Week 11, Friday. Memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More

DAILY EXCERPT from The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith – Instrumentum Laboris:

Matthew's Gospel gives special attention to the account of Jesus' walking on the water and reaching the Apostles in the boat. After calming the Apostles' fear, he accepts the challenge of St. Peter: "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water" (Mt 14:28). At first, St. Peter walks towards Jesus on the water without any difficulty. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'O man of little faith, why did you doubt?'" (Mt 14:30-31). Afterwards, Jesus and St. Peter together get into the boat and the wind ceases. The disciples, witnesses to this great happening, prostrate themselves before the Lord and make a full profession of faith: "Truly you are the Son of God!" (Mt 14:33).
In our times, St. Peter's experience can be reflected in many of the faithful as well as entire Christian communities, especially in traditionally Christian countries. In fact, because of a lack of faith, various particular Churches are witnessing a decline in sacramental and Christian practice among the faithful to the point that some members can even be called "non-believers" (άπιστοι; cf. Mt 17:17; 13,58). At the same time, many particular Churches, after initially displaying a great enthusiasm, are now showing signs of weariness and apprehension in the face of very complex situations in today's world. Like St. Peter, they grow fearful of opposing forces and temptations of various kinds as well as challenges that surpass their human capabilities. But, just as salvation came to St. Peter from Christ alone, so too the faithful, when they become personally involved as members of an ecclesial community, can experience Christ's saving grace. Only the Lord Jesus can extend his hand and indicate the sure path in the journey of faith. Instrumentum Laboris, paragraphs 3 and 4

PSALM for TODAY

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:3-4, Morning Prayer, Liturgy of the Hours).

COLLECT

O God, Who in martyrdom
have brought true faith to its highest expression,
graciously grant
that, strengthened through the intercession
of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More
we may confirm by the witness of our life
the faith we profess with our lips.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.

EVANGELIZING THOUGHT of the DAY (ETD)

Today’s selection from The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith – Instrumentum Laboris sets us on the turbulent sea of Galilee and the changing times of contemporary society. On the Sea of Galilee and in the boat, Peter and his companions move from a vague grasp of Who Jesus is to a confession of faith. In our day, we are experiencing many who have moved from faith to a vague indifference that threatens both the relationship with Jesus and living His way of life. This relationship and unique way of living is the Gift of Faith, a Gift that is threatened by much in society, especially sin that is manifested, among other ways, as apathy and indifference. Such apathy and indifference often becomes the seed-bed of hostility.

1. The Instrumentum Laboris speaks about a “lack of Faith” causing a decline in Sacramental and Christian practices. What connection do you see between Faith and Sacraments and other aspects of Christian living?

2. How, with the Grace of the Holy Spirit, can we re-capture Sacraments as living encounters with the Person, Jesus Christ?

ETD - 21 June 2012

Evangelizing Thought of the Day (ETD): ““Increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5) is the Apostles' prayer to the Lord Jesus, when they realize that faith, which is a gift from God, is the only way of having a personal relationship with him and fulfilling their vocation as disciples. Their plea arose from an awareness that their limitations kept them from forgiving others. Faith is also needed in performing signs which illustrate the presence of the Kingdom of God in the world. Jesus used the fig tree, withered to its roots, to encourage his disciples. "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mk 11:22-24). St. Mark the Evangelist also emphasizes the importance of faith in accomplishing great works. "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea', it will be done" (Mt 21:21).

On various occasions, the Lord Jesus admonishes "the Twelve" for their lack of faith. To the question of why they were unable to cast out a demon, the Master responds: "Because of your little faith" (Δια την όλιγοπιστίαν ύμών) (Mt 17:20). On the Sea of Tiberias, before calming the storm, Jesus reproves his disciples: "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?"(όλιγόπιστοι) (Mt 8:26). They were to entrust themselves to God and to Providence, and not worry about material things. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?" (Mt 6:30; cf. Lk 12:28). A similar situation takes place before the multiplication of the loaves. Faced with the realization that the disciples had forgotten to take bread in crossing to the other side of the lake, the Lord Jesus says: "O men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?" (Mt16:8-9). Instrumentum Laboris: The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith (June 2012), Preface, paragraphs 1 and 2.”

