Today I want to discuss something which has been on my mind for a couple days, and which is the product of comments from both protestants and Catholics, as well as my experience of a Passover Meal. Basically the question is, to what extent is the Spirit present in the Catholic Liturgy?
I have heard some protestants say that one of the problems with the Catholic Mass is that it's not open to the call of the Spirit--that is, its "always the same" and so one cannot respond what the Spirit may be calling the minister or congregation to do.
On the flip side, I know that one of the problems many Catholics have with Protestant services is that "there is no order". The beautiful thing about the Liturgy which we Catholics have come to hold dear is the Ritual.
I'm going to just lay down the basics (otherwise this will be a very lengthy post). Any in-depth reading can be done through the links embedded throughout.
First let us define our terms: Liturgy can be defined as "Public Worship of God".
Ritual can be defined as "the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies ".
While Liturgy in the general sense does not require ritual, in the Catholic Church they are nearly synonymous. Basically, Liturgy could be thought as "Ritual done in communion for the worship of God."
Ritual Liturgy is not a Catholic invention... anyone who claims that is blind and ignorant of scripture. It has been around for over 3000, since the time of Moses and God's rules for Passover, Sacrifice, Worship, etc. The Pentateuch could be considered a Crash Course on Ritual. In fact, it is safe to say that at least 75% of what Catholics do at Mass alone, is from Jewish tradition.
Are we to presume that God's Spirit wasn't at work whenever the Jews sacrificed two doves? Or during Passover? Or when they read Midrash and TaNaK in the Temple?
Of course not! Perhaps the problem arises from thinking that "being open" to the Spirit of God means being completely flexible and unplanned in concerns to worship. This, perhaps, is a true difference in protestant vs. Catholic culture. However, I believe the purpose of God's Spirit is to draw into greater worship and Unity with Him. Thus, anything that can accomplish such things must be open to the Spirit, since it only through him that we can truly praise God.
How is the Spirit Present?
The Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium (On Sacred Liturgy) states that God is present in four ways during the celebration of Mass. 1) Most importantly God is physically present in the Eucharist and through it we receive Christ into us. What better way is there to be unified to our God than this? 2) God is also present in the ordained minister, who acts "en persona Christi" or, In the Person of Christ and thus it is as though we celebrate the Mass with Jesus himself. 3) God is also present in the Word of God, especially the Gospel. This hearkens to the idea prevalent in God that the "Logos" is not only the Words spoken by God, but Christ himself as well (a rather complex theology that I have never quite fully understood). 4) Finally, in accordance with Matthew 18:20, the Spirit of God is present in the Assembly of the Faithful, especially in their song and prayer.
While there is so much more to be said, I will leave it at this for now. The Holy Spirit is abundantly present in the all Catholic Liturgy (the Mass and otherwise), because the purpose of Liturgy is the same as the purpose of the Spirit--to unite us in worship with God. This practice is millenia old and is manifest by God-given rituals!
Showing posts with label Mass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mass. Show all posts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Reflection on 1 Cor 10-12
What wonderful readings today! I'm going to focus mostly on how these readings can be used as an aid in Catholic Doctrine Apologetics.
A good portion of Chapter 10 and 11 focus on Christ's Sacrifice and our Eucharistic meal--THE CORE MOST CENTRAL DOGMA OF OUR FAITH! This is pretty much my reason for being Catholic, so I will enumerate on what this passage means for Catholics! In 10:16 Paul reminds us that we are indeed sharing in the "Body and Blood" of Christ. Here, sharing is from the greek "Koinonia", which literally means "to participate in". In 11:24-25 Paul again affirms, in the words of Christ, "This is my body... This is my blood... do this in remembrance of me". Here the greek for "remembrance" is "anamnesis", which literally means to "remember again". This does not mean that this is MERELY a memory, but that it should not be vainly done without remembering the sacrifice of Christ. While being support for the belief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the ideas of Partaking and Remembering together hold support for what the Catholic Church holds the Eucharistic Celebration (the Mass) to be--an actual participation in the original crucifixion of our Lord! Whoah! By participating in the remembrance (re-presentation), and keeping in mind that God is outside of time and died for those in all times, we are actually making manifest Golgatha on the Altar. Additionally... why would Christ sacrifice himself, and then celebrate such a sacrifice if he did not want us to be there at Golgatha with him?
