Category: Liturgy

1 min read

Liturgy

“Blessed Be God Forever”

Msgr. Charles E. Pope

March 12, 2019 10:20 am March 12, 2019

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1 min read

Linguistically, the response “Blessed be God for ever” used at Mass translates the Latin Benedictus Deus in saecula. Benedictus, in Latin, literally means to speak well or favorably about some one or…

Linguistically, the response “Blessed be God for ever” used at Mass translates the Latin Benedictus Deus in saecula. Benedictus, in Latin, literally means to speak well or favorably about some one or something (bene: well; dictus: say or speak). Hence, what we mean by “blessed” and the phrase “Blessed be God forever” is that “It is well that God should be forever praised.” We are not claiming to confer some sort of grace or favor upon God, as is often the meaning of the word “blessing” in English.

Theologically though we can distinguish between God’s intrinsic glory and his external glory. There is not one thing we can add or take from God’s intrinsic glory. He is glorious and blessed all by himself and has no need of our praise.

However, we can help to spread God’s external glory by our praise and acknowledgment of Him before others, as well as by reflecting His glory through lives of holiness, generosity and conformity to the truth. In this sense we can also understand the phrase “Blessed be God forever” to mean: “May God’s external glory and blessedness be extended and experienced in all places and times. May God be blessed (praised) everywhere and unto the age of ages.”

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2 min read

Liturgy

Is Missing Sunday Mass a Mortal Sin?

Father Francis Hoffman

December 11, 2018 3:44 pm December 11, 2018

2 min read

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2 min read

Our Sunday Mass obligation is based on the Third Commandment: “Remember the sabbath day — keep it holy” (Ex 20:8). All of the commandments of God are serious matter, so…

Our Sunday Mass obligation is based on the Third Commandment: “Remember the sabbath day — keep it holy” (Ex 20:8). All of the commandments of God are serious matter, so to deliberately miss Mass on Sunday — without a just reason — would objectively be considered a mortal sin. However, there are reasons that excuse from the Sunday obligation. While the Third Commandment is part of Divine Law and therefore admits no exceptions, the specification of how we fulfill that commandment (Sunday Mass) is part of human positive law and thereforce can admit of exceptions. Such an exception would be the physical or moral impossibility of attending Mass. Physical impossibility would include the person who is too ill to attend or just lives too far away; moral impossibility would be higher extenuating circumstances for a higher act of charity, such as caring for the sick, or a young mother having to care for infants.

The local pastor of a parish has the authority to dispense from the Sunday obligation for certain personal and individual cases. Canon 1245 of the Code of Canon Law states:

“Without prejudice to the right of diocesan bishops mentioned in Canon 87, for a just cause and according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop, a pastor can grant in individual cases . . . a dispensation from the obligation of observing a feast day or a day of penance, or commute the obligation into other pious works. The superior of a . . . religious institute or society of apostolic life has the same power in respect of his own subjects.”

Rev. Francis Hoffman, J.C.D., is Executive Director of Relevant Radio. Follow him on his Facebook page “Father Rocky.”

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7 min read

Liturgy

Why Use Incense?

Father Dwight Longenecker

December 11, 2018 2:12 pm December 11, 2018

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7 min read

Our altar boys practically fight for the honor of being the thurifer. That’s the name for the server who carries the thurible — the censer — in the procession at…

Our altar boys practically fight for the honor of being the thurifer.

That’s the name for the server who carries the thurible — the censer — in the procession at Mass. They like being thurifer because they get to wear the more ornate lace surplice, and they know thurifer is the most complicated job and is reserved for the older, more experienced boys.

The use of incense is optional for most Masses. It’s used to purify the coffin at funerals and to bless statues and images. However, many Catholic priests choose not to use incense at Mass, and the people of many parishes have forgotten the uses and meaning of incense in worship.

Over the last 50 years many Catholic traditions have been abandoned and forgotten. Too many Catholics simply went through the motions and did not understand what the different devotions and actions of worship meant. When the chance came to abandon the old ways many priests set them aside in an attempt to simplify Catholic worship and make it more accessible for the people.

Ancient Incense

The first recorded use of incense for worship is from Egypt around 2400 B.C. That’s 400 years before the time of Abraham. Incense was also used in ancient China and plays a part in Buddhist, Shinto and Taoist ceremonies. Hindus have also used incense in worship from ancient times.

