis. Among these the following may be highlighted:

– The study and exploration of Sacred Scripture, read not only in the Church but with the Church and her living faith, which helps to discover divine truth, which it contains, in such a way as to arouse a response of faith. (214) The “lectio divina” is an eminent form of this vital study of Scripture.

Lectio Divina: oh yes!

– A Christian reading of events, which is required of the missionary vocation of the Christian community. In this respect the study of the social teaching of the Church is indispensable, since “its main aim is to interpret these realities, determining their conformity with or divergence from the lines of the Gospel teaching”. (215)

One possibility might be the review of the document Economic Justice For All, for which we observe a rather quiet silver anniversary this year.

– Liturgical catechesis, prepares for the sacraments by promoting a deeper understanding and experience of the liturgy. This explains the contents of the prayers, the meaning of the signs and gestures, educates to active participation, contemplation and silence. It must be regarded as an “eminent kind of catechesis”. (216)

Not to mention mystagogy after the celebration of the sacraments. Don’t you like the appearance of active participation here? It goes well with its liturgical companions: contemplation and silence.

– Occasional catechesis which seeks to interpret determined circumstances of personal, family, ecclesial or social life and to help live them in the prospect offaith.(217)

Topical workshops, in other words. I find that in the busy life of a parish, these events can be especially attractive to parishioners curious, but heavily occupied by other commitments.

– Initiatives of spiritual formation which seek to reinforce conviction, open new prospectives and encourage perseverance in prayer and in the duties of following Christ.

Retreats. Missions. Matters less of the classroom and more of the apprenticeship in the spiritual life.

– A systematic deepening of the Christian message by means of theological instruction, so as truly to educate in the faith, encourage growth in understanding of it and to equip the Christian for giving the reason for his hope in the present world. (218) In a certain sense, it is appropriate to call such instruction “perfective catechesis”.

(214) Cf. Dei Verbum 21-25; Pontifical Biblical Commission, The interpretation of the Bible in the Church (21 September 1993), especially in IV, see 2 and 3, Città del Vaticano 1993.

(215) Sollicitudo Rei Socialis 41; cf. Centesimus Annus 5, 53-62. Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the study and teaching of the Social Doctrine of the Church in the formation of priests (30 December, 1988), Rome 1988.

(216) Catechesi Tradendae 23. Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 35 ad 3; canon law 777, 1 and 2.

(217) Cf. Catechesi Tradendae 21c and 47; General Catechetical Directory (1971) 96 c, d, e, f.

(218) Cf. 1 Pt 3,15 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Dominum veritatis, n. 6b l.c. 1552. Confer also what is indicated in Catechesi Tradendae 61, about the correlation between catechesis and theology.

Anything to add, my friends?

Today we look at two sections under the heading of “Reverence to the Altar and Greeting of the Assembled People.”

49. When they have arrived at the sanctuary, the Priest, the Deacon, and the ministers reverence the altar with a profound bow.

Moreover, as an expression of veneration, the Priest and Deacon then kiss the altar itself; the Priest, if appropriate, also incenses the cross and the altar.

50. When the Entrance Chant is concluded, the Priest stands at the chair and, together with the whole gathering, signs himself with the Sign of the Cross. Then by means of the Greeting he signifies the presence of the Lord to the assembled community. By this greeting and the people’s response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest.

After the greeting of the people, the Priest, or the Deacon, or a lay minister may very briefly introduce the faithful to the Mass of the day.

Nothing here is really controversial or disputed. Note the gesture to the altar is a bow, not a genuflection. Commentary on the Mass of the day is optional, and if used, should be “very brief.”

What is new from the 1975 GIRM? Just two things: the incensing of the cross at the entrance, and the directive for the priest to lead the greeting (and presumably the rest of the introductory rites) at the chair.

Let’s chat about liturgy and faith formation, shall we? This is really a gem of a passage in the GDC, one of my favorites:

70. In the Christian community the disciples of Jesus Christ are nourished at a twofold table; “that of the word of God and that of the Body of Christ”. (Dei Verbum 21) The Gospel and the Eucharist are the constant food for the journey to the Father’s House. The action of the Holy Spirit operates so that the gift of “communion” and the task of “mission” are deepened and lived in an increasingly intense way.