The second idea I want to touch on is the focus on chapter 11 and deals with "head coverings" which, for many modern day people, seems to be a point of contention with Paul. However, there is evidence that shows that, with respect to everything else the Corinthians sucked at, this was a relatively unimportant matter to Paul, and the Corinthians probably brought it up themselves. First let me say that Paul was not against women teaching in the Church, for he mentions women praying and prophesying (11:5). Rather, the point of this passage is two-fold: 1) to recognize proper authority within the Church and within relationships, and 2) to celebrate God-Given Differences in Sexuality! On point two: God created men and women different, and complimentary. Though we are equal, we are not the same. It is these very differences that make us compliment each other, and thus we have different gifts and roles (more on that in the next section). On point one: All genuine authority comes from God, therefore though in a traditional sense a man may be the head of the relationship as deemed by God, it does in no way demean the role of the woman. Both are mutually submissive (11:11-12) to each other and, though the man may be the head, the woman is definitely the heart of the relationship. A relationship cannot function without both.
Finally, let me speak on Spiritual gifts and the Body of Christ! This section of Chapter 12 has many implications for Catholic Doctrine. First, it forms the basis of Catholic Social Teaching and Solidarity--because we are all connected, we have an inherent duty to uphold the dignity, health, and well being of all our members. Secondly, I believe this aids in the support of Women not being priests. Paul reminds us that, not all are called be apostles, prophets, healers, etc. and yet it is that very difference that makes us beautiful. In reality, we don't choose our vocation, God does, and it is not our Right to be made holy by following God's will... it is our privilege. Therefore, though some women (and also some men) may have a desire to become a priest, it is not necessarily their calling. We are all called to minister in the way in which God can best use us, and even if that calling may be "lowly" we are assured that greater honor is given to the "inferior members" (12:23).
A good portion of Chapter 10 and 11 focus on Christ's Sacrifice and our Eucharistic meal--THE CORE MOST CENTRAL DOGMA OF OUR FAITH! This is pretty much my reason for being Catholic, so I will enumerate on what this passage means for Catholics! In 10:16 Paul reminds us that we are indeed sharing in the "Body and Blood" of Christ. Here, sharing is from the greek "Koinonia", which literally means "to participate in". In 11:24-25 Paul again affirms, in the words of Christ, "This is my body... This is my blood... do this in remembrance of me". Here the greek for "remembrance" is "anamnesis", which literally means to "remember again". This does not mean that this is MERELY a memory, but that it should not be vainly done without remembering the sacrifice of Christ. While being support for the belief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the ideas of Partaking and Remembering together hold support for what the Catholic Church holds the Eucharistic Celebration (the Mass) to be--an actual participation in the original crucifixion of our Lord! Whoah! By participating in the remembrance (re-presentation), and keeping in mind that God is outside of time and died for those in all times, we are actually making manifest Golgatha on the Altar. Additionally... why would Christ sacrifice himself, and then celebrate such a sacrifice if he did not want us to be there at Golgatha with him?
The second idea I want to touch on is the focus on chapter 11 and deals with "head coverings" which, for many modern day people, seems to be a point of contention with Paul. However, there is evidence that shows that, with respect to everything else the Corinthians sucked at, this was a relatively unimportant matter to Paul, and the Corinthians probably brought it up themselves. First let me say that Paul was not against women teaching in the Church, for he mentions women praying and prophesying (11:5). Rather, the point of this passage is two-fold: 1) to recognize proper authority within the Church and within relationships, and 2) to celebrate God-Given Differences in Sexuality! On point two: God created men and women different, and complimentary. Though we are equal, we are not the same. It is these very differences that make us compliment each other, and thus we have different gifts and roles (more on that in the next section). On point one: All genuine authority comes from God, therefore though in a traditional sense a man may be the head of the relationship as deemed by God, it does in no way demean the role of the woman. Both are mutually submissive (11:11-12) to each other and, though the man may be the head, the woman is definitely the heart of the relationship. A relationship cannot function without both.
Finally, let me speak on Spiritual gifts and the Body of Christ! This section of Chapter 12 has many implications for Catholic Doctrine. First, it forms the basis of Catholic Social Teaching and Solidarity--because we are all connected, we have an inherent duty to uphold the dignity, health, and well being of all our members. Secondly, I believe this aids in the support of Women not being priests. Paul reminds us that, not all are called be apostles, prophets, healers, etc. and yet it is that very difference that makes us beautiful. In reality, we don't choose our vocation, God does, and it is not our Right to be made holy by following God's will... it is our privilege. Therefore, though some women (and also some men) may have a desire to become a priest, it is not necessarily their calling. We are all called to minister in the way in which God can best use us, and even if that calling may be "lowly" we are assured that greater honor is given to the "inferior members" (12:23).
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