Theotokos

Last night I attended another of my wife's Spirituality Tuesday presentations. I've missed a few because of my crazy work schedule, but I was able to attend this meeting. The speaker was a priest who shares one of the churches in our parish, where he celebrates Mass following the Byzantine Rite.

The Byzantine Rite is followed exclusively by all Orthodox Churches, as well as others, and is sometimes referred to as the Rite of Constantinople. It is, after the Roman Rite, the most widely spread in the world. It is not one of the original parent-rites but is derived from an early liturgy found in Antioch. St. Basil reformed the liturgy of his church, the Church of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and the Byzantine service named after him represents this reformed Liturgy. Since then it has undergone further modification, principally by St. John Chrysostom.

The presentation compared their understanding of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with our understanding, and explained the various Feast Days of the Holy Theotokos. Theo, or God, combined with tokos, or birther, means God Birther or God Bearer. These feast days are spread through the year and he presented them in the order of their significance rather than in chronological order.

These feasts begin with The Conception of Saint Anna (Dec 7-9). Anna had been unable to conceive a child, and the conception of the Virgin Mary is an important event in the plan of God for the salvation of mankind. This is followed by the Nativity of the Theotokos (Sept7-8). The Mother of God also plays an important role in God's plan for our salvation. In the prayers of this feast day the ever-Virgin Mary is called the Chariot upon which the Son of God came to us, and she is the Door through which He entered the world.

The main theme of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (Nov 20-21) is that the Virgin Mary is the true Temple of God. The temple in Jerusalem was made of stone and was lifeless, but Mary is the living temple and her womb is the Tabernacle of the Word of God. The Annunciation to the Theotokos (Mar 24-25), takes its inspiration from the Holy Gospel of Luke, chapter 1. The archangel Gabriel greeted the Virgin, "Hail! O full of Grace, the Lord is with you". He went on to tell her that God desired that she be the Mother of the Word, our Savior. With faith and humble courage she said, "Yes" to God.

This is followed by the Christmas period (Dec 18-26). Before the dawn of time he was begotten of the Father without a mother, now on earth He is born of a mother without a man. The Dormition of the Theotokos (Aug 14-15) is focused on the falling asleep of the Mother of God, and is described as the greatest feast. Her passing is called dormition, or falling asleep, because her body was not subject to decay, but was taken into Glory.

The death of a Christian is called sleep because we who are in Christ will not remain in death, but like the Theotokos, we will be awakened by Him to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.  A star announced the good news to the wise men, while the Angels and shepherds sang the glory of her giving birth, O Woman full of Grace. Rejoice, for your Son has risen from the grave on the third day and has raised the dead. Let all nations rejoice! The oldest surviving written prayer to the Mother of God is from a Syrian, mid-third century papyrus; "Beneath your compassion we take refuge, O Virgin Theotokos. Despise not our prayers in our need, but deliver us from dangers, for you alone are pure and blessed".

This is the Chalice of my Blood

Excerpts from the book, A Guide to the New Translation of The Mass written by Edward Sri, S.T.D. and printed by Ascension Press in 2011.

While the previous translation of the Words of Institution referred to the cup of Christ’s blood, the new translation renders it chalice. “This is the chalice of my Blood” remains closer to Jesus’ actual words of institution, is a more accurate and more formal rendering of the Latin text of the Mass, and one that underscores the liturgical nature of this vessel.

This is no ordinary cup, but the Eucharistic cup that the Lord consecrated at the Last Supper. This most sacred of vessels has traditionally been called a chalice, and this is the term used in the new translation.

Along with these short weekly posts detailing some of the more obvious changes, I'm presenting an indepth look at the Mass. You can find it below the Written Assignments section in the right hand column.

Christmas Break

For some reason this semester seems to have gone by very quickly; our last class was last Wednesday, and we're on our Christmas break. As we progressed through the various sacraments we've also progressed through various instructors, instead of having just one or two instructors like we did last year. Nevertheless, just like last year the instructors have all been easy to understand and the information has been very interesting. They come from high quality universities as well as the seminary, so their qualifications are excellent.

This marks the middle of my passage through the ILM program; with three semesters behind me and three semesters ahead of me. Unfortunately, I'm involved in a big project at work which has required twelve hour days for the last 4 weeks. I've refused to work on school nights, but I should admit that I'm having difficulty keeping up with the reading. Hopefully, my papers don't reflect that.