In the Old Testament, God gave Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle — the traveling temple of God. The Book of Exodus recounts the instructions to build an altar of incense to stand to the side of the altar of sacrifice (see 30:1-10). When the priest enters the tabernacle each morning and evening to tend the perpetually burning lamps he is also commanded to offer incense.

Just as the oil lamps were to burn constantly in the Temple as a sign of God’s presence, so there was a constant pillar of smoke ascending to heaven from the tabernacle. The pillar of smoke was a sign of God’s constant guiding presence to the people. It hearkened back to the column of smoke that led the people through the wilderness by day and the column of fire that led them during the night.

God even gives Moses a recipe for making the incense: “Take these aromatic substances: storax, onycha and galbanum, these and pure frankincense in equal parts; and blend them into incense. This fragrant power, expertly prepared, is to be salted and so kept pure and sacred. Grind some of it into fine dust and put this before the covenant in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you. This incense shall be treated as most sacred by you” (Ex 30:34-36).

The Jewish offering of incense continued throughout the Old Testament period — first in the tabernacle, and then in the Temple in Jerusalem. Incense was also offered as part of the religious ceremonies in the surrounding pagan religions. In fact, most of the references in the Bible to incense are the Old Testament prophets lamenting the fact that too often the Jewish people had forsaken the Lord and chosen to make sacrifices, including the offering of incense to the false gods.

Why did people offer incense in the first place? The priests of pagan religions believed that the incense was a “spiritual offering.” The smoke was an intermediary substance between earth and air. The demons were marked by a sulfurous stench, and the fragrant incense would drive them away; meanwhile, the beneficial gods would be appeased and grant the worshiper protection and prosperity.

The New Age practice of “smudging” connects people with the supposedly Native American tradition of using fragrant smoke to purify the atmosphere of an area — driving away negativities and creating a positive mood. Implied in the calm discussion of smudging is the superstitious idea that evil spirits are being driven away be the fragrant smoke and the “good spirits” will be pleased and invited.

The pagans offered sacrifices to gain benefits from the gods. Offering incense was forbidden by God in the Old Testament because it was not only a way to offer pagan gods worship, but was a way to invite them into one’s life.

The Increase of Incense

John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, was a priest of the Jewish religion. He was taking his turn serving in the Temple when the angel Gabriel appeared, informing him of the pregnancy of his wife, Elizabeth. The Temple duty he was performing at the time was the evening offering of incense. As he did so his actions echoed Psalm 141:2: “Let my prayer be incense before you; / my uplifted hands an evening offering.”

The psalmist expresses the true meaning of the offering of sacrifice. It is not to appease angry false gods or to drive away the fearsome demons. Instead, the rising smoke is a symbol of prayer. The wafting smoke and the lifting up of one’s hands in the traditional gesture of prayer provides a most powerful and poignant symbol of pure and heartfelt prayer to the true God.

This beautiful prayer action is seen at the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth. That a priest of the Old Covenant was offering incense when the birth of the forerunner of the New Covenant is announced links the use of incense as a prayer offering to the worship of Christ the Lord.

The fulfillment of this worship is pictured in the Book of Revelation when St. John has a vision of the worship in heaven (see Chapter 4). He understands the worship in heaven to be a completion of the Jewish worship in the Temple. Because of his vision and because the first Christians were Jews, it would make sense to assume that the early Christians used incense in their Eucharistic ceremonies.

The offering of incense as viewed in the first few centuries of Church writings is usually negative. One of the most common ways to ask Christians to compromise their faith was to force them to offer incense to pagan gods. It is probable, therefore, that the practice of using incense in Christian worship was abandoned to avoid confusion among the faithful and to present a clear witness: incense offerings were associated with paganism and, therefore, abandoned by Christians.

Incense in worship made a comeback in the fifth century once Christianity was firmly established. Its use increased in the East and the West so that it’s use as a symbol of prayer and as a means of sanctifying and purifying became universal.

