Adoremus Bulletin - May 2023

Adoremus Bulletin

For the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

Seeing the Lord: Biblical Orientations for Eucharistic Renewal

News & Views

Vatican Rejects German Church’s Plans for Laity to Preach, Conduct Baptisms

By AC Wimmer

CNA—The Vatican’s liturgy czar has intervened against the implementation of resolutions of the German Synodal Way that demand laypeople should be able to regularly baptize and preach the homily at Mass in churches across Germany.

In a letter to the German Bishops’ Conference president dated March 29, Cardinal Arthur Roche said neither was possible—despite at least one German diocese already announcing both practices.

The written intervention by the Vatican’s prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was addressed to Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, which has obtained a copy of the document.

Apart from covering the question of homilies and baptisms by laypeople, the seven-page letter also reminded the German bishops that liturgical translations must be confirmed and approved by the Vatican.

On the issue of homilies, Cardinal Roche wrote that the reason why laypeople cannot regularly preach at Mass is not due to their need for “better theological preparation or better communication skills.” Nor is the intent to create “inequalities among the baptized.”

Instead, the cardinal pointed to “distinctions made by the Spirit, who produces different charisms that are distinct and complementary.”

Story continued on page 2

By Joshua Revelle

Jesus’ post-Resurrection engagement with his disciples on the road to Emmaus presents us with a perpetually valid model for Eucharistic revival.1 In light of recent appeals by the bishops of the United States for such a revival, I would like to introduce some insights from patristic, medieval, and modern exegesis of this Gospel episode (Luke 24:13-35) that suggest orientations for fruitful renewal. My hope is that by considering how Jesus Christ once opened the eyes of his disciples, we can learn how to see him more clearly ourselves and better cooperate with him in promoting Eucharistic renewal in the Church.

State of the Disciples

The narrative opens with two disciples travelling away from Jerusalem. Not only was Jerusalem the nexus of Jewish religion, but the Apostles are also gathered in Jerusalem, and so these disciples are distancing themselves from the apostolic community. Even more importantly, their journey takes place “that very day”—that is, on the day of Christ’s resurrection. Although the Gospels highlight the agility of Christ’s resurrected body, which limits what we can conclude about his physical location at various times, nonetheless, the inspired author implies that by departing from Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, these disciples are moving away from the resurrected Christ.

One might object that the disciples’ geographical route is irrelevant, but we quickly learn about their interior state, which confirms that their direction is a symptom of a deeper spiritual disorder We are introduced to this disorder first through its effect: “While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” St. Mark summarizes the whole episode: “he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country” (Mark 16:12). Based on this summary alone, we might conclude that the disciples’ inability to recognize Christ was a natural consequence of their not having previously seen anyone of this “appearance,” but the Fathers of the Church knew that some ratio was necessary to explain Christ’s appearing differently, to avoid implicating him in deception; there must have been something in the disciples in need of correction that justified his appearing in

As Christ once opened the eyes of his disciples, we can learn how to see him more clearly ourselves and better cooperate with him in promoting Eucharistic renewal in the Church.

a different way.2 St. Gregory explains that Christ “was a stranger to faith in their hearts,” and accordingly he “showed himself in body such as he was in their minds.”3

“ The inspired author implies that by departing from Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, these disciples on the road to Emmaus are moving away from the resurrected Christ.”

St. Augustine likewise attributes the disciples’ inability to recognize Christ to a deficiency in their faith. After joining them on the way, Jesus “said to them, ‘What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?’ And they stood still, looking sad.” They report that they were discussing the things “concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” St. Augustine observes that they designate Jesus merely as a prophet, and no longer as the Christ

On the Road

Again…

Joshua Revelle revisits the account of the disciples meeting Jesus on the Emmaus road—it turns out the story marks the first Eucharistic revival. And now, according to Revelle, it’s our turn 1

The End. The Ascension.

In this reprint of Father Jean Corbon’s The Wellspring of Worship (Ignatius Press), the late liturgy scholar explains the Ascension as a new beginning for Christ’s redemptive work 3

Try on a New Song for the Lord

The music and words that thread the collect of the Mass, says musicologist Jennifer DonelsonNowicka, are part of the majestic liturgical wardrobe the Church wants us to wear 6

and the Son of God; hence they have abandoned genuine Christian faith.4

We also learn about another spiritual disorder connected to their lapse in faith and despondency, namely, despair. They confess that “our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.” By admitting that “we had hoped,” they reveal that they no longer have hope.5

Jesus’ death was therefore a scandal to them. The anonymous author of an ancient Christian text long attributed to St. Cyprian proposes that many Jews were convinced that the Christ would not die. He argues this based on the Jewish crowd’s response to Jesus’ prediction of his crucifixion: “‘when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.’ He said this to show by what death he was going to die.… The crowd answered him, ‘We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up?’” (John 12:32-35). Accordingly, Pseudo-

Please see SEEING on page 4

Take It Personally

The heart of the liturgy is always personal.

Roland Millare explains exactly how personal by showing that in selflessly glorifying God in the Eucharist, we will find ourselves glorified 8

All Bones About It…

Altar relics were left behind as part of the liturgy for a reason, writes Paul Senz: each serves the faithful as a living history lesson and a pilgrim guide to salvation all in one 9

Cardinal Rule

In Jessica Navin’s review of Cardinal Robert Sarah’s Catechism of the Spiritual Life, the first rule for fully living a life in Christ, says the Cardinal, is to fully live a life in the sacraments 12

Cardinal Roche wrote that well-formed laypeople should contribute, for instance, as catechists or by conducting conversations about sacred Scripture.

However, he added that laypeople could not give the homily at Mass since only someone ordained “sacramentally represents Christ by virtue of the sacra potestas [sacred power] conferred on him at ordination.”

Explaining that the issue of preaching at Mass was, in other words, a sacramental rather than an educational matter, Cardinal Roche warned of “misunderstandings” about the figure and identity of the priest, who is the only one who can act ‘in persona Christi capitis’ [in the person of Christ, the head of the Church] by virtue of the sacrament.”

The cardinal also rejected the introduction of laypeople regularly administering baptisms, something already in practice in some German dioceses. He wrote that justifying this with a lack of priests, for example, was not possible under canon law.

Laypeople could only validly perform baptisms in exceptional circumstances, such as in danger of death or “in painful situations of persecution, but also in mission areas and in other cases of special need,” the cardinal explained.

Cardinal Roche reminded the German bishops of Pope Francis’ 2019 letter regarding the direction of the Synodal Way process. “The universal Church lives in and from the particular Churches, just as the particular Churches live and flourish in and from the universal Church; if they were separated from the universal Church, they would weaken, decay, and die,” the Pope wrote at the time.

Responding to Cardinal Roche’s communication, a spokesperson for the German Bishops’ Conference on Thursday said the bishops would continue to seek dialogue with Rome on these issues.

Earlier this month, several German bishops announced plans to implement several resolutions passed by the Synodal Way.

Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück—then vice president of the German Bishops’ Conference—said laypeople could baptize babies and “regularly” preach at homilies in his diocese.

About one week later, on March 25, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis had accepted Bishop Bode’s request to resign.

U.S. Bishops Issue Statement on Proper Disposition of Bodily Remains

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine has issued a statement providing principles for evaluating some newer methods and technologies for disposition of the bodies of the deceased. The USCCB’s Administrative Committee approved the issuance of the statement on March 15.

In their statement, the doctrine committee affirms that every human being has been created in the image of God and has an inherent dignity and worth. Furthermore, since “every man and woman is a unity of body and soul, respect for the person necessarily includes respect for the body.” The Church considers burial to be “the most appropriate way of manifesting reverence for the body of the deceased,” as it “clearly expresses our faith and hope in the resurrection of the body.” While the Church permits cremation unless it is chosen for reasons contrary to the Catholic faith, the preferred method is burial.

Applying the basic principles found in the Instruction regarding Burial of the Deceased and the Conservation of the Ashes in the Case of Cremation (Ad resurgendum cum Christo) issued by the thenCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2016, the committee evaluates the two most prominent newer methods for disposition of bodily remains that are proposed as alternatives to burial and cremation— alkaline hydrolysis and human composting—and concludes that they fail to satisfy the Church’s requirements for proper respect for the bodies of the dead. After the alkaline hydrolysis process, there are about 100 gallons of liquid into which the greater part of the body has been dissolved and this liquid is treated as wastewater. At the end of the human composting process, the body has completely decomposed along with accompanying plant matter to yield a single mass of compost, with nothing distinguishably left of the body to be laid to rest in a sacred place.

The doctrine committee concludes their statement by recalling that the Catholic faith teaches us that

our ultimate destiny as human beings includes our bodiliness: “We are therefore obliged to respect our bodily existence throughout our lives and to respect the bodies of the deceased when their earthly lives have come to an end. The way that we treat the bodies of our beloved dead must always bear witness to our faith in and our hope for what God has promised us.”

The committee’s full statement may be read here: https://www.usccb.org/resources/On Proper Disposition 2023-03-20.pdf.

Notre Dame Receives $1 Million Grant to Improve Catholic Preaching across US

NOTRE DAME, IN—The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame has received a $1 million implementation grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish a threeyear program titled Savoring the Mystery: Catholic Preaching in an Age of Disaffiliation. This initiative, based out of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy at the McGrath Institute, proposes a renewal of Roman Catholic preaching. The McGrath Institute serves as a theological resource in partnership with Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools to address contemporary pastoral challenges.

The grant will fund a team-based cohort approach to improving preaching skills for Catholic clergy: 10 diverse cohorts of 20 Catholic leaders from across the United States will take part in a two-year formation process. These groupings will consist of one clergy member and one lay staff member and will focus on mediating an encounter with Jesus Christ through Scripture and preaching. In the third year of the program, McGrath staff will work with a select group of these participants to create digital courses and other resources to expand the impact of the formation process to the wider Church in the United States.

“This program perfectly aligns with our mission to connect the intellectual resources of the University of Notre Dame to the daily pastoral challenges facing today’s Catholics leaders. It is clear, based on all sociological studies, that poverty in Catholic preaching is a major obstacle to the flourishing of Church life in our day,” said Timothy O’Malley, academic director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy at the McGrath Institute. “This generous grant will allow us to foster compelling preaching that resonates with U.S. Catholics experiencing the effects of disaffiliation. We hope to create a preaching culture of affiliation.”

