Liturgical Postures #8 of 8; Excerpts from Second Sunday of Advent

Did you know the Sign of Peace is actually optional? The missal says: “If appropriate, the Deacon or the Priest, adds: Let us offer each other the sign of peace.” So don’t be alarmed if you go to Mass somewhere else and the priest leaves it out. Mass is still valid and perfectly licit, or legal, without it. When I was in high school work, there were many times we had to invite the students to offer the sign of peace before Mass even started. In certain situations, the liturgy could easily get off the rails. It could lead to the tendency to completely forget about Jesus and the mysteries being celebrated. We are here to worship Him.

So what is the meaning of the Sign of Peace? The missal reminds us this gesture “expresses peace, communion, and charity.” We could spend years unpacking each of those. It is good for us Christians, to join ourselves to the Lord Jesus in this act of worship of the Father, who is the origin of peace, communion and charity. Jesus is our peace, we don’t manufacture it ourselves. Jesus is the source of our communion, we could not manufacture it ourselves no matter how much we tried. Since we are in communion with him, we are in communion with each other by association. He is the one that makes our communion real. Our communion with Him is the only reason we can signify it with the sign of peace in the first place.

The liturgical books further remind us that the sign of peace is not focused on the reconciliation of brothers and sisters. All of that was already signified earlier in Mass. In the Penitential Act, we said: “I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned.”

The important thing is that we keep in mind the Sign of Peace is a symbolic action. By making the sign of peace with the people next to us, we are saying we are at peace with everyone, not only everyone present in the building, but also with everyone in the Universal Church, and hopefully everyone in the world. Because of this symbolism, it is not necessary or proper to try to offer the sign of peace to as many people as possible.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us: “It is, however, appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner.” The people nearest us are the people on either side of us. If it’s not in a sober manner, we could be distracted from the sacred mysteries we are celebrating.

The appropriate form of the sign of peace in this country is a hand shake. Some people who are closer may embrace or even kiss each other if it is appropriate.

Looking at the big picture, we should keep in mind at that time of Mass that Jesus is exposed, and present, on the altar: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Some of the faithful in some parts of the Church would be scandalized that the faithful would turn their backs to the Lord who is present in the Blessed Sacrament. This Advent season is a special time to long to be in the Lord's presence.

Since our beginnings 2,000 years ago, Catholics have always been very good at fostering community. We have always had better community building than any other faith-based group in the world. The important thing is that we remember we are at Mass to worship God.

All this being said, it is never appropriate to walk around, away from one’s place in the pews. I especially ask parents to be vigilant in keeping your children of all ages in your care. Since reconciliation between brothers was already signified at the Penitential Act at the beginning of Mass, it would not make sense to go seek out our enemies at this time, let alone our friends or the people we like the best.

Another reason for a sober sign of peace, is because of what is going to happen next. We should long to witness the liturgical action of the priest breaking the sacred host. It reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken for us in His death on the Cross. The one who is fully God and fully human went to a horrible gruesome death so we could have eternal life. That is good news, and we should desire to witness it.

This also signifies that the many faithful are made one body by receiving communion from the one bread of life which is Christ. This leads us to our ultimate sign of unity: Holy Communion.

The faithful are invited to receive Holy Communion. The word “communion” means “one with.” We are made one with Jesus because He makes us one with him. When we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, we are one with Him if we receive in the state of grace. And if all of us are one with Him, we are one with each other. It is a unity that Jesus makes real, not one that we can fabricate, manufacture, or invent on our own.

In receiving Holy Communion, our body language is speaking volumes. We are saying our union with the Church is real. We are saying we believe everything the Church teaches. We are saying the pope is our spiritual father. We are saying we are in the state of grace and have prepared ourselves to receive. We are saying we are not conscious of any grave sin since our last confession. If these things are not true, we are telling a lie with our bodies and committing a sacrilege, treating something holy in an unholy way. If these things are not true, we should never receive communion just because everybody else does.

How do we receive? The universal, worldwide practice is to receive Holy Communion on the tongue while standing. The United States and some other countries have received special permission to receive Holy Communion in the hand, but this is not the universal practice. Other countries use the posture of kneeling for Holy Communion. So, we should be careful when traveling to other countries. We don’t want to scandalize or offend the faithful.

Holy Mother Church also asks us to make a gesture of adoration before receiving. In 2002, the bishops of this country asked us to make a bow of the head that symbolizes our adoration of the Lord who we are receiving. I think we do a really good job with that. Even though this is the preferred gesture in our country, some people genuflect or receive while kneeling. These are also acceptable.

The things I have shared with you over these past couple months are in no way exhaustive of the fullness of the mysteries being celebrated. The Lord invites all of us into the mysteries more fully in order to worship Him and encounter Him more fully. We can never finish learning this no matter how long we live.

Liturgical Postures #7: Excerpts from First Sunday of Advent

Happy New Year! Today we begin the new liturgical year on this First Sunday of Advent. If we are beginning a new year, and we are in Advent, why is our Gospel reading from the end of Matthew’s Gospel? The Lord reminds us the world is passing away. So He invites us to rethink being invested in the world. Advent reminds us: The King is coming. We don’t know the day or the hour. The Lord invites us to faithful service for the Kingdom. We have the opportunity to prepare to meet the Bridegroom, the Master, the King of all the nations.