Revelation of Incense

As the use of incense increased, its connection with the Book of Revelation was seen more clearly. The apostle John saw clearly that the offering of incense was a beautiful symbol of prayer. So, he writes, “the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones” (5:8). The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

The servers at Catholic Mass kneel before the altar during the Sanctus — when the faithful sing with the angels, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory.” As they do so they echo the angels in heaven. Then the server swings the incense as the priest offers up the Lamb of God on the altar. At that point in the Mass heaven’s doors are opened, earth and heaven are met, and we get a little glimpse of glory.

The offering of incense at Mass is therefore an important part of Catholic worship. It is at that moment that our worship on earth becomes connected with the worship of heaven.

Also, the prophecy of Malachi is fulfilled. He spoke the Lord’s words, saying, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, / my name is great among the nations; / Incense offerings are made to my name everywhere, / and a pure offering” (Mal 1:11).

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8 min read

Liturgy

Sunday: The Lord’s Day and Our Day

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland

December 11, 2018 2:12 pm December 11, 2018

8 min read

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8 min read

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is a fountain of Christ’s teaching for us in so many areas — faith, trust, mercy, forgiveness and accompaniment, just to…

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is a fountain of Christ’s teaching for us in so many areas — faith, trust, mercy, forgiveness and accompaniment, just to name a few.

But Jesus’ declaration that the time is coming when “true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23) is compelling to me because it reminds us, above all, about our participation in the most perfect form of Christian worship. This Gospel passage offers us an opportunity to briefly reflect on our participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays and the Christian duty that each of us has to offer praise to God on this day.

It is helpful to return to the Old Testament for perspective. Having instituted the Sabbath Day at the creation of the world, the Lord commanded the people of the Old Covenant to keep the day holy by resting from labor (see Ex 20:8-11). The chosen people rested in Him, on His day — the Lord’s Day — as a sign of the covenant He had made with them. This was a day to remember and praise the Lord for the many blessings He had given the Israelites, from creation through the exodus from slavery in Egypt.

When Jesus Christ — the long-awaited Messiah and God-incarnate, dwelling among us — rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples on Easter Sunday, the day after the Sabbath and the first day of the week, that became the day for His followers to mark the new beginning, the New Covenant formed by Christ’s victory over sin, darkness and death.

Keeping Sunday Holy

In his apostolic letter on keeping Sunday holy, Dies Domini, Pope St. John Paul II reminds us that Christ fulfilled the promises of the Old Covenant, and thus Jesus became the true place of rest, the true Sabbath. In time, and by the authority of the Church, the Catechism of the Catholic Church recalls for us that the followers of Christ began to celebrate the day of the Resurrection as the pre-eminent day while continuing to honor the moral and spiritual command of the Sabbath (see Nos. 1166-67).

In this way, Sunday distinguishes Christians from the world around us and is, as St. John Paul II described, an “indispensable” element of our Christian identity. In the words of St. Jerome, Sunday is “the day of Resurrection, the day of Christians, [it] is our day.” It is “our day” because it is when we participate in Jesus’ saving action, by celebrating and living His passion, resurrection and ascension.

How then do we participate in this work of Christ and offer God worship in the manner most pleasing to him? We do so by following the command of Our Lord who, on the night before He died, divinely instituted the holy Eucharist as a living memorial of His sacrifice and instructed those present to “do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19).

When the priest, acting as Christ by virtue of his ordination, does as the Lord commanded, the once-for-all sacrifice on Calvary is made present and, as the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) makes clear, through our participation in it we are filled with “every grace and heavenly blessing.” This re-presentation, which we call the Mass, is the true and perfect means of worship established by Christ, given to the apostles and handed down to us today through their successors, the bishops, so that we can abide in Christ, and He in us (see Jn 6:56). The Mass is the only worship a Christian can offer that is truly worthy of God, because it is a participation in the Son’s worship of the Father, in the Holy Spirit. All other worship flows from this.

What does this require of us? Out of justice for all that He has given us we have the privilege and responsibility to worship our Creator “in spirit and truth.” Because there is no adequate way to give thanks and praise to the Father than by joining our worship to Christ’s, and because, as the Catechism eloquently summarizes, the sacraments — most especially the Eucharist — are the source of the grace we need for our salvation, the Church obliges us in conscience to participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice on Sundays and other holy days. The obligation is fulfilled by assisting at (attending) Mass offered any time after 4 p.m. on the preceding evening, or anytime on the Sunday or holy day. This also necessitates that we avoid any activities that would prevent the worship that is due to God or prevent the rest of mind and body that is proper to Sunday.

