The Heroic Journey of the Mass Part III



The Mass is Ended. Go Forth to Love and Serve the Lord.



In the literature about the "Heroic Journey," or the similar "Rites of Passage," the person experiences a call to separate for a time from the ordinary routine of life and go to a special place, either a sacred place or a realm of new possibilities, to be confronted with a challenge, often to carry out a special task, but always a challenge to be transformed. Then the person returns to his or her ordinary life, but now changed and bringing gifts to others in the world.

 

In the previous three entries of this weblog, I have compared this paradigm of passage and journey to what happens at the Sunday Mass. By doing this, I’m not trying to make the Sunday Mass a momentous personal drama. Momentous things are going on at a Mass, but the transformation and its experience in Mass are often little by little.

 

A wise man wrote: "A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching."

 

This reflection that I finish here has been an attempt to remind myself and my readers that something vital and essentially important are occurring in the Mass, even when we are barely aware that it is happening. Grace is working upon us, little by little, and if we stay faithful to the transformation that the Mass, often in a hidden or humble way, is working within us, we will become "God’s new creation": "For we are his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 3:10)

 

The last stage of the "Heroic Journey" is the return of the person to his or her daily life. If we are cooperating with the transformation that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives as a result of our participation in the Sunday Mass, we will begin to see changes in how we treat others and how we live our "ordinary life." Here are some benchmarks of what our lives will look like when we keep entering the Kingdom of God in the Mass to be transformed and gifted in Christ and then returning to the kingdom of this world:

 

Micah 6:8 HERE     John 13:34-35 HERE      Matthew 25:31-40 HERE      Galatians 5:22-23 HERE

 

The return to daily life after spending time at Mass has always been a significant part of the Mass: it is the Dismissal. A Blessing is given to all and then the Priest sends forth the people. This dismissal is so significant that the word we often use for the Eucharist, "the Mass," comes from the Latin dismissal at Mass: "Ite missa est" ("Go, you are dismissed"). It is linked with the word "mission," to be sent out with a task to accomplish.

 

Our task is no less than building the Kingdom of God, which is the rule of God’s love, in our world. We also return to the Mass again and again to renew our purpose in Christ and to remember we are on the heroic journey of the Christian life.

 

 

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The Heroic Journey of the Mass Part II Continued

 

Continued from last week: The Mass considered from the perspective of the classical "heroic journey." Recall that in the classical model of the "heroic journey," one leaves one’s normal routine to enter into a special place or journey in order to be transformed in some needed way. The transformation is not always comfortable. In fact, it is meant to be challenging, to trigger change or conversion.

 

What in the Mass challenges us? A number of realities are there to challenge us simultaneously to undergo transformation and conversion. In the Mass we encounter Jesus Christ himself, in the words and example of his teaching and life, in the Scriptures proclaimed and in his Real Presence in the Eucharist.

 

In the Mass we also encounter the Catholic Church to which we belong. Jesus is also present in his Church: especially in her Priests, in the People, in the Sacraments. We are members of this Church and as such we have certain rights and responsibilities and we need to be reminded of this and challenged when we remain ignorant or stray from our Catholic identity.

 

In the Mass, as part of our membership in the Church, we also encounter the example of the Saints and their own heroic journeys to follow Christ and we are challenged to be converted like them.

 

Finally, we are also challenged by the sheer transcendence we encounter in the Eucharist. There is more than meets the eye in every liturgy, be it ever so humble. The Mass is dealing with things high above us and far beyond us and deep within us. It is God who we encounter and God’s love which lifts us up.

 

There is so much that I could reflect upon in this but instead I’ll end with something I wrote in 1999 about the Mass being counter cultural. Some have said it is quite good.

 

 

 

Liturgy is Countercultural

 

In a culture that proclaims that persons are commodities, statistics, and consumers,

the Liturgy proclaims that persons are gifted, unique, and worshipers.

 

In a culture that proclaims the absolute value of independence, individualism, and self-interest,

the Liturgy proclaims the absolute value of communion, community, and compassion with others.

 

In a culture that rapes, pollutes, and exploits the earth,

the Liturgy proclaims the goodness of creation and our stewardship of its blessing.

 

In a culture that idolizes wealth and status,

the Liturgy proclaims that all are called to the dignity of the sons and daughters of God.