The closest we can get to the King this side of Heaven is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So let’s unpack the sacred mysteries. When I first thought about doing a series on liturgical postures, I was going to call it this: “Should we hold hands during the Our Father, and everything you ever wanted to know about liturgical postures, gestures, and non-verbals”. And I thought about holding the series once a week in the evening. As I continued to pray about it, I realized it is much too important for only a handful of people to hear. So I decided the Sunday homily would reach more people with this important topic. If we were in a classroom setting, I would ask the question: In what ways do we show our unity at Mass? I could write all the answers on the board.

People might answer with some of the things we have already covered: Common posture like sitting and standing; Some might say: responding together, singing together, maybe the sign of peace, which we haven’t covered yet. Some might even mention the most awesome and ultimate way we show our unity. And it’s not holding hands at the Our Father, it’s receiving Holy Communion.

We’ll finish with that next week. Today we pick up where we left off at the Our Father, or the Lord’s Prayer. The priest gives the introduction with his hands closed and then he opens his hands to the orans position as he says the words: “Our Father”. From what we already covered about the orans position, we know it is one the priest uses at Mass to collect the prayers of all the faithful into one as it is presented to the Father in Heaven. I already mentioned that the orans position is an ancient prayer posture and it is appropriate for people to use in their devotional lives of prayer. However, at Mass, it could confuse the meaning of our common posture especially if people are doing different things, since unity is one of our goals. 

So we might ask: What are the people to do? We already covered the priest: he has to hold his hand out in the orans position because he is collecting the prayers of all in his role of leadership. We can explore this question more deeply if there is a deacon present. Actually, in two weeks, we will have a deacon here to preach at Mass. You will notice that at the Lord’s Prayer, the deacon will have his hands closed in prayer the whole time. He is not permitted to open his hands in the orans position during the Lord’s Prayer. So we might ask: If a deacon, who is an ordained minister, serving at the altar during Mass, in an official capacity, prays the Lord’s Prayer with his hands closed, why would the lay faithful open their hands like the priest does? It would be more appropriate for the faithful to imitate the deacon, rather than the priest. 

What about the other question: Should the faithful be holding hands during the Our Father? I would answer with another question: Why just during the Our Father? Why did we not hold hands during the opening hymn, the Collect, during the readings, during the Gospel, during the Eucharistic Prayer? So my answer would be, it would only make sense liturgically if we were holding hands during the whole Mass. And I’m sure we would all agree that would be strange. Some people have wondered how holding hands crept its way into the liturgy over the past few decades. I heard one person guess that people were imitating the priest in the orans position and then they started to bump their hands into each other and then they just decided to grab each other’s hands. My theory is that some families hold hands during grace before meals and they have tried to introduce it into the sacred liturgy.

And then, after the Our Father, why do some people raise their hands really high when we say: For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.”? I have no idea where that comes from. But we can learn something from concelebrating priests. That’s when there is more than one priest offering Mass at the same time. After we say: “Deliver us from evil,” the concelebrating priests have to close their hands. Only the one main celebrant can keep his hands open showing his role of leadership in prayer.

Several years ago, Bishop Foys across the river had all his parishes in the Diocese of Covington do catechesis on why is would not be proper to hold hands during the Our Father at Mass. He actually asked the faithful of his diocese not to do it. I’m not here making a rule today. But I am trying to unpack what is proper and improper at Holy Mass and why we are doing what we are doing.

I have always wondered: how prayerful can it be to hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer? I am thinking more about the prayer or am I distracted by the other person’s hand? When I was teaching high school, I would see students use it as an opportunity to mess with each other. I remember two seniors rubbing each other’s fingers trying to get the other one to giggle. Even since I’ve been pastor here, I have seen children using it as an opportunity to misbehave.

So we have this opportunity to ask ourselves this question: In this liturgical new year, how can I, or how can our family, celebrate these mysteries with greater devotion? How can we understand more and more why we do what we do as a Church? How is the Lord drawing me into His presence?

Liturgical Postures #6 - Excerpts from Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

This is the Solemnity, or great feast, of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It is true, He is King of the Universe, but is He King of our hearts? By calling ourselves Christians, we are saying we are followers of Christ, thus making Him our King.

We are in the midst of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass worshiping the Father, in Jesus as the King of the Universe, through the Holy Spirit in the way He showed us He wants us to worship Him. We have been examining the profound meanings of the gestures, postures and non-verbals of Holy Mass, so we pick up today where we left off last time.

We were standing getting ready to lift up our hearts to the Lord in the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the center and summit of the entire celebration. Because it is the ultimate prayer of thanksgiving that sanctifies us, and because it is the prayer that offers the Sacrifice of Jesus Himself to the Father, the prayer itself demands that all listen to it with reverence and in silence. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal)

In the Preface, the priest offers the prayer of thanksgiving to the Father in the orans posture. Once again, this is a reminder that the priest is offering the prayer to the Father on behalf of the people, and gathering their prayers to his. This is the prayer that usually begins with the priest saying: “It is truly right and just…” At the end of it, everyone joins the angels and the saints in singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the Lord, God of hosts. In this song, we are praising God and showing our unity in worship.

After this, all the faithful kneel in adoration of the Lord who is about to be made present on the altar. If we can’t kneel, we are supposed to stand in adoration. Sitting would not be a correct posture unless standing would become burdensome. Then there is also the issue of the people behind the person who would have to stand, so such a person would probably have to stand near the back. Even though it is not a correct liturgical posture, some people will sit to blend in better with those who are kneeling so they don’t stick out like a sore thumb. If we can kneel, we should kneel. If not, we should stand, without being overly conspicuous. If we cannot stand, we can sit. It is good that we are here. My goal is to present the profound meanings of our common posture thus encouraging the faithful into a deeper experience of encountering the Lord in these sacred mysteries.

