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Catholicism Week 13

Mystery of the Liturgy and the Eucharist - Part 1

Bishop started this video talking about a strange idea that came from Aristotle, and I instantly realized I was not in the Baptist, or Disciples of Christ, or Pentecostal, or Charismatic Anglican church anymore. None of those denominations would have given any of Aristotle’s ideas a first, let alone a second thought. That was one of the criticisms I heard about the Catholics, they embraced secular philosophy from Plato and Aristotle. It is a very unusual idea, that the most important activities of this life are “useless” …that was the word Bishop used, useless. He did explain the idea with examples, like watching a baseball game was more important than getting a haircut, or cultivating a friendship is greater than making money. It took me a while to get my arms around what Aristotle meant and what Bishop was getting at. He was saying the greatest things we should value in this life are done for the shear joy of doing them, and not for what advantage or value we can get out of them. It took a while, but I began to see what both of them were saying. I have heard it said if you can find a job that you truly enjoy, then work is no longer work. I often envied someone who would tell me, I would do this job even if they didn’t pay me.

Then Bishop dropped this bombshell, “now the liturgy is the most useless thing of all, which means it’s the most important.” Did that twist you head just a little bit, or am I alone in hearing some strangeness in that statement? But then I remembered the first Mass that Jackie and I attended, and the excitement and curiosity that we felt were only surpassed by the joy we were feeling. Then I knew what Bishop was saying, when we celebrate the liturgy “for its own sake, simply because it’s good and beautiful”, a powerful joy is released from the deepest part of our being, and that becomes life changing. Bishop went on to say the Mass is our “participation in, and anticipation of the great heavenly liturgy”, and quoting from Vatican II documents, the Mass is the “source and the summit of the Christian life”. Bishop then proceeds to walk us through the Mass, what he calls this “heavenly and earthly play.”

He begins by the gathering of the people by God for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He takes us to a huge cathedral in San Palo, Brazil showing thousands gathering for the Mass. You can feel the excitement in the people as the move toward and enter the cathedral, in this case all waiving some small flags they have been given…thousands of flags all waving back and forth. Some went that excited, but most looked like they were excited and anticipating something special. The people of God coming together from many ethnic backgrounds, different ages, poor and rich, male and female, all coming together for one purpose. The secular world they have turned their back on has the opposite effect on people, separating them by the color of their skin, how much money they make, promoting the battle of the sexes, splitting into different political camps, taking notice of who’s up and who’s down, who’s in and who’s out…and on and on and on. Bishop tells us about the conversion of the Catholic historian Christopher Dawson, telling his mother about his converting to become Catholic. Her biggest concern was not the difference in doctrine between the Anglican and the Catholics, it was the fact that he would be worshiping with the “help”.

The opening hymn, really the gathering hymn is designed to show in our harmonizing together as we sing, how we should be living in harmony with one another. I wish we could get more folks to actually sing that opening or gathering hymn, cause in some Masses we’re lucky to 50% to join in. Loud singers like me, seem to make some folks around them uncomfortable. In my own loud opinion, most loud singers should just keep right on singing loud and not worrying about offending those around them, in fact it might actually wake up a few them.

The liturgy proper begins with the priest speaking the words, “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit”, as we all cross ourselves, renewing a vow that all of us have made, that we all belong to the Triune God. The secular modern world tells you just the opposite, you belong to no one, you need to be your own person, you are no one’s slave, you need to “do it your way.” That is not Christianity, and that is not the Catholic faith. St. Paul makes it very clear, Romans 14:7–9 (RSV2CE) 7 None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. We must never forget that Jesus came to earth for one purpose, to die for us on a cruel Roman cross. That is why he came, yes, He came to us through the womb of Mary, but His destiny had to go through the cross. His resurrection and our new life came through the cross. Our baptism is a journey into His death, and our new life free from power of sin is a journey into His resurrection. We were in Him when He died, and we were in Him when He was raised from the dead. Every time we cross ourselves, in a very real sense we are not praying to God, we are praying “in God.” We are in Him and He is in us.

