Why Go to Mass?

In light of our discussion on the Eucharist this week, this article  in America Magazine by Sr. Mary Ann Walsh really brings the content home for us to our contemporary context.  In Why Go to Mass,  Walsh discusses some real challenges to people's participation in regular weekly worship.  What is really interesting to me are the comments, and the spectrum of ways people are processing her brief story.  A worthwhile question for ministry: how would you enter into conversation with this article or with any one of the comments below?

Mosaic panel with the Emperor Justinian in a Eucharistic Procession, San Vitale, Ravenna, mid 6th century 

Posting on Behalf of Judy

Christ makes us an offer

I used to think of the Mass as the celebration that made Jesus present so you could receive him in Communion.  I thought that the important part began with the Offertory.  The penitential rite, the readings, homily, and creed were sort of an introduction; they were important, but one was not late for Mass if one arrived in time for the Offertory.   That is what I learned in grammar school.

My understanding has grown since then.  I understand that the prayers and readings follow the pattern of Jewish rituals, and that the Word of God speaks to us through the scripture readings.  The homily follows early Christian practice, when the person who was able to read the Hebrew scriptures and letters received from community leaders would read and then comment on them (Cooke and Macy 96).  I also learned this week that for many Protestant Churches, the readings and the sermon are considered the most important part of the service, because that is where religious instruction is chiefly given.  That is why they only occasionally celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Now I understand the Mass as the celebration that makes the Last Supper present and active in the Christian community.  In it, through the ministry of the priest, Christ changes bread and wine into his Body and Blood.  God offers his Son to us to be our food.  If we welcome it with faith and an open heart – like the deer that longs for streams of water (Ps 42:2)  – we enter into communion with Christ, sharing his life, and vice versa. 

Schillebeeckx speaks of Christ’s presence in the host as an offer. 

The presence becomes reciprocal – that is to say, presence in the full and completive human sense – only in the acceptance of this offered presence, and in that way it becomes the presence of Christ in our hearts, which is the very purpose of the eucharist (J 248).

Christ shares with us the desires and longings of his heart, and as our relationship deepens, our greatest joy is to live as Jesus lived, participating in his mission to make his Father known and loved. 

All of my reading and reflection on the Eucharist since I began the LIM program have deepened my joy and love of the Mass, as well as my joy in sharing the love of God each week with the women in the prison - as well as everywhere in my life.

The Real Presence of the Eucharist

Over the past four years that I have taught in a Catholic high school, I have found the most difficult teaching pupils and adults alike have of Catholic theology is not how God can be three persons in one, or how Jesus can be both God and man, but how bread and wine can be the actual body and blood of Christ. No matter how many times Catechists say that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Christ, the average faithful Christian will ask, but is it really Jesus, or just a representation?  Johnson comments this point was of special importance in the middle ages, which will lead to the terminology such as transubstantiation (224).

One can understand the importance of the real presence of the Eucharist and transubstantiation through all of the precious objects that go along with handling the actual body of Christ:

•       A chalice and paten (plate) are used to hold the consecrated species. Both contain a precious metal such as gold or silver. After all, only the finest material should be used to hold Christ.
•       A corporal (placemat) and purificator (napkin) are designed to catch any fragments (crumbs) that may otherwise escape
•       A tabernacle to house the Eucharist when it is not being distributed, and a sanctuary lamp that is lit to indicate that the Eucharist is present in the tabernacle.

Tabernacle

Sanctuary Light

While it may seem silly to those who do not understand transubstantiation, if one recognizes we are truly in presence of Christ, shouldn’t we treat the Eucharist as God – after all, it is God!

By recognizing that I am in the actual presence of Christ when in a Catholic Church, I am encouraged to be more faithful. While God may always know my actions no matter where I am, I recognize that God knows my actions when I physically see God. The Eucharist helps me to understand that God is present in my life. He came down to physically occupy the same space as me!

Another point of interest with how people interact with God in the Eucharist… the joint that connects the mast to the deck on a sailboat is known as a tabernacle. I have searched for the etymology of a sailboat tabernacle without much success. I did discover that sailors would often have prayer services at the base of the mast. If this is the case, perhaps they called this space a tabernacle, as that was the focal point of their prayer. When boarding a ship, it is customary to salute the mast first (towards God) and then the stern (towards the flag). To honor such tradition, I hung a candle holder that resembles a sanctuary light over the tabernacle of my boat in my garage.

