Fifth Sunday in Lent: The Discipleship of Love of Neighbor

Here is the last installment of our parish bulletin series for Lent - taken from RCIA 75:

 We have been, through our journey together this Lent, looking at how baptism calls us to be disciples who give a good example to those learning the faith from us: the adults preparing for baptism and the children who were baptized as babies.  Our final element is one of the most important for Christian life – after the example of Christ, we are “to practice the love of neighbor, even at the cost of self-renunciation.”  (RCIA, 75)   A true disciple gives until it hurts. We are asked to love even those who may not love us, who are not our friends or family, who are strangers – whenever they are near us and in need, they become our “neighbor.”  How do we do this? We are called to die to our own desires, so that we may do the right thing for others when they are most in need. Like Lazarus, we will then live.  

This concludes our Lenten exploration of our baptismal call to be disciples.  Next week, we follow Jesus through his Passion to the Cross, the grave, and to the Resurrection at Easter.  When we renew our baptismal promises at the liturgies of Easter, may we be more truly disciples of Jesus Christ – and may those who are baptized and formed in faith in St. John’s community always see the fruits of our discipleship and learn from us.

Joyce Donahue, for the St. John’s Liturgy Planning Committee

An Ambitious Video Project - Mystagogical Preparation for the Easter Triduum

Want to experience the Easter Triduum differently this year?  Looking for a unique way to do in-depth preparation?  Timothy O'Malley, Director of University of Notre Dame Center for Liturgy has embarked on a 20-segment video series on the new blog Oblation: Liturgy and Evangelization.  He promises to provide a guide to mystagogical reflection on the Easter Triduum, so that by learning how to read the symbols embedded in the Three Days we can better access the mysteries that are so much a part of that great celebration of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection.

In Episode 1, O'Malley says "we don't do mystagogy well, because we do mystagogy wrong".  He points out that too often we limit mystagogy to reflection on the rites the catechumens have experienced at the Easter Vigil.  What if, he suggests, we thought about it as "the spiritual theology necessary for an adult formation into faith" -  if we saw liturgical catechesis as a way of helping people see the world sacramentally? As a way of revealing the mystery of the triune God? Take a look at his opening episode - here. 

O'Malley's hope is that this approach will make a difference to how people experience the Easter Triduum.  Join him every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the remainder of Lent - to participate in this project - and to see how it affects your experience of Triduum this year.

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Discipleship of Christ-like Deeds

Here is the installment for the Fourth Sunday of Lent that will appear in my parish bulletin this weekend:

As baptized disciples of Jesus, we should be good examples of mature Catholic faith for adults preparing for baptism and children baptized as infants learning faith from us. We do this whenever we follow “supernatural inspiration” in our deeds. (RCIA 75) What does that mean? It means whenever we face a choice of how to act, we think first about what God would want us to do.  A popular expression describes this as “What Would Jesus Do?”   How do we know what God wants, or would Jesus would do in any situation? Our conscience tells us, sometimes quickly, sometimes after some period of prayer and discernment.  As Christians, our actions should never be ours alone. They should reflect the moral teachings of Jesus, Tradition and the teachings of the Church.   

We are called to be different – to go against the culture of the world in making decisions that are best for God’s plan, not just for “me” right now.  Jesus said it best:  “Not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)   

This is a call to see as God sees, not as man sees, as Samuel saw the potential king in the young David in the first reading this week. As disciples we need to have a well-trained conscience, know Scripture and Church teaching, and pray for God’s guidance in all we do - to see the right choice – God’s choice, not our human one.

Joyce Donahue, for the St. John’s Liturgy Planning Committee

First Scrutiny - Moved to Tears

This morning at Mass, we celebrated the First Scrutiny with our catechumen.  Casey is a very young adult, and very unchurched.  She came to us this morning, her hair in a messy pony tail, wearing jeans with holes and a hoodie with the word "Love" emblazoned on the chest, and was seated in the front row.

As the cantor, I could see her clearly.  Her participation in Mass was minimal, but it was clear she was listening. The story of the Woman at the Well seemed to engage her attention. After the homily, she stood up, obviously only knowing the bare outline of what was to happen (as is proper, she was not over-rehearsed).  She stood in the center aisle, among the people, with her sponsor, bowing her head as the invitation to prayer over her and intercessions were read.

Then the surprise happened.

The presider asked the people from the parish community seated immediately around her to stand and place their hands on Casey's shoulders.  A group of people rose and joined her and her sponsor as the Prayer of Exorcism was read, asking for healing and protection for her from Satan as she enters her final preparations for baptism at the Easter Vigil.  Her face told it all - she got it.  She was fighting back tears all through the prayer at the enormity of the realization that the entire community was supporting her and holding her up in prayer. It was powerfully evident that she understood that Christ wanted her for his own so much that his whole people was praying for her in love.... that "Love" on the front of her shirt had finally found the reason she had chosen to wear it this morning.