When the Lineamenta: The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith (March 2011) was published, the document’s Preface began with the “Great Commissioning (Mt. 28:16-20)” and the imperative “Go into the whole world.” The Instrumentum Laboris begins with the disciples’ request for an increase of faith.

1). How do you describe faith?

2). What is significant about the Lineamenta beginning with the “Great Commissioning” and the Instrumentum Laboris beginning on the note of faith?

(Please share your responses via the Comment option).

Something new: “Evangelizing Thought of the Day” (ETD) and EADs

At the risk of adding another meaning to the abbreviation ETD (by some accounts, there are already 31), it seems a worthwhile undertaking to add another one. ETD, also known as “Evangelizing Thought of the Day,” will be a few tweets that link to a short blog entry, hopefully on a daily basis. The tweets will be short excerpts sequentially taken from the Instrumentum Laboris: New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith (19 June 2012), and a quote or two from the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass or prayed in the Liturgy of the Hours. Having studied (and continue to do so) the Lineamenta: New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith and worked with a few groups including a great group of seminarians from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary (Philadelphia), there is still much work to do in getting this message of evangelization out to the world, beginning with the evangelizing work the Holy Spirit wants to do in each of our lives that we may live the life of Jesus Christ Crucified more faithfully Whose life and love reveals the Father to us.

A point that has become crystal clear in studying the Lineamenta and now the Instrumentum Laboris is that everyone is tired of good words, meetings, and study that have not translated into transforming action. A character that I often appeal to in teaching theology to undergraduate is the “adult in a Charlie Brown” cartoon: blah, blah, blah; wah, wah, wah! The work of the New Evangelization cannot be about another vocabulary set of buzzwords and theology that only sounds great without any connection to life, especially the Life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

A group I am part of presently is wonderful – they participate selflessly to learn something to help family and friends back to the Lord in His Church. They are reading, studying, praying and honestly discussing BUT – and it is a big BUT – they want something concrete to do that will make a difference in people’s lives, especially those who have drifted away from the Lord’s Body, His Church.

So … I propose that an ETD (Evangelizing Thought of the Day) become in the end an EAD: “Evangelizing Action for the Day.” This is not action for the sake of action, but action that flows from the prayer of the Church and good theology to serve the needs of fellow human beings. While I may offer a question for reflection that could lead to action, I invite members of the blog to offer comment. There are great, solid ideas that the Holy Spirit is stirring in ALL our hearts. One example from a parish group occurred at Christmas time when some parishioners sent specially worded prayer/Mass ‘Christmas’ cards inviting a few neighbors to Mass on Advent IV, followed by brunch at home and a willingness to accompany them to the communal Sacrament of Penance later that week. When asked “did it work?” and “how many came back?” she smiled and said, “I don’t know. That’s not my job to worry about the numbers. My home was full for brunch and I have been able to plant through His grace and the Lord will do the rest!” That is great wisdom and great action. I am hoping the comment section can be a great resource for all of us.

Synod of Bishops: New Evangelization

The Instrumentum Laboris (“working document”) for October’s Synod on the New Evangelization was released this morning in Rome. World-wide reflection on the Lineamenta released in March 2011 and responses sent to Rome have yielded quite an impressive document.

While the Instrumentum Laboris is a wonderful theological document that will give all who read it a deeper exposure to good theology, it is a document well worth spiritual reading AND pondering for these summer days.

As I have worked and continue to work with groups of people studying the Lineamenta, I have been most impressed with everyone's concern about not only their own spiritual life, but how to effectively witness to the life of Jesus Christ and help to bring people back to communion, encounter and relationship with Him.