The effort is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative. The McGrath Institute is one of 32 organizations receiving funding in an invitational round of grants for the initiative, which is designed to help Christian pastors strengthen their abilities to proclaim the Gospel in more engaging and effective ways.

“Through the richness of this program, we will be able to contribute to the formation of faithful Catholic leaders and inspire a renewed Catholic imagination promoting the liturgical renewal of the Church,” said John C. Cavadini, Ph.D., McGrath-Cavadini Director, McGrath Institute for Church Life.

The Compelling Preaching Initiative is part of the Endowment’s longstanding interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company.

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While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion, and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

The principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. In addition, the Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.

French Bishops Vote on Sainthood Cause of Henri de Lubac

By Courtney Mares

CNA—French bishops have voted to open the sainthood cause of 20th-century theologian Henri de Lubac.

The French bishops’ conference announced on March 31 that the opening of de Lubac’s cause for beatification was approved during the bishops’ plenary assembly in Lourdes.

De Lubac is considered by many to be one of the most important theologians of the 20th century. The French Jesuit priest was a leading thinker in the ressourcement school of thought that encouraged a return to the writings of the Church Fathers in Catholic theology. He also founded the Communio journal together with Joseph Ratzinger and Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Some of his best-known books are The Splendor of the Church, The Christian Faith, Catholicisme, The Drama of Atheist Humanism, and The Motherhood of the Church.

Born on February 20, 1896, in the northern French city of Cambrai, de Lubac grew up in a traditionally Catholic family with five siblings. After his family moved to Lyon, de Lubac studied at a Jesuit school before making the decision to enter the Jesuit order in 1913.

His novitiate studies in England were interrupted by World War I the following year when he was drafted into the French army. He served in the army from 1914 to 1919, sustaining a head injury that caused him pain for the rest of his life.

De Lubac was ordained a priest in 1927 and began teaching theology at the Catholic University of Lyon.

During World War II, he resisted the ideologies of Nazism and anti-Semitism. He co-founded “Sources Chrétiennes,” a collection of patristic texts published in Greek or Latin with a French translation.

In 1950, four years after the publication of his controversial work, Surnaturel: études historiques, de Lubac was banned from teaching at his Catholic university for a period of eight years. He continued to write and was named a member of the Institut de France in 1958.

Pope John XXIII appointed de Lubac as a member of the Second Vatican Council’s preparatory commission in 1959. De Lubac later participated in the Council as a “peritus,” or theological expert, and his writings are seen as having been influential in the texts that emerged from the Council.

Pope John Paul II named de Lubac a cardinal in 1983 at the age of 86. He died nine years later in Paris on September 4, 1991.

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This Is My Body

By Christopher Carstens, Editor

The American philosopher, educator, and encyclopedist, Mortimer Adler is one of the founding editors of the Great Books Series of the Western World published by Encyclopedia Britannica. It is no surprise, therefore, that he thought it necessary to pen (with another prolific American educator, Charles Van Doren) How to Read a Book to help students benefit more fully from the time they spend with a text. So popular was Adler’s book, that it spawned an anonymous parody: How to Read Two Books! But all bibliophilic kidding aside, we wish to focus not on the Great Books, but the Good Book. For, there’s also a right way and a wrong way—or, at least, a less than ideal way—to read the Good Book. As Pope Benedict would remind us, we read not only with an eye on the historical and literal meaning of each text, but also with an eye of faith, looking for the Word within the words of Holy Writ.

So, it’s a bit myopic, I admit, when I wonder about certain factoids of Christ’s speech in the New Testament. What, for example, was Jesus’ first recorded word? Upon Mary and Joseph finding him in the Temple at age 12, Jesus asks them: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). What is the Bible’s shortest translated verse, not only of Jesus’ own sayings, but from cover to cover? “Jesus wept,” records the Gospel of John (11:35), at the death of his friend, Lazarus. What does the Church mean by Jesus’ “last words”? These are not his final words on earth before his ascension, but his final words before expiring on the cross. And so on. Give Christians (and others) 2,000 years to pour though the Bible, and almost no sacred stone goes unturned.

But let me ask another question about Christ’s words, the answer to which should give us substantial food for thought. What are the most quoted, the most repeated words of Jesus today—and have been throughout history?

Before I offer you my answer, let me confess that I don’t know the answer with any certainty. Surely, there are many sayings that contend for the title: “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34); “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6); “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 5:3). Truly, we hear these words often—but not as often as these: “This is my body, which will be given up for you.”

Consider: you might see a John 3:16 sign in the endzone of an NFL game on a Sunday afternoon— “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”—but think of how many times a single priest, let alone every priest around the world, has already repeated Christ’s words on a given Sunday morning at Mass: “This is my Body, which will be given up for you.” Now multiply that unknown but significant number by 365 days over the course of 2,000 years.

The Mystery of the Ascension

By Father Jean Corbon

Editor’s note: One of the most significant books on the sacred liturgy over the past half-century is Jean Corbon’s The Wellspring of Worship, a work particularly focused on the liturgy’s Trinitarian and spiritual aspects. Jean Corbon (1924-2001) was born in Paris, ordained a priest for the Greek-Catholic eparchy in Beirut, and was the principal author of Part IV of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the topic of prayer. Adoremus is grateful to Ignatius Press for permission to reprint the following excerpt on the ascension from The Wellspring of Worship (59-62).

It is highly regrettable that the majority of the faithful pay so little heed to the ascension of the Lord. Their lack of appreciation of it is closely connected with their lack of appreciation of the mystery of the liturgy. A superficial reading of the end of the Synoptic Gospels and the first chapter of Acts can give the impression that Christ simply departed. In the mind of readers not submissive to the Spirit, a page has been turned; they now begin to think of Jesus as in the past and to speak of what “he said” and what “he did.” They have carefully sealed up the tomb again and filled up the fountain with sand; they continue to “look among the dead for someone who is alive” and they return to their narrow lives in which some things have to do with morality and others with cult, as in the case of the upright men and

“This

real body of Jesus that walked the earth and is now seated at the Father’s right hand, and the Mystical Body which is the Church, composed of the living cells of the baptized, which we are. When the priest says,“This is my Body,” and lifts the host, he is showing you, in a certain sense, your body in Christ.

Does any human phrase—“Good morning.” “Please pass the salt.” “It’s not my fault!”—even come close? How glorious!

And yet, it may be precisely because of its importance, as testified by the repetition of this phrase on such a regular basis, that “familiarity breeds contempt.” I cannot speak for anyone else, but I would be lying if I said that my own praying ears perk up as they ought each time I hear that the bread offered at Mass will become Christ’s body. Even the Sanctus bells that accompany the elevation of the Host have lost some of the ring that they formerly had.

The three-year period of Eucharistic Revival that the dioceses of the United States are currently celebrating seeks to draw our attention back to the heart of our faith in the Blessed Sacrament. Much, of course, has and can be written about the Eucharistic Mystery. (Once again, have any other four small words ever led to such contemplation?) At their core, though, the words “This is my body,” by the action of the Holy Spirit, makes Calvary’s offering present in our midst. That body is given over whole-heartedly to the Father. And this Eucharistic action is no mere mental reminder of something long since passed, but an actual making present here and now, as really and truly present before our eyes as his fleshly body and open heart were present before Mary, the Centurion, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. And here comes the most excellent truth of these almost-incredible words, “This is my body”: this body of Christ is also—or should be—the body of each of us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that in “the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ’s sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his

women of the old covenant. But in fact the ascension is a decisive turning point. It does indeed mark the end of something that is not simply to be cast aside: the end of a relationship to Jesus that is still wholly external. Above all, however, it marks the beginning of an entirely new relationship of faith and of a new time: the liturgy of the last times. […]

In his ascension, then, Christ did not at all disappear; on the contrary, he began to appear and to come. For this reason, the hymns we use in our churches sing of him as “the Sun of justice” that rises in the East. He who is the splendor of the Father and who once descended into the depths of our darkness is now exalted and fills all things with his light. Our last times are located between that first ascension and the ascension that will carry him to the zenith of his glorious parousia. The Lord has not gone away to rest from his redemptive toil; his “work” (John 5:17) continues, but now at the Father’s side, and because he is there he is now much closer to us, “very near to us,”1 in the work that is the liturgy of the last times. “He leads captives,” namely, us, to the new world of his resurrection, and bestows his “gifts,” his Spirit, on human beings (see Ephesians 4:7-10). His ascension is a progressive movement, “from beginning to beginning.”2

Jesus is, of course, at his Father’s side. If, however, we reduce this “ascent” to a particular moment in our mortal history, we simply forget that beginning with the hour of his cross and resurrection Jesus and the human race are henceforth one. He became a son of man in order that we might become children of God. The ascension is progressive “until we all…form the perfect Man fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself”

offering” (1368). In other words: that body which is transformed by the Spirit and lifted up to the Father is not only the Body of Jesus in the Sacrament, but it is also the Body of Christ in the Church—you, me, and each of the baptized. “This is my body” is both the real body of Jesus that walked the earth and is now seated at the Father’s right hand, and the Mystical Body which is the Church, composed of the living cells of the baptized, which we are. When the priest says, “This is my Body,” and lifts the host, he is showing you, in a certain sense, your body in Christ.

The annual Solemnity of Corpus Christi is an especially grace-filled celebration to refocus our eyes on the truth of things, to retune our ears to the true words of everlasting life. Pope Benedict XVI paints a lovely analogy for our consideration on this day, by comparing those of us journeying in the Age of the Church with the disciples walking with the corpus Christi on the road to Emmaus. “There is no portrait of the risen Lord,” the Holy Father says. “At first the disciples do not recognize him. They have to be led toward a new kind of seeing, in which their eyes are gradually opened from within to the point where they recognize him afresh and cry out: ‘It is the Lord!’” (The Spirit of the Liturgy (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2018), 134-5).

