Apologia pro vita mea... or where I have been of late

Apologies for the sparse posting of late on this space. Lest you think I will be 'fessing up to the sin of Sloth at my next confession, let me fill you in on where I have been investing my energy. Possibly this is more information than you wanted, but I feel I owe my "regular" readers a bit of an explanation.

• All summer, I worked on revising and recreating an online course, "Ecumenism in Parish Life" for University of Dayton VLCFF
• August to November is the busy time in our office - lots of training events and gatherings for catechists and parish catechetical leaders. I love it but it pretty much saps my energy.
• October-November I facilitated an online class - which pretty much occupies my evenings after parish meetings and rehearsals.
• Just before Christmas, I researched and wrote an article "Mystagogy on the Mass: If We Teach Them They Will Come", which has just been published in the March/April issue of Pastoral Liturgy magazine (possibly available on their website soon)
• Then there were the holidays...
• Then the flu... 
• For the past 5 weeks, I have been facilitating two rather involved online courses for the VLCFF
• Then there was the time spent revising and expanding my website The Liturgical Catechist.
• Set up and promoted the Facebook presence for my website  
• Most recently, I have been occupied with events leading up to the premature birth of my first grandchild, Emma

OK, enough with the Litany of Excuses, already!   Again, I apologize. Perhaps this guy said it best:

Life. It's what happens between the blog posts.
The busy Liturgical Catechist.

Major Update to My Website

As we approach Lent, I have been inspire to expand this blog's companion site.

The Liturgical Catechist now features resources for liturgical seasons, with a new page for Lent, full of resource links and videos to help catechists of people of all ages.

The video page, too, has been updated, with new categories and separate pages for
General Topics
The Mass
Sacraments
Liturgical Symbols

Take a look!

The Role of the Ministries of the Word

Next Sunday, (3rd Ordinary Time) provides an ideal moment to reflect on the ministries of proclamation of the Word. In the Gospel we will encounter  Jesus standing in the Synagogue proclaiming from the scroll of Isaiah. Prior to that iconic moment, we have been set up to make connections. In the first reading, we hear of the awe of the intergenerational assembly, "men, women, and those children old enough to understand," as Ezra proclaims the Law of God from a wooden platform in an open place. In the second reading, we hear Paul speak of discernment of the various gifts in the community, including the ministries of the Word:

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? (I Corinthians 12:27-30)

Taken as a package, this is a ready made opportunity to talk about who in the community is sharing their gift to preach and teach the Word. It might be an ideal time to call attention to the ministry of the reader at Mass,  of the deacon and priest as lectors and preachers, and to catechesis as a ministry of the Word.

The General Directory for Catechesis notes

The ministry of the word is a fundamental element of evangelization. The presence of Christianity amongst different human groups and its living witness must be explained and justified by the explicit proclamation of Jesus Christ the Lord. "There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, are not proclaimed". Those who are already disciples of Jesus Christ also require to be constantly nourished by the word of God so that they may grow in their Christian life.  The ministry of the word is exercised in "different forms". The Church, since apostolic times, in her desire to offer the word of God in the most appropriate manner, has realized this ministry in the most varied of ways. All of these, however, perform the essential and fundamental functions of the ministry of the word itself. The ministry of the word, within the context of evangelization, transmits Revelation, through the Church, by using human words. These, however, always refer to works: to those which God has done and continues to do, especially in the liturgy; to the witness of Christians; to the transforming action which these Christians achieve, together with so many men of good will, throughout the world. This human word of the Church is the means used by the Holy Spirit to continue dialogue with humanity. He is, in fact, the principle agent of the ministry of the word, the one through whom "the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church—and through her in the world". (50) Catechesis itself, the General Directory tells us, "is that particular form of ministry of the word which matures initial conversion to make it into a living, explicit and fruitful confession of faith.” (82) The readings of the weekend call us to reflect on who the people are in our communities who are  called to the ministry of the Word in its different forms: primary proclamation in the gathered assembly, initiatory catechesis, continuous education in the faith, the liturgical function, and the theological function (GDC 51-52) As we hear about the ministry of proclamation and the gifts in the community next weekend, let us give thanks for the various people in our communities who have been called and gifted for proclamation of the Word.