 

In a culture sated with violence and death,

the Liturgy proclaims: "blessed are the peacemakers," blessed is life.

 

In a culture that exalts ambition and self-centeredness,

the Liturgy exalts self-giving service. 

 

In a culture that runs after entertainment,

the Liturgy is a slow pilgrimage into what is essential.

 

In a culture that asks: "What do I get out of it?"

the Liturgy asks: "What can I give?"

 

In a culture that has forgotten gratitude,

the Liturgy remembers that "it is right to give God thanks and praise."

 

In a culture that grows cynical,

the Liturgy gives birth to wonder.

 

In a culture that is enslaved and has lost its meaning,

that Liturgy calls the culture to freedom and transformation in hope.

 

While affirming what is good in the culture, the Liturgy is still counter cultural, a radical act calling our culture "back to its senses," through the senses, and our mind and heart, to its Original Blessing; for Liturgy calls us from idolatry to true worship, and from injustice to right relationship, in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

 

 

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The Heroic Journey of the Mass Part II

This reflection continues last week’s blog entry.

 

Once we have separated temporarily from our normal routines of daily life and entered the sacred space of the Church to celebrate the Sunday Mass, we begin the next stage of the "heroic journey," which is the challenge to change. This challenge to change, or more accurately to be changed, is also called conversion and transformation.

As I mentioned last week, when we enter into the Eucharist, we are entering into a different realm, a realm we call "the Kingdom of God." This Kingdom is a kingdom where the Rule of God’s love is paramount. It is not that the Kingdom of God is absent from our world at times other than the Mass; rather it is at Mass, especially the Sunday Mass, that the Kingdom of God is most manifested in this world. Orthodox Priest and Liturgical scholar Alexander Schmemann wrote:

 

"The Liturgy of the Eucharist is best understood as a journey or procession. It is the journey of the Church into the dimension of the Kingdom [of God]" (For the Life of the World, p.26)

 

Fr. Schmemann then describes the celebration of the Eucharist as entering into a dimension that transcends our three dimensional world:

 

"[O]ur entrance into the presence of Christ is an entrance into a fourth dimension which allows us to see the ultimate reality of life. It is not an escape from the world, rather it is the arrival at a vantage point from which we can see more deeply into the reality of the world." (Ibid, p.27)

 

This reminds me of climbing to the top of a mountain. From the mountain top, one can see all the surrounding landscape. From the vantage point of the Liturgy (the public worship of Christ and his Church) we see things as God sees them, "from on high."

 

Certainly we should be challenged by the proclamation of God’s Word at Mass. On Sundaythe Priest also gives greater time to preach about this Word. It is God’s Word, in the sense of God’s meaning for the world and for our lives. It has one major purpose: " For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord." (1 Corinthians 4:5a)

 

The Son of God is the Word of God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (See John 1). What this means is that the Son of God became Jesus Christ and he reveals to us all that God desires us to know about living a fully human life according to the rule of God’s love, that is, the according to the Kingdom of God. We preach about God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and God’s love for us revealed in Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit. We are challenged to confront at Mass (if we are attentive) what it means to be the children of God.

 

It is not just the Word of God as spoken that challenges us to change, but also the visible actions of the Liturgy accompanied by prayer. This is what we call sacramental signs. St. Augustine described sacrament as the Word of God made visible. God addresses all our senses in the Liturgy–hearing, sight, smelling, tasting, touching–to communicate his saving message to us, a message that changes us.

A Christian author writes about a wonderful Rabbi, Abraham Heschel. Rabbi Heschel has influenced my spiritual life by his beautiful writings:

 

"A member of Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s congregation came to him with a complaint: ‘Some of the members of the synagogue told him that the liturgy did not express what they felt. Would he please change it? Heschel wisely told them that it was not for the liturgy to express what they felt, it was for them to learn what the liturgy expressed. As Jews they were to learn the drama and say it and ‘play it’ over and over again until it captured their imagination and they assimilated it into the deepest places of their hearts. Then, and only then, would it be possible for them to live their own individual dramas,’" (Ronald P. Byars)

 

We may apply the same truth to our Christian liurgy.

 

Next Week I shall say more about how the Mass challenges us to change by following Christ and being united to him.

 

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The Heroic Journey of the Mass Part I

After a break last week to attend the Diocesan Priests Retreat, I want to continue my reflections on the idea of rites of passage, also as compared to the heroic journey. It would be great if we could become heroes of faith!

