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December 2007 – January 2008 Volume 34 Number 10
Still burning
ON THE COVER:
The Woman at the Well,
part
of the Lent Journey series of stained glass windows by Rob Macdonnell (Desmarais
& Robitaille).
From
Inside
ML: Does fire still burn in us? Some of us have spent a lifetime in
service to God’s people, striving for honesty, inclusivity, and worship
experiences that are real, only to be cast aside for our lack of “authenticity.”
We who are not ordained have helped form children, catechized them, walked
with them through their sacramental journey, given them our very best.
It is not a little shocking to see them a few short years later, cassock-clad,
with a semester of liturgy under their cinctures, and expecting silent
obedience from us. Our seasoned, collaborative, and wise ordained brothers
watch in amazement as these young men claim a culture they never knew,
one that in fact really never existed except on the big screen. Now we
have the additional challenge of two rituals for the same Eucharist — one
celebrating the gifts of all, the other turning its back on the very existence
of those gifts. Is there anything left to burn with passion about, or is
it perhaps time for that flame to flicker and die out?
(More)
FEATURES
Good Friday communion: The cross in sacramental form Patrick Regan Adoration only?
Holy Thursday reservation: Unique but normative Patrick Regan To the sepulcher and back
Liturgy's "certain place": God's and ours Michael Kwatera Staying the course of Vatican II
An extraordinary Lent: Resources for the season Donna M. Cole Rediscovering Lent
ON THE COVER:
Seven Days of Creation,
by
Stephen A. Wilson, is the Best of Show in ML's 2007 Visual Arts Awards:
Art Glass competition. To see more VAA winners, click
here.
From
Inside
ML: This is a very unusual issue of ML. In its entirety, this issue
is crafted to reflect on the healing dimension of ministry. When I say
that, I know most of us think of the outward actions, the ways in which
we facilitate healing, offering hope and the promise of reconciliation
to others. That is some of the hardest work of ministry: reaching out to
those who are suffering, to those marginalized by society or even by the
church, and offering to them the healing presence of Christ. It is soul-wrenching,
heartbreaking work, but even knowing the cost we walk deliberately into
those painful situations because we are compelled to do so by our very
identity. In our good intentions we are often rebuked and rejected, and
some days we think how much easier it would be to just walk away. Other
times the reward for our efforts is immediately evident, and those graced
moments give us the spark that encourages us to labor on. In this issue
we consider not only how we help others to heal but also, of equal importance,
what we must do to maintain our own health. This is an issue without “nuts
and bolts.” Everything points to how we can find our way to the humble
path that calls us to serve without counting the cost, to honor the Christ
present in all who suffer, and to witness always to the God who watches
over each of us in every moment.
(More)
From
Inside
ML: People always ask me about how busy I must be with Christmas and
the church. There is a catch phrase people use without real understanding.
They look at people like me (and you) and say, “She’s very active in the
church.” They often don’t know what it is that I do, but they know I go
to church a lot and am usually able to answer the questions they ask about
Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. Making conversation
about pastoral ministry and the life challenges of that vocation is usually
a strain. Christmas, though, seems to be a safe topic — until I say, “Christmas
is easy. Holy Week is hard.” For those who don’t make the journey to and
through Holy Week, this is incomprehensible.
(More)
FEATURES
Embodying the annunciation Alice Manzi The improbable presence of an angel
Christmas: A season of opposites Michelle Rego Finding the "other side" of Christmas
Getting the flow of the real meaning of Christmas Anne Louise Bannon Exploring the words of Christmas
Hypocrisy and integrity: The challenge of authenticity in liturgical
ministry (part 2) Ed Hogan Sharing in the ministry of Christ
ON THE COVER:
St. John the Beloved
and
Dakota Bench, by Douglas Holtquist, won Best of Show in ML's 2007 Visual
Arts Awards: Sacred Art. For more information about this and other winners,
click
here.
From
Inside
ML: “Do you reject Satan?” We are a people rich with ritual action
and dialogue, so when challenged with these words, we respond (sometimes
too quickly) with, “I do.” Perhaps we do so without really considering
what it means to renounce sin. I once witnessed a liturgy in which the
presider worked his way through both forms of the renunciation of sin.
He then did form A again for good measure, never realizing he was repeating
himself. There was no awareness of the critical nature of the ritual moment.
(More)
ON THE COVER:
Cemetary at the Caldwell
Dominican Motherhouse, Caldwell, N.J.
From
Inside
ML: We are called to celebrate the paschal mystery every day with deliberate
intent. This forms us, sustains our identity, gives us purpose, and offers
us hope in this world and the next. Although we profess to be a sacramental
people, we somehow lose sight of this, both in liturgy and in life. If
we are who we say we are, we should celebrate liturgy not only with full
participation but with the passionate conviction of a people born to new
life in baptism. That new life joins us in intimate communion with believers
yesterday, today, and forever. That communion of saints should be for us
a source of joy and companionship, intercession and consolation, unity
and inspiration. With them we sing praise to our God with one voice and
share the certainty of the resurrection. We long to stand with them at
the banquet of heaven, even as their desire is for us to join them when
we complete our earthly journey. (More)
FEATURES
The communion of saints Elizabeth McNamer Catholic identity
The final blessing Ron Raab Becoming caretakers of passion
The same, but different: Celebrating the Order of Christian Funerals
with cremated remains Thomas B. Iwanowski A ritual study
In the silence of our hearts: Moving from darkness to light Jean Marie DuHamel Reflecting on loss
ON THE COVER:
Cross of the Lost and
Found, by Stephen A. Wilson, is
the Best of Show in ML's 2007 Visual Arts Awards: Sacred Symbols &
Architecture. For more VAA winners,
click
here.