Adler reminds his readers early on in his book, “Since reading of any sort is an activity, all reading must to some degree be active. Completely passive reading is impossible; we cannot read with our eyes immobilized and our minds asleep” (Adler, How to Read a Book, 6). So, too, we can say something similar about attending to our Lord—and our souls—on the feast of Corpus Christi

May our ears hear clearly, truly, and actively those most popular of words, “This is my Body,” at this upcoming feast and, along with the Emmaus disciples, may our mouths proclaim with firm intention and true purpose, “It is the Lord!”

(Ephesians 4:13). The movement of the ascension will be complete only when all the members of his body have been drawn to the Father and brought to life by his Spirit. Is that not the meaning of the answer the angels gave to the disciples: “Why are you Galileans standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven” (Acts 1:11). The ascension does not show us in advance the setting of the final parousia; it is rather the activation of the paschal energy of Christ who “fills all things” (Ephesians 4:10). It is the ever-new “moment” of his coming.

1. Byzantine liturgy of the ascension.

2. The expression is used by Gregory of Nyssa in his eighth Homily on the Song of Songs (PG 44:941c). The entire spiritual life is carried along by this “ascensional” thrust.

is my body” is both the

“In his ascension,” writes Father Jean Corbon, “Christ did not at all disappear; on the contrary, he began to appear and to come.”

Continued from SEEING, page 1

Cyprian explains about the two disciples that Christ’s “death had so offended them that they did not believe him to have risen again whom they [thought and] implied ought not to have died.”6 Jesus’ response to the two disciples confirms this interpretation: “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things?” Thus, Jesus identifies the inadequacy of his disciples’ faith—which prevented them from believing in his resurrection and also from recognizing him—precisely on the grounds that they had intentionally overlooked or misinterpreted the prophesies about his sufferings.

Restoration

These two disciples typify Christians today for whom the bishops are concerned in calling for Eucharistic revival. A growing number of American Catholics are absenting themselves from Sunday Mass, just as the disciples on the road departed from the community of the Apostolic Church on the day of the Lord’s resurrection. Relatedly, a disconcerting number of Catholics do not profess faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which suggests a lack of spiritual perception akin to that of the disciples who could not recognize the risen Lord appearing to them in a different form on the road. Without issuing judgments about the moral state of disenfranchised Catholics today, it is certainly conceivable that these have also lost both theological faith and hope and correspondingly live in sadness and despondency, like the disciples on the road. (Perhaps we ourselves are also imperfect in faith, hope, and seeing the Lord as we should.)

The good news is: if the two disciples in our narrative have a spiritual profile that matches that of many Catholics today, then the saving actions of God revealed in this narrative have prophetic and normative value for us. In other words, we can discover in Jesus’ responses to the disciples what he is doing now through his Spirit and wishes to accomplish through his Mystical Body in response to the present crisis.

Attentive to Jesus’ mercy and pastoral wisdom revealed in this Gospel pericope, Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver beautifully summarizes the Lord’s approach to the wayward disciples: “He chooses to first listen to them and allow them to articulate where they had strayed. He then shares and initiates them into his own worldview through the scriptures.”7

According to the narrative, after affirming the necessity that the Christ “should suffer these things and enter into his glory,” then “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the

scriptures the things concerning himself.” St. Justin Martyr, as well as the fourth-century apologist Lactantius, encapsulate Jesus’ entire post-Resurrection ministry prior to his Ascension in terms of opening the Scriptures.8 This is expressed symbolically in the Apocalypse: “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll…. And between the throne and the four living creatures…I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…and they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God’” (Revelation 5:5-9). The Lion-Lamb, the crucified and risen Christ, does not merely offer a conceptual key for the interpretation of the Scriptures, but he himself, crucified and risen, interprets the Scriptures. Thus, for the early Church, it is precisely in the light of the resurrected Christ and through his activity that the Scriptures can be rightly understood.

St. Thomas Aquinas follows the consensus of the Fathers in affirming the death and resurrection of Jesus as the key to unlocking the Scriptures and by presenting Christ himself as the inaugurator of this interpretive method. In fact, St. Thomas considers the Christological interpretation of Scripture so essential that he speaks of it as constituting Christian discipleship: commenting on the “chair of Moses” mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, he writes, “on the chair sit…the scribes, who consider only the letter [of the Scriptures]; the Pharisees, who consider a small part of its interior sense; [and] the disciples of Christ, who

his Passion, therefore, is to inevitably fail to attain understanding of the most essential meaning of the text. When the heart of Jesus was pierced on the Cross, manifesting his boundless love, the Scriptures were definitively opened.

The Fire of the Word

Not surprisingly, the disciples “said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?’” The Fathers interpret this burning as a fire of love;12 and likewise in the lives of the saints, the extraordinary mystical phenomenon of burning in the heart is associated with excessive love.13 Nonetheless, we should pause to consider how the disciples would have understood this experience, since they appeal to it as though it should have been for them a sufficient proof of the Lord’s resurrection.

On the one hand, the disciples may have recalled listening to Jesus on previous occasions. A distinctive effect of the divine Word is that it communicates the Spirit. St. Thomas writes: “the Son is sent…according to the intellectual illumination, which breaks forth into the affection of love, as is said…In my meditation a fire shall flame forth.”14 And so, perhaps these disciples, reflecting on the breaking forth of the fire of love in their hearts that resulted from this Mysterious Man’s teaching, recognized an effect in themselves that they had previously experienced only from Jesus of Nazareth, whom they should have realized by this very fact was teaching them again in person and therefore must have risen from the dead.

On the other hand, it seems significant that the disciples do not specify that their hearts were burning with love but only report that their hearts were burning, as if the experience of fire alone was sufficient to indicate the resurrection. We are perhaps too quick to associate fire with love, without adequately considering what the perception of an extraordinary fire would have meant for first-century Jewish Christians Specifically, the Dictionnaire de Spiritualité relates: “in the religion of Israel, fire is the preeminent sign of the divine presence. It is generally the principal element of theophanies or manifestations of God on the earth.”15 This is easy to confirm: fire had a conspicuous place in the great theophanies to Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc.

ponder the whole. And they are not called disciples of Moses, but of Christ. [As it says:] … he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”9 In other words, for St. Thomas, to be a disciple of Christ means precisely to learn from Christ, who interprets all of the Scriptures in light of himself.10

Most importantly, St. Thomas hints at the reason for the connection between Christ’s Passion and the opening of the Scriptures. He comments on Psalm 22, which Christ invoked on the Cross, and which includes the line “my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast.” St. Thomas proposes: “this liquefaction [or melting] can be applied to Christ…for this liquefaction is from the Holy Spirit and is in the… affections.” He then offers another interpretation: “by the heart of Christ should be understood the Sacred Scriptures which manifest the heart of Christ. This was closed before the Passion, since it was obscure, but is open after the Passion.”11 If we take both of these interpretations together, we arrive at the following conclusions. Christ’s heart on the Cross was so inflamed with love from the Holy Spirit that he declared that it was melted. The Scriptures, for their part, manifest the heart of Christ, which is full of this love that he displayed on the Cross. Thus, it is only in light of the Cross that the essential meaning of the Scriptures is revealed. Conversely, the meaning of the Scriptures is nothing other than the love of Christ revealed on the Cross. For a Christian, therefore, the study of the Scriptures and the study of the Cross are inseparably the study of the heart of Christ filled with love. To read Sacred Scripture apart from Christ and

The question immediately arises, however: why does the spiritual interpretation of Scripture have the effect of an interior theophany? St. Thomas offers a clue in the first question of the Summa: “The author of Holy Scripture is God, in whose power it is to signify his meaning, not by words only…but also by things themselves.”16 When Scripture is understood Christologically, that is, in its unity, two things are made clear: first, that God must be the Author of the Scriptures, since only divine omniscience can be the source of prophetic knowledge of the future; second, God must be the Author of the historical events recorded in the Scriptures, since only divine omnipotence can direct being itself to signify truth. And so, the typological interpretation of Scripture—or demonstrating the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy— necessarily manifests the Author of the Scriptures as the Lord of history, who both transcends history by his infinite knowledge and power, and who also acts intimately within history on the level of being and human knowledge.

Furthermore, since Sacred Scripture centers on Jesus Christ, who is the very transcendent Lord who entered history personally in order to reveal through his sufferings on the Cross the love that is the source of creation, there is no greater manifestation of the true God possible through the mere signification of words than interpreting the inspired Scriptures in light of the death and resurrection of Christ. Once again, it is no surprise that the disciples’ hearts were burning! In all the theophanies of the Old Covenant, material fire was ultimately a sign of the spiritual fire that would burn first of all in the heart of Christ on the Cross and then in the hearts of those disciples who were introduced by him into this very truth.

Transformed Hearts

The Fathers, when discussing the fire ignited in the disciples’ hearts, emphasize the transformative effect of God’s Word. St. Athanasius, for example, writes that “our Lord Jesus Christ…came that he might

“If the two disciples in our narrative have a spiritual profile that matches that of many Catholics today, then the saving actions of God revealed in this narrative have prophetic and normative value for us.”

AB/WIKIART. MOSES AND THE BURNING BUSH , 1966, BY MARC CHAGALL

In all the events in which God reveals himself to mankind in the time of the Old Covenant—such as Moses before the burning bush—material fire was ultimately a sign of the spiritual fire that would burn first of all in the heart of Christ on the Cross and then in the hearts of those disciples who were introduced by him into this very truth.