The Mass is just getting started, next comes the greeting, “the Lord be with you”, and we respond, “and with your Spirit”. The priest is dressed in vestments because he is not speaking in his own personal voice, but instead with the voice of Jesus Himself. Jesus is not only the Sacrifice of the Mass, He is also the host and the celebrant of the Mass. The vestments cover the man, and help us focus on Jesus at each and every Holy Mass. Then comes the all-important prayer of penance. This is very good time to make sure you are locked to what is happening right at this moment. We are about to confess our venial sins; hopefully mortal sins have been dealt with through the Sacrament of Confession. We must deal with this now, before the Mass proceeds any further, that is why this prayer comes at the beginning of the Mass.

St. John of the Cross compared this to a pane of glass going toward the light, every smudge and spec of dirt is easily seen, and as we move toward God in the Mass our sin becomes very clear. If that pane of glass moves a way from the light all the imperfections are no longer visible, in the same way our sin seems to disappear when we move away from God. This explains why many of the saints are more aware of their sin than any of us, they have structured their entire lives toward the light of God, they can see all of their sins. I used to think that this kind of penitence was groveling before a God of anger and malice, but my whole attitude has changed, this is not groveling, this is coming to a place of humility, a very good place of humility, and I am thankful for that understanding. I am reminded of the Orthodox Jesus prayer that some Orthodox monks pray up to 6000 times a day, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us sinners.

The proud even arrogant declaration coming from the voices of our modern culture is “I’m okay, and you’re okay”, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that this culture of death is moving away from the light of God, and no longer toward God. Their way of dealing with sin, is deny that it exists at all…out of sight, out of mind. At the end of that prayer we all cry out to God, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. If our hearts are open and sincere, venial sins are confessed, we throw ourselves before the mercy of God, and the Church through the priest proclaims our absolution. I like that…I like that very much. None of us showed up at this Mass living a perfect life, this is the time to admit that and ask forgiveness. After the Kyrie comes the wonderful Gloria. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of goodwill.

This is like a mini Easter celebration that comes with every Mass. It is such a wonderful and all-encompassing hymn, that really summarizes our entire Catholic faith. We are properly aligned with God as we give to Him all the glory, and when that happens powerful peace breaks out among the people of God. None of us are receiving the glory, and rightly so…it is the love that God is that has saved us and gathered us together for this celebration of the Mass. I am one who thinks this powerful hymn needs to be sung with great energy and gusto, God deserves all the glory and our voices need to echo that with all the energy we can offer up to God.

That world out there is giving pleasure, or money, or power all the glory. They are bowing down to the false gods out there that can never satisfy their deep and hidden desire to know their creator. The Gloria goes on “We love you; we praise you; we adore you” …some sincerity right there in that moment would be a good thing. Please don’t sing that or say that and not realize what is being declared right there. WE LOVE YOU GOD! Bishop gives the roots of the old English word worship. It is really two words, worth and ship, meaning exactly that, we worship what we give ultimate worth to…greatest value. On old English days prominent civil authorities were greeted by saying, “Greetings your worth-ship”. Right at this moment in the Mass all of us are declaring to God that He is the greatest worth to each and every one of us…He is of the greatest value compared to everything else in our lives.

Next comes the readings for the day from the Bible, usually from the Old Testament, the Psalms, and Epistle and finally the Gospel. Since becoming Catholic what it was like in the very early years of the Church when those early believers gathered for what we now call the Mass. I love reading St. Justin Martyr’s early account of the Eucharist, written in the second century written to the Roman Emperor of that time…

Chapter 65. Administration of the sacraments

But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to γένοιτο [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.

Chapter 66. Of the Eucharist

And this food is called among us Εὐχαριστία [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, This do in remembrance of Me, Luke 22:19 this is My body; and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, This is My blood; and gave it to them alone. Which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn.

Chapter 67. Weekly worship of the Christians

And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration. (Justin Martyr)

This sounded very Catholic to Jackie and I as we read it for the first time. All the major parts of the Mass are spoken of in Justin Martyrs letter to the Emperor, with a few exceptions. I love this part, And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.

Can anyone tell what is missing at this point? The Creed is missing, and does anyone know why it is not mention in his letter to the Emperor? It had not been written yet…the heresy of Arius was not yet a problem that the Church had to face and finally formulate the Nicene Creed at the Council of Nicaea. That creed would forever set the record straight and bring an end to the Arian heresy, “God from God, light from light, true God from true God, consubstantial with the Father”, every word carefully chosen to tell the whole world what we Christians believed.

The great Creed is followed by the prayers we pray for both he living and the dead, which we also see in Justin’s letter, Then we all rise together and pray…