After the priest consecrates the bread and wine and they become the Body and Blood or our Lord, by the power of God, he elevates them to show them to the people. The server rings the bells the remind us of the substantial presence of Almighty God. He is present in His substance: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Some of the faithful have gotten in the habit of striking the breast at this time. This is an acknowledgement of the fact that I am in the presence of God, and I am not worthy to be in His presence. As the Eucharistic Prayer continues, we hear language about offering Jesus, the Spotless Victim,  to the Father. The Second Vatican Council tells us there is more: that the faithful would also learn to offer themselves, and so day by day to be consummated, through Christ the Mediator, into unity with God and with each other, so that at last God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15;28). We could write a doctoral dissertation just unpacking the meaning of that sentence.

At the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest holds up the sacred elements, expressing glory to God. This in confirmed and concluded by the people’s acclamation: Amen. The Amen is usually sung, showing that it is an act of praising God, it is a sign of unity, and it shows that the people make it their own.

After the Amen, the people stand for the Communion Rite. This posture of standing is meaningful because we are about to encounter and greet someone very important, the most important person ever, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Unpacking these mysteries today gives us the excellent opportunity to ask ourselves today: Is He King of my heart? How can I praise him and live my life this week to secure His throne right there in my heart where He belongs?

Liturgical Postures #5 - Excerpts from the Homily on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Universal Prayer ends the Liturgy of the Word with the people standing. Now, everyone sits for the Preparation of the Altar and the Presentation of the Gifts. This used to be called the Offertory. This is an essential part of Holy Mass but the danger exists that it may just be seen as a practical or pragmatic way to get things in the right places so Mass can continue. We will notice that the spiritual significance is profound.

We are singing the Offertory chant which shows our unity and shows that we are praising God. The faithful are waiting for the ushers to come around with the baskets for the collection. This is actually a gesture with great spiritual significance. St. Justin Martyr talked about the importance of taking up a collection on the Lord's day. Certainly it shows we are supporting the operations of the parish, but it also shows we are supporting the poor and needy. In ancient times, people would have brought the produce from their land, thus showing that their support for the parish comes from their own toil. Nowadays, the monetary collection shows the exact same thing.

Also at this time, the bread and wine are brought forward. There is profound spiritual significance here. It should be noted that they are brought forth by the people from the people. Moreover, it takes hard work and patience to make bread and wine. It shows that human beings can take the fruits of the earth, which are God's gifts, and with human ingenuity, also God's gift, offer them back to Him. We should also notice these are the exact same elements Jesus used at the Last Supper.

The Prayerful opportunity continues. We know what is going to happen to the bread and wine. They will be consecrated, made holy, set apart. We know God will change them into the Body and Blood of Christ, using the priest as His instrument. We further know that they will be offered to the Father. As the bread and wine are brought forward to become our offering, we are invited to offer ourselves with them to the Father. We can prayerfully place ourselves on the altar with the bread and wine: our hopes, dreams, desires, sufferings, joys, talents and all that we are, to become an offering to the Father.

It is also appropriate, as much as possible, to have one vessel for bread, signifying the one loaf; and one chalice of wine, further signifying our unity in Christ. Individual cups would greatly diminish the idea of unity in Christ.

At this point of Mass, the altar has become the centerpiece and focal point. It is a symbol of Christ, and it is set apart for one specific purpose, nothing else. The priest can incense the altar along with the cross and the bread and wine. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) states that this is "to signify the Church's offering and prayer rising like incense in the sight of God."

The GIRM continues: "Next, the priest, because of his sacred ministry, and the people, by reason of their baptismal dignity, may be incensed by the deacon or another minister." This reminds the faithful that by virtue of our baptism, we are set apart to be God's own. We are consecrated to Him. 

Since the priest invites all to pray that "my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God" we know that we are offering all that we are to the Father. The people stand for the priest to offer the Prayer over the Offerings to God. He does so in the orans position. This shows that the priest is collecting the prayers of the people and offering them to God on their behalf. They make the prayer their own with a resounding "Amen."

Liturgical Postures #4 - Excerpts from the homily on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