“It is only in light of the Cross that the essential meaning of the Scriptures is revealed.”

cast this [fire] upon earth…so that the soul, being purified, might be able to bring forth fruit.”17 St. Jerome asks, “Where should we seek this saving fire?” and concludes: “No doubt in the sacred volumes, reading from which all vices are purged.”18 St. Augustine argues that the fire which Christ came to set on the earth was himself, the Word of God, a consuming fire, “for the love of God consumes our old life and renews our being.”19

Even though the disciples experience a fire of love that evidences the presence of God in the risen Christ, they do not yet identify him. Still, his transformative word has a decisive effect on their dispositions and actions: “they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, ‘Stay with us…So he went in to stay with them.” Archbishop Aquila comments, “When we genuinely love someone, we do not want to leave them or them to leave us.”20

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the human heart as “our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason…. The heart is the place of decision.”21 The fact that Christ’s interpretation of Scripture generated a fire in their hearts that issued in changed behavior means that the principal work of their conversion has been accomplished. The disorder of disbelief (and despair) that previously reigned in their hearts due to the false interpretation of God’s plan for history—on account of which they formerly could not recognize the risen Christ—was corrected through his teaching, such that they are now disposed to recognize him. And this is what occurs next: “when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

Christ’s repeating for these disciples what he did at the Last Supper was the final step in their coming to recognize him.22 They must have perceived the intrinsic relation of the Eucharist with Christ’s Passion, which it signified, and which they now properly understood in light of the Scriptures. And so, they report to the Apostles that “he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” It is noteworthy that among the actions of taking, breaking, blessing, and giving, they chose breaking to refer to the crucial moment. This conveys most clearly the connection that Christ himself established between this Sacrament and his sacrificial death when he said, “take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.”

Immediately upon recognizing him, “he vanished from their sight.” Christ was teaching the disciples that he is truly present in this Sacrament. It is as if he was playing a game of peek-a-boo—disappearing in one form to foster recognition of himself in another form— treating the disciples as spiritual children, giving them a lesson in “supernatural object permanence.” The Real Presence is a doctrine about which the disciples needed to be convinced, because this is the manner in which he would remain substantially present to the Church on earth after his ascension. He does not permit the disciples even a moment to rest in the sensible enjoyment of his glorified body: he immediately departs, leaving a strong impression linking his risen presence with this sacrament.

We should also notice that this narrative presents the Sacrament in relation to the resurrection. Not only is Christ known to be present in the Eucharist, but above all the Eucharist makes known his risen presence: “He was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” This corresponds to the central point of the narrative, which possesses a clearly chiastic structure.23 The sacred author’s presentation of the Emmaus story, which takes place on Easter Sunday, focuses on the announcement of the resurrection by the women: “they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.” The truth about the Sacrament is therefore contextualized: above all, the disciples identify the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who is alive, and who communicates himself through both word and Sacrament.

Authentic love is never inactive, and, accordingly, the two disciples “rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem…and they found the eleven gathered together…. Then they told what had happened on the road.” Archbishop Aquila observes that “they immediately go and witness to their experience of the Risen Christ. They go on mission.”24 We should add that the disciples specifically seek the Apostles, and so their knowledge and love of the risen Christ leads them to apostolic communion.

Orientations

To the many proposals for fostering Eucharistic revival, I only wish to add a few in light of this Gospel pericope. First of all, we can imitate Christ who travels with discouraged and disbelieving disciples and

To the degree that we are ignorant of the love of Christ manifested in his death on the Cross, we cannot understand the meaning of the Eucharist, which represents this sacrifice. In the 17th century, it was precisely to counteract indifference and ingratitude toward himself in the Holy Eucharist that Jesus enjoined devotion to his Sacred Heart, directing the world to “Behold…this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.”

attentively listens to their concerns.

Second, we can emphasize the redemptive death of Jesus Christ. To the degree that we are ignorant of the love of Christ manifested in his death on the Cross, we cannot understand the meaning of the Eucharist, which represents this sacrifice. In the 17th century, it was precisely to counteract indifference and ingratitude toward himself in the Holy Eucharist that Jesus enjoined devotion to his Sacred Heart, directing the world to “Behold…this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.”25

Third, we should principally proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Faith in the Eucharist depends on belief in the divinity of Christ, which was most clearly manifested in his resurrection.26 And celebration of this Sacrament does not commemorate a mere prophet who died but deepens communion with the living God in the person of the risen Lord Jesus.

Fourth, we should return to announcing Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of prophecy and the primary typological referent of Scripture. This was the method that Christ himself used in order to dispose his

Finally, we should pray for illumination. The disciples on the road suffered from insufficient spiritual perception. St. Thomas Aquinas, in his treatment of the Holy Spirit’s gift of understanding, explains that “there are many kinds of things that are hidden within;” for example, “under words lies hidden their meaning” and “under the accidents lies hidden the nature of the substantial reality.”28 Inasmuch as the gift of understanding enables us to perceive the mystical sense of the words of Scripture that disclose Christ and the substantial reality of his presence hidden under the accidents of bread and wine, we ought to pray for the whole Church, that God would strengthen our minds with the light of understanding to know the risen Christ. “For it is God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Joshua Revelle is an Assistant Professor of Dogmatic and Spiritual Theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, CO. He holds a BA and MA from Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH, and a PhD from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

1. As an introduction to the Church’s Year of the Eucharist in 2004, Pope St. John Paul II presented “the image of the disciples on the way to Emmaus…as a fitting guide for…when the Church will be particularly engaged in living out the mystery of the Holy Eucharist.” John Paul II, Apostolic Letter “Mane Nobiscum Domine,” https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2004/ documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20041008_mane-nobiscum-domine.html. More recently, for the launch of the diocesan phase of the Eucharistic revival in the United States, Archbishop Samuel Aquila offered a similar recommendation and his own reflections on the Gospel pericope. Samuel Aquila, Advent 2022 Pastoral Note “Were Not Our Hearts Burning,” https://archden.org/pastoral-notes/ advent-2022-were-not-our-hearts-burning/.

2. For example: “The mistake which held them was not to be attributed to the Lord’s body.” St. Jerome, “To Pammachius Against John of Jerusalem,” trans. W. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W. Martley, NPNF, Second Series, vol. 6 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature, 1893), §35.

3. St. Gregory the Great, “Homilia XXIII” in Gregorius Magnus: Homiliae in Evangelia, CCSL, vol. 141 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1999), 194. My translation.

4. St. Augustine, “Sermon 236A,” trans. Edmund Hill, WSA, vol. 3/7 (New Rochelle, NY: New City Press), §3.

5. St. Augustine, “Sermon 26A,” §4.

6. Pseudo-Cyprian, De Rebaptismate, in CCSL, vol. 3F: Sancti Cypriani Episcopi Opera, Pars IV; Opera Pseudo-Cyprianea, Pars I (Turnhout: Brepols, 2016), §9. My translation.

7. Aquila, “Were Not Our Hearts Burning.”

8. St. Justin Martyr, The First Apology, in Writings of Saint Justin Martyr, trans. Thomas Falls, The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation (New York: Christian Heritage, 1948), chap. 50; Lactantius, The Divine Institutes: Books

I-VII, trans. Mary McDonald, The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation (Washington D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1964), 4.20.

9. St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 1328, trans. Jeremy Holmes, Latin/English Edition of the Works of St. Thomas Aquinas, vol. 34 (Lander, WY: The Aquinas Institute), par. 1833. Emphasis added; Biblical quotation replaced with ESV.

10. In a text that closely resembles the Emmaus road narrative, St. Thomas comments on John 1:26: “there is one standing in your midst i.e., in the Sacred Scriptures…whom you do not recognize, because your heart is hardened by unbelief, and your eyes blinded, so that you do not recognize as present the person you believe is to come.” St. Thomas explicitly links unbelief in the heart, blindness preventing recognition of Jesus, and the failure to interpret the Scriptures with respect to him. St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of John: Chapters 1-5, trans. Fabian Larcher (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2010), §246.

11. St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Psalms, trans. Sr. Albert Marie Surmanski and Sr. Maria Veritas Marks, in Commentary on the Psalms, Rigans Montes, Hic est Liber, Latin/English Edition of the Works of St. Thomas Aquinas, vol. 29 (Green Bay, WI: Aquinas Institute, 2021), §186. Emphasis removed; translation slightly amended.

12. Origen, Second Homily [on the Song of Songs] trans. R. P. Lawson, in Origen: The Song of Songs, Commentary and Homilies, Ancient Christian Writers, vol. 26 (Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1957), §8; St. Ambrose, Isaac, or the Soul, in St. Ambrose: Seven Exegetical Works, The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation (Washington, D.C. The Catholic University of America Press, 1972), 8.77; St. Thomas Aquinas, The Commandments of God, trans. Laurence Shapcote (London: Burns, Oates & Washbourne), prol.

13. Jordan Aumann, Spiritual Theology, (London: Sheed & Ward, 1982), 431. For many examples, see Herbert Thurston, The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, ed. J. Crehan (London: Burns Oates, 1952), chap. 8, “Incendium Amoris.”

14. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province, 3 vols. (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1947), I, q. 43, a. 5, ad. 2.

15. Friedrich Zoepfl, “Feu,” in Dictionnaire de Spiritualité, vol. 5 (Paris: Beachesne, 1964), col. 247. My translation.

16. St. Thomas, ST I, q. 1, a. 10, co. Translation amended.

17. St. Athanasius, “Letter III,” trans. R. Payne-Smith, NPNF, Second Series, vol. 4 (New York: Christian Literature, 1892), §4.

18. St. Jerome, “Epistula XVIIIA Ad Damasum,” in Sancti Eusebii Hieronymi Epistulae, Pars I, CSEL (Vindobona: Tempsky, 1910), §6. My translation. He also recommends the reading of Scripture since the fire of love that it generates replaces sensual desire; St. Jerome, “Letter XX,” NPNF, vol. 6, §17.

19. St. Augustine, Answer to Adimantus, WSA, vol. 1/19, 13.3.

20. Aquila, “Were Not Our Hearts Burning.”

21. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2563.

disciples to recognize himself, and it was accordingly the method of the Fathers.27 Typological teaching manifests the divine presence, precisely in Jesus; and through his being revealed as the center of the divine plan, he appears as the destiny of every human person. The Fathers emphasize the transformative power of the Scriptures, which cause the human heart to burn with desire to be with the Lord. Without handing on the truth about Christ that is conveyed in the Scriptures, we should not expect any conversion toward the Eucharist. I could announce the real presence of my friend Tom in the next room until I am blue in the face, but I should not expect anyone to visit the next room who lacks personal knowledge of him. Through the opening of the Scriptures, the heart of Christ in the Eucharist is revealed as the heart of God who is love, and the natural outcome is increased devotion to the Eucharist.

22. It is not clear whether these disciples had heard about the institution of the Eucharist from the Apostles during the previous day or two—nor how their memory was involved in this stage of the process of recognition.