Once again it's time to thank everyone who is reading my blog; His blog, I hope, it's not about me, it's about the One who inspires me daily to be the person I am trying to be. I hope that you are learning something too or at least finding it interesting. My desire is to faithfully reflect my belief in Jesus' love for us, my witness of God's grace in my life, and my understanding of the Catholic Church in the world. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

Lord God of Hosts

Excerpts from the book, A Guide to the New Translation of The Mass written by Edward Sri, S.T.D. and printed by Ascension Press in 2011.

The opening line of the Sanctus is not taken from a hymn book, but from the angel’s worship of God in heaven. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah was given a vision of the angels praising God, crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts”. When we recite “Holy, holy, holy Lord” in the Mass, therefore we are joining the angels in heaven, echoing their very words of worship.

The previous translation of this prayer referred to the Lord as “God of power and might”. In the new translation, we address him as “Lord God of hosts”. This more clearly echoes the biblical language of the angels in Isaiah and underscores the infinite breadth of God’s power.

Along with these short weekly posts detailing some of the more obvious changes, I'm presenting an indepth look at the Mass. You can find it below the Written Assignments section in the right hand column.

Discussion Group

Tonight the students in our class were divided into four groups again, to discuss our next paper with each other and a trained facilitator. To promote cohesion in the group the same people met in the same groups as before. Two questions are assigned at the beginning of each module, from which we choose one question for our paper. These two questions are to be the basis for the evenings conversation, which is intended to promote integrative learning.

I've chosen to write about reconciliation, by imagining that I am teaching in the parish sacramental preparation program for First Reconciliation. Many parents of the children preparing for the sacrament have not celebrated Reconciliation since their first time. I've decided not to prepare a lesson plan (as instructed) but will instead imagine that I am part of a larger program of preparation for the parents.

My presentation to the parents of children in the first reconciliation class is intended to convey the meaning and importance of celebrating the Sacrament of Penance. This was another paper that was difficult to start, but after doing some research and referencing the Catachism the paper fell together pretty quickly (although not in the way the instructor may have intended).

The discussion process is not simply intended to help us write good papers, but is part of a process to "help us understand the readings and lectures by applying content to practical situations". During these meetings we will be asked to consider the theological and pastoral implications of our papers.

The goals of these sessions are: 1) To help us clarify and probe the material more deeply, especially by seeing how it applies to concrete, pastoral situations. 2) To see the significance of what we are studying for parish life by analyzing various pastoral situations, and 3) To develop the people skills necessary to work with and lead others in improve our pastoral capacity.

Consubstantial with the Father

Excerpts from the book, A Guide to the New Translation of The Mass written by Edward Sri, S.T.D. and printed by Ascension Press in 2011.

The revised translation of the Creed aims at helping us more precisely profess a concept about the nature of the Son and his relationship with God the Father. We now speak of Jesus as being “consubstantial with the Father” instead of “one in being with the Father”. This difference is subtle, but the new wording more closely reflects the theological language of the bishops at the Council of Nicea who wanted to safeguard that Jesus was acknowledged as the eternal Son of God, equal to the Father.

The Council taught that the Son is “God from God, light from light, true God from true God” and “of the same substance” as the Father. Although the term consubstantial might not roll easily off the tongue, its use preserves the theological tradition of the Council of Nicea and invites us to reflect more on the divine nature of Christ and the mystery of this Trinity.

I've been advertising that, beginning on the 5th of November, I'd present an in-depth look at the Mass in a new section below the Written Assignments section in the right hand column. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as I expected, but I've figured out a work around and will present it beginning today.

Sacrament of Marriage

Our class on the Theology of Marriage started without the instructor, so we began by discussing our assigned reading for tonight. Although there is no spiritual basis for marriage, it still makes sense that it should be a sacrament. The relationship between Jesus and church is similar to our relationship between spouses, and even though it has been full of mistakes, the institution of marriage is still intact.

In fact someone pointed out that the Church has referred to marriage as an institution in search of a sacrament. The early church didn't think much about marriage, in the sense that it wasn’t on their mind; marriage pretty much existed outside of the church. Only in the 15th century did the church begin to consider marriage in its own terms.

We are beginning to recognize that the purpose of marriage is no longer strictly intended for procreation. Today it’s more about two people sharing their lives together, as a partnership and as a vocation. One of the students suggested that this idea opens the possibility of same sex marriage.

Once our instructor arrived she began by asking what our marriage questions might be. Of course these questions ranged from same sex marriage, to the focus on procreation vs the focus on relationship. The media’s influence on sexual orientation, the political influence on marriage understanding, and what is expected of marriage. The differences between civil marriage vs sacramental marriage, the early church role and understanding of marriage, multiple marriages, and parish differences regarding marriage requirements. Ultimately, is a loving relationship sufficient for sacrament?

