It was an honor to be able to preside at Miriam Moses’ Memorial Mass and Pat Couture’s Funeral Mass this past week. It truly was an inspiring experience between the wonderful music and the powerful spirit among the congregations all coming out to pray for their dear relative and friend. I left thinking, “Boy, they were good liturgies!” In the Christian tradition, liturgy means the participation of the People of God in “the work of God.” As I read this I realize that liturgy is the work of God preparing our souls to do the heroic acts of love we are called to throughout our lives. Good liturgy and compassion for our brothers and sisters go hand in hand. It’s like we can’t have one without the other. We can’t have beautiful liturgies without allowing ourselves to be broken and poured out for our brothers and sisters in need. The other side of the coin is that we can’t run around busy with works of charity without being spiritually fed. The good work will become a bitterness in our soul. I say this because it’s easy for all of us (myself included) to go through the actions at liturgies without engaging our hearts. We know all the parts of the Mass and we can glide through without even realizing the power of the Eucharist. Each Eucharist should change us and call us to a deeper commitment to Christ and to one another but we have to be open to that reality. We have to consciously allow Christ to work on our hearts.
I write this because I’m pretty sure I had people upset at Parish Council this past week. I asked that we have one Easter Vigil between the two Churches this year. I realize any talk of sharing anything between the two parishes brings instant fear of a cluster or merger. The only reason I asked for one Vigil this year was to highlight the power of this most important liturgy. The meaning of the Easter Vigil is about the brightness of the resurrection breaking through the darkness of sin and death. The church asks us to vigil after sunset and it makes great sense. It is a powerful symbol as we see the light of the Easter candle in the darkness of the church and then witness that same light being shared by the whole congregation. The tradition of Nativity has been to have it a 4 pm. The reason being that people don’t want to be our so late after dark. I understand that but it really doesn’t make for good liturgy. The difficulty I’ve had celebrating this liturgy while it’s till light is that it goes against all the symbolic imagery of the beautiful Easter Vigil service. My proposal is that we have Easter Vigil this year at St. Charles because we have two baptisms there and then have the Vigil at Nativity next year. I think it can be a powerful way for both congregations to come together to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. I ask that you please try and trust me and give it a try this year.
I write this because I’m pretty sure I had people upset at Parish Council this past week. I asked that we have one Easter Vigil between the two Churches this year. I realize any talk of sharing anything between the two parishes brings instant fear of a cluster or merger. The only reason I asked for one Vigil this year was to highlight the power of this most important liturgy. The meaning of the Easter Vigil is about the brightness of the resurrection breaking through the darkness of sin and death. The church asks us to vigil after sunset and it makes great sense. It is a powerful symbol as we see the light of the Easter candle in the darkness of the church and then witness that same light being shared by the whole congregation. The tradition of Nativity has been to have it a 4 pm. The reason being that people don’t want to be our so late after dark. I understand that but it really doesn’t make for good liturgy. The difficulty I’ve had celebrating this liturgy while it’s till light is that it goes against all the symbolic imagery of the beautiful Easter Vigil service. My proposal is that we have Easter Vigil this year at St. Charles because we have two baptisms there and then have the Vigil at Nativity next year. I think it can be a powerful way for both congregations to come together to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. I ask that you please try and trust me and give it a try this year.