Vatican news coverage of the release:
http://www.news.va/en/news/synod-2012-the-new-evangelization-for-the-transmis

Document itself: 
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20120619_instrumentum-xiii_en.pdf

Here is the Table of Contents/Outline:

Index

Preface iii

Introduction 1

The Point of Reference, 1

Expectations from The Synod, 2

The Topic of the Synodal Assembly, 3

From the Second Vatican Council to the New Evangelization, 4

The Format of the Instrumentum Laboris, 8

Chapter I

• Jesus Christ, The Good News Of God to Humanity, 11
• Jesus Christ, The Evangelizer, 12
• The Church, Evangelized And Evangelizing, 14
• The Gospel, A Gift for Every Person, 16
• The Duty to Evangelize, 18
• Evangelization and Church Renewal, 20

Chapter II

• Time for a New Evangelization, 23
• The Question of a “New Evangelization”, 24
• The Sectors of the New Evangelization, 27
• The New Frontier of the Communications Sector,  30
• Changes in the Religious Sector, 32
• Christians within these Sectors, 33
• Mission Ad Gentes, Pastoral Care and a New Evangelization, 37
• Parish Transformation and the New Evangelization, 38
• A Definition and Its Meaning, 40

Chapter III

• Transmitting the Faith, 45
• The Primacy of Faith, 46
• The Church Transmits the Faith Which She Herself Lives, 48
• The Pedagogy of the Faith, 49
• The Persons Involved in the Transmission of the Faith, 52
• The Family, The Model – Place for Evangelization, 54
• Called To Evangelize, 55
• Giving an Account for One’s Faith, 57
• The Fruits of The Faith, 59

Chapter IV

• Revivifying Pastoral Activity, 63
• Christian Initiation, an Evangelizing Process, 64
• The Demands of Initial Proclamation, 66
• Transmitting the Faith, Educating the Person, 70
• Faith and Knowledge, 71
• The Basis for an Evangelizing Pastoral Programme, 73
• The Centrality of Vocations, 74

Conclusion

• Jesus Christ, the Gospel Engendering Hope, 78
• The Joy of Evangelizing, 79

Here is the text from this morning’s statement given in the Vatican:

Vatican City, 19 June 2012 (VIS) - A press conference was held this morning in the Holy See Press Office to present the "Instumentum laboris" of the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which is due to be held in the Vatican from 7 to 28 October on the theme: "The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith". The document was presented by Archbishop Nikola Eterovic and Bishop Fortunato Frezza, respectively secretary general and under secretary of the Synod of Bishops.


The Synod Fathers, Archbishop Eterovic said, "will reflect upon the transmission of Christian faith, one of the great challenges facing the Church which will be examined in the context of new evangelisation. ... The work of the Synod will be enriched by its association with the Year of Faith", which begins on 11 October.


The secretary general of the Synod explained that the "Instumentum laboris" includes a preface, an introduction, four chapters and a conclusion. The Introduction brings together the views of episcopal conferences, which concur "on the need for new tools and new forms of expression to make the Word of God more understandable in the life of modern man. The Synod will hopefully be an opportunity to discuss and compare points of view and practical experiences, to be shared in order to provide encouragement to pastors and particular Churches".


The first of the four chapters, entitled "Jesus Christ the Good News of God to Humanity", reiterates "the central nucleus of Christian faith, of which many people are unaware, and presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Good News for modern man. ... New evangelisation is an expression of the internal dynamism of Christianity, which wishes to make men and women of good will know the 'depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge' of the mystery of God revealed in Jesus Christ; it is not a weary response to the crisis of faith and the challenges facing the Church in the modern world".


Chapter two is entitled: "Time for a New Evangelisation". It focuses chiefly on "identifying the challenges evangelisation currently faces", and on "describing the new evangelisation. ... The new challenges to evangelisation in the contemporary world are described in various different scenarios. The Church is called to discern those scenarios, so 'that they might be turned into places for proclaiming the Gospel and experiencing the Church'. ...The work of new evangelisation aims at a renewal of the ordinary pastoral activity of particular Churches while, at the same time, seeking to arouse a new sensibility towards people who have left the Church. This requires a measure of evangelical creativity and boldness". The archbishop pointed out that almost all the responses received when preparing the document "highlighted the lack of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. This requires, among other things, strong pastoral care of vocations", he said.