From
Inside
ML: Many years ago at a National Association of Pastoral Musicians
convention, a history of the evolution of liturgical music was presented.
I am unable to recall the presenter, but I clearly recall the experience.
It was a national convention, with at least 2,000 members present, and
the large convention hall was full. Slides were displayed depicting various
historical periods of the church, and representative music of each era
was played. Members sang along from memory with much of this, as is typical
at these gatherings. (If you have never experienced a gathering of pastoral
musicians, “How Can I Keep from Singing?” is a song of life. You can’t
keep them from singing — in elevators, in restaurants, on street corners.
They usually take over the hotel lounge and eject the keyboard player.)
At some point in the presentation, the presenter noted that some of our
ancient hymns continue to be pivotal in our liturgy today. To illustrate
the point, the first verse of the “Pange Lingua” began, and again the room
filled with the sound of thousands of confident voices. Becoming a little
annoyed, I believe, with the direction this was taking, the presenter commented
that most of us could sing the first verse, of course, but how many could
sing the rest from memory after the shift in liturgical music that came
with the Glory & Praise years? (More)
ON THE COVER:
Mary Immaculate Parish, Farmers Branch, Texas.
From
Inside
ML: We hear a lot these days about authenticity. It is critical, it
seems, that the words of worship language be precisely translated, that
our gestures be appropriately subdued (no dancing for joy), and our sung
prayer be carefully monitored. Liturgical abuses must be reported and dealt
with, we are told. The integrity of our faith tradition is at stake. As
I write this, on Ash Wednesday, I recall such an episode of liturgical-abuse
reporting on an Ash Wednesday in a parish where I worked. I was the object
of the report, and my crime was that I sat in the wrong chair. Leading
a prayer service, the third of seven in which I would participate that
day, I had forgotten to put a chair out for myself so that I could sit
for the minute or so that it would take for the reader to proclaim the
word. I sat in the presider’s chair in the sanctuary for that minute, but
as we all know, that is reserved for the ordained presider. The letter
to the bishop was written, the requisite call from the worship office came,
and I was left to defend my heinous act of sitting. (More)
FEATURES
Modern elements and classic design: Diversity in parish life A community process of faith expression
Heaven wedded to earth: Thinking about sacramental architecture Steven J. Schloeder Revelation through the heavenly
things
ON THE COVER:
Jacob's Dream — Prayer
Garden (based on Genesis 28), by Jack Maxwell, is the Best of Show
in ML's 2007 Visual Arts Awards: Devotional Art. For more VAA winners,
click
here.
From
Inside
ML: When did the concept of diversity became so despised and rejected?
Where in the simple command to love each other in the example of Christ
is the restriction to only pray with those whose words exactly match yours,
who sing the same songs and discuss only what is allowed? Over our history
as a Christian people, we have not acted with great kindness to non-Christians.
Tolerance and welcome come with spiritual maturity, perhaps. But more perplexing
is the intolerance we direct toward each other. We are, after all, of one
faith. We profess this emphatically at baptism. But then something goes
wrong and some of us regrettably start hurling theological and liturgical
hoarfrost, each side claiming to be the “true” church, staking claim to
knowledge of the “sense” of one council or the other. Attitudes get out
of control and power is abused, leading to such nonsense as banning songs
with the word “diversity” in the text. (More)
ON THE COVER:
Still Life, Palestine
33 AD limited-edition bronze, life-size, by Douwe Blumberg (www.douwe-studios.com).
From
Inside
ML: It’s not easy being a sacrament. It is a challenging identity to
claim, both as individuals and as community, but it is most definitely
what we are called to be by baptism and through our understanding of the
paschal mystery. Making a commitment to live as sign and symbol of a love
beyond human understanding demands much of us. (More)
FEATURES
From table to table: Connecting liturgy and home life Mary Ann Paulukonis Bringing ritual home
The context of Eucharist Anne Louise Bannon Taking time to tell the story
Becoming life-giving (part 2): Exploring memories of joy Joni Woelfel Connecting with the positive past
Understanding the Mass, praying the Mass (part 2) Tom Iwanowski Eucharistic prayer, communion rite,
and the importance of Mass
ON THE COVER:
Lily Chalice, by
Gilles Beaugrand Silversmiths, is the Best of Show in ML's 2007 Visual
Arts Awards: Ritual Objects. For more VAA winners, click
here.
From
Inside
ML: Over the past few years, Ministry &
Liturgy has taken a deliberate journey. In 2005, we proposed to keep
a firewatch. We made a commitment to tend the fire of hope and to sustain
the passion of those who do the work of liturgy, and so we have. In 2006,
we stirred up the coals and fed that fire. We pushed forward using the
great commission as a guide to living out the service in ministry that
is our mandate by baptism.
In
2007 we find ourselves facing unexpected challenges. With changes in the
language of liturgy, increasing issues of control and compliance, and ongoing
friction between lay ministers and some clergy, the path ahead is neither
level nor smooth. Although many issues demand our attention, priority must
be given to liturgy, for without it as our source and summit, we have nothing
from which to draw our commitment to justice or to the poor. So this year
we turn to the great Vigil as the template and master plan for our efforts.
As a thematic plan I have chosen to use the song of the Vigil, the Exsultet.
(More)