23. John Noland, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 35c (Dallas: Word Books, 1993), 1177-8. Some examples of the nested parallels include: the disciples speak with one another in verses 14 and 32; their eyes are closed, then opened in verses 16 and 31; they recall the “things concerning Jesus,” and Jesus explains “the things concerning himself” in verses 19 and 27; Christ’s sufferings are discussed in verses 20 and 25; his tomb is mentioned in 22 and 24; etc. These center on the announcement of his resurrection.

24. Aquila, “Were Not Our Hearts Burning.”

25. Bougaud, Revelations of the Sacred Heart to Blessed Margaret Mary, and the History of Her Life, trans. A Visitandine of Baltimore, 2nd ed. (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1890), 176.

26. That Eucharistic belief corresponds to faith in the divinity of Christ, see for example John 6:68-69: after many disciples depart from Christ on account of his teaching about the Bread of Life, St. Peter responds with a profession of faith in Christ, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” That Christ’s divinity is manifested especially by his resurrection, see Rom. 1:34 and Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 653.

27. The First Vatican Council declared that “miracles and prophecies... demonstrating…the omnipotence and infinite knowledge of God, are the most certain signs of revelation and are suited to the understanding of all.” “Dei Filius—The Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith,” Nova et Vetera, English Edition, 20, no. 3 (2022): 947 (chap. 3).

co.

“It is noteworthy that among the actions of taking, breaking, blessing, and giving, the disciples chose breaking to refer to the crucial moment. This conveys most clearly the connection that Christ himself established between the Eucharist and his sacrificial death.”

AB/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. CORRADO MEZZANA, 1922.

The Golden Thread of Music: A Practicum on How to Adorn the Church’s Collects with the Sung Garments of Salvation

By Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka

The traditional vesting prayers accompanying each item of the celebrant’s attire link the particular vestment to some spiritual reality. The prayer recited when assuming the alb, for example, reminds the priest that it is a symbol of being washed whiter than snow (Psalm 90:9) in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14), an appropriate reminder of the precious price of baptism. The stole is accompanied by a plea for the joy of eternal life despite one’s unworthiness. When the chasuble, often the heaviest garment of them all, is put on, the celebrant is reminded of Our Lord’s words in Matthew 11:30 that his “yoke is easy” and his “burden is light.”

In a similar way, the collects to be sung at Mass are appropriately clothed in the rich melodies which the Church holds in her musical wardrobe. Certainly, there are many overt prayers in the Psalms linking music and the offering of one’s self to God. Indeed, one might say that the garment of song, when it clothes the texts of the liturgy, is a symbol, a physical manifestation of the worship of God. Many a choir has prayed the following text before rehearsal, which captures this connection between song and the sacrifice one offers with that of Christ at the Mass: “May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:15).

Surely this could also be the prayer of any priest singing the orations. Let us see, then, how, on both a theoretical and practical level, the singing of the collects by priests can achieve for pastors and parishes alike a tailor-made fit of music and words.

Clothes Make the Priest

Before examining these sung parts of the Mass, let us look how close the parallel between music and vestments is. When a priest is clothed to celebrate Mass, he lays “aside all earthly cares” (“Cherubic Hymn” in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), donning clothes that he wears at no other time, so that he might become detached from ordinary life. He takes time away from his charitable works, from his private prayers, from the administration of the other sacraments, from appointments. The Mass is no mere activity among many: it is the “sacred action surpassing all others” (Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC) 7) and it calls for external symbols to express this spiritual reality.

And these external symbols are appointed by the Church. The priest wears white in Paschaltide, red for the martyrs, a stole in the manner the Church has assigned to his office. He prays the prayers given to him, proclaims the Gospel set in the liturgical book, makes the gesture assigned him by the rubrics. The absence of choice and the obedience of taking up that which Christ’s bride has dictated is an act of fidelity to the mystery he is about to celebrate and to his identity as a priest of Jesus Christ.

Even in the matters left to the discretion of preaching, the priest’s formation is meant to smooth out his rough patches and bind up his wounds so that the words he speaks of his own accord allow Christ to shine forth, rather than serving as a stumbling block. He must never become so wrapped up in his own style and agenda as to think that his words are the most important and persuasive element of the liturgy, and that he therefore has total freedom to do whatever he wishes. Here, the words of St. Paul guide the priest’s choice: “Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible” (I Corinthians 9:19).

All these visible and audible elements are a reminder to both the priest and his people that he goes to the altar of God to celebrate the Mass in persona Christi. They serve as a healthy detachment from one’s self, one’s goals, and one’s ego. At the Mass, the priest is not a private person but is rather a minister of the Church of Jesus Christ, and a humble servant of Our Lord. The prayer of St. John the Baptist can surely be that of the priest: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30).

The Church’s Seamless Tones

It should be noted, however, that the analogy between music and vestments is not original to this author. The usual and lovely translation of Pius X’s 1903 motu proprio Tra le Sollecitudini states that the principal munus (“service”) of music is to “clothe with suitable melody the liturgical text proposed for the understanding of the faithful” (emphasis mine). Music is a sort of vestment for the Church’s words and those of scripture, propelling them into the realm of the

sacred, where they can serve as a sort of sacramental microphone, amplifying the voice of God, making it more “living and effective” (Hebrews 4:12) in the hearts of hearers.

The music “specially suited to the Roman liturgy” (SC, 116) is Gregorian chant, and within this body of repertoire, the musical genres give external witness to the spiritual and liturgical appointment of the text. The melody of an introit, with its distinctive stylings and flowing style, move the procession and hearts of those present up to the altar of God. The tunes of the Graduals, Alleluias, and Tracts, with their superfluous melismas (numerous notes on a single syllable) afford the opportunity to meditate on the Word of God during the

time appointed for the readings (see General Instruction for the Roman Missal, 56, 61). The lack of finality in the priest’s parts of the dialogues and the simplicity of the melodic content beckon the faithful to engage in a sacred dialogue; we sing to one another because this is no ordinary conversation, gathered as we are in the sight of the Lord. In all these genres, when sung in Gregorian chant, we hear the words appointed by the Church, no mere preference of the music director or priest.

All this is true also for the tones the Church has given for the orations of the celebrant. He does not make a selection of the words he takes upon his breath and lips. They are proposed by the Church, who serves as a mother, teaching her children to pray through all the highways and byways of the liturgical year and in the very shape of the Mass. And when these prayers are clothed with the tones appointed for them by the Church in her chant tradition, the priest relinquishes even his own tone of voice, assuming instead the Church’s tone of voice. United to Christ’s bride, the Church, through sharing the Church’s solicitude for even the least detail of the liturgy, he is conformed ever more perfectly to the bridegroom. The act of singing in this way, though not the most profound one a priest will do in his life, is nevertheless a small, habitual way in which he can make St. Paul’s assertion his own: “yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

For the people, too, the singing of the priest, rather than his mere speaking, is a reminder that the sacred liturgy is the “summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed” (SC, 10). No one typically goes around singing one’s greetings to friends and colleagues, or chanting a summary of one’s thoughts in a business meeting or classroom. We do so, however, in the liturgy because it is a privileged locus for an encounter with God, the place where all that we hear and see and taste and smell and touch should point like arrows, directing our hearts and minds to the presence of Christ, the paschal Lamb. The sacred liturgy is the work of God which Christ’s flock participates in and offers their own sacrifice of praise in singing an “Amen” in response.

Try Music On—in Theory and Practice

In some ways, the Church has been overly reliant on words to hand on the faith in recent decades. There is the mistake of thinking that if only the faith were explained more clearly, more convincingly, that it might be accepted and take deeper root. This may be true. And it is right and just that we have a faithful translation of the Roman

Singing, too, is one such witness to the truth of our faith, since cantare amantis est (“singing is for the

Missal to sing. Nevertheless, humans learn in many ways, not just through words. We are catechized by beautiful things, acts of charity, gestures of worship, buildings which bespeak the presence of God.

The traditional vesting prayers accompanying each item of the celebrant’s attire link the particular vestment to some spiritual reality. The prayer recited when assuming the alb, for example, reminds the priest that it is a symbol of being washed whiter than snow (Psalm 90:9) in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14), an appropriate reminder of the precious price of baptism. In a similar way, the collects to be sung at Mass are appropriately clothed in the rich melodies which the Church holds in her musical wardrobe.

AB/WIKIMEDIA

Pius X’s 1903 motu proprio Tra le Sollecitudini states that the principal munus (“service”) of music is to “clothe with suitable melody the liturgical text proposed for the understanding of the faithful.” Music is a sort of vestment for the Church’s words and those of scripture, propelling them into the realm of the sacred.

“The lack of finality in the priest’s parts of the dialogues and the simplicity of the melodic content beckon the faithful to engage in a sacred dialogue.”

one who loves”). Singing is a means of preaching the Gospel that amplifies the words of the liturgy and sacred scripture, and really doesn’t take much more time than speaking, though it does demand greater physical exertion. While the Church in her wisdom does allow the liturgy to be spoken, she also knows the value of solemnity in allowing the sacred mysteries to take deeper root in the hearts of her children.

When the Mass is always spoken, it can lull us into a sleep, closing our eyes to the nature of what we have seen and touched (cf. I John 1:1). The sacrality of singing the liturgy wakes us up, preaching to us the reality of God’s work among men, of the presence of Christ in the Word of God, and especially of the nature of the Most Holy Eucharist. Catholics believe that this is no mere symbol, no simple meal, no regular gathering of friends, but is rather the place in which Christ comes to us in his very body, blood, soul, and divinity— because this is no ordinary event, we sing, and in this set-apart way of acting we preach and learn more deeply the true presence of God.

Because music is such a perfect fit for the Mass, it ought not only be a matter of theoretical know-how for priests but also a matter of practical—and practicable—efficiency. However, not every priest has had the opportunity to grow in competence and confidence at singing his parts of the Mass. Many have not learned how to sing the presidential prayers correctly. Perhaps their experience has mostly been with the “tonus inventus,” the made-up tone that never quite gets the formula right, leaving the impression about how to do it a muddled mess in one’s mind. Or maybe he hasn’t even had the opportunity to learn to match pitch or fix vocal faults which make his singing less pleasant than befits the liturgy.