As the Liturgy of the Word begins, we sit for the first time. First of all sitting is the common posture of all gathered so it shows our unity. Secondly, sitting is a posture of being receptive. Hopefully we know we are being receptive to Jesus himself in the Word proclaimed. God is speaking to His people and we are receiving spiritual nourishment.
The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council reminds us that we are not passive spectators at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. All the faithful are called to full and active participation. Sometimes the word "active" is translated as "actual." In the Liturgy of the Word, we participate well through active listening.
It should also me pointed out that the person who gets up to proclaim the sacred text does not participate more or better by doing this task. All the faithful are capable of participating fully from the pews.
At the end of the reading, we reply, "Thanks be to God." This shows our unity in thanksgiving. Our thanksgiving will build until its climax in the Eucharistic Prayer which it self is a prayer of thanksgiving acknowledging the "Good Gift" (eu-charis in Greek). The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) says the faithful are "honoring the Word of God they have received in faith and with grateful hearts."
A period of silence after each reading and the homily is good for enhancing meditation. The GIRM says: "By their silence and singing, the people make God's Word their own." This singing happens during the Responsorial Psalm which is also Sacred Scripture and thus cannot be substituted for some other poem or literature. A person waiting to read the second reading should never be standing and waiting, but joining all the faithful in the seated position of being receptive to the Lord. Singing shows our unity in faith as we sing with one voice. It also fosters meditation and praises God. I think it was St. Augustine who said, "He who sings prays twice."
There are many non-verbals associated with the proclamation of the Gospel at Holy Mass. This shows its elevation from all other texts because it is the life of Jesus our Blessed Lord and His very words. First we stand because we are meeting our Blessed Lord in His words. We always stand to greet someone. As we stand we sing the Gospel acclamations, Alleluias at this time of year. This shows we are praising God who is about to speak to us in the Gospel. The Gospel has its own book, known also as the evangelary. Perhaps this could remind us we are hearing the words of Christ who is God in human flesh. The Gospel has to be proclaimed at Mass by an ordained minister. This shows it is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. That ordained minister can also incense the book of the Gospels as it is open to the page. We incense things that are holy. It is certainly holy as it contains the words of Jesus himself. Many regions have adopted the gesture of making three crosses, one each on the forehead, lips, and breast. Some will even pray to the Lord: "May your Word be on my mind, on my lips and in my heart" as a sign to continually meditate on it, share it with the world, and ponder these things in our hearts in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the end of the Gospel, the ordained minister kisses the page to show his affection for the sweetness of the words of Christ.
In the homily, the faithful return to the seated position, being receptive the to Word as it is unpacked. The silence after the homily is the perfect time to ponder how one might put these exhortations into one's own life in the coming week.
In the Creed we stand to show that we are declaring our faith, giving witness to God's goodness. We recite the Creed together to show our adherence to our faith in the Lord and our unity in doing so. The Creed is the perfect thing to launch us into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We have just been nourished with God's Word and had these Mysteries unpacked for us. We claim their as our own in the Creed and then look forward to the Mysteries Incarnate in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
But first, we remain standing for the Universal Prayer, offering our petitions for the good of the Church, the world, and ourselves. Responding "Lord Hear Our Prayer" in unison make the prayers our own and shows our unity in doing so.

Liturgical postures and gestures #3 - Excerpts from Homily of 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

When the hymn begins, we all stand together. Of course, some people are unable to stand for whatever reason so they may stay seated because of physical limitations. But our gesture of standing speaks volumes. First, it is a common gesture for all. We are showing our unity as we stand together. Plus, standing is a sign of welcoming. We are not only welcoming the priest and ministers into the room, but we are preparing ourselves to welcome Christ.

At the same time, we sing together the entrance antiphon or hymn. Not only does this hymn open the celebration, but singing together also fosters and signifies our unity. Hopefully we notice unity is a big deal. We’ll see many more symbols of unity throughout Mass.

As we ministers reach the sanctuary, we genuflect to Jesus who is present in the tabernacle. We recall from last week that genuflecting shows that Jesus is our king and we believe that he is truly present: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament that is reserved in the tabernacle. If the Blessed Sacrament is not present, we would make a profound bow to the altar. This is because the altar is a symbol of Christ. Furthermore, the altar is consecrated for the sole purpose of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In case it is not clear how sacred the altar is, the priest also kisses the altar.

There is also the option of incensing the altar. We incense things that are holy to show reverence for them (including the human body at a funeral). The smoke of the incense rising also reminds us of our prayers rising to the throne of God in Heaven.

Then the priest leads everyone in the Sign of the Cross. Recall from last week how the Sign of the Cross speaks volumes. The Cross is the instrument Jesus used to save us from eternal death, and offer us new life in Him.

Then, there are some words spoken by the priest in greeting, and the people respond together, in one voice, once again showing unity. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) says: “By this greeting and the people’s response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest.” So, our little signs of unity here also point to the unity of the Church throughout the world. That is some 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide.

Even our moments of silence speak volumes. As the priest invites all gathered to call to mind their sins, there is a moment of silence to do just that. Furthermore, we can consciously call to mind that we are in God’s presence.

In the Confiteor, we strike our breast when we say: “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault,” just like the tax collector in today’s Gospel. What does that mean? This is an ancient sign of humility that shows we are sinners, we need God’s mercy and we are unworthy to be in His presence. Striking the breast can be done very lightly. It is a symbolic gesture. We are not trying to hurt ourselves.

In some places, the faithful have made the Sign of the Cross when the priest says: “May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us the everlasting life.” This is a pious action that speaks volumes, but the Sign of the Cross is not called for here in the liturgical norms. If it were mandated, it might create confusion with absolution from the Sacrament of Penance. The GIRM reminds us that this sentence spoken by the priest “lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance.” We are required to receive the Sacrament of Penance at least once a year and any time we are conscious of mortal sin before we consider receiving Holy Communion. In my opinion, people who make the Sign of the Cross here should continue to do so.

It is also appropriate for the priest to sprinkle the people with holy water, especially in the Easter Season. This gesture speaks volumes in reminding us of our Baptism and all the rich implications that come with being made sons and daughters of God.

Finally, to finish up the Introductory Rite, the priest invites all to pray. Before the prayer, we observe silence once again to consciously remind ourselves that we are in God’s presence. And we can formulate our own mental petitions of prayer. The prayer the priest says is called the Collect. Collect looks exactly like the word collect, and it means the same thing. As the priest is praying it on behalf of the people gathered, all their individual prayers, hope and desires are collected and offered to God also.