Turning then to consider Chapter three, "Transmitting the Faith", Archbishop Eterovic noted that "the purpose of new evangelisation is the transmission of faith. The Church transmits the faith from which she herself lives, and all Christians are called to make their contribution. ... The obstacles to the faith can be within the Church (faith lived passively or privately, refusal to be educated in one's faith, separation between life and faith) or outside Christian life altogether (secularisation, nihilism consumerism, hedonism). ... The Year of Faith is a pressing appeal to conversion so that, transformed by grace, each individual Christian and each community may produce abundant fruits. This may include ecumenical commitment, the search for truth, inter-religious dialogue, and the courage to denounce infidelity and scandals within the Christian community".


The last chapter of the "Instrumentum laboris" is entitled "Revivifying Pastoral Activity" and focuses on "the transmission of faith ... by again emphasising the instruments developed through Tradition - in particular the first proclamation, Christian initiation and education - while seeking to adapt them to current cultural and social circumstances. ... From a theological point of view, we must better understand the sequence of the Sacraments of Christian initiation, which culminates in the Eucharist, and reflect on models to be translated into deeply meaningful pastoral practices".


The Conclusion of the document reaffirms that "new evangelisation means giving the reason for our faith, communicating the Logos of hope to a world which seeks salvation".

Ordinary Time, Week 11

ANTIPHON

O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to You; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Savior! (Psalm 27:7, 9)

COLLECT

O God, strength of those who hope in You,
graciously hear our pleas,
and, since without You mortal frailty can do nothing,
grant us always the help of Your grace,
that in following Your commands
we may please You by our resolve and our deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Lord, it is good to give thanks to you. (Psalm 92:2).

GOSPEL EXCERPT

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private (Mark 4:26-34).

REFLECTION

In a week that saw increased unemployment here in the United States, more threating economic instability in Europe, Catholic Bishops concluding a meeting and a dire walk that not only inspired but painted a new image for Saint Paul’s often quoted, “we walk by faith and not by sight,” we listen today to Gospel parables reflecting on how scattered seed grows and the perplexing fact of a small seed yielding a large shrub as many in the world honor Dad on a day that bears his name.

It is helpful to review previous posts concerning parables and the Kingdom of God particularly as they are used in the Gospels. That information helps us once again to focus on the lessons essential to “walk by faith and not by sight.” Also important by way of review are the previous 25 verses of this chapter in the Gospel according to Saint Mark. Jesus’ teaching in those verses and the text of this Sunday form an important foundation for the concluding episode of this chapter that asks a most haunting and elemental question of Christian living, “Who do you say I AM?”

As for the parables at hand, questions concerning ‘how’ and ‘quantity’ frame the presentation and invite pondering minds and hearts to reflect on the message of the Kingdom of the God. ‘How something works’ and ‘how big it is – or – how much of that item one has on hand’ are characteristics of a contemporary approach to life. When I can solve the enigma of how something works, I have a certain mastery over that given reality. I can then play with it, tweak it, adjust it, manipulate it according to my own whim or agenda. In contrast, the one who scattered the seed is oblivious to how the seed grows. He sleeps and the seed grows – not that there is a direct causal connection here but the fact is that in terms of the Kingdom, something happens even though I or others can not explain the how.

Consider the Parable of the Mustard Seed: in contemporary culture, especially Western cosmology ‘might makes right.’ If 1 is good, 2, 3 or 4 are even better. Statistics, actuary studies and numbering crunching often rule the day in terms of decision-making. Sadly, even the institutional Church from time to time falls prey to this way of thinking when decisions are made devoid of human interaction, contact and the light of the Gospel. Life according to brute facts or seemingly ‘objective’ numbers is not Kingdom living. This is not to say that one throws caution, prudence and stewardship to the wind. The reality of the Kingdom demands a different approach to life because as Kingdom living unfolds - the least significant is often the most significant, the little is great.