Sunday Obligation

While being present at Mass always should be seen as a great privilege, the Church knows that in our human weakness we may be tempted to put other things before God. In light of this, the Church has established that Catholics who willfully miss Mass on a Sunday or holy day without being excused for a serious reason — such as illness, the care of infants or the sick, or obligatory work to support one’s family — commit a grave sin (see Catechism, No. 2181). By divine law, anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not receive the Body of the Lord without having previously been to sacramental confession. It should be noted that even though an individual may be in a situation which prevents them from worthily receiving the Eucharist, the obligation to attend Mass remains.

Despite the pressures which can make our Sunday obligation difficult, none of us should be deprived of what St. John Paul calls “the rich outpouring of grace which the celebration of the Lord’s Day brings” (Dies Domini, No. 30). It is important for us to understand that Sunday worship is not merely a matter of discipline, but an expression of our relationship with God, which is inscribed on the human heart (see Ex 20:8). While this relationship calls us to praise and thanksgiving at all times, it demands of us a special time of renewal and detachment when our prayers become explicit.

In today’s world, many who profess faith in Jesus reject the idea that formal, communal worship of God is necessary. They would offer that Sunday can be honored and God can be worshiped in nature, or in private prayer, or by reading Scripture from the comfort of one’s home.

In part, this is true: God can and should be given worship at all times and from all places. But we worship “in spirit and truth” most perfectly in the way that Christ handed on to us through the apostles. Further, we do not worship alone because we are not saved alone, but rather as members of the Body of Christ — the Church. We are one in Christ (see Gal 3:28), and we share at the one table so that we can strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This wonderful reality demands much of our pastors. Priests everywhere must ensure that the faithful, reverent and beautiful celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is and remains the central and most important activity of parishes and missions! Never must the Mass be treated casually or as anything less than the moment when heaven and earth meet. Every liturgy we celebrate must be given the very best we have to offer.

The fathers of the Second Vatican Council remind us that everything in the life of the parish must be ordered to it, and all other important works should flow from it. In the liturgy, God’s grace is poured on us so that He can be glorified and we can be made holy. As an alter Christus, the Mass is a source of strength and constant renewal for priests as they bring God’s loving mercy to His holy people.

In the meantime, mothers and fathers must recognize that commitment to weekly participation at holy Mass, especially in our world today, is the most important thing they can do for their families. Parents must teach their children to understand and participate in Sunday Mass. By the example of parents, Mass should not be presented as a burden or something to be done before the fun can begin, but rather as a true source of joy and unity for the family. Flowing from the encounter with Christ as a family at Mass, Sundays should be used as an opportunity for true recreation to build up family relationships; perhaps this can be done by taking the opportunity to practice the works of mercy as a family.

The Spirit given to us by God enables us to worship Him appropriately. Sunday — the Lord’s Day and our day — is always a time when we celebrate the work of the Creator, remember our baptism, enter into the rest of God, renew our relationship with Him, profess our faith and offer back in sacrifice what God has given to us by celebrating the paschal mystery of Christ and receiving Him in the Eucharist that feeds us.

Most Rev. Joseph E. Strickland is bishop of Tyler, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @Bishopoftyler.

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4 min read

Liturgy

Why are Liturgical Rules Important?

Marcus C. Grodi

December 11, 2018 9:00 am December 11, 2018

4 min read

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4 min read

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His would-be-disciples to a deeper, fuller conversion. To follow Christ is not merely external obedience, but a matching obedience of the heart….

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His would-be-disciples to a deeper, fuller conversion. To follow Christ is not merely external obedience, but a matching obedience of the heart.

Our external piety and the motives of our heart should be directly connected. As the Catechism explains:

“Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before Him, does not aim first at outward works, ‘sackcloth and ashes,’ fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance” (No. 1430).

Jesus addressed this matter directly in His teaching on prayer, almsgiving and fasting: “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 6:1, RSV).

For those who sincerely want to grow closer to Jesus, who are striving by grace to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48), this can pose a sticky conundrum.