The priest prays the Collect in the orans position, which is the ancient prayer position with hands held open and slightly out to the side. Since the priest is representing the people and collecting all their prayers into one with the Collect he is praying, it would not be appropriate for any of the faithful to pray in the orans position at that time. It would diminish the symbolism of all the prayers of the faithful being collected into one by the priest’s prayer to the Father.

And the people acclaim together: “Amen.” This shows they unite themselves to the prayer the priest just made to the Father. And it shows they make the prayer their own, once again, showing their unity. 

Liturgical posture #2 - Excerpts from Homily on 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we walk into the church, men remove their hats but women can keep their hats on. Men remove their hats for respect just like entering a courtroom as a sign of respect. It has always been good manners for men to remove their hats as they enter buildings especially important buildings like the church. Women, on the other hand, can keep their hats and veils on in Church. We veil things that are important. The Holy of Holies in the Temple was veiled. The tabernacle, the Holy of Holies of the New Covenant, is veiled. A bride veils herself before she gets married.

As we walk into church, the first thing we find is the holy water font. We dip our right hand into the holy water to bless ourselves. The holy water reminds us of our baptism. This is important because it is in baptism that we received new life in Christ. We were creatures of God, but in Baptism, we became sons and daughters of God.

With the holy water, we make the sign of the Cross with our right hand. Of course, if someone does not have a functioning right hand, the left hand could be used. The Sign of the Cross is super important because the Cross is the tool Jesus used to bring us out of eternal death and into eternal life. He transformed the Roman instrument of torture and death into the ultimate instrument of new life. Sometimes we get lazy and make the sign of the circle, or the sign of the triangle.

When we make the sign of the Cross, we usually say the prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are saying that everything we do, we are doing by God’s authority. How dare we pray at all, but because God loves us, we can dare to pray in His name.

Next, we walk to a pew, of course as close to the front as we can get. As we are walking, we spy out the tabernacle. We should also notice the sanctuary lamp. This is usually a red candle that indicates that the Blessed Sacrament is in the tabernacle. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved there so that Holy Communion can be taken to the sick at some other time. If the tabernacle is at center axis, behind the altar, we genuflect to Jesus, who is present in the tabernacle. What does that mean? Back in the olden days, people used to genuflect to kings. Jesus Christ is King of the universe, so people started genuflecting to the King of Kings who is present in the tabernacle. When we genuflect to Jesus, we put our right knee to the floor. When we do gesture, we are speaking body language that says “Jesus is king of the universe. He is my king. I want him to be the king of my heart.”

This gesture is also body language that says: I believe Jesus when he said at the Last Supper, “This is my Body.” And since Jesus Christ is not divided, that has to be the whole Christ: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

Of course, if someone is unable to genuflect, he or she can do a profound bow to show reverence to the Lord. Or, if the tabernacle is not in the church but in some separate adoration chapel, we would make a profound bow to the sacred altar because it is a symbol of Christ.

Then we walk into our pew, kneel, and begin our preparation prayers. The posture of kneeling is a sign of humility. So, kneeling in humility, we are saying to the Lord: You are God and I’m not. Kneeling is also a sign of adoration. It shows the Lord that we believe He is the Awesome God and we love Him. The posture of kneeling can also be a posture of petition or supplication, which means asking the Lord for His blessings.

Liturgical posture and non-verbals from last Sunday’s homily

It all begins before we even leave the house to come to Mass. First, we have to remember to keep the Eucharistic Fast by abstaining from food and beverages for at least an hour. Water and medicine are OK. Gum and coffee do break the fast. We should leave these sorts of things at the house. This is a small way to prepare to receive the most awesome Gift of Jesus himself into ourselves. This reminds us that everything we do is ordered toward and directed to this encounter with Christ.

How do I dress for Mass? Do I dress like I am going to encounter the living God? How would I dress to meet the most important human being, whoever we might think that is: the pope, the president, some other politician, the queen of England, the person interviewing me for a job? I have heard other Christians make comments that we sometimes dress for Mass like we are going to the beach. We have air conditioning. Shorts, tank tops and beachwear are not respectful enough for the King of Kings.

Remember the book by Matthew Kelly, Rediscover Catholicism?

He talked about reading the readings ahead of time and even bringing a journal. He challenged us to be ready to hear at least one thing that was going to improve my life this week.

Another non-verbal that speaks volumes is arriving early. This gives us time to prayerfully prepare to enter into the sacred mysteries where we will encounter the living God.

Once we arrive at the church in our cars, we should leave our cell phones in the car unless we are expecting an emergency. This is a good reminder that the time we spend in Church is meant for God and His people.

Our non-verbals are already speaking volumes and we have not even arrived at the door of church. We’ll pick up there next week.

Respect Life Sunday Homily

“Destruction and violence are before me.” These are the words of the prophet Habakkuk in today’s first reading. On this Respect Life Sunday, we draw attention to the destruction and violence that continues against innocent human life. It’s a reminder to us that God’s commandment against murder is absolute and non-negotiable.

And sometimes we may feel like the prophet Habakkuk as he cries out: “How long, O Lord?” In this country, it has been legal to end the life of the unborn child for 43 years. And, in some places it seems like things are getting worse. For example, the aged are more and more vulnerable to euthanasia. But as Christians, our actions are to show the unique and priceless value of every human life.