‘How’ and ‘quantity’ are just two aspects of these parables that Jesus casts within the context of mystery (see Mark 4:11). What is important here is that mystery is not a synonym for unknowable, even though this is the popular meaning of mystery. Within a Christian context or the context of Kingdom living, mystery is the approach one takes to living. Far from being primarily concerned about the unknowable, mystery in early Christianity and certainly later in the age of the Fathers of the Church is primarily about ‘the unfolding of life.’ Christian teachers ‘baptized’ the Greek approach to mystery which held that it was a term that best expressed being formed to live in a particular way. Christian Mystery expressed adventure, surprise and freedom because one approached life not as a reality to be controlled or quantified, but to be made known – hence the often used English word ‘unfolding’ to describe mystery in its most primal and essential meaning. True, even the early Christians knew there were dimensions of Kingdom living that they could not intellectually articulate. But this was not the reason for using the word mystery. They held, as we need to recapture, that mystery is a way of living the Kingdom where I am not in control. Life is lived in the mode of response free from the pressure to break it down and figure it out or to quantify it into managerial segments that I orchestrate. The Mystery of the Kingdom is to sleep in the Lord and rejoice gratefully in the growth and life that unfolds to build-up the Body of Christ here-and-now.

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

ANTIPHON

He fed them with the finest wheat and satisfied the with honey from the rock (Psalm 80:17).

COLLECT

O God, Who in this wonderful Sacrament,
have left us a memorial of Your Passion
grant us, we pray,
so to revere the Sacred Mysteries of Your Body and Blood
that we may always experience in ourselves
the fruits of Your redemption.
Who live and reign with God the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

SCRIPTURE

Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
he entered once for all into the sanctuary,
not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled
so that their flesh is cleansed,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance
from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:11-15).

REFLECTION

Where do we begin on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ? Is there anything we can comprehend about Jesus’ complete gift of Himself to us? Deep, mind-spinning questions often flood our minds when we ponder the Mystery of Christ’s Body and Blood even momentarily. We get ‘stuck’ on questions such as “How can this be (remember somebody else early in Luke's Gospel asking this question)?” How can can I comprehend and explain transubstantiation? If this is true, why do so few participate in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist? Since the Holy Eucharist is a mystery and therefore I will never understand completely, why waste time talking and reading about this?

The questions are not necessarily bad or wrong, just misdirected. Theological questions are good provided they keep us responding to the Living, Loving God with lives that give evidence of charity and service. The difficulty is that many of our questions want ‘to figure things out’ and once we ‘think’ we have figured things out, we stop searching for meaning because we think we have mastered the mystery of the unknown.

Wonderfully, Church’s rich heritage of liturgical music offers us an insight from the experience of worship and devotion. Our repertoire of sacred chant and music stirs the mind and heart, creating an environment ready to receive and to cooperate with the abundance of life and love the Holy Spirit showers upon us daily. Take, for example, the hymn Ave verum corpus. Even though historians debate the author, (some say Saint Thomas Aquinas, others Pope Innocent III, IV or perhaps even V), the text offers some points for reflections appropriate for today’s Solemnity.

“Ave, verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine,” - Hail, true body born of the Virgin Mary: Jesus is a real Person, period. He is not a myth. He is not a fictitious person of an imaginary story. Even before pondering His Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist, we have to ask ourselves, ‘do I (and we as a community of faith) believe that Jesus Christ is a real Divine Person Who once lived among us at a particular time and in a particular place with both divine and human natures (the Mystery of the Incarnation)?’ Do I believe this Person preached and lived a new way of life called the Kingdom of God that called one to daily conversion and belief? Do I adore Him as the God-man, the High Priest Who, in the words from Hebrews "cleanses our consciences from dead works to worship the living God?"

“Vere passum immolatum in Cruce pro homine,” - Who truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for man: Jesus’ message of Kingdom living cost Him His human life as an innocent victim. His life among us was eminently self-less. Do I (and we as a community of faith) live sacrificially or is life on my terms? Do I project and live an attitude of entitlement? Do I charitably serve the needs of others as Jesus did in His ministry?

