Liturgical Word for the Day: "Kavanah"

This morning, I caught a show on my local ABC affiliate that featured an interview with three Jewish rabbis - talking about the upcoming high holy days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  During the discussion, each rabbi shared a bit about his/her own preparation and interior disposition for leadership of the liturgies of these celebrations. Of course, since our tradition in the Church is rooted in Jewish liturgy, there were similarities to our own worship.  However, I was struck by a particular word one rabbi used to describe the attitude that he must have to be able to lead prayer authetically: kavanah.

One webpage about Judaism describes it this way:

The mindset for prayer is referred to as kavanah, which is generally translated as "concentration" or "intent." The minimum level of kavanah is an awareness that one is speaking to G_d and an intention to fulfill the obligation to pray. If you do not have this minimal level of kavanah, then you are not praying; you are merely reading. In addition, it is preferred that you have a mind free from other thoughts, that you know and understand what you are praying about and that you think about the meaning of the prayer.

I think this delightful concept is a treasure we need to explore more deeply as Catholics. When we celebrate the Mass, whether as presider, liturgical minister, or as a member of the assembly, we should have that kind of interior intentional focus.  De musica sacra et sacra liturgia  (Instruction on Sacred Music and Sacred Liturgy)  written in 1958, at the time when the concept of "active participation" was first being universallly promoted, puts the concept this way:

22. By its very nature, the Mass requires that all present take part in it, each having a particular function.
a) Interior participation is the most important; this consists in paying devout attention, and in lifting up the heart to God in prayer. In this way the faithful "are intimately joined with their High Priest...and together with Him, and through Him offer (the Sacrifice), making themselves one with Him" (Mediator Dei, Nov. 20, 1947: AAS 39 [1947] 552).
b) The participation of the congregation becomes more complete, however, when, in addition to this interior disposition, exterior participation is manifested by external acts, such as bodily position (kneeling, standing, sitting), ceremonial signs, and especially responses, prayers, and singing.

53 years on, it is possible that we may have lost the original balance between interior and exterior participation.  We focus on asking people to sing, to say the prayers, etc, but I see very little evidence that  in our catechesis  of children, youth and adults that we more than sporadically make an effort to help people understand what should be going on in their mind and heart during Mass.  To be sure, most people who are willingly at Mass naturally make an effort to be involved in what is happening during the liturgy. They sing, sit, stand, process, and listen.  However, are they doing kavanah?  Are their minds free of other thoughts? Do they understand what they are praying about, and do they think about the meaning of the prayer?

When we begin using the Third Edition of the Roman Missal in the coming months, will people be engaged more deeply because they now have to think about the words? Or will they be put off by long, complex sentences and difficult words? I am convinced that the quality of interior engagement with the liturgy in the months and years to come will be due to the quality of the catechesis provided to people on the new Missal.

New Roman Missal: "People of Good Will" - What Does That Mean?

Yesterday, a friend of mine currently revising a musical setting of the Gloria using the text of the new Roman Missal sent me an advance sample. I commented to him that the two longer notes on “good will” in the refrain force the singer, in effect, to accent “good” instead of “will” as one might expect, and that was interesting. His response was that he did that intentionally to help focus people on the meaning of the phrase. 


That, however, got me thinking. What does it actually mean to be “people of good will”?  What will people in the pews in Catholic parishes, asked to sing this “new” phrase think that it means?

Miriam Webster online gives several definitions that seem to apply to some degree: 

1 a : a kindly feeling of approval and support : benevolent interest or concern…

2 a : cheerful consent b : willing effort

Urban Dictionary.com is more realistic, perhaps: 

“A factor of humanity that is lacking in most people. Good will is the basic component of "good people," that is, those who are nonmalignant, those with clean motives, and those who possess a lack of cruelty and viciousness.”

So, to be people of good will in the worldly definition means merely to have a kindly feeling of approval and support, to give a cheerful consent or make a willing effort and/or to have clean motives and a lack of cruelty and viciousness? Is this our proper response to God and to God’s sending of his Son? Seems a little bit inadequate, does it not?