 

If you have read my last few blog entries, recall that the heroic journey/passage involves a basic dynamic of (1) separation, (2) challenge to change, and (3) return. I want to reflect more on how this may be applied to our participation in the Eucharist, especially the Sunday Mass (I did this briefly in the September 26th entry)

Means the Called Out Ones

 

 Every Sunday we are called to separate from our weekly routine and everyday life and go to church (a sacred place where the Eucharist is celebrated). The New Testament Greek word translated as "Church" is ekklesia and it literally means "to be called out of", or more loosely, "the called out ones" or "assembly summoned out to meet." We are not separating in order to escape our everyday realities, since we should bring all our life to the celebration of the Eucharist: to offer it, to consecrate it to God, to relate it to the mission and purpose of Christ and to have our minds and hearts attuned to the Kingdom of God, which is the rule of God’s love (for this we pray "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven").

 

 

Christ the Redeemer Church, Houston Texas

Nevertheless we are entering a different realm when we leave home and come to the church on Sunday. We are going to give thanks with the entire Church and offer the One Sacrifice of Christ with the Priest and one another. We are doing something that is done on Sunday with the Church as a whole.

 

What signals to us that we are entering a different realm and a sacred experience on Sunday? First, we enter the House of the Lord which is the gathering place of the parish for liturgy (public worship). When we come into the Church it has various statues, images, and sacred objects that remind us of God’s Presence and our communion with the saints. This is sacred space.

 

The silence before Mass is meant to also signal us that something special is about to happen. This silence gives everyone together the opportunity to pray and recollect ourselves for the Mass which is about to happen. I like to use this preparation time to recall what I want to give thanks to God for in my life. I also recall what I want to intercede about when I enter the Mass.

 

It is so rare to find silence today. To me, the silence before Mass does signal that something differentbut after the Mass. Also, one should be ready to briefly greet one another as we come to pray, but this can be a smile and a nod of the head. For extensive socializing we provide hospitality after the Sunday Masses. The Church calls for silence before Mass and this is significant and helpful (General Instruction of the Roman Missal #45: "Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence to be observed in the church....so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.") is happening in this place (the church). I must always reassure people that we are not trying to be anti-social; there is a time for the social, for chatting and catching up with one another

 

Coming to Mass, I as a Priest have the added advantage of having studied the Scripture Readings which will be proclaimed and since I will preach them I have thought a great deal about them. Anyone, however, can read the Sunday Scriptures beforehand and even study them with the right resources. The Priest cannot touch upon everything in the Scriptures, and there is so much more riches in the Readings for Sunday. Here is a resource if one wants to study the Sunday Readings to a greater depth: HERE.

 

Finally, the Opening Procession begins and truly this reminds us that we are on a journey together. The Priest and Ministers process in and represent the entire assembly in this passage. This also signals something special is happening. The Priest and Ministers don’t just come in casually and at random, but with formality and in a unified movement. They are moving toward the sanctuary where the altar is located. The sanctuary is the place where we offer the sacrifice of the Mass and offer ourselves joined to Jesus who is both Priest and Sacrifice. The sanctuary also represent heaven. Almost all sanctuaries are elevated; it takes a "going up to the altar of the Lord," (see Psalm 43:4 HERE) (See a stirring procession HERE)

 

"The Entrance Procession is not just a means to get to the front of the church and the altar; it has deep theological significance, reminding us all of the fact that the entire people of God are pilgrims – we are a pilgrim people on the road from here (the earth) to eternity (to heaven). The entrance procession symbolized that journey – from the world outside the doors at the back of the church, to our heavenly destination, symbolized by the sanctuary at the front of the church. In that journey, Christ is not only our goal, symbolized by the altar, but He also accompanies us on the way in the person of the priest." (Citation HERE)

 

The Opening Rites of the Mass help us to further make the transition or separation to become a worshiping assembly. We begin with some sort of Penitential Rite, then the Gloria (except in Advent and Lent) and the Opening Prayer. In all these ways we are preparing for that challenge to change which is central to the heroic journey and about which I’ll write more next week.

 

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The Mystery of Passages

I was thinking about "passages" today and how I collect for my computer files images of passages. These are pictures which are evocative of something mysterious or deep within me (us), what some call archetypes.