Solemn  Tone

Tones for the Presidential Prayers

comprehension to slow slightly.

All these elements, when combined, aid the intelligibility of the presidential prayers for the faithful, and reduce the need for loud microphone volumes—a service in charity!

INVITATION

` ´ œ œ

œ Let  us  pray.

RECITING  TONE FLEX

All the presidential prayers in the Missal (Collects, Prayers over the Offerings, Prayers after Communion) may be pointed for use with the solemn tone according to the following formula The reciting tone is preceded by one “G” (before ascending to “A”) including after the Flex At every cadence, whether a Flex or a Full Stop, the grave ( ) indicates where to descend to “G ” and the acute ( ) indicates where to ascend back to “A ” The grave at the Flex may or may not fall on the the text accent, depending on the textual accent pattern The grave at the Full Stop is always applied to the second to last syllable before the final accent, without respect to the accentuation of that syllable When the Eucharistic Prayer is sung according to the tone in  the  Missal,  the  Prayer  over  the  Offerings  must  be  sung  according  to  the  solemn  tone. &

œ á œ ` œ ( )

(grave)

FULL  STOP (grave) (acute)

œ á œ ` œ á ´ & ( ) œ Through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, your Son, á œ œ who  lives  and  reigns who    live  and  reign

The final step in singing a presidential prayer is using the actual tone, one of the stars in the beautiful galaxy of Gregorian chant melodies. I recommend starting with the “solemn tone” in the appendix of the Roman Missal. While the pitch content of the “simple tone,” with its descending minor third, may be more “in the ear” of the priest, the large drop just before the doxology proves problematic for the beginner, especially if one aims at getting it right.

á & á ( ) with    in  the  unity  of  the    Ho-­‐‑ly Spirit,

Except in rare cases of physiological defect, singing is normative for the human person, and can be learned. It’s not simply an innate talent that either one has or not, with nothing to be done about it. If one struggles with matching pitch, here are some steps that might be taken with a trusted musician guide to learn to sing.

1. Have a trusted musician sing a series of two pitches, on a neutral syllable like “nu,” with the second note going up, down, or staying the same. If it is difficult for the listening priest to identify the direction of the second note, the musician can make the interval between pitches wider, or make each note a little longer. This develops the priest’s ability to hear difference in pitch, in the same way that he can likely already tell the difference in tone of voice (angry, happy, etc.), but still without the necessity of vocal production himself.

2. A musician plays a pitch on the piano and then either sings the same note or a different note with the priest identifying whether the note sung is the same or different. (Again, this exercise is about developing the ability to compare two sounds but without the priest singing himself.)

3. A priest sings any one pitch and, while sustaining the sound, makes the pitch go up or down. This step moves into the priest experiencing control in his own voice over the pitch, yet without the need to match it to an external source.

4. The musician plays a note on the organ or piano, sings the same note, and then the priest attempts to sing that same pitch. A good pitch might be something like B2 (a little more than an octave below middle C) on a piano, which is in the speaking/chest register of most men. The priest should judge whether he got the correct pitch or not. Here, even the ability to identify that one didn’t sing the correct note is an important step in vocal control and the use of the ear. With patience, one will learn to identify whether it was correct or not, and, if not correct, to adjust it to the correct pitch.

5. Once able to match a single pitch in the speaking register, a priest should try singing an oration on a single note in that register. This is a further step in vocal control.

6. Extend the range of single pitches that the priest can match by going up through the middle register to at least an F3 or F#3 (just below middle C), still well before needing to go into falsetto. Again,

you           God  the  Father

œ œ

œ œ á á one  God,    for & œ ev-­‐‑er and ev er. œ œ œœ œ R. œ A-­‐‑men. œ œ & After  the  other  Prayers œ Through  Christ  our  Lord. œ œ œ œœ R. œ A-­‐‑men.

The final step in singing a presidential prayer is using the actual tone, one of the stars in the beautiful galaxy of Gregorian chant melodies. “I recommend starting with the ‘solemn tone’ in the appendix of the Roman Missal,” writes Donelson. “While the pitch content of the ‘simple tone,’ with its descending minor third, may be more ‘in the ear’ of the priest, the large drop just before the doxology proves problematic for the beginner, especially if one aims at getting it right.” With this page from the Roman Missal appendix before you, read the author’s step-bystep instructions for singing along.

try singing the oration on a single note, now in this higher register. Once the priest can match in a more expanded range, the upper range of notes can be approached from the bringing the falsetto down, or by extending the middle register upwards—whatever works.

7. Try an exercise that prepares for the singing of the orations. For example, if one is preparing what is labeled as the “solemn tone” in the current Roman Missal, sing the final “Amen,” with the ascending whole step on “-men.” Start in a comfortable range and raise or lower the exercise by half steps.

A Few Grace Notes…

A next step in singing the orations well is working on the breath and controlling the speed of enunciation of the text. Singing requires more breath than speaking, and breathing for singing usually involves inhalation through the mouth, rather than the nose, and should also involve an expansion of the belly in a deep breath. As a corollary, the singing sound is louder than speaking. As an exercise, one might try a controlled exhalation for four seconds, waiting for two seconds, and then inhaling for four seconds, taking in noticeably more breath than when speaking. Once deep breathing is established, a recitation of the text of a phrase of a collect on a single pitch can be substituted for the exhalation. Finally, once that becomes comfortable, one should sing the oration in a manner which emphasizes the consonants in the sound, enunciating more clearly than in normal conversation. This will slow down the speed of the text delivery, but not too much. Generally, aim for something nearly the same speed as speech when singing on one pitch. When the pitch moves, it sounds lovely and aids in

Begin with singing (or even thinking) the “Amen” (as above, SOL SOL LA) to get the correct pitches in one’s mind. Then try “Let us pray” on LA SOL LA. Next, practice the doxological formulae given in the missal appendix. Then, work to ensure the correct division of the collect into its logical parts, usually two phrases/clauses followed by a doxology. Often, the first phrase of the prayer addresses God in some way, calling to mind something he has done. Many times, the second phrase begins with the word “that,” before finishing with a strong verb of request that flows logically from the first phrase.

In the “solemn tone,” the first phrase begins with the first syllable of the prayer on the lower pitch (SOL) and beginning with the second syllable a recitation of most of the phrase on the upper pitch (LA). The first phrase descends to the lower pitch on the last syllable of the phrase, before going on to the second phrase. The second phrase, again beginning with the lower pitch and recitation of the majority of the phrase on the upper pitch, ends with two syllables (regardless of word accentuation) back down on the lower pitch before the final accented syllable in the phrase moves the conclusion of the phrase back up to LA.

When working to get this correct, it is often a matter of judging where to go down to SOL for two syllables before the final accent of the phrase that is most difficult. The most helpful preparation one might do, if short on time, is to make a mental note of where the second phrase begins, and what the last accented syllable in the second phrase is, then backing up two syllables to note where one must move the pitch down before ascending to the conclusion.

One should aim for correctly singing the tone! Certainly, even singing on a single pitch elevates the sense of the sacred in the delivery of the text, especially when combined with a purposeful enunciation, but the structure of the tone is itself an important aid in supporting the meaning of the prayer one sings. After all, this is the proper garment the Church offers the priest as clothing for the presidential prayers. Moreover, spending just a moment of time in preparing these short prayers is food for meditation for the priest. It can also help him see more clearly the meaning of the texts the Church appoints for him to pray, and this process can give a sense of the purposeful movement of time throughout the liturgical year.

Let us bring to God the finest attire we can muster, celebrant and congregation singing together.

I will rejoice heartily in the LORD, my being exults in my God; For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and wrapped me in a robe of justice, Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).

Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka holds the William P. Mahrt Chair in Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA.

“Singing is normative for the human person, and can be learned. It’s not simply an innate talent that either one has or not, with nothing to be done about it.”

Liturgical Personalism

By Roland Millare

In The Spirit of the Liturgy, Romano Guardini defines the purpose of the sacred liturgy: “In the liturgy God is to be honored by the body of the faithful, and the latter is in its turn to derive sanctification from this act of worship.”1 In other words, the liturgy is first and foremost for God’s glorification and secondarily it is for our sanctification.2

“Personalism” was influential on the development of 20th-century philosophy and theology. It emphasized the great subjective value each person has in relationship with others. Personalism offers us an opportunity to reflect anew upon Guardini’s (and the Church’s) understanding of the liturgy, and how the gift of the liturgy can reorient all of the faithful towards the very heart of all doctrinal, ecclesial, and liturgical renewal: the Person of Jesus Christ. Communion with Christ illuminates the meaning and significance of our need to enter into relationship with others.

Joseph Ratzinger articulates the inherent relationship between the Holy Eucharist and the human person with clarity: “[T]he Eucharist is not aimed primarily at the individual. Eucharistic personalism is a drive toward union, the overcoming of the barriers between God and man, between ‘I’ and ‘thou’ in the new ‘we’ of the communion of saints.”3 Eucharistic or liturgical personalism is characterized by the unity between God and the human person. St. Paul’s word for this unity between the human “I” and the eternal “Thou” is koinonía (“communion”): “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation [koinonia] in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). Unity is an essential characteristic of the Holy Eucharist, which assists the faithful with the fallen tendency to become isolated, selfish individuals.

More recent thinkers such as Romano Guardini, Dietrich von Hildebrand, and Joseph Ratzinger offer us wise insight to appreciate the liturgical personalism that can help us grow in the second aim of the liturgy: our sanctification. The definition of liturgy offered by the liturgical theologian David Fagerberg provides a path towards understanding liturgical personalism. Fagerberg defines the liturgy as “the Trinity’s perichoresis kenotically extended to invite our synergistic ascent into deification.”4 In other words: the human person has been made for communion, which is experienced throughout the liturgy. In imitation of Christ, who gives of himself completely (kenosis), the faithful are called to a life of self-giving love for the sake of others. Finally, our participation in Trinitarian communion and Christ’s kenotic love culminates in our deification. The full development of who we are as persons is forged in our communion with Christ in the liturgy.