The Lord's Table

@ 

First Christian Church Greater New Orleans

The Lord’s Supper

My Heritage and My Experience

I always feel like I am doing a disservice to my denomination when I don’t attempt to explain our positions on certain matters since we are not very well known in this region.  However, I also know that makes for boring reading, but if you just hang in there while I go over a few things, we can get to the more personal side of what the Eucharist, or as we in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) or DOC often call the Lord’s Supper or Communion.

Disciple’s partake of communion weekly and practice what is known as “open” communion.  It is a tradition that dates back to around 1867.  We believe that anyone who claims that Jesus is the Messiah, whether they be baptized or not, or from another Christian denomination, are welcome to partake.  One of our founders, Alexander Campbell was quoted as saying, “We do, indeed, in our affections and in our practice, receive all Christians, all who give evidence of their faith in the Messiah, and of their attachment to his person, character, and will” (Crow 82).  Disciples believe that the Lord’s Supper is where God’s forgiveness is manifested, where it is revealed to all who participate.

The partaking of the Lord’s Supper has often been interpreted by Disciples as remembrance

(I Corinthians 11:24, 25; and Luke 22:19).  However, over time, the theology of remembrance (anamnesis) has been confused with that of memorial.  Some of the confusion came about as Disciples interpreted Zwingli (Johnson 233), but ultimately the theology of the Lord’s Supper is one of remembrance which means representation.  The “remembrance” that takes place in the Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of participating with the saving action that God did through our crucified and resurrected Lord.  It is an event where the presence of Christ is experienced.  British Disciples in 1937 affirmed, “It is not customary for us to speak of the Real Presence in the Eucharist, but we never have been in doubt about the Real Action of God in this sacrament” (Crow 84).

Ultimately, as a Disciple, the Lord’s Supper is central to our worship experience, it is to which all things point.  Although we come from the Reform tradition, Disciples share with the Catholic Church the belief that the Lord’s Supper is the center and climax of worship.   During the time that I spent as a Lutheran (ELCA) youth minister, I often would find myself hungry since we only had communion once a month.  I longed for my Disciples church where the center of all things pointed to that moment when I, with head bowed, would partake of the Lord’s Supper, and meditate on His suffering for me.  It was and still is a mysterious and wonderful moment.  I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t able to go to the table each week, profess my sins, and see in my mind’s eye my Master, crucified for me.  It brings on pains of love for His obedience and joy in His resurrection.  Both are connected and one cannot be separated from the other.

Lastly, partaking of the Lord’s Supper is about unity.  It’s not something that I do individually, but also in community with all believers.  I was sitting with a congregant after worship on Easter Sunday and was talking about the service going over by four minutes.  I told him I thought that my sermon was about twelve minutes when he told me, “No, it was fifteen minutes and thirty seconds.”  I chuckled and asked him if he was another one of my time keepers and he said that he does check his watch regularly, but it’s because he’s trying to time communion.  He went on to tell me that his wife lives in Kentucky and he knows that she has communion at roughly 10:40 am each Sunday, so if it’s 10:40 am when we get to communion, he knows he having communion at the same time she is.  Isn’t that beautiful!  He reminded me of the larger presence of Christ, the Christ that is present with us all when we partake of the Eucharist.

Sharon Watkins (General Minster and President of Christian Church DOC)

Thanksgiving Message on Communion

 Crow, Paul A, Jr. "Ministry And The Sacraments In The Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ)." Encounter 41.1 (1980): 73-89. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

 Johnson, Maxwell E. Sacraments and Worship: The Sources of Christian Theology. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 2012. Print.

Sacraments of Initiation II: Eucharist

Hunger teaches us many things.  Irish Proverb*

Bread on a journey is no burden.  Russian Proverb*

The Johnson readings reminded me that upon receipt of the Eucharist, we have not only participated in God’s sacrifice and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ, but have secured our discharge of duty “to bring the fruits of the Eucharist to the world” (http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/concluding-rites/index.cfm) (Johnson, 191).  “[I]t is not the material of the bread but the word which is said over it is of advantage to him who eats it not unworthily of the Lord. …this bread becomes by prayer a sacred body, which sanctifies those who sincerely partake of it” (Johnson, 188, “Origen of Alexandria”). The Spirit is the “energetic principle of the Word” (188, “Clements of Alexandria”). Neither the visible bread nor the visible drink/wine is God’s body or blood, “but the word, in the mystery of which the bread was to be broken… and drink was to be poured out, ... is which nourishes and the word which gladdens the hearts” (188-89, “Origen of Alexandria”).

