Excerpt from
JESUS THE HOLY FOOL
(Sheed & Ward, 1999
)
Sadly, it is my experience both in the United States and in Europe that Catholic liturgy all too often leaves the assembly angered, alienated, bored, or indifferent. It is not so much the form of the liturgy that is problematic but, rather, the way in which the liturgy is conducted. In parishes where liturgy is not a high priority, the paces is rushed, with little or no attention to silence; the prayers and responses of both presider and people are rote; symbols and gestures are minimized; the proclamation of the Word is passionless; the preaching is irrelevant; the sacraments are dispensed with assembly-line efficiency,
Or, in those rare churches which pride themselves on the quality of their liturgies, the liturgical experience can be reduced to mere performance, with the church becoming a showcase to demonstrate liturgical principles. In such places, the preaching and the singing may be flawless, the environment may capture the essence of the liturgical season to perfection, and yet, as an experience of the people, the liturgy may be utterly sterile, a production without heart. At the end, people leave, having performed their "Sunday obligation" but without having experienced the transformational presence of God and without having celebrated the significant moments of passage in their own lives. Instead of leaving renewed and empowered, they can strike one more task off their calendars.
When liturgy fails to move the heart, when ritual boredom sets in, it is often because the rituals have come to reflect the dominant culture... Jesus could not have intended that his disciples would memorialize him in ways which were devoid of passion, humor and life; nor could he have imagined that the festive banquet of God's presence would be regulated by complex rubrics separating what is "liturgically correct" from what is "liturgically inappropriate' ...For him, "good liturgy" would be whatever touches the hearts of those involved and brings them closer to their God.(207-208).
Elizabeth-Anne Stewart
Jesus the Holy Fool,
Sheed & Ward, 1999
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Greetings, Readers!
Just a brief message this week (and no video, I'm afraid). As I was working on my scripture reflection, I had the thought that just as Judaism had to reshape itself after the destruction of the temple, so the world we live in today may be asking us to re-shape the Christian experience so that it, too, can be more "portable," relevant and transformational. Were we to remember that we are "the Body of Christ" and that each of us is the dwelling place of the Most High, I believe we would be ready to start re-building the Church -- not as a physical location but as a spiritual entity. I would welcome your thoughts on this topic!
Easter Blessings!
Elizabeth
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SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.
Rev 21:22-23
Both the second reading and the Gospel make it clear that God's dwelling place is the human heart, not a physical building. In Rev. 21:10-14, 22-23, the city of Jerusalem is holy not because it contains a temple but because it has undergone a heavenly transformation; it is now the city of God, "gleaming with the splendor of God" because God IS the temple. In Jn 14:23, Jesus makes the following promise:
"Those who love me will keep my word,
and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our dwelling with them."
Both texts align with Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman:
"The hour is coming and is now here when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth...God is Spirit and those who worship God must worship in Spirit and truth"
(Jn 4:23-24). There is no need for sacred mountains, temples, synagogues, churches, pilgrimage sites or even tabernacles; we ourselves will become the holy of holies in which God dwells.
This notion is both shocking and awesome, both confusing and liberating. On the one hand, we are attached to our holy places -- to monuments like St. Peter's Basilica in Rome or, on a humbler scale, the faith community we attend on Sunday. But those who have experienced the anguish of seeing their church closed or even torn down --or, as in the case of Notre Dame Cathedral, engulfed in flames-- know that faith cannot depend on mere buildings. This, of course, is what the Jewish community learned in 70 C.E. when the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem; from that day on, Judaism became a "portable faith," dependent on the study and memorization of sacred texts, the observance of the Law, and domestic table prayer. Before Constantine turned Christianity into "the religion of the Empire," the early Christians also worshiped in Spirit and truth, meeting in each other's homes, breaking bread and experiencing themselves, the assembly, as the
ekklesia
, not some building.
The idea that we are God's temple is something we can barely fathom. It is too amazing, too wonderful for words that the Infinite will make a home in the finite, that the Perfect One will dwell in the sinner, that the vastness of Unlimited Love will allow Itself to be confined within human limitations. Astounding. Beyond belief...
If we really understood what it means to worship in "Spirit and truth," we would live very differently. In the first place, our prayer would change. "Rote prayer," meaningless recitation and liturgies devoid of celebration would no longer be tolerable; instead, we would understand that to pray means to rest in God's Spirit, to be present to the Presence of God, to engage in dialogue with the Divine rather than inflict our monotonous dramatic monologues on the Holy One. Secondly, we would learn to love ourselves as God's beloved, living as fully, as joyfully and as passionately as the context of our own lives will permit; "The glory of God is man [sic] fully alive," said St. Irenaeus of Lyon. Why is that so many people claim to be Christian yet are absolutely miserable, totally oblivious to the many blessings they have received? When we are steeped in pessimism, negativity and boredom, we hardly give glory to God. Lastly, if we only knew that we are God's dwelling place, we would treat each other more generously, more compassionately and, definitely, more justly. There would indeed be a New Heavens and a New Earth and all tears would be wiped away.....
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
- What do you understand by worshiping "in Spirit and in truth"?
- To what extent do the liturgies you attend awaken you to God's presence?
- How must the institutional Church change if it is to attract Millennials and the iGen?
- How would you live differently if you remembered, on a daily basis, that you are God's dwelling place?
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Archetypes as Inner Tyrants, Inner Guides
Infinity Foundation, Highland Park, IL
June 24th, July 1st, July 8th, 2019
Mondays, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CST
Imagery and Spiritual Awakening
Institute for Life Coach Training
Tele-course, Tuesday nights, October 15-November 26th, 2019. 5:00-6:30 pm CST
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This video explains my approach to this ministry, while my website provides further details as well. I work "in person" as well as remotely by phone, Zoom or Skype; I am also available to facilitate retreats for groups and individuals.
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