Trinitarian Anthropology

The famous icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev, the well-known 14th-century Russian iconographer, was written to remind the viewer that he or she is called to enter into communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There is an empty space at the table between the Father and the Holy Spirit as the faithful see Christ at the center of the icon with a tree representing the Cross upon which he was slain, and a chalice representing the Holy Eucharist. The sacred liturgy enables us to participate in the Paschal Mystery of Christ, which gives us access to the life of grace and a share in the perichoresis (the mutual indwelling) of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity. Liturgical personalism emphasizes first and foremost that we are not created to become isolated, autonomous individuals. Guardini maintains the view that the “liturgy does not say ‘I,’ but, ‘We.’”5

Liturgy has become a passive spectator sport wherein the congregation at best is attentively watching what the celebrant is doing at the altar and beyond. At worst, the congregation is anxiously wanting the liturgy to be over so they can get on with their day. The plague of passivity in liturgical worship has culminated in the erroneous view that one receives Holy Communion as one would a vitamin. There is no preparation in anticipation of such an act. There is no joy in going through a rhythm of rituals as a means to the one end: getting Communion. Hence the popes of the 20th century, the liturgical movement, and the Second Vatican Council have emphasized our need for active participation [participatio actuosa], which begins in the interior and is manifested externally.

Throughout the celebration of the sacred liturgy, we are exhorted by the celebrant with this call to

prayer: “Let us pray.” All of the faithful at Mass, as members of the Body of Christ, are being exhorted repeatedly to pray with the priest who is acting in the person of Christ the Head. During the recitation of the Creed, the faithful together profess their belief as a collective, unified “I”—the “I” of the Mystical Body. The words “I believe” are a startling countercultural claim that requires the individual to die to self in a sincere profession of faith. Ratzinger maintains that it takes constant conversion for a person to realize the full significance of the words “I believe.” Ratzinger also notes that the Christian faith is marked by a “personal character,” which is highlighted by its main formula, which is not “I believe in something,” but “I believe in you.”6

The liturgy in Hildebrand’s estimation “leads us through Christ to the ‘I-Thou’ communion with our brother and to the ultimate ‘We-communion’ of humanity in the Mystical Body of Christ. In itself it leads us through Christ into the presence of God, where there is no more isolation and no more separation.”7 The liturgy enables us to have a seat at the Trinitarian table of communion in Rublev’s icon because it is the prayer of Jesus Christ the high priest, which we pray per Christum Dominum nostrum (“through Christ our Lord”).

The liturgy also offers a form of ascetical discipline that invites and exhorts the faithful to respond and to act in a particular way at particular times. The varying gestures of the body throughout the liturgy are intended to dispose us interiorly and externally towards the different moments within the sacred liturgy. We bow as a sign of reverence. We kneel as a sign of adoration and humility. We stand as a sign of readiness or preparedness. We listen in silence to recollect or prepare ourselves to listen to the Lord in the Liturgy of the Word or to meet the Lord in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. While the surrounding culture may emphasize our autonomy to do what we want when we want with whom we want, the liturgy can form the person to become a worshiper in both spirit and truth.

In his marvelous book Liturgy and Personality, Dietrich von Hildebrand offers an insightful reflection on how the celebration of the liturgy has the power to transform the person into a true personality who recognizes and responds properly to the natural and supernatural values of this world. Hildebrand argues that true personality is never isolated or autonomous.

Our Call to Kenosis

The liturgy gives us access to the gift of grace that enables the Christ-life to come to fruition through our own kenosis or self-emptying. As Christ emptied himself (kenosis) to take on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:6-8), so the faithful disciple must take on the form of Christ. Hildebrand maintains with the Church that the essence of holiness is our transformation in Christ, which takes place in the celebration of the liturgy. Our transformation in Christ consists of our “loving adoration of the Father with Christ and in Christ” and our “participation in the sacrifice of Christ and in the uttering of the ‘word.’”8 The liturgy gives us access to a share in the life, adoration, praise, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The key word that unlocks the meaning of the Last Supper and the Person of Jesus Christ in Ratzinger’s view is the word “for.” As he develops this point, Ratzinger maintains the view that Christ’s very being is a “being for.”9 In the Last Supper, Jesus gives us the gift of the Holy Eucharist with these words of Institution: “This is my body, given up for you.” These words of Christ, which are reechoed within the celebration of every Mass are only fully understood in light of the Paschal Mystery wherein Christ lays down his life for all of humanity. As the new Moses, Christ invites the New Israel into his life and his new exodus, which is a life of discipleship “for others.” As a new exodus, the celebration of the liturgy is a realization of the movement from our slavery to sin into the freedom of grace in Christ.

The liturgy begins with the acknowledgment of our sinfulness and our need for God’s mercy in the Confiteor. We also reecho the words of the Roman centurion in the liturgy before receiving Holy Communion: Domine, non sum dignus (“Lord, I am not worthy”). Once again we are humbling ourselves by emptying ourselves of sinful pride to recognize that Christ is the source of our transformation and grace. Freedom from sin is the essential step for us as we strive to put on Christ in our daily lives (Romans 13:14).

The new exodus is led by Christ whose vicarious suffering enables us to enter into the life and sacrificial love of the Incarnate Logos within the liturgy and beyond: “His self-giving is meant to become mine, so that I become contemporary with the Pasch of Christ and assimilated unto God.”10 Jesus Christ has not only suffered for us, but he invites us to enter into the dynamic of his self-sacrificial love. Jesus has emptied himself as a servant, so that we might be taken up into his life and sacrifice to ascend towards the deified life of love “for” others.

Deification: Life in the Logos

Liturgical personalism culminates in the flowering of the true personality of a person through his deification. Under the influence of St. Augustine, Ratzinger affirms the notion that the sacrifice that forms the communion between God and the human person is fully realized by theōsis or divinization.11 The path to divinization is characterized by understanding the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the Eucharist as love and not as destruction.

St. Augustine underscores the notion of sacrifice as love: “Such is the sacrifice of Christians, ‘We, the many, are one body in Christ.’ This is the sacrifice as the faithful understand that the Church continues to celebrate in the Sacrament of the Altar in which it is clear to the Church that she herself is offered in the very offering she makes to God.”12 The sacrificial offering of the Incarnate Logos within the Eucharist

must become

“Liturgical personalism is characterized by the unity between God and the human person.”

“ While the surrounding culture may emphasize our autonomy to do what we want when we want with whom we want, the liturgy can form the person to become a worshiper in both spirit and truth.”

AB/NICOLA GORI/CNA

The saints are a living testimony to the flowering of a full liturgical personality, which is characterized by a love for neighbor that flows out of the love of God within the sacred liturgy. Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) grew in sanctity through his devotion to the Eucharist, and he went on to offer his sufferings from leukemia for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church, Christ’s Mystical Body.

The famous icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev was written to remind the viewer that he or she is called to enter into communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The empty space amidst the three divine persons is meant for me and you.

AB/WIKIPEDIA

A Piece of History, a Guide to Eternity: How Altar Relics Live within the Liturgy

By Paul Senz

The word “relic” comes from the Latin reliquiae and relinquere, which mean “remains” and “to leave behind,” respectively. There are many passages in Scripture that describe the veneration and use of relics: “And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them” (Acts 19:1112), and many more, including Mark 5:25-34; 2 Kings 2:13-14; 2 Kings 13:20-21; and Exodus 30:28-29. We can see that relics have been recognized as important for millennia. This is not the forum to explain the veneration of relics per se, which has been done quite ably by so many in other places. Our purpose here is to look at the use of relics in altars as a component of the liturgy.

The clearest Scriptural reference to altar relics comes to us in the Book of Revelation: “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne” (Revelation 6:9). In the heavenly liturgy, the souls of the martyrs are seen below the altar. Even apart from their presence under and inside of altars, the relics of saints (especially martyrs) have been venerated since the earliest days of the Church—liturgically venerated since the fourth century. It was not until the seventh or eighth century that Rome approved the removal of bodies from their place of interment, or their dismemberment, although this was widely practiced in the East before this time.

The pre-conciliar norms and history are addressed quite thoroughly in J.B. O’Connell’s Church Building and Furnishing: The Church’s Way. A Study in Liturgical Law (1955). There are many aspects of liturgical law that O’Connell describes in great detail, but for our purposes here we shall limit ourselves to citing from Church Building and Furnishing (CBF) regarding the more pertinent norms pertaining to altar relics.

O’Connell points out that the Church regulates matters regarding relics through detailed laws of the liturgy, so as not to leave such an important matter to the whims of individual taste or personal piety, or to one’s own idea of what is properly reverent or attractive. Because a church is intrinsically sacred, “and not merely because sacred acts take place within it, or because it houses the Blessed Sacrament,” it is set aside for divine worship (CBF, 3). This is a fundamental point to keep in mind: the Mass is said in solemn and sacred places, such as over the bodies of the martyrs, and in the church which is explicitly set aside as intrinsically sacred.

The liturgical laws regarding altar relics and the history of how relics came to be an integral part of the liturgy are both significant, because of the importance of the altar. O’Connell says that the primary purpose of a Catholic church is to house the altar, and a church cannot exist without an altar. On this altar, the sacrifice of Calvary is offered in perpetuity, and Jesus Christ is made really, truly, and substantially present. Because of this, a church “is not merely a building in which sacred

Continued from PERSONALISM, page 8 the offering of the faithful within the celebration of the liturgy and beyond.

During the celebration of the Mass, the priest offers this prayer: “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father” (emphasis added). The faithful are called to participate actively in the sacrifice of the Mass both in the liturgy itself and as a way of life. In the Roman Canon and St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (12:1), Ratzinger argues that the petition remains the same: “We ask that the Logos, Christ, who is the true sacrifice, may himself draw us into his act of sacrifice, may ‘logify’ us, make us ‘more consistent with the word,’ ‘more truly rational,’ so that his sacrifice may become ours and may be accepted by God as ours, may be able to be accounted as ours.”13

In light of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, the sacrifice of love is not simply a spiritual act. This act must become concretely expressed in and through the body. The sacrifice of the Eucharist becomes the foundation for the expression of charity and the sources of the Church’s call to mission. The saints are a living testimony to the flowering of a full liturgical personality, which is characterized by a love for neighbor that flows out of the love of God within the sacred liturgy. The liturgy enables the person to experience the flourishing of personality from the font of the liturgy “to the extent that he gives himself up

actions are performed, it is the dwelling-place of God” (CBF, 22).