When we attend Mass, the most vivid occasion when we “practice our piety before men,” what do we do when the practices of people around us differ from what we believe is right? What should we do when few of the people around us are genuflecting, kneeling, bowing, crossing themselves or showing reverence to Our Lord in the tabernacle?

On the other hand, what should we do when the people around us seem to be going overboard in their piety, in ways that seem far too showy, extravagant or self-promoting?

In either situation, when expressing our piety in public requires being different from those around us, how can we be sure we’re doing it for God’s sake rather than as a statement to others?

Some, in the name of “freedom,” dismiss liturgical rules and rubrics as a straightjacket to spiritual expression. They protest: “It really doesn’t matter how you pray or what you do with your body; all that matters is uniting your heart with God. We should be free, and that means being spontaneous!”

But the devil laughs at such a notion, for in our striving to be “free” we find it nearly impossible to focus on God when the overpowering motive is to be different and separate from those around. Too often in these circumstances, the underlying motive is not to please others or even God, but to feed the ego of self.

How do we avoid this problem? Herein lies the beautiful freedom of the liturgy. In her wisdom, the Church insists that liturgical rules and rubrics free us from the tyranny of trying to please others or ourselves. The Church teaches in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

“The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and the participation of all is fostered.Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice” (No. 42).

Consider: When is a railroad train the most “free”? When it remains on the tracks, where it can roam full-steam ahead within trustworthy limits.

And when are we most free to worship God without the inner conflict of mixed motives? When in willing obedience we simply worship within the guidelines of our loving mother, the Church. For then we can be confident that our Father who sees in secret will reward us (see Mt 6:4).

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3 min read

Liturgy

Bring Your Children To Mass?

Msgr. William J. King

December 10, 2018 1:58 pm December 10, 2018

3 min read

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3 min read

When Jesus reprimanded the apostles for wanting to keep children away from Him (see Mt 19:14), He did not give an age or behavior requirement. At the baptism of a…

When Jesus reprimanded the apostles for wanting to keep children away from Him (see Mt 19:14), He did not give an age or behavior requirement.

At the baptism of a child, parents and sponsors promise to teach their children the Catholic faith and “to bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life” (No. 2177). This importance is shown in attendance at Mass and rest from labor, the first of the precepts of the Church.

The obligation to attend Mass is captured in canon law, which states, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass” (Canon 1247). The same canon goes on to note the duty to abstain from work on the Lord’s day. As a law of the Church, the Sunday Mass obligation binds Catholics who are at least 7 years old and have the use of reason. However, since first reception of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist are at or about age 7 in the United States, it seems that children should be well accustomed to attending and participating in the Mass prior to that age.

In truth, children can at times be loud and disruptive during Mass, and not everyone is accepting of the fact that children will be children. It can be exasperating to those around them when parents do not attempt to quiet their children who are overly loud or rambunctious during Mass, preventing others from participating in Mass.

However, children need to be taught correct behaviors, and they should learn to feel welcome in the pews at Mass. By keeping your children away from Mass unless they behave perfectly, you might be sending a subtle message that Mass and Church are only for the perfect and not for sinners. That’s a lesson that might keep them away from Mass in the future, too.

Some churches have a children’s room, or “cry room.” Signs in the children’s room of one church state clearly that it is a place to help parents teach their children to participate in the Mass. In other churches, there are a few pews or seats in the narthex, where parents can take a crying or overactive child for a time, while still able to see and participate in the Mass.

For parents with children, the rush to prepare for Mass and to leave the house on time can set up a state of panic that lasts through the Mass. It is easily written and not always easily accomplished, but finding more time on a Sunday morning in order to make the preparations for Mass more calm and relaxed — even praying at home or in the car as a family in preparation for attending Mass together — can establish a more serene atmosphere even before arriving at the church, along with establishing a clear expectation for children that they should focus on prayer and the Mass as much as their age allows them to.

Children under the age of 7 are not obligated to attend Mass, but if they can there are benefits for them and for the community. There are certainly times when it is best to remove unruly children from Mass temporarily, if only to be charitable to those in surrounding seats, but it seems better to teach children to be comfortable in the house of God surrounded by their fellow Catholics. It takes plenty of patience and lots of attention from parents, but that is a better practice than keeping them away from the Lord.

Rev. Msgr. William J. King is a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

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