Pope Francis just canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta a month ago. We knew her as Mother Teresa. She became well known when she won the Nobel Peace Prize for caring for the poorest of the poor and the dying. Do you remember what she said about peace when she visited the United States in 1994? “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child…”

One of the ways we can support the unborn is by supporting their mothers who are afraid, scared and worried about the unknown. Crisis pregnancy centers help these women and girls know that we will help make life as easy as possible for them during this temporary situation. We are called to Christian generosity to give them everything they need so they can choose life.

And sometimes the obvious needs to be pointed out: Nobody stays pregnant forever. It’s only temporary. A temporary inconvenience can never warrant the death of an innocent person. But people overcome by fear and anxiety make rash decisions every day.

It is also very important to point out that there is great hope for healing for those who have made these decisions in the past. There is no longer any need to carry around these secrets that cause overwhelming regret and emotional pain. All people who have been complicit in abortion can get the healing they need in Project Rachel or any number of apostolates for healing the Church offers. These apostolates reflect the compassionate heart of Christ. And of course, they are confidential. Our loving God desires to forgive and heal everyone who turns to him. His offer of forgiveness and healing remains constant no matter what we have done.

We Christians have an important role to play as citizens. Our responsibility is to engage the culture as Christians. No matter how we decide to get engaged, let’s remember the words of St. Paul that we heard today: “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord.”

Our bishops continually remind all the Faithful that we must express our Catholic faith and morals in the public square whether it’s done in the voting booth, contacting elected officials, raising awareness, organizing events or whatever.

In order to vote, we must have a well-formed conscience. Conscience is not feelings, but a product of the intellect. We have to be informed about the policies of the candidates who are currently asking for us to give them governing power over us. And as Christians, we form our conscience by having an understanding of the teachings of Christ, and find out what the Church teaches and why. For example, right now, we have to know about the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The first thing the next president will do is appoint someone to fill that vacancy. Then the senate will approve this person or not. What kind of people has the candidate promised to put on the Supreme Court? Since the Supreme Court decides the constitutionality of laws that have to do with protecting the unborn, this will literally have life and death consequences. What’s going to happen to the Little Sisters of the Poor who don’t want to participate in the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs?

We have to find out: What have the candidates and parties said about the Hyde Amendment that makes it illegal to pay for abortions through Medicaid with our tax dollars. It has passed every year since with bipartisan support. But this year, it has come into question. Where do the candidates and parties stand in keeping our tax dollars from paying for evil?

The other thing we have to do as a Christian people is pray. October is the month of the Rosary. This is great opportunity to reinvigorate our prayer lives and beg the Lord to change hearts in the culture. Pray for our country. Pray for our world. Pray for all who have chosen abortion in the past that they will seek God’s forgiveness, healing and loving embrace. As we pray for the conversion of hearts, we recognize more and more the awesome dignity of all human beings at every stage of development, the pinnacle of creation, wonderfully made in God’s image. His plan always leads to life.

Sunday Homily - NFP Awareness

When you pray say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Addressing God as Father is amazing enough. But this should blow our minds: Men share a title with God, the title of Father. We’re going to see that all men are called to fatherhood in some capacity. Fathers generate life. The most obvious example is natural fatherhood. Most men are called to natural fatherhood where they and their wives, together with God, procreate new human life for the building up of the Kingdom.

Then there are men like me involved in supernatural fatherhood. I don’t have biological children but people call me father because of my role as spiritual father. This goes all the way back to Apostles. St. Paul talks about being a spiritual father as he is writing to his spiritual children.

Then there are also men who never marry and never have biological children. In their vocations, they are called to generate life for the Kingdom as well. They are called to lay down their lives and be fruitful in imitation to Christ so that others can have life. St. Paul reminds us today in his letter to the Colossians, talking about Jesus: “He brought you to life along with him.” These men build up the kingdom in any number of ways like teaching, serving, coaching, praying. There is no limit to the ways to generate life.

So, getting back to natural fatherhood, if building up of the Kingdom is important, then fatherhood continues for decades into the lives of their children as they are reared and educated to be citizens of God’s Kingdom. What an awesome responsibility!

To show the Father’s love for us, Jesus gives some obvious examples of fatherhood in the Gospel today. But procreating and educating his children is only half of the task of fatherhood.

The man is also called to make a gift of self for the good of his wife.

Today begins Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. NFP is a tool that is very helpful to ensure both sides of the coin of fatherhood are kept intact. It’s practice helps a man generate life in a generous and responsible way and at the same time make a full gift of self to his bride.

Nothing is held back, especially not his fatherhood.

Because of this, many priests, including myself, require NFP classes in marriage preparation. The numbers speak for themselves. Couples who practice NFP have a divorce rate approaching zero, and report that they are more satisfied with their marriages. While the rest of the culture has a divorce rate of 50 percent.

In our first reading from Genesis, what was the grave sin of the people of Sodom that God wanted to destroy it? They were using their bodies in ways that God did not design them to be used. They were using God’s gift of their sexual faculties not to generate life, but to generate lust and corruption. They were using each other in acts that were completely sterile. Not only were they sterile, they promoted death and destruction. God is not the God of death and destruction. He is the God of life and love.

Throughout the entire Judeo-Christian tradition, until recent decades, fertility was seen as a blessing and sterility was seen as a hardship. But in our present culture at large, fertility is seen as a liability, as something to be suppressed. That is contrary to God’s plan. Fertility is not something wrong with our bodies, but something right with our bodies. Women’s fertility doesn’t need to be suppressed by dangerous drugs and hormones. It just needs to be understood. And God gives us the ability to understand it. These are the skills learned in NFP.