 

A passage is of course a journey from one place to another, or from one stage of life to another, or from one time to another. So we might also speak of passages as a journey or a pilgrimage. The Scriptures and the Christian, as well as other, spiritual traditions speak of the "journey of life" and the "spiritual journey." (See my material on the spiritual journey HERE and related categories on my personal page)

The spiritual journey also involves what are called rites of passage. This is passing from one kind of way of life to another, or from one stage of spiritual growth to another. Baptism is a rite of passage. Marriage and ordination are rites of passage. But rites of passage can also be on a smaller scale than birth, death, or big life changes.

 

Here’s an interesting discussion of rites of passages as well as their similarity to the creative and the therapeutic processes:

 

       "The initiatory process, the creative process and the therapeutic process all have a  tremendous amount in common. They are all rites of passage.

 

     "The archetypal structure of a rite of passage (which is used for initiation and for transitions in life) is threefold. The first phase is a separation -- a breaking away from the normal workaday world and entry into ritual space (also known as sacred space or, more technically, liminal space). Once within the ritual container, the second phase is the ordeal -- the confrontation with personal and archetypal materials that need to be integrated for the rite of passage to succeed. Once the ordeal has been successfully navigated, the third phase is the return, where the initiate is blessed and received back into the larger culture, with a changed identity and all the gifts the initiate received during the process.

 

     "This may sound archaic and daunting, until you learn to spot variants of this process. For instance, the creative process follows this same pattern. The artist goes to the studio, wrestles with the creative process, and returns with a new creation. Therapy also follows the same structure -- the client enters the therapeutic realm in relationship with the therapist, confronts and integrates painful material, and emerges with healing and greater inner resources. Likewise, when we go to the movies or read a novel, we enter another reality, are swept along with the struggles of the characters, and we emerge transformed, or at least entertained.

 

     "It is a universal process that we all experience over and over again -- though usually it is done unconsciously. In fact, we go to the arts precisely because they create (or mimic) this pattern."

 

Harry LeBlanc  From "Arts of Passge" (emphasis added)

 

Perhaps this speaks to you or not. But I think of something like coming to Sunday Mass or other liturgies and what it could mean for as a "passage" (dramatically or not). We in some way separate from the everyday world to enter the sacred space of the church. We are not escaping from the world for we bring the world with us wherever we go; however, we do leave our ordinary pursuits for a time to enter the church with others on the Catholic spiritual journey.

The Procession into Mass reminds us that we are making a passage into the House of the Lord

Then, as LeBlanc said, we proceed to "the second phase [which] is the ordeal -- the confrontation with personal and archetypal materials that need to be integrated for the rite of passage to succeed." To put this into spiritual language, we encounter the story of Jesus, his life, especially his Death and Resurrection, and integrate or struggle to incorporate these "mysteries" into our lives. We may have to confront our sins, our failures, our fears, our hopes and dreams, etc. in the course of the Mass. Granted we may be more or less sensitive to this depending on where we are at in our spiritual and life passages. For example, teens (but other ages as well) are sometimes "bored" at Mass until the Mass is a Funeral for a classmate or friend who is killed in an accident. Then the Mass may become all too real in what it confronts us with and promises.

 

Then, ideally, we return back to our ordinary world from Mass having a new sense of purpose, a new outlook, sins forgiven, fears reassured, etc.

 

Some of the images I share from my files here probably express for me an inner desire to wander, to go on a journey, to explore where the unknown road is going. Maybe it’s because I (and I think a lot of people) feel that our life journey seems measured in inches, not miles. Where are we going? Is everything becoming too routine? Is this desire a desire to escape, or is it our soul reminding us to take time and pay attention to the passages we are making right now? To be sure, Jesus walks with us on our journeys. (See Luke 24:13-35 HERE)



The Passage of Israel through the Red Sea going from Slavery to Freedom

is the pattern for the Spiritual Journy for Judaism

and later for the Christian Faith as a type of Baptism

 

An image like this reminds me of a journey upward and it is titled "Ascension"

 







A favorite photo I took at the Franciscan Shrine of LaVerna, Italy.

Here is a passage of descent from the mountain

 



Sometimes our spiritual journey is like passing through a desert

 



I really like the sense of passage captured in images like this. Where is it leading?

 





A classic image of a journey with companions

 



Very evocative to me of both the beauty and mystery

and the invitation to the journey

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