Good liturgy finds ways to foster those "gotcha" moments - to demonstrate the love of God in such ways as can move participants along in their journey to conversion.  This morning, Casey was moved to tears - and later on to delight, as near the end of Mass, a couple renewed their marriage vows on their 25th anniversary - once again surrounded by the love and affirmation of the community. She grinned with joy as she realized what was about to happen when they came up - this, too, was obviously new to her. Again, she got it.

Church is essentially the love of Christ poured out to and through his community of faith. We have to keep trying to find good ways to show that through how we celebrate - to newcomers and to each other.

Thanks to Jerry Galipeau, for his great idea from his recent workshop about placing her in the center of the people and inviting them to lay hands on her.... it works! And thanks to my parish RCIA leaders and pastoral staff - for having the courage to try this.

Third Sunday of Lent: Discipleship of Hope in Christ

The following is the article that will appear in this week's bulletin at my parish, as the third installment of our reflection on the qualities of a mature disciple, as outlined in paragraph 75 of the RCIA.

Third Sunday of Lent:  The Discipleship of Hope in Christ

At baptism, we were called to become disciples of Jesus.  Adults preparing for baptism and children baptized as infants look to us to teach them how to become people who “in all things… keep their hopes set on Christ.” (RCIA 75)  A true Christian never loses hope, never gives up, because he or she knows that Jesus has already won the victory – that through his suffering, death and Resurrection, Christ has defeated sin and death.   No matter how much we suffer in this life, we know that Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us with God, where we and our loved ones who end their earthly life as baptized, believing disciples of Christ, will live, not die.  Nothing can overcome that promise.  What does that mean for our daily life?  Our baptism calls us to be beacons of hope in a very dark world.  While non-believers point to evil in the world, we must not fear to show that as Christians we are not afraid. 

Look at Jesus, not at the darkness.  Like the woman at the well, know that he is the Messiah, our Savior. Show your children and those preparing to become Christians that this is not a world of despair, but one of hope.  Even in worldly unhappiness, we can have a deep, unconquerable joy because of the “living water” Jesus gives us and because of what He did for us.

Joyce Donahue, for the St. John’s Liturgy Planning Committee

Second Sunday of Lent: Discipleship of Witness

Here is what will appear this weekend in my parish bulletin - the second installment of our examination of the 5 elements of mature discipleship described in paragraph 75 of the RCIA:

As we continue our Lenten journey with those to be baptized at Easter, we are their examples of mature baptized disciples.  RCIA section 75 says that those preparing for baptism learn from the community to “give witness to the faith.”  All the baptized should be evangelists for Jesus Christ in their words and deeds – and give testimony publicly to the goodness of God.  We do that when we live the teachings of Jesus in all our relationships and commitments, but we also should never to be afraid to tell about our faith.  The adults preparing for baptism and the children of our community look to us to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and to learn to speak of it themselves.  Quite simply, this is how the Catholic faith is passed on.  Do you live your faith “out loud?”  Do you talk to your children and friends about how God has helped you?

We learn of Jesus’ Transfiguration in today’s Gospel from the words of the disciples who were there that day and saw what happened. The witness of the Gospel writers, who carefully preserved every detail, has passed the faith down to us.  Our baptism calls us to pass it to others.  Lent is a time to consider how  we can  have the courage to be a witness.

Joyce Donahue, for the St. John’s Liturgy Planning Committee

A Social Networking Death - Comfort from the Church Virtual

Bob Piercy, a talented, creative man and a fixture on the liturgical music and workshop scene as well as the amateur stage in the Joliet and Chicago area, passed  away tonight after a long battle with "graft vs. host disease" a complication of bone marrow transplants.  He will be missed. You can read more about him here.

I first met Bob in 1990 at the Office for Divine Worship in the Archdiocese of Chicago, when I was temporary coordinator for the Office of Christian Music and Worship for the Diocese of Rockford. I can remember several trips I made up there with members of the Liturgical Commission to consult about what to do about our closed office. Over the intervening years our paths crossed occasionally at conferences. I watched as he published several resources on praying liturgically and singing with children. He was good at what he did. My last conversations with him were some months ago when he still hoped to prepare lesson plans for children for implementation of the new Roman Missal.  Over time, it became clear this would not happen, as his energy level was much too low to work. I sensed his frustration at wanting to do so much and being able to do so little.

Tonight, as he lay dying, someone in the room was reading to him from emails and Facebook postings - as people who knew him over the years sent in their prayers, gratitude and best wishes.  A post on his wall tonight explained that someone was reading these to him and that he seemed comforted by this. The wall shows many, many people sending their thoughts.... which continue beyond the post from the family that Bob had gone to be with God.

Although many of his friends were miles away, thanks to Facebook and email, they could still affirm him and support him in prayer as he crossed into eternal life. The "Church Virtual" - the community of people who cared about Bob, near and far, was indeed gathered tonight. Rest in peace, Bob. You are loved. You will be missed.