“Cujus latus perforatum unda fluxit et sanguine,” - Whose pierced side overflowed with water and blood: Even in death, Jesus gives life and blesses us with His Presence: water (the Gift of Baptism) and blood (the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist). How often have I considered the 'price' Jesus paid for our salvation? Do I recognize and reverence His Presence in the people around me?

“Esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine.” - Be for us a foretaste in the test of death: Jesus teaches with His life that there is more to life than what we see around us. The goodness of life in the here-and-now is temporary. We live fully in the present knowing that our lives are being drawn to an eternity of life and love, or as Hebrews states, "the promised eternal inheritance." Hence, do I live with a view towards the eternity of life with Father, Son and Holy Spirit – OR – do “I want it all, and I want it now?” Do I assist others in helping them to live Jesus’ life?

In the end, this Solemn Day reminds us that the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist, similar to last week's celebration of the Most Holy Trinity, is not a thing to be figured out, but a Person Who calls us as His Body to be in communion with Him as we joyfully, charitably and selflessly serve Him in one another.

PREFACE: THE FRUITS OF THE MOST HOLY EUCHARIST

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation
always and everywhere to give You thanks,
Lord, Holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

For at the Last Supper with His Apostles,
establishing for the ages to come the saving
memorial of the Cross,
He offered Himself to You as the unblemished Lamb,
the acceptable Gift of perfect praise.
Nourishing You faithful by this Sacred Mystery,
You make them holy, so that the human race,
bounded by one world, may be enlightened by one faith
and united by one bond of charity.

And so, we approach the table of this wondrous Sacrament,
so that, bather in the sweetness of Your grace,
we may passover to the heavenly realities here foreshadowed.

Therefore, all creatures of heaven and earth
sing a new song in adoration, and we,
with all the host of Angels, cry out,
and without end end we acclaim:

Pentecost

ANTIPHON

The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world and that which contains all things understands what is said, alleluia. (Wisdom 1:7)

COLLECT

O God, Who by the mystery of today's great feast
sanctify Your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
across the face of the earth
and, with the divine grace that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hearts of believers.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father,
he will testify (μαρτυρήσει) to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear (βαστάζειν) it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide (ὁδηγήσει, hodegesei) you to all truth (ἀληθείᾳ, aletheia).
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.” (John 15:26-27; 16:12-15).”

REFLECTION

Saint Augustine, a fourth century Father of the Church, offers rich insight to this Sunday's Word in his work Tractates on the Gospel of John:

Beloved, you should not expect to hear from us what the Lord refrained from telling his disciples because they were still unable to bear them. Rather, seek to grow in the love that is shed abroad in your hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to you so that, fervent in spirit and loving spiritual things, you may be able—not by any sign apparent to your bodily eyes or any sound striking on your bodily ears but by the inward eyesight and hearing—to become acquainted with that spiritual light and that spiritual word that carnal people are unable to bear. For that cannot be loved that is altogether unknown. But when what is known, in however small a measure, is also loved, by the same love, one is led on to a better and fuller knowledge. If, then, you grow in the love that the Holy Spirit spreads abroad in your hearts, “He will teach you all truth,” or, as other codices have it, “He will guide you in all truth”; as it is said, “Lead me in your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth.” So shall the result be, that not from outward teachers will you learn those things that the Lord at that time declined to utter, but you will all be taught by God, so that the very things that you have learned and believed by means of lessons and sermons supplied from without . . . your minds themselves may have the power to perceive.

Accordingly, when he says, “He will teach you all truth” or “will guide you into all truth,” I do not think the fulfillment is possible in anyone’s mind in this present life. For who is there, while living in this corruptible and soul oppressing body, that can know all truth when even the apostle says, “We know in part”? But it is effected by the Holy Spirit, of whom we have now received the promise, that we shall attain also to the actual fullness of knowledge that the same apostle references when he says, “But then face to face” and “Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.” He is not talking about something he knows fully in this life but about something that would still be in the future when he would attain that perfection. This is what the Lord promised us through the love of the Spirit, when he said, “He will teach you all truth” or “will guide you unto all truth.” (Saint Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John)

PREFACE

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvations,
always and everywhere to give You thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.