Relics of History

In the first few centuries of Christianity, private homes were typically the places of worship, and such worship took place in secret to avoid detection by the authorities. Sometimes, Mass would be said in the catacombs or cemeteries, over the grave of a martyr. In the second and third centuries, churches would be built from time to time, but it wasn’t until the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. that Constantine and others began building

The clearest Scriptural reference to

the magnificent basilicas, and more churches began to spring up around the empire. Around the sixth and seventh centuries, churches began also to be erected in rural places, whereas before they were primarily built in population centers. There were still private chapels in the homes of the wealthy, and after the sixth century (after the birth of Western monasticism) there were chapels and oratories in monasteries, particularly as it became more common for monks to be priests.

Small tables or small portable pieces of wood or stone laid on a tabletop were initially used as altars for Mass. Usually the altar would be covered with a linen cloth and the paten holding the bread and the chalice of wine; later, the Book of the Gospels may have been placed on the altar as well. Starting around the sixth century, the altar was more commonly permanent and fixed in place, made of stone, and the relics of saints first began to be included in them.

The relics of the saints, particularly the martyrs, were venerated from the earliest days of persecution, but particularly from the second century on. The remains were not divided into small pieces and distributed, as they so often are now; at that time, the “relics” were the entire bodily remains of the saint. According to O’Connell, it was not until the seventh or eighth century that the pope allowed for the bodies of the saints to be moved from their burial places and for “the dismemberment of bodies to make smaller relics” (CBF, 134). Initially, a crypt or confessio would be under the altar containing the relics of the martyr; around the sixth or seventh century we begin to see the relics entombed in the altar. Around the eighth and ninth centuries, the practice of placing reliquaries on the altar during the celebration of Mass was allowed, and towards the end of that period these reliquaries were sometimes placed over and behind altars, to be venerated.

to Christ and follows Christ, living from Christ, with Christ, and in Christ—he lives no more but Christ lives in him: he thus participates in the unlimited breadth and fullness of Christ.”14

Formation of Liturgical Persons

Liturgical personalism draws upon the insights of personalism and highlights the liturgy as the source and summit of our true identity as persons. In response to modernity’s reduction of the human person, liturgical personalism reminds all of the faithful that they are made for Trinitarian communion that is ordered towards the self-giving love of Christ. Perseverance in the cooperation with grace to becoming a living sacrifice of love is the path towards divinization. The ongoing challenge for the faithful remains our need for clearer and more intentional liturgical formation at all levels. Hildebrand, Guardini, and Ratzinger remind us through their writings that such formation begins with the celebration of the liturgy itself. Their insights into the true spirit of the liturgy are a treasure that verifies the insight into liturgical personalism that was articulated by St. Irenaeus of Lyon: “The glory of God is the living man, but the life of man is the vision of God.”15

Roland Millare serves as vice president for curriculum and program director of Shepherd’s Heart (a continuing

According to O’Connell, the ninth century was “especially the century of widespread popular devotion to relics of the saints” (CBF, 134). In the period of the ninth to the 14th century which O’Connell calls “The Relic Age,” reliquaries were taking a more and more prominent place on and around the altar. This “relic invasion,” in O’Connell’s words, resulted in changes to the shape of the altar. In order to accommodate the sizeable reliquaries—which had become larger and more ornate to better draw the attention of the congregants— the table went from being square and small, to oblong and larger. From the 14th to 18th centuries, O’Connell notes, “The dominant features of the high altars of this period were size and over-ornamentation, and these features were in keeping with Renaissance ideas, and with Baroque and Rococo styles of architecture” (CBF, 136).

These magnificent altars O’Connell compares to the Masses of Mozart and Beethoven; and, he notes, as the musical Masses were masterpieces for the concert hall but not suitable for Mass, so too these altars may have been artistic masterpieces, “but not conformable to the Church’s idea of another Calvary” (CBF, 137).

According to O’Connell, the relics entombed in the altar were to be authenticated and “primary relics” (the body, part of the body, or bones) of two canonized martyrs. Still, “for validity the relics of one saint suffices, provided they are those of a martyr; but the rubrics and prayers of the rite of consecration suppose the relics of martyrs” (CBF, 152). Nonetheless, there was still some leeway regarding which saints’ relics could be included in an altar, O’Connell says. It is “very becoming” to add a relic of the namesake saint of the church, he says, but adds, “Relics of a beatified person will not do.”

So, how is it that the relics of a saint (particularly a martyr) relate to the Mass? Why, in the early years of the Church, would their tombs make suitable altars, and why would that tradition be carried on by the entombment of relics within altars? Briefly: the sacrifice of the martyrs mirrors Christ’s own sacrifice for our

education and formation program for priests and deacons) for the St. John Paul II Foundation, Houston, TX, and as an adjunct professor of theology for deacon candidates at the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary, Houston, TX. He earned a doctorate in sacred theology (STD) at the Liturgical Institute/University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL, and is the author of the book A Living Sacrifice: Liturgy and Eschatology in Joseph Ratzinger (Emmaus Academic).

1. Romano Guardini, The Spirit of the Liturgy, trans. Ada Lane (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1998), 19.

2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1157.

3. Joseph Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy: Collected Works 11 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2014), 53.

4. David Fagerberg, On Liturgical Asceticism (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2013), 9.

5. Guardini, The Spirit of the Liturgy, 36.

6. Joseph Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity, trans. J. R. Foster (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004), 79.

7. Dietrich von Hildebrand, Liturgy & Personality (Steubenville: The Hildebrand Project, 2016), 32-33.

8. Hildebrand, Liturgy & Personality, 10.

9. Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, trans. Vatican Secretariat of State (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011), 134.

10. Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy, 34.

11. Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy, 551.

12 St. Augustine, Civitate Dei, X, 6.

13. Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy, 350.

14. Hildebrand, Liturgy & Personality, 17.

15. Irenaeus of Lyon, Adversus Haereses 4, 20, 7.

altar relics comes to us in the Book of Revelation: “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne” (Revelation 6:9). In the heavenly liturgy, the souls of the martyrs are seen below the altar.

“Starting around the sixth century, the altar was more commonly permanent and fixed in place, made of stone, and the relics of saints first began to be included in them.”

salvation, and it was his sacrifice (continued in the offering of the Eucharist) that gave the martyrs the strength to offer their own lives.

Current Norms

It is a common misconception that every single altar has a relic enshrined in it. As we will see below, there is a great deal of historical precedent (as well as theological propriety) behind the presence of relics in an altar; however, while this practice is still encouraged by the Church, it is no longer a requirement.

Regarding the current norms for altar relics, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal refers to the history of the devotion but does not make the inclusion of relics in an altar a requirement. However, it

emphasizes that the relics should be authenticated: “The practice of the deposition of relics of Saints, even those not Martyrs, under the altar to be dedicated is fittingly retained. However, care should be taken to ensure the authenticity of such relics” (302). The Ceremonial of Bishops is more specific about the concern for the genuine article when it comes to relics: “The tradition in the Roman liturgy of placing relics of martyrs or other saints beneath the altar should be preserved, if possible. But the following should be noted: …The greatest care must be taken to determine whether the relics in question are authentic; it is better for an altar to be dedicated without relics than to have relics of doubtful authenticity placed beneath it” (866).

The Order of Dedication of a Church and an Altar (ODCA) provides further guidance regarding what exactly constitutes an appropriate relic worthy of including beneath an altar, noting that altar relics should be large enough to be recognized as parts of human bodies: “Hence excessively small relics of one or more saints must not be placed beneath the altar” (Chapter 2, par. 5; and Chapter 4, par. 11). The ODCA also makes clear that, in keeping with earlier regulations and historical practice, the preference would be for the relics of a martyr to be included in an altar; however, another saint may be used if relics of a martyr are not available. It is also worth noting that current norms dictate that relics are to be placed beneath the altar, not into the mensa as was the practice with altar stones.

What Does It Mean to Us?

Like all relics, altar relics connect us to the Communion of Saints, but they also serve a further purpose within the liturgical context. Altar relics draw us to the history of salvation and to the hope for eternal glory in the future. For an altar does not have the relics of “the saints” in general but the relics of particular men and women who lived on this earth, lived lives of heroic virtue, and who are now in heaven interceding through prayer for us. This great cloud of witnesses (see Hebrews 12:1), the Church Triumphant, reminds us not only of what we too can achieve through sanctification but also how the sacrifice of Christ, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, nourished the saints, providing them with the strength and grace to live lives of heroic virtue.

While it is good to pray to “all God’s holy angels and saints,” it is also good to know the particular saint whose remains take up residence in one’s particular church. Among other things, such an awareness can concretize that individual saint’s life, thereby making his or her example more familiar and seem more attainable. Sanctity is not just for a few: it is something we are all called to, and something we all must strive for.

No tour of the history and purpose of altar relics would be complete without at least looking at a few of the more notable examples found in the Church’s rich patrimony of churches. Since best examples tend to be the best teachers, it is through these renowned altar relics that we may better understand how the history and purpose of altar relics can serve to help us encounter Christ in the liturgy.

There are very well-known examples of churches that were constructed with great pains taken to place its altar directly above a saint’s place of repose. The most famous example is certainly St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Construction on the current basilica began in 1506 and was completed more than a hundred years later, in 1626. It was built on the site of the original basilica, which was completed in 360 and was demolished in the early 1500s to make way for basilica which now stands in Rome. But

how do we know, with more than 1,700 years having passed, that the remains of St. Peter are buried beneath the basilica that bears his name? In the 1940s, Pope Pius XII approved an excavation of the area underneath the main altar, which determined that the tradition was true: the altar sat on top of (actually, well above) the bones of St. Peter. The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is likewise constructed over the remains of the apostle Paul, an unbroken and unanimous tradition that was supported by scientific tests performed in 2009 dating the remains to the first century. In both cases, science seems to have confirmed what faith already knew as certain, at least regarding the veracity of these particular relics. Pius XII’s efforts stand as a testament to the enduring power of the Church