The conjugal embrace of husband and wife is not only good, but holy. It’s God’s primary way of strengthening their bond with each other and bringing new human life into the world.

Saint John Paul II explained in his The Theology of the Body: “[W]hen the conjugal act is deprived of its inner truth because it is deprived artificially of its procreative capacity, it also ceases to be an act of love.”

God’s design is that the conjugal embrace has both a unitive and procreative meaning, open to love and life. There is an inseparable connection between these two meanings. In the contraceptive mentality, a separation occurs and the full gift of self is diminished. The act now says, I am holding back part of myself from you. NFP is the way to live responsible generosity if a couple prayerfully discerns they have a grave reason to avoid pregnancy.

This is definitely a counter-cultural message. In the culture, people are treated as objects more and more. Our own national government mandates that health insurance programs provide contraception without regard to the deeper effects on the human person.

Really, it all comes down to who has the more adequate understanding of human nature. I’m going to side with St. John Paul II and His Theology of the Body. I’m going to side with the Church and her 2,000 years of the most brilliant minds in the world pondering both the natural law and everything God has revealed. I’m going to side with the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit that Jesus guaranteed the Church would have.

Because of this, the Church will always support what is best for marriages because marriage holds families together. And that’s important because families are the building blocks of society. Strong families means strong society where people can flourish. That’s God’s plan for the human race.

The contraceptive mentality has become such a part of the culture that we are allowing it. I mentioned that on Fourth of July Weekend, when we were observing the Fortnight for Freedom. In the case involving the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Supreme Court instructed lower courts to hear further arguments. In March of 2012 all the diocesan bishops of our country acknowledged that the contraceptive mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services is indeed a persecution because it forces people to provide services that have been deemed inherently evil by natural law reasoning.

But the outrage was relatively small. Vast numbers of Catholics yawned and said it’s no big deal. In November of that same year Many Catholics voted to reelect the same officials who put the contraceptive mandate in place.

Many Catholic dioceses, universities had to file law suits for protection from the mandate. Charities affiliated with religious organizations found themselves in the same threat. Priests for Life and the Little Sisters of the Poor were looking at steep fines that would have put them out of business. The owners of Hobby Lobby, my friend who owns a meat processing company, and many other private citizens, who own companies that employ people, faced the same threats.

Some of those cases have been solved, but not all.

Fortnight for Freedom

Nothing fails like success. 227 years ago, the framers of the Constitution of the United States put in place several checks and balances in a system of government that splits power into three branches. This system has worked very well for the most part for more than two and a quarter centuries, hence the success.

Here is where the failure comes in. Since the system has worked pretty well for 227 years, we have become complacent. Even though we may not trust individual politicians, we seem to have a great trust in the governmental system as a whole. We don’t have to be paranoid, but on the other hand, we should not think that we are immune to some of the evil that is brought about by other governments of the world.

Furthermore, we need to remember that politics does not happen in a vacuum. We elect politicians, and they make policies, and those policies have real effects in people’s lives. We should never shrug off politics as “politicians being politicians.” And we should never think of rooting for politicians and political parties in the same way we root for athletes and sports teams.

I'll come back to that point below, but first, let’s fast forward to March of 2012. The Catholic bishops of every single diocese in the United States pointed out that the Catholic Church is being persecuted by the federal government. The bishops asked all Catholics to observe a Fortnight For Freedom from June 21^st to July 4^th. These dates not only encompass the feast days of saints who stood up to government tyranny, but also the day when our nation observes independence from tyranny. This persecution comes from the Department of Health and Human Services, a department of the Executive Branch of the federal government. The persecution comes in the form of forcing employers to provide contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion inducing drugs to their employees. The Little Sisters of the Poor are still tied up in a law suit with the federal government over the issue and is currently on hold with the Supreme Court.

Later that same year, the president was re-elected, so the same Executive Branch stayed in power. The persecution continued, and exit polls show that about half of the Catholics who voted in that election, voted to keep in power the very branch of government that was persecuting the Church.

Now, we once again find ourselves in an election year. It would be nice not to have to discuss political issues. But the outcomes of elections have real effects in people’s lives. Some elections are literally life and death decisions.

Here are the things that we know will happen for sure:

• A new president will take office on January.
• That new president will run the Executive Branch of the federal government.
• That Executive Branch will have a Department of Health and Human Services.
• That Department of Health and Human Services will either persecute the Catholic Church or will not persecute the Church.

Here are some another things we know for sure:

• There is a vacant seat on the Supreme Court.
• Justice Antonin Scalia, a faithful Catholic, died a few months ago.
• The new president will appoint a justice to fill the vacancy.
• The senate will approve or disapprove the appointment.
• One third of the senators in the legislative branch are up for reelection.
• This year, Ohio has one senator up for reelection.
• Whoever wins that election will have a say in the approval of a new Supreme Court Justice right away.

And it doesn’t stop there. Other seats on the Supreme Court are likely to come open in the first term of this new president. Last week there was a rumor that Justice Clarence Thomas, a faithful Catholic, was thinking about retirement. There is a very strong likelihood that the new president will appoint two Justices in the first term of office.

These justices will either be pro-life or pro-abortion. They will either be pro-life or pro-euthanasia. They will decide many cases that will come before them intended to protect the innocent in the womb or destroy the innocent in the womb. Last week the eight members of the Supreme Court voted 5-3 to strike down a law in Texas that would make abortion clinics as clean and safe as any other ambulatory surgery clinic.