For, brining Your Paschal Mystery to completion,
You bestowed the Holy Spirit today
on those You made Your adopted children
by uniting them to Your Only Begotten Son.
This Same Spirit, as the Church came to birth,
opened to all peoples the knowledge of God
and brought together the many languages of the earth
in profession of the one faith.

There, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your praise
and even the heavenly Powers, with angelic hosts
sing together the unending hymn of Your glory,
as they acclaim:

A prayer to prepare for Pentecost

PENTECOST PRAYER

At the conclusion of his annual retreat, Pope Benedict penned the following prayer. May this prayer aide our preparation for the Solemnity of Pentecost.

Spirit of Life, who in the beginning alighted upon the abyss, help humanity in our time to understand that the exclusion of God leads us to lose ourselves in the desert of the world, and that only when we enter into faith do dignity and freedom flourish and society can be built up in justice.

Spirit of Pentecost, who makes one Body of the Church, restore unto us, the baptized, an authentic experience of communion; make of us a living sign of the presence of the Risen One in the world, a community of saints that lives in the service of love.

Holy Spirit, who enables our mission, allow us to recognize that, even in our time, many people are seeking the truth of their existence and of the world. Make us coworkers for their joy in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the grain of God's wheat, who makes our life's journey good and assures us the abundance of the harvest.

Amen.

Easter, the Seventh Sunday

ANTIPHON

O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to You; of You my heart has spoken: Seek His face; hide not Your face from me, alleluia. (Psalm 27:7-9)

COLLECT

Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord,
so that we, who believe that the Savior of the human race
is with You in Your glory
may experience, as He promised,
until the end of the world,
His abiding presence among us.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

The Lord has set his throne in heaven. (Psalm 103:19).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: "Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth." (John 17:11-19).”

REFLECTION

Saint Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth century Father of the Church, offers rich insight to this Sunday's Word in Homily 15 of his Commentary on the Song of Songs.

When love has entirely cast out fear, and fear has been transformed into love, then the unity brought us by our savior will be fully realized, for all men will be united with one another through their union with the one supreme Good. They will possess the perfection ascribed to the dove, according to our interpretation of the text: One alone is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only child of her mother, her chosen one.

Our Lord’s words in the gospel bring out the meaning of this text more clearly. After having conferred all power on his disciples by his blessing, he obtained many other gifts for them by his prayer to the Father. Among these was included the greatest gift of all, which was that they were no longer to be divided in their judgment of what was right and good, for they were all to be united to the one supreme Good. As the Apostle says, they were to be bound together with the bonds of peace in the unity that comes from the Holy Spirit. They were to be made one body and one spirit by the one hope to which they were all called. We shall do better, however, to quote the sacred words of the gospel itself. I pray, the Lord says, that they all may be one; that as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so they also may be one in us. Now the bond that creates this unity is glory. That the Holy Spirit is called glory no one can deny if he thinks carefully about the Lord’s words: The glory you gave to me, I have given to them. In fact, he gave this glory to his disciples when he said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. Although he had always possessed it, even before the world existed, he himself received this glory when he put on human nature. Then, when his human nature had been glorified by the Spirit, the glory of the Spirit was passed on to all his kin, beginning with his disciples. This is why he said: The glory you gave to me, I have given to them, so that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, I want them to be perfectly one.

Whoever has grown from infancy to manhood and attained to spiritual maturity possesses the mastery over his passions and the purity that makes it possible for him to receive the glory of the Spirit. He is that perfect dove upon whom the eyes of the bridegroom rest when he says: One alone is my dove, my perfect one.