The idea behind Jesus’ admonishment that anyone who divorces another and remarries is guilty of adultery was directed towards men who were in control of divorce. From the beginning the intention was for men and women to be committed. The idea that man and women should become one flesh was intended to declare equality.

Jesus improved the status of women in marriage, and by talking about divorce he leveled the playing field for women. Today annulment means that the elements necessary for sacrament were not present and that the marriage never occurred. The result is officially a “Decree of Nullity” and beleive me, it's a difficult process.

Paul took up the theme of marriage as well. For him, Jesus' covenant with the church is reflected in the covenant between two people. At his time, the Church’s position was that people should not get married, since they expected the immediate return of Jesus. It wasn’t until much later that Augustine showed the way forward for marriage. Eventually when church took over the handling of marriage it adopted much of the Roman law, which was highly developed.

The differences between civil and church understanding is still a problem for marriage. Today there are many places that do not recognize a church marriage, and require a civil marriage for legal purposes. Around the 12th to 13th century the Church declared marriage to be one of the sacraments. Up until then there were many objections to marriage, including things like the exchange of value in a dowry.  How could anything be a sacrament if it involved sex, and how could Jesus institute a sacrament of marriage if it existed long before him?

Marriage was originally a family affair, that later moved to something governed by the state, and then to a sacrament in the church. The Council of Trent required a liturgy and witnesses, and by prohibiting secret marriages they gave the power to the couple alone to commit. Marriage becomes a sacrament when the couple is open to the possibility of commitment and accepts Jesus as part of the union.

This raised an interesting question regarded when the couple is actually married. If the sacrament is satisfied when the couple is open to the possibility of commitment and acceps Jesus into their union, are they then married? The answer was that we as people need to fix a time for this process, which is the marriage ceremony. It was also interesting to note that the Church sacrament includes civil marriage, but that Church annulment does not include civil divorce.

We all agreed that the number of questions and diverse discussions highlighted the reality that there is a lot of confusion about marriage even today. People are basically unclear of the church's position regarding marriage.

We then began a discussion about something referred to as finality. Finality is defined as the orientation that a person (a life, a thing, or a process) has to an end or goal. It’s either horizontal or vertical. Horizontal finality is one dimensional, not jumping to the next higher plane. Vertical finality is about our transcendence in to a life with God. It’s about our participation in a larger, richer, more excellent kind of life.

Finality is our guideline for how we understand marriage and family. In horizontal finality we are concerned with our relationship with our spouse. It includes jobs, friends, and hobbies. In vertical finality we are concerned with how we fit into the parish and our relationship with God.

Vertical finality is not automatic; it means we are cooperating with God's grace in our lives. Sex includes both horizontal and vertical finality. Eating is horizontal in that it keeps us alive, while dining is vertical in that it promotes community. Basically horizontal finality does not include a spiritual dimension, while vertical finality does include a spiritual dimension.

Up until the Council of Trent, the Church considered marriage from the horizontal understanding, and after the Council it understood marriage to have a vertical component. Pope Pius XI was instrumental in changing the understanding and value of marriage. They recongnized a mutual inward molding of the couple, a mutual focus on the needs of others, and changes for the better because of the relationship. I know that I am a better person because of my relationship with my spouse.

Vatican II expanded on this understanding of marriage by focusing on the nobility of marriage and family. The Church’s single purpose for marriage, before Vatican II, is now understood to have multiple purposes. This many faceted love, is structured on the model of Christ's union with the church. Authentic married love is caught up into divine love.

The context for marriage is within the couples love for one another. Christian families share their spiritual riches generously with other families. This love God has judged worthy of special gifts, merging the human with the divine. The unity of marriage radiates from the equal personal dignity of wife and husband.

Children are not a requirement for a marriage to be a valid sacrament. Nevertheless, the Church still insists that “sexual intimacy should always be open to procreation”. Surprisingly, among most religions, it's the Catholics who are the most open concerning homosexual relationships. The challenge today in terms of the theology of marriage is that marriage is a way to holiness.

Vatican II helped us understand marriage as a vocation equal to religious life. As couples we can go forward in building the body of Christ. Sharing the spiritual benefits of sex must be seen in terms of the vertical finality discussed earlier. We can not come into our full human identity without coming into communion with others. This includes loving relationships with and without sex.

In the sacrament of marriage the couple are grace to each other. If we continue to grow in our love for Christ we will continue to grow in our love for our spouse. Christian love instinctively understands that love is greater than death.