The translation of the song of the angels in Luke 2:14 in the New American Bible is actually “…peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests”- instead of the Mass text translation of “et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis”  from the Novus Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible  from which the Third Edition of the Roman Missal is derived.

If God’s favor rests on his people, if we are those privileged to be the objects of God’s love, I would hope we would have more than the dictionary-definition response!  Based on the teaching of Jesus and the Church, I would define the attitude that makes up Christian “good will” as follows:  joyful, open and willing reception of the Good News, evidenced in a life of loving charity and eager service to others.

What do you think? How will you help adults, youth and children understand this?

St. Ignatius and I, or Cherchez le Jesuit

As we celebrate the feast day of St. Ignatius, I have to acknowledge that he is the saint who pursues me a bit  like the hound of heaven.  For some reason, almost every major spiritual crisis in my life has somewhere in it had the influence of a Jesuit, whether in person, or through something I read.

In addition, I am extremely visual, and Ignatian meditations on Scripture tend to affect me deeply, because I really can enter the story. For that discovery, I acknowledge my debt to Fr.J. Michael Sparough, SJ, whose leadership of a meditation at a retreat at a key time in my life and subsequent personal advice helped me realize that God was trying to get my attention.  At any rate, I have often found myself in a time of discernment, during which I feel an urge to look around to see where the Jesuit influence is.

What is it about St. Ignatius? The methodology of discernment, I think, along with the working philosophy that God is to be found in all things. He is not an easy saint to follow, certainly. I have an attraction to parts of the Spiritual Exercises, but the idea of finding the time to go through the entire discipline is a little daunting. Still, the impulse is there, in the background, waiting for the right time.

In the meantime, I have to admit that the vagaries of my life journey lately have convinced me of the inevitability of turning my life over to God's will and not mine. My own attempts at achieving goals have been met with mixed success and not a little failure.   The following song pretty much says it. Take a listen, and bring to mind this great leader of the Church, St. Ignatius -- then ask how he may be speaking to you.

A Story of Unexpected Love

Last night, after the featured presentation of "Sherlock" on my local PBS station, I almost changed the channel.  I am glad I didn't.  They showed a short Oscar-nominated film in Dutch, with subtitles. I normally have little patience for subtitled films, since I am an avid multi-tasker, and when I have to focus on reading rather than hearing the dialog... well, you know how that is! About a minute and a half into this, however, I stopped having the urge to reach for the remote.  This film, about an aging office clerk with romantic inclinations ends up being a story of great love, in a most unexpected way.  I am thinking this might be a great conversation-starter for parish faith formation. Watch and see if you agree if "there is no greater love than..."

"The Mass in Scripture" - Expanding Catechesis for the New Roman Missal Through Lectio Divina

Stephen J. Binz's Lectio Divina Bible Study: The Mass in Scripture is a marvelous, deep study of the scriptural roots of the Mass which can prepare people to begin using the texts of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.  This resource gives adults an opportunity to grow in understanding the Mass through its biblical sources by discovering and praying over Scripture either individually, or as a group. In the ancient tradition of Lectio Divina, the assumption is that "the reader trusts that God is present and speaks to his people through the inspired word, working profoundly through our minds and hearts."

Beginning with early Christian accounts of the liturgy and its Jewish roots, Binz gives a brief outline, with questions for reflection.  He then opens with the first Lectio exercise - reflection on the Apostle Paul's teaching on the Lord's Supper, 1 Cor.11:17-19, which he calls "the Church's oldest existing teaching on the Eucharist."  Binz then guides the reader/participant through the process: Listening, Understanding, Reflecting, Praying and Acting. This is the process which will be used for the next 30 sessions.

The subsequent sections of this book consist of 6 "lessons" each, which focus on:
     Honoring God in Covenant Worship
     Introductory Rites of the Mass
     The Liturgy of the Word
     The Liturgy of the Eucharist
     The Communion Rite and Dismissal

While most resources about the Mass begin with the Sign of the Cross, Binz rightly starts with the Entrance Antiphon - and a scriptural reflection on what it means to process to the house and altar of God. Not only does he have lessons on the words we speak, but when an action has a scriptural significance, he guides the participant through that as well. An example is Lesson 12, "Praying to the Father, Through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit" - in which we are guided through the scriptural roots of the Collect prayer. Another is Lesson 24, where we focus on the scriptural tradition of sacrifice.