Easter, the Sixth Sunday

ANTIPHON

Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth: the Lord has freed His people, alleluia. (Isaiah 48:20)

COLLECT

Grant, almighty God,
that we may celebrate with heartfelt devotion
these days of joy,
which we keep in honor of the Rise Lord
and that what we relive in remembrance
we may always hold to in what we do
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. (Psalm 98:2).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves (ἠγάπησέν) me, so I also love you (ἠγάπησα). Remain (μείνατε) in my love (ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ). If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

“I have told you this so that my joy (ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ) may be in you and your joy might be complete (πληρωθῇ). This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another (John 15:9-17).”

REFLECTION

Last week’s echo of “remain” still sounds boldly on this Sunday of Easter. That rich verb μένω (meno), translated here and throughout the Johannine Gospel as to remain, conveys a very engaging activity of building a place to live. μένω (meno) does not mean to remain in a static state of standing still or passively waiting around for something to happen out-of-the-blue. It rather paints a picture of someone single-mindedly working to prepare one’s home to receive a guest. The anticipation of the guest’s arrival and the thoughts of the guest spending time with the host fills everyone with joy. The anticipation of the visit also moves the host to change whatever is needed to accommodate the guest.

But what is the source of that joy? What causes one to engage in the active response-work of μένω (meno)? The answer, from the lips of Jesus, simply is to remain “in my love.” We need to take seriously this entire phrase and not simply the noun "love." Christian living is a qualified and specified love. Let’s face it, in all types of discussions about a whole range of human actions, love is often appealed to as a sort of mitigating license. Everything is OK so long as one loves. (It helps to have the Beatles mantra filling the air in the background to make the discussion sound even nicer and more appealing.) There are as many descriptions of love as there are people. Yet for Jesus, He not only speaks specifically about MY LOVE, He also demonstrates what (actually WHO) this love is in 2 exceptionally concrete ways: the first – keeping the Father’s Commandments; the second – laying down His life. What binds these 2 points together is sacrifice; sacrifice that flows from an act of the will. This is why Christianity contends that love is not a feeling, love is not an emotion – rather love is an act of the will whereby I choose the good of the other. Such an act requires sacrifice on my part. This sacrifice is not only in action, but thought and word as well. How often do I have to have the last word? How often have I plotted to get my own way by orchestrating my own agenda? We compound the matter by then stepping back and complimenting ourselves on a ‘professional job,’ an ‘efficient and equitable use of materials and personnel,’ or worse still – I did it all for love when in fact it has been nothing more than a profound act (or acts) of selfishness. Jesus' command to sacrificial love is creative. It summons one to a way of living that is about the essential good ("good" as used in Genesis) made possible by a free renunciation of self.

Saint Augustine offers a concluding reflection for this Sunday’s Gospel and he tackles a description of Christian love by linking that experience with faith and hope:

But when he said in this way here, “This is my commandment,” as if there were no other, what are we to think? Is, then, the commandment about that love with which we love one another his only one? Is there not another that is still greater, that we should love God? Or did God in truth give to us such a commandment about love alone that we have no need of searching for others? There are three things at least that the apostle commends when he says, “But now abide faith, hope, charity, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.” And although in charity, that is, in love, the two commandments are contained, yet it is here declared to be the greatest, not the only one. Accordingly, what a host of commandments are given to us about faith, what a multitude about hope! Who is there that could collect them together or suffice to number them? But let us ponder the words of the same apostle: “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” And so, where there is love, what can be lacking? And where it is not, what is there that can possibly be profitable? The devil believes but does not love: no one loves who does not believe. One may, indeed, hope for pardon who does not love, but he hopes in vain. But no one can despair who loves. Therefore, where there is love, there will necessarily be faith and hope. And where there is the love of our neighbor, there also will necessarily be the love of God. For one that does not love God, how does he love his neighbor as himself, seeing that he does not even love himself? Such a person is both impious and iniquitous. And he who loves iniquity clearly does not love but hates his own soul. Let us, therefore, hold fast to this precept of the Lord, to love one another, and then we will be doing all else that is commanded, for we have all else contained in this.