Why is the “word” capitalized some times and lower cased others? Isn’t “the Word” which proceeds from “God the Word,” His Son, Jesus Christ? (Johnson 188-89). Are we talking of the Word-Jesus which nourishes the soul? Are we talking of the Gospel scriptures?  Is it both? Is it the “symbolic impact of Jesus of Nazareth, of his person as well as of his life and dying and rising”? (Cooke and Maye, 39). As Cooke and Maye explain, “Jesus is the embodiment of God’s own ‘Word’” which “functions to communicate God’s self-gift to humans, that is expressed in all creation but is uniquely embodied in Jesus…. Jesus is God’s parable. As Jesus, searching for words to describe God, turns to parables, God uses the ‘narrative’ of Jesus’ own person and career, to reveal self” (40).  In turn, our lives “are meant to be, … ‘words’ that symbolize the God revealed in Jesus… it is in this meaning of their lives … Christians bring to their participation in ritual (41).

Restored in heart and soul, “the liturgy does not simply come to an end” (http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/concluding-rites/index.cfm). The presence of Christ in the Eucharist is complete when in our hearts we have accepted “an interpersonal relationship” with Christ displayed in our daily lives bringing the presence of Christ to all we encounter (Johnson, 248-49).

*  Norris, Gunilla. Becoming Bread, Hidden Spring: Mahwah, NJ. 2003. (15, 1).

Breaking the rules?

Sometimes, I feel as if I have a split personality! I usually follow the rules – I stop at red lights; I try not to speed (much!); I generally respect authority; I don’t steal; I love God; I try to love others to the best of my ability. When it comes to the ‘rules’ often associated with church traditions and rituals, however, I find myself time and time again seeking a way to avoid them, run away from them, or simply ignore them. I wasn’t always this way, but the older I get, the more I don’t appreciate the ‘rules’ surrounding traditions. I’m in good company, however – Jesus didn’t either! Jesus healed and picked grain heads on the Sabbath (see Mark 2), among other ‘rules’ he broke. He often called the Pharisees hypocrites. They had lost the heart of the Law. The rules and traditions had become more important.

I love the Lord’s Supper (or Eucharist or Communion). But I wonder what it would be like if we returned to a simpler time, such as described by Justin Martyr (Cooke and Macy 88). Let’s gather around a big table(s) and share a meal together. Someone reads from the Bible and provides encouragement and a lesson. Prayers are shared, as are the bread and wine, in Christ’s memory. Songs of worship and thanksgiving are offered as well as tithes of money, time or belongings, each as they are gifted. All serve each other in whatever way God has blessed them. No rules on time, food or songs required, or even order of service. It would probably drive us all crazy! But I wonder, would it?? Or would we be blessed by the heart of the service – remembering Christ and what he did for us that Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday so many years ago.

One final thought - Cooke and Macy (103-107) outline the ‘Five Elements of Ritual’ that they believe are hallmarks of the Eucharist: Hermeneutic of Experience, Maturation, Presence, Service, and Friendship. If all of our Eucharistic celebrations, in the many faces of Christianity around the globe, have these elements, then why don’t we see more of Christ’s presence in the world from his followers? We should be flooding the planet with his love. To be sure, some are. But 2 billion of us?? Are we truly sharing the bread and wine in remembrance of him?

Cooke, Bernard and Macy, Gary. Christian Symbol and Ritual: An Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.

Lawyer Blog

Lawyer’ Blog:

Week: 13

One of the first points which stood out in this week reading of SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM chapter two is when the writer attempts to illustrate the meaningfulness of the Eucharist by asserting the eating of Jesus Christ. While I understand and value the immeasurable importance of the Eucharistic concept and the mending of the relational context existing between God and humankind, I think the writer got somewhat off track in selecting a more carnal as opposed a more spiritual description of the prominent role Jesus plays in the relationship.

There is also mention of not only the priests reading of the scripture to believers during Mass as a rite, the writing also gives the impression that the priests are the sole controllers of the dispersion of the holy scriptures and have the authority to determine how much of the holy scriptures were to be revealed during the ceremonial proceeding of Mass. This triggered another question: It seems more appropriate and divinely intended by God that Church leadership would encourage believers to read the scriptures for themselves and not be dependent upon priestly leadership to do so for them. I do not how much this is currently the manner of leadership of the Catholic Church, but, I do know that for many centuries it was the norm for priests to forbid followers from having a bible in their possession. I also believe this policy changed at some point in time. I am interested in finding out when the change occurred and what transpired to compel this development in Church history.