Continuing formation in the faith is directed not only to the individual Christian, to accompany them in their journey towards holiness, but also to the Christian community as such so that it may mature also in its interior life of love of God and of the brethren as well as in its openness to the world as a missionary community. The desire of Jesus and his prayer to the Father are an unceasing appeal: “May they all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me”. (Jn 17:21) Approaching this ideal, little by little, demands of the community a great fidelity to the action of the Holy Spirit, the constant nourishment of the Body and Blood of Christ and continuing education in the faith, listening all the time to the word.

At this table of the word of God, the homily occupies a privileged position, since it “takes up again the journey of faith put forward by catechesis and brings it to its natural fulfilment, at the same time it encourages the Lord’s disciples to begin anew each day their spiritual journey in truth, adoration and thanksgiving”.*

* Cf. Catechesi Tradendae 48; cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 52; Dei Verbum 24; General Catechetical Directory (1971) 17; General Introduction to the Lectionary, 24.

There is so much to say about this very rich passage. The implication of the Church being on a pilgrimage is at once a comfort and a challenge. We are on a journey. Fine. This journey leads to holiness and demands real commitment. Whoa.

It is good that God demands “fidelity” rather than a finished product. But note that the Church recognizes this is not permitting believers to be wussies about the faith. Gradual conversion, step-by-step progress in holiness: this is difficult work. It requires the constant nourishment of the Eucharist.

Take a bit of time and read through that passage again. If you all were an adult formation session in a parish or workshop setting, I would ask about the personal path of discipleship: where are you seeing this journey take place for you as an individual. I would also ask the question of your faith communities. Saint Paul, in today’s first reading, seems to have an expectation that a community attuned to the grace of the Holy Spirit, would be in possession of and aware of the spiritual gifts in its midst:

(Y)ou are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:7)

How are we doing, do you think?

One of reform2′s favorite sections. It helps when one has read GIRM 40 plus all the relevant texts that address singing by the assembled community. Regardless, here are the passages of the day:

47. When the people are gathered, and as the Priest enters with the Deacon and ministers, the Entrance Chant begins. Its purpose is to

• open the celebration,
• foster the unity of those who have been gathered,
• introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical time or festivity, and
• accompany the procession of the Priest and ministers.

This should be simple enough. Whatever is sung, and by whomever, must accomplish or at least be pointed to these four purposes. Number two seems particularly important.

Two hierarchies are given in this next section. First, who should sing:

48. This chant is

• sung alternately by the choir and the people or
• similarly by a cantor and the people, or
• entirely by the people, or
• by the choir alone.

and second, what should be sung:

In the Dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for the Entrance Chant:

• (1) the antiphon from the Missal or the antiphon with its Psalm from the Graduale Romanum, as set to music there or in another setting;
• (2) the antiphon and Psalm of the Graduale Simplex for the liturgical time;
• (3) a chant from another collection of Psalms and antiphons, approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop, including Psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms;
• (4) another liturgical chant that is suited to the sacred action, the day, or the time of year, similarly approved by the Conference of Bishops or the Diocesan Bishop.

If there is no singing at the Entrance, the antiphon given in the Missal is recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a reader; otherwise, it is recited by the Priest himself, who may even adapt it as an introductory explanation (cf. no. 31).

Lots of church musicians here and elsewhere bemoan the so-called option four, but I’d have to characterize many of them as ignorant on that point. Which option four? The purpose of the music? Who sings it? What gets sung?

As to what composers and publishers are producing and what parishes are singing. I frequently use the Missal antiphon when it harmonizes with the Lectionary, and that most often happens in Advent or Lent. Very frequently, parishes utilize option three, a setting of a psalm. Sometimes, it happens to be a setting of the entrance psalm. Did you sing Psalm 25 at entrance today? Even if it was in a contemporary style, congrats: you’re an option one musician today.

As a whole, contemporary liturgical music is superior to preconciliar hymnody in that it is generally more reliant on Scripture for text, if not a basic inspiration for the lyrics. And when it is, don’t be bullied by the naysayers pushing their chant scholae to the front of the cafeteria line.