As I mentioned above, we can notice a cultural similarity in sports and politics. We can get emotionally attached to sports teams and athletes; and we can get emotionally attached to politicians and political parties. But there is a huge difference. If we are highly emotional toward a sports figure or team, we might become a fan (which is short for fanatic). This could lead to us cheering, spending money on tickets or related goods, or spending time following said team or athlete. This is about the extent of it. No matter how much we cheer or spend, our efforts will have absolutely no bearing on the outcome of any sporting contest. The athlete will not play better or worse depending on the fan cheering from home.

Now, imagine we get highly emotional toward a politician or political party. This emotion could lead to votes and campaigning. Votes and campaigning can lead to the person or party taking office. In office, these elected officials will make policies. These policies will have real effects in peoples’ lives. Some of these policies will literally be the difference between life and death.

Pro-life

Usually during an election year I have the opportunity to point out from the pulpit that we need to elect a pro-life president because the new president may have the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court Justice. We should be reminded of two things:
1. Supreme Court justices make decisions that literally mean life or death to innocent human beings.
2. Supreme Court justices are appointed to the bench for the rest of their lives.
Electing a pro-life president this year is even more important. The way things look now, the new president WILL appoint a justice to the Supreme Court very early in his or her term to fill the current vacancy. Moreover, at the time the new president takes office, four justices will be over the age of 82.
In the coming months and years, the Supreme Court will decide constitutionality to numerous pro-life laws that have recently been passed. Many of their decisions will mean life or death for the innocent.

The Trivial and the Important

After offering the 5 PM Vigil Mass on Saturday night, one man from our unofficial Saturday dinner club asked me if I would be joining them as usual. I replied that I could not because I was going to do something really stupid. I was going to the Bengals game. You see: kickoff would be at 8:15; being a night-time playoff game, it would run longer than normal; I live an hour and a half from the stadium; and I had the 8:30 AM Mass on Sunday morning. But I can seize the opportunity just this once and put up with being tired the next day. Plus I appreciate sports. I have played most of the ones that are common in our culture today.

I had a great time at the game, catching up with the friend who invited me, and seeing some good plays on the field. But it was a stark reminder of the societal flip flop that has taken place over the last few decades. When I arrived at the parking lot adjacent to the stadium, the thousands of people tailgating in their orange and black clothing were the first to clue me in that the important has become trivial and the trivial has become important. Already their were long lines for the porta-potties. Already, the women were avoiding the one that was covered in vomit from a fan who had already celebrated too zealously, and the game had not yet started. 

Just a few decades ago, it seemed there was a three-tiered hierarchy. The most important things to get excited about, even culturally, would be those of infinite value and those with eternal consequences. The next level in the hierarchy of needs would be the ability to survive with adequate food, water and shelter. Then, after we are in good standing with the things of the first two levels, there are games. Play is important. Human beings are unique in the world because we have the ability to play games, but they are meant to be trivial, superfluous and enjoyable.

Since people get really excited, there are billions of dollars to be made, and those savvy at marketing are capitalizing big time. The sporting event is the new American liturgy. Athletes are the new gods. The fans drape themselves in the clothing of the athletes. They study the athletes and know their statistics. The fans display raw emotion, at successes and failures of the athletes with colorful, vulgar language and bodily gestures. It is even complete with liturgical dancing. Resting only momentarily, there are 24 women paid to dance suggestively the entire time. This might seem extra, but the people who are in charge of marketing the full "experience" of the game know exactly what their dollars are getting them. All of the things for sale, food and drink, and even the architecture of the stadium play into the total message of what is important. No liturgy is complete without music. There was plenty of it in the tailgating areas and during the game.

In the midst of all of it I began to wonder how we would ever see the important regarded as important and the trivial regarded as trivial. How could people realize games are good but they are just games? In the grand scheme of things, in the eternity of the cosmos, it does not matter which team is victorious in the contest. Since there is big money involved, it will matter to some people in this life: the players, coaches, and those who bet on the game. If only the fans could use their passion for the game as training in the true contest between good and evil in the world. If only those 24 dancing women could know their infinite dignity being made in God's image.

Since there are so many billions of dollars at the top of the industry, those at other levels in the world of sports are drawn into the greed. It seems that decades ago, children would play sports at leisure and still have time for interaction with family, especially their parents. Now it seems that parents are pushing their children to try every sport possible, not for exercise or enjoyment, but just in case of the off chance this child might have some special hidden ability to be the next great one to strike it rich in the pros. Now it's all about winning.

Even though the societal flip flop if the hierarchy of importance has taken place, the seeds of it are nothing new. St. Augustine warned the people of North Africa of an over-emphasis on their adoration of play actors and charioteers over a millennium and a half ago. 

In the correct ordering of the three-tiered hierarchy of the important and trivial, we would study God not athletes. We would study the saints, the ones who are victorious over the real forces of evil. "Evil" in sports is just pretend because the opponent comes from another city or school district. Maintaining the middle tier of the hierarchy, we uphold the importance of food, clothing and shelter for ourselves and those we love. Finally, sports would be regarded as good but trivial, not ends in themselves. They would be means to a greater end. From games we can learn virtues like team work and patience. We can get exercise thus leading to better stewardship of the body which is a gift from God. But these bodies will decay in death. What have I stored up that has infinite value and will last for eternity?