Adoremus Bulletin For the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy
MAY 2021
“Idle” Worship: Religious Structures and the Redemption of Time during Pandemic By Abbot Austin G. Murphy, OSB
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dleness is an enemy of the soul” (Otiositas inimica est animae), says St. Benedict.1 We might wonder about the veracity of this saying when we recall the famous story of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s conversion. Rather than harm his soul, idleness seems to have occasioned his conversion. Yet, this story as well as our experience of the COVID-19 shut downs offer us an opportunity to appreciate the truth of St. Benedict’s saying on a deeper level. And this, in turn, can help us to see the important place that religious structures, such as liturgical and devotional practices, have in our spiritual lives. The conversion of St. Ignatius was occasioned by idleness in that it happened while he was confined to bed in order to recover from a cannonball injury. Looking for something to do and having been a worldly man beforehand, he thought of the “worldly books of fiction and tales of knight-errantry” that he had enjoyed reading in the past.2 But after asking for books to read in the house where he was recovering, he found that there were only books about Christ and the saints. Rather than do nothing, he read these books and it led to his conversion. In particular, he noticed that when he thought about the worldly exploits in the books that he had previously read, he experienced pleasure, but it did not last and gave way to dryness and depression. On the other hand, when he thought about the saints described in the religious books, he experienced a joy that lasted.
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News & Views
XXVI, No.6
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Catholic Teaching on Communion Applies to Politicians, too CNA—Catholic teaching sees the Eucharist as Christ’s transformative sacrifice on the cross and this Holy Communion must only be received worthily. This teaching is not partisan, but it certainly applies to political leaders who back abortion and euthanasia, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix has said in an apostolic exhortation on the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. “Holy Communion is reserved for those who, with God’s grace, make a sincere effort to live this union with Christ and His Church by adhering to all that the Catholic Church believes and proclaims to be revealed by God,” Bishop Olmsted said, explaining that Church teaching on this has “always been clear and based on Scripture.” This is why the Church “requires Catholic leaders who have publicly supported gravely immoral laws such as abortion and euthanasia to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they publicly repent and receive the Sacrament of Penance,” continued his exhortation, Veneremur Cernui. “Not all moral issues have the same weight as abortion and euthanasia. The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is an intrinsically grave sin and that there is a grave and clear obligation for all Catholics to oppose them by conscientious objection,” the bishop said. Bishop Olmsted said that the current political climate means the Church can be “easily accused of favoring one party and singling out politicians of a certain party with such a teaching.” “However, the Church is only
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Idle in the Marketplace Being idle did help in St. Ignatius’ conversion, but this kind of idleness is different from the kind of which St. Benedict speaks. That is, idleness (otiositas) has different shades of meaning and, to understand St. Benedict’s saying, we must exercise our minds in trying to see the nuances. To start, consider one meaning of idleness: it is that a person is doing nothing. We find this in the parable of the laborers (Matthew 20:116) when the landowner finds laborers standing around “idle” (otiosus in the Vulgate, vv. 3, 6) and then hires them. St. Ignatius was idle in this sense, since he was doing nothing at first while he convalesced in bed. When people are doing nothing, it
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Adoremus Bulletin MAY 2021
The structures of the Church’s liturgy, especially attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, direct us to do activities that nourish our spiritual lives, such as lifting the mind and heart to God, having our souls fed with Scripture, and being united with other members of the Church. We always need such structures, but their need has been especially felt during the pandemic when idleness as free time has increased.
is often because they have nothing to do. Thus, St. Ignatius was doing nothing because he had nothing to do while in bed. Similarly, when the landowner in the parable asks some of the laborers why they are idle, they explain that it is because they have no work to do (Matthew 20:6-7). However, the expression “having nothing to do” is usually not strictly true, for there is most likely something that a person can do. The expression means in most cases that one’s options of what to do are significantly limited. People especially say, “I have nothing to do,” when they are kept from doing what they are accustomed to do. This has been many people’s experience during the pandemic, especially in its initial months. Many had nothing to do in the sense that they were unable to do many of the things that they were accustomed to do before. Notice that idleness in the sense of doing nothing is not an evil. People do not like doing nothing and therefore they avoid it. As nature abhors a vacuum, people abhor doing nothing. As a result, when they are kept from doing what they would customarily do (and in that sense, have nothing to do), they find new things to do. They do not stay idle forever. We see this in the story of St. Ignatius. First, he has nothing to do in that he is prevented from doing his customary activities while confined True and False “Idles” Abbot Austin Murphy knows about redeeming time, especially during COVID— and even some idle moments (not all are created equal!) can be workshops of sanctity............................................................1 The Rise and Rise Christ Easter’s come and gone, but don’t start rolling the credits yet! As Father Christiaan Kappas explain, the Ascension also rises as an occasion for Christ’s salvific work....................5 Vesting Prayers? Seams Right… Catholic priests weave prayer into every aspect of their lives—including the vesting prayers—which, Father Michael Rennier notes, make a perfect fit in the sacristy...........7
to bed. He is not even able to read the kind of books that he likes. But not wanting to do nothing, he looks for new things to do. This even leads him to do something that he ordinarily would not have done, namely, to read religious books. What St. Ignatius found to do was beneficial and, during the pandemic, many people have found beneficial things to do after they were no longer able to do their customary activities. For example, many have benefited from more time with family or from enjoying the outdoors. But of course, not everything that people have found to do during the pandemic has been good. For example, when stay-at-home orders went into effect, the use of alcohol, marijuana, and pornography increased.3 When lacking things to do, people can turn to beneficial activities, but they can also turn to bad behaviors. Leisure to Do Nothing In addition to doing nothing and to having nothing to do, we can speak of not having to do things. Here one is not obliged to do anything. There are no activities that one has to do and, therefore, one is free to do as one wishes— which is to say that one enjoys a state of leisure (otium). This is a second meaning of idleness. Opposed to this idleness is the work that one has to do, Please see STRUCTURE on page 4 Concerted Effort A full seminary is music to any bishop’s ears— and a seminary full of music, writes Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka, will form future priests into a symphony of virtues...............................8 Bridgework In David Fagerberg’s Liturgical Mysticism, says Ronald Millare, the mysticism found in the liturgy, East and West, serves as a reliable bridge for the Church, East and West...........12 News & Views ....................................................1 Readers’ Quiz......................................................3 The Rite Questions...........................................10