It is HOT almost everywhere in the US this week.  With the heat tempers flare and we loose our COOL.  Now is the time to stop and chill out.  Take some time to allow God to reach into your soul and refresh you.  Rather than suffer in silence when you are stuck with poor homilies, lethargic liturgies and top down decisions about where and with whom you pray take the time to act in a positive way.   Hopefully this newsletter will give you a few good thoughts to take the bite out of the heat we feel. 

Ordinary Time is often Extraordinary      

Just like everyday life, there is a natural flow to the liturgical life of the church.  The great feasts have been celebrated and we return to our ordinary lives and ordinary time.  One of the things I've noticed as I've grown older is that time seems to pass more quickly.  Another interesting thing is that when we are young we don't hesitate to tell people that we are getting older, at least through our 21st birthday going so far as to mark even 1/2 year dates.  It isn't until we get into our eight decade that we again revel in telling people we are getting older an again marking 1/2 year dates.

We are a very strange people who focus on time as if it were the grains of a sand in a giant hour glass both beautiful and frightening to watch as they move from one end of the glass to the other.  Yet, this ordinary time in which we find ourselves demands so much of us.  While we can ruminate on the past and fear for the future it is the very now of our existence that is important.

The infant is unaware of past or future, only the now of its existence.  The child seeks to eagerly learn about the world around it, revels in the love and affection of it family members as it is sustained by the unconditional love of those around it.

That is why Jesus tells us to be like little children, worry not about the past for there is nothing that can be done to change it.  Fear not for the future, he tells us, for there is enough to occupy our today.  Rather, be open to the unconditional love we are given by our Heavenly Father for it alone sustains us and lets us grow.  Be open to the world around you, he says, but also be mindful of the falseness that can entrap our hearts and pull us away from this innocence.  Learn all you can of the world around you yet keep it separate from you as it often focuses on selfishness.

Ordinary time becomes extraordinary when we learn to live in the now.  For the God in whom we live and move and have our very being is the eternal now.   

How can we do this?   Try these simple steps: 

1.  Set time aside purposefully to savor the moment.  If ten minutes is a moment you can devote then start with 10 minutes.   

2.  In this time period, in a quiet spot, just sit and open yourself to the peace of the moment.  In your mind repeat to yourself the Jesus Prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner."

3.  Let the words flow across your mind like the water of a brook, soothing your cares away for Jesus is present to you in the now of those words.

4.  Enjoy the moment for it takes you out of the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Good Things Happen Everywhere   

After the last newsletter went out I received an Email from Fr Oliver Felix, a priest of the White Robed Monks of St Benedict who has established a mission in South Africa.  He asked that we include a link (see side bar) and mention a bit about his ministry.  Like The Contemporary Catholic Mission fo St John the Beloved Apostle for which I am responsible here in the US, Fr Oliver reaches out to the people of Johannesburg with the same Benedictine sense of compassion.

Fr Oliver is just one of  a number of priests serving communities like his around the world.  In reviewing the list of subscribers to this newsletter I was pleased to find individuals from Australia, the British isles, Canada and Europe as well as many of the US states who serve the People of God with great care and love.    

The American National Catholic Church (ANCC.org) has been quite active of later with two new parishes formed, one in the Trenton NJ area and the other in the St Louis MO area.  The first, Our Lady of Guadalupe was formed by the people whose Roman Catholic parishes were closed by the Diocese of Trenton.  Mainly of Spanish and Portuguese ethnicity, they formed a new parish.  Another new parish was formed in St Louis  and nests in the Episcopal parish of St John.  The Cleveland Roman Catholic Diocese also closed a parish there and the People of God went out and rented a space, converted it into a church facility and hold mass there regularly.  God is surely working to form small faith communities around the sacraments we hold dear in Catholicism.  If you want to share your stories, please feel free to contact me.  If you are interested in helping to form a parish in Bergen County NJ I will be happy to speak with you. 

We ask for your prayers and by visiting their web sites show your support as we go about our tasks. 

Explanation of the Component of the Mass (Part 2)  

Liturgy of the Word

The reading of Scripture has always been an integral part of the Liturgy. When the first Christians gathered to "break bread", they kept the Jewish custom of the "breaking open the Word", as well. From the Hebrew Scriptures, they read the Books of the Law and the Prophets; they shared letters written by early missionaries like Peter and Paul; and they shared, of course, their own story - the Gospels.

The First Reading

The presence of the Old Testament in the first reading manifests the Church's firm conviction that all Scripture is the Word of God. God is speaking to His chosen people in the words of love through the whole Liturgy of the Word. The reading prepares the table of God's Word for the faithful and open up the riches of the Bible for them.

There is continuity between the two Testaments: both lead us to Jesus Christ. The first reading and the Gospel reading are usually connected by a theme. Each time we listen to the readings of the Mass we are like the Disciples walking with the Risen Christ on the road to Emmaus. "Jesus explained to them what was said about Himself in all of the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets" (Luke 24:27). After the first reading we pause in order to reflect and pray about what we have just heard.