How can this in-depth study be used? Binz gives three options: individual study (with suggested accountability to another person), group study in a weekly format meeting to go through all 30 lessons, or group in a 6-week intensive format where  people meet once a week to share about the entire section.

What is immediately obvious from any of these options is that this study is a definite commitment. It is not for the casual Catholic, but rather for those who are willing to make an effort to explore their faith and are ready for the consequently deeper reward of greater understanding. Participation in this process can give people an opportunity to encounter the biblical roots of the Mass, to pray and reflect on those passages, and to allow that process to enrich the prayer of the Mass.

While The Mass in Scripture is a fine response to the call for a deeper catechesis on the Mass to coincide with the implementation of the new texts, it is definitely not for every group in a parish. It IS, however, perfect spiritual nourishment for Small Christian Communities and other people of mature faith who regularly and faithfully attend and fully participate in the Mass. I am of the mind that we should feed our most faithful and engaged parishioners the choicest spiritual food, if they are ready and hungry for it.  This resource definitely fills that need at this important time in the Church.

A Community of Song - Family of Support

I was privileged to be part of a very special rehearsal last night. Approximately 30 veteran choir singers from 5 parishes and some young singers from a local Catholic high school convened at one of our area parishes to practice music for a funeral. As far  as pick-up choirs go, this one was excellent - with a pretty good balance among the voice parts.  The Holy Spirit called together a group of people who not only are up to the challenge, but who have the hearts to bring their best.

Our director, Todd, a talented young man who had called us together to prepare music for the funeral of his older brother, Mark, who had suffered for the past several years from a brain tumor.  Todd is an excellent director, organist and a composer and arranger of church music in his own right. Todd and Mark's mother, Janet, an alto who has sung for many years with several local choirs was also there to sing. The high school students - about 8 of them - were all young people who had experienced Todd as a teacher there - they had driven probably about 45 minutes to an hour to join us. The rest of us were local - and have sung with Todd and/or Janet over the years in several area parishes.

We all met some new music for the first time last night, but what some people did not know, the rest of us did, so all in all it was a good rehearsal. However, good as the musicianship was, the point was the gathering of a community of friends - people who feel close enough to this family in their time of grief to give up an evening and a half day tomorrow morning to be there to celebrate Mark's birth to eternal life - to pray together in song.

Anyone reading this who is an experienced choir singer will understand. Belonging to a parish choir is very close to an experience of Small Christian Community. For most of the year, choir friends pray together twice a week (at rehearsal and Mass) in word and song.  We share each other's joys and sorrows willingly over a period of years - and our commitment to each other is quite strong.

Parish musicians are a bit like each other's second family in many ways. We give up time around Christmas and Easter to be at church to sing rather than spend that time with our families.  We laugh together, we enjoy each other's good news, and we pray, cry and hug each other through the bad times.  I have been privileged to experience this in three parishes myself.  It is a special privilege to belong the the parish musicians' community, and one that fosters a spirit of great commitment in many good people.  It is an example of Christian community at its very best. The rest of the parish can certainly learn from this model of fidelity and commitment.

Last night was special. Tomorrow will be even more so, when, at the funeral, we will sacrifice our time and offer up our talent to help a family lay a beloved son and brother to rest. None of us will give a second thought to what else we could or should be doing with that time.  We know what is important.

Resources for Liturgical Catechesis in Spanish

Just updated my website, The Liturgical Catechist, with a new page of resources in Spanish (some biligual).

There are a few nice ones created especially to be bilingual, but, as is typical  of most resources in the Church, most are simply resources originally written in English translated (or with sub-titles). It is what it is. Someday, perhaps, when we have more people from the Hispanic culture who have been well-educated in liturgical theology and practice, we may see more resources created from within the mindset of their culture. Until then, these are pretty good and readily available from major Catholic publishers.  As always, if you have suggestions for additions to my resource lists of things that are specifically liturgical-catechetical, please let me know.