Liturgical Catechesis on the Eucharist - a Creative Catechist Makes it Real

My friend Christian LeBlanc, catechist extraordinaire, just posted a great sound byte  from a lesson on the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes and its relationship to the Eucharist. Smaller Manhattans: Res Ipsa Loquitur: Mass Model   

The kids are engaged and eager - and a bit chaotic at times, but he gets the point across.  Be sure to click on the text "8 minutes of class time" to bring up the mp3 recording - then look at the drawing and listen to how he gets the point across to the kids.  Liturgical catechesis from scripture story... Bravo!

Transformed Through Him Whom We Recognize: The Call of the Baptism of the Lord

Today we celebrate the end of the Christmas Season by remembering Christ's baptism: that moment when he permitted himself to be recognized, so that he could begin his public ministry. It's easy to think that this feast is simply a memorial of a particular incident in Christ's life in First Century Palestine.  It's less obvious that this is a call to personal transformation, but the prayers of today's Mass make that pretty clear.

Take a look at the Missal prayers of the day.  Here is the Collect. Uncharacteristically, we have two choices.  Most presiders will no doubt choose the first, which takes us back to the moment in Jesus' life. But look closely at the second one:

Almighty ever-living God,
who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan
and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son,
grant that your children by adoption,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Or:
O God, whose Only Begotten Son
has appeared in our very flesh,
grant, we pray, that we may be inwardly transformed
through him whom we recognize as outwardly like ourselves.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

The first choice uses the language of the Gospel - about being pleasing to God. The second, however, reaches deeper and challenges us to be "inwardly transformed through him we recognize as outwardly like ourselves."  At baptism, each of us laid aside the old person and put on Christ. This second prayer reminds us that although baptism is a one-time event, the transformation it calls forth in us is something we must continually seek.  

The Prayer After Communion calls us to become God's children "in name and in truth":

Nourished with these sacred gifts,
we humbly entreat your mercy, O Lord,
that, faithfully listening to your Only Begotten Son,
we may be your children in name and in truth.
Through Christ our Lord.

Today's feast is a reminder that being a faithful Christian is not simply a matter of going through the motions, but of an inward authenticity that matches our actions. It is more than simply the end of a liturgical season, but an important reminder that Jesus, who "has appeared in our very flesh" constantly calls us to become more like him.

Are You Running Toward Christ Yet?

For the past two Sundays, in the Collect prayers of the new Roman Missal, we have heard that we are to be  in a great hurry to meet Christ at his coming. There is no mistaking the message when it appears two weeks in a row:

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming, so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom.  (First Sunday of Advent)

Almighty and merciful God,
may no earthly undertaking hinder those
who set out in haste to meet your Son,
but may our learning of heavenly wisdom
gain us admittance to his company.  (Second Sunday of Advent)

So, the obvious question this Advent how eager are you?  Are you running forth to meet Jesus?  Are you setting out in haste to meet him?  If not, what is holding you back?

Advent is a call to re-prioritize our lives - to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Eucharist to become people worthy to meet Christ.  The Prayer After Communion for both weeks has suggested what that means:

...for even now as we walk amid passing things,

you teach us by them to love the things of heaven 

and to hold fast to what endures. (First Sunday of Advent)

...that through our partaking in this mystery

you may teach us to judge wisely the things of earth

and hold firm to the things of heaven. (Second Sunday of Advent)

In this invitation to God to transform us, we ask to learn how to let go of earthly things and give greater value to eternal things. Interestingly, we are taught in two ways to appreciate the things of heaven - by the earthly, passing things themselves, and through the Eucharist.  We learn what is most valuable by realizing what is not - and the Eucharist helps us do that.

Next Sunday, (often called Gaudete because of the emphasis on joy) we celebrate "with solemn worship and glad rejoicing" "the joys of so great a salvation" that Christ brought us through his Incarnation. It will be easier to do that if we allow ourselves to value the things of heaven more than the "priorities" of the busy December that the world looks at as the "Holiday Season."  

We know what they world expects of us this time of year - to spend money and time to buy the "perfect" gifts, prepare the "perfect" holiday party or dinner... What does Jesus expect? That we prepare ourselves to celebrate his Incarnation and make ourselves more "perfect" to meet him at his coming - as a baby in Bethlehem, as a King at the end of time. We do this best by preparing room for him in our hearts today. For most of us, that means something else has to move over. Teach us, Lord, to prioritize our lives to do just that.

Finding an Authentic Catholic Voice on Social Media

(Apologies for the long hiatus on this blog - life is busy and complicated, and other projects have drained my energy.)  This post is a bit off-topic, but relevant, because it is about blogging and other forms of social media.

The new report Catholics' Use of New Media from CARA has some revealing news about the perception of Catholics about social networking.  It is not good news. Most Catholics use social media, but few use it to read about or share Catholic faith.  Over on his Patheos blog, Deacon Greg Kandra nicely summarizes three areas of concern expressed by respondents that seem to keep them from embracing this new way of learning and communicating about faith:

"The top three concerns cited by respondents for the Church’s presence online were the lack of a system for the Church to validate sites and content as authentically Catholic (45 percent), the lack of civil tone in conversations happening on the internet (43 percent), and the reluctance by Catholic Church leaders to use the Internet (42 percent)."

I would agree that while new media presents a wonderful opportunity to share Catholic faith, these are major concerns.  My personal observation is that the majority of Catholic engaging actively in using social media are out of touch with the needs, interests and outlooks of the average American Catholic in the average parish. What is out there is uninteresting, or even hostile to someone who is not particularly interested in the Latin Mass, who thinks his or her parish priest celebrates the liturgy just fine, who actually likes (and sings) popular modern American church music, who does not home-school his/her children and who does not regard the dominant American culture as particularly evil. Overwhelmingly, those who have much to criticize about the Church have embraced social media as a way to have a "bully pulpit" for their particular agenda. Sadly, some of the most popular bloggers are also some of the most uncharitable toward Catholics who are not like them.

I know I am stepping out on a limb and taking a risk here, but perhaps more Catholics would be comfortable using social media to explore and share faith if the tone of what is out there were more inviting, charitable and felt like the familiar voice of the Church of their own personal experience. The issue is finding an authentic Catholic voice that re-evangelizes Catholics instead of criticizes them for not being good enough Catholics. 

Yes, there certainly needs to be validation of whether a site providing information about the Church is authentically and reliably Catholic.  Yes, the tone of all communication about the faith needs to be civil in tone. Yes, the leadership of the Church needs to step up to use this new forum for communicating - and not in a top-down manner, but in one that engages and accepts the concerns of the average Catholic adult. We need a kinder, gentler Catholic internet that invites and engages people with charity.

The Church, it seems, has a long way to go. Yet this week, when the Bishops gather, the only related issue on their agenda - after the presentation of the above-mentioned report - is to talk about how fast they can shut down theologians on the internet who challenge Church teaching. That is a top-down response to the first concern from the survey, which ignores the fact that the internet is a forum for free speech, communication and interaction and not subject to that kind of policing.  The concern from the CARA study is about "validation" of sites, not condemnation. We have already seen that the latter approach does not work, since Michael Voris of The Vortex continues to post extremist apologetics videos that are widely shared by more "conservative" Catholics - even after being publicly censured by the Archdiocese of Detroit.

A more appropriate response would be for the official Church to find and affirm the voices of qualified, approved bloggers, video producers and other social networkers who fairly present the Catholic faith from its center. What about permitting, training and supporting people in  diocesan offices to use social media well?  A survey of diocesan personnel a while back (can't lay my hands on it, but I recall that this desire was communicated to the USCCB)  indicated they actually want the bishops to provide this kind of help. The official voice of the Church is largely missing from the world of social media, with the exception of a few blogging bishops and priests and a few forward-thinking dioceses. Most diocesan personnel, frankly, try to stay a bit "under the radar" because there is no official guidance or affirmation for their use of social media - and some degree of risk.

Lastly and this is just my personal opinion, sometimes Catholic content provided through social media may not be particularly attractive to the average Catholic, but is preachy and critical in tone.  It's no wonder the average Catholic is reluctant to engage.  Where is the content that relates the faith of average people to everyday life and engages real life issues in a healthy way? It's out there, but in my experience these are mostly not bloggers who get national recognition, who publish books about social media, who flock to social media conferences or get invited to meet with the bishops.  What the USCCB needs is a blogroll that includes all the voices of the Church, not just the loudest.