The Lector proclaims the First Reading. At the end of the first reading:

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.  

Responsorial Psalm

The Responsorial Psalm is primarily the Assembly's response, in word or song, to the reading, which has just been proclaimed. The Christian Community uses God's Word - taken from the Psalms of the Old Testament - as a response to God's Word, thereby making God's Word their own.

The Cantor or Choir sings the Responsorial Psalm, and the congregation sings the response or the refrain.

The Second Reading

In the Second Reading, formerly termed the Epistle, the assembly encounters the early Church living its Christian faith. This witness of the apostolic community provides an example for all times, since Christians of every age are to recall the love of the Father made present in Christ, the good news of redemption and the duty of Christian love. All followers of Jesus are called to live decently and without blemish, to be tolerant of one another and to be steadfast in the faith.  

The Lector proclaims the Second Reading. At the end of the reading:  

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

The Gospel acclamation is normally expressive of Paschal joy, recalling the Life, Death, Resurrection and Second Coming of Jesus. This song Alleluia, which accompanies the Gospel procession, comes from a Hebrew word that means "Praise God". The whole assembly praises Christ who comes to proclaim the Good News of salvation.

Everybody rises for the Gospel Acclamation.

The Gospel is very sacred, since these are the words and deeds of Christ, we surround it by many distinct acts of respect; one of these is that we stand for the Gospel Reading.

Whereas, any lector could proclaim the other readings, a special minister was appointed to read the Gospel. In the early Church it was the Deacon who was considered the special example of Christ as servant. Only in the absence of a Deacon does the Priest proclaim the Gospel.

The making of small signs of the Cross on the book, forehead, mouth and heart express readiness to open one's mind to the Word, to confess it with the mouth, and to safeguard it in the heart. We are now ready to listen to the Gospel.

Priest: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.  

Priest: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew/Mark/Luke/John.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.  

The Gospel is proclaimed by the Deacon or the Priest. When the reading of the Gospel is finished, the assembly responds with the acclamation in spoken or sung mode.  

Priest: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise be to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Homily

The homily, an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word, is a continuation of God's saving message, which nourishes faith and conversion. It is more than just a sermon or talk about how we are to live or what we are to believe. It is a proclamation of God's saving deeds in Christ. Just as a large piece of bread is broken to feed individual persons, the Word of God must be broken open so it can be received and digested by the Assembly.

Everybody sits for the Homily.

The Nicene Creed

And now, as we stand together to proclaim our faith through the Creed, we are responding "Yes" to the message of God's Word. The oldest faith statement in the Church is called the Apostle's Creed. With its roots in the first centuries of the Church, it was highly prized as a summary of all Christian teaching. Catechumens had to memorize it and recite it privately to the Bishop before being baptized. It was considered too secret and special to be committed to paper.

The Creed we use in the Liturgy today is called the Nicene-Constantinople Creed because these two early Ecumenical Church Councils developed it. It is also called the "ecumenical creed" since it forms a part of the liturgy of other Christian denominations. The Creed, therefore, is a confession of faith that unites us with the Church throughout the world.  The CACINA form of the creed differs from the one used in Roman churches which uses a later version not accepted by the Ecumenical Council of the whole, undivided church.

We bow at the words "By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became human" because the Incarnation is the most sacred moment of all creation.

All: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.  

     We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.  

     We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayer of the Faithful

Through the Prayer of the Faithful, we pray that our assembly really comes to resemble the Body of Christ - a body at peace: providing shelter for the homeless, healing for the sick and food for the hungry. We know from reading Saint Paul's letters that this custom of offering general intercessions existed in the earliest Christian Communities.

Today, the Prayer of the Faithful is a prayer of petition, remembering our universal concerns, namely for the Church, for the world leaders and public authorities, for the poor and the oppressed, for the local community and parish; and for particular celebrations and special intentions.

The Sign of Peace

The Sign of Peace has been part of the Mass as early as the fourth century. Peace - "SHALOM" - means all possible prosperity. We pray that each person will live in total and complete harmony with nature, self and God. In the sign of peace we make a spiritual pledge to be open to each other as Christ would, both in the celebration of the Liturgy and after it.

Since the Risen Christ is the source of all peace, this gesture expresses faith that Christ is present in the Assembly because of reconciliation and wholeness. CACINA moved the Sign of Peace to after the petition prayers in response to St Paul's admonition "if you have any grievance against your brother/sister, leave your gift at the altar, go be reconciled."

Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live forever and ever.  

All: Amen.

Priest: The peace of the Lord be with you always.

All: And also with you.

Priest: Let us all offer each other a sign of peace.  

Our next article will address the core of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  Here we find our natural response to what we have heard proclaimed and what we say we believe. 

Newsletter Archive 

Let us pray...