Catholic Sensibility

No craters on this 3-mile moon of Saturn. What’s up with that? If this is a pile of ice rubble and dust, then why is it oblong? And maybe there are craters underneath a fluffy surface.

“Liturgical appropriateness” defined:

§ 148 § Appropriateness for liturgical action is the other criterion for choosing a work of art for church. The quality of appropriateness is demonstrated by the work’s ability to bear the weight of mystery, awe, reverence, and wonder that the liturgical action expresses and by the way it serves and does not interrupt the ritual actions which have their own structure, rhythm and movement. Since art is revelatory, a gift from God, a truly beautiful object stretches “beyond what the senses perceive and, reaching beneath reality’s surface, strives to interpret its hidden mystery.” Nonetheless, there is always the chasm between “the work of [the artist's] hands” and the “dazzling perfection” glimpsed in God’s creative moment.(Letter To Artists 6) Art that is used in worship must therefore evoke wonder at its beauty but lead beyond itself to the invisible God. Beautiful, compelling artworks draw the People of God into a deeper awareness of their lives and of their common goals as a Christian community as well as of their roles and responsibilities in the wider world.(Gaudium et Spes 62) Art that fulfills these qualities is art worthy of the Christian assembly.

… and the bishops draw in the notion of beauty.

“Wonder” seems to be the key word here, as the bishops, as John Paul II, and as Vatican II all teach it. It’s not beauty for beauty’s sake. But it’s a quality that leads people beyond the object of admiration. There is a hospitality of sorts, an experience that invites the believer to something more than just an admirable shape, form, or color. It begins with the senses, but leads the believer through a portal into a different place–an encounter with God. In their examination of the relationship between the Church and the modern world, the second point here is that the encounter with the beautiful, with God, should lead to an engagement in the world. In other words, we move from the experience of the Transfiguration, from the wonder-filled encounter with God, and find ourselves inspired to engage ourselves in Christ’s mission in the “wider world.” The suggestion is that the encounter with beauty is not enough. I would hope that art isn’t only about making Christians appreciators–passive spectators, if you will. Art should be something in which the essence of the encounter with God–and not just the preached message–spurs us on to the tasks of that wider world: evangelization, charity, justice, friendship, compassion, and love. My suspicion is that artists can also overthink the “call to action.” It’s going to be a bit more than words and images telling people what the artist thinks we should do. Art should be deep enough that people are inspired, through a discernment of their own gifts, into appropriate responses to the call of God.

All texts from Built of Living Stones are copyright © 2000, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

I think George Weigel and Joe Biden are something of peas in a pod. The Vice-President is prone to vocal gaffes I suppose. Though I don’t have any first-hand experience of them. Mr Weigel, on the other hand, seems to have any number of published thoughts. And some of these seem to be gaffe material. I didn’t think much of his recent essay scolding non-Republicans and singling out the VP like he was some sort of political or Catholic leader. Let’s keep in mind that we are talking about the office of Vice President.

That said, we’ve reached a cultural armageddon of sorts:

Whatever happens on November 6, though, the Catholic Church in America has been changed, likely in irreversible ways, by the experience of this campaign year.

A critical mass of U.S. bishops now understands the challenge of this cultural moment, and these bishops are prepared to exercise their pastoral office in the prophetic way that the challenge of the culture requires.

The 2012 Election is far from being any sort of turning point for bishops, laity, or politicians (Catholic or otherwise). It strikes me as more a year of stay-the-course, only row faster.

When I read some of the conservative essayists this year, I get the idea they’re just trying their best to muster enthusiasm for a not-Obama in the White House. Not everyone seems to be buying it. They’re tired. We know it. They know it.

The real tipping point for the Church was 2002, not 2012. The “critical mass of bishops” has largely missed the message. Many conservatives get their marching orders from the internet. Some of the content arrives from globe-trotting bishops like Burke, Dolan, and Chaput who give speeches and write books and investigate other Catholics–even fellow bishops. But bishops largely don’t have the staying power to generate regular daily enthusiasm like many internet Catholics want. And some conservatives are deeply burned by bishops of their own tribe who have repeatedly offended, sometimes criminally, by mishandling sex abusers.

If there is a critical mass of bishops, they seem to have broken themselves off from the main body of the Church and are off leading who-knows-who who-knows-where. Liberals and conservatives alike practice varying degrees of cafeteria Catholicism. And it’s all fair game: sex, economics, war, education, and even Vatican II. Everybody has their spin. And there are enough bishops these days for an “orthodox” Catholic to find whatever authoritarian voice most conforms to one’s personal Gospel. Then shelter under a particular flag on a particular hill.

There may be more stuff comment-worthy in Mr Weigel’s piece. I have a harder time seeing this guy as a serious intellectual. Mr Biden and Ms Pelosi and Mr Ryan as Catholic leaders? Please. Give me saintly examples of Catholics who live real lives of service. Fewer politicians. Fewer globe-trotting bishops.

I leave it to my Election Day pundits in the commentariat to have at Mr Weigel. Don’t forget to vote.

Lay people are everywhere, including laboring with the clergy with their God-given charisms:

73. Hence the active presence of the laity in the temporal realities takes on all its importance. One cannot, however, neglect or forget the other dimension: the laity can also feel themselves called, or be called, to work with their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community for its growth and life, by exercising a great variety of ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord is pleased to give them.

Forty years ago, this was an occasion of joy for the pope–to see people working, collaborating, and serving together:

We cannot but experience a great inner joy when we see so many pastors, religious and lay people, fired with their mission to evangelize, seeking ever more suitable ways of proclaiming the Gospel effectively. We encourage the openness which the Church is showing today in this direction and with this solicitude. It is an openness to meditation first of all, and then to ecclesial ministries capable of renewing and strengthening the evangelizing vigor of the Church.

Not only does the Church recognize these ministries today, but it acknowledges their Biblical foundations in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit called, and people responded:

It is certain that, side by side with the ordained ministries, whereby certain people are appointed pastors and consecrate themselves in a special way to the service of the community, the Church recognizes the place of non-ordained ministries which are able to offer a particular service to the Church.

A glance at the origins of the Church is very illuminating, and gives the benefit of an early experience in the matter of ministries. It was an experience which was all the more valuable in that it enabled the Church to consolidate herself and to grow and spread. Attention to the sources however has to be complemented by attention to the present needs of (humankind) and of the Church. To drink at these ever inspiring sources without sacrificing anything of their values, and at the same time to know how to adapt oneself to the demands and needs of today- these are the criteria which will make it possible to seek wisely and to discover the ministries which the Church needs and which many of her members will gladly embrace for the sake of ensuring greater vitality in the ecclesial community. These ministries will have a real pastoral value to the extent that they are established with absolute respect for unity and adhering to the directives of the pastors, who are the ones who are responsible for the Church’s unity and the builders thereof.

Pope Paul VI acknowledged the strong role of the laity in evangelical ministries forty years ago. Notice his language of appreciation (“special esteem”) and also his sense of lay ministry as a consecration of time, energy, and life:

These ministries, apparently new but closely tied up with the Church’s living experience down the centuries – such as catechists, directors of prayer and chant, Christians devoted to the service of God’s Word or to assisting their brethren in need, the heads of small communities, or other persons charged with the responsibility of apostolic movements- these ministries are valuable for the establishment, life, and growth of the Church, and for her capacity to influence her surroundings and to reach those who are remote from her. We owe also our special esteem to all the lay people who accept to consecrate a part of their time, their energies, and sometimes their entire lives, to the service of the missions.

Formation is essential for lay ministry, and the pope singles out public speaking as a skill of great importance:

A serious preparation is needed for all workers for evangelization. Such preparation is all the more necessary for those who devote themselves to the ministry of the Word. Being animated by the conviction, ceaselessly deepened, of the greatness and riches of the Word of God, those who have the mission of transmitting it must give the maximum attention to the dignity, precision and adaptation of their language. Everyone knows that the art of speaking takes on today a very great importance. How would preachers and catechists be able to neglect this?

We earnestly desire that in each individual Church the bishops should be vigilant concerning the adequate formation of all the ministers of the Word. This serious preparation will increase in them the indispensable assurance and also the enthusiasm to proclaim today Jesus Christ.

Formation of the laity is a huge task. Consider not only catechists, but the millions of parents. I remember my mother’s example in this, to cite one possibliity. Though not a Catholic, she opted to train as a certified CCD catechist in the days when my siblings and I were being prepared for baptism. She wanted to be “ready for questions” as they arose.

The overall responsibility belongs to the bishop. Keep in mind that ministers of the Word also include lectors and cantors in the liturgical sphere. And for any lay person who feels any urge or hint to speak with others about the faith, a grounding in the Scriptures would seem to be indicated.

Any readerds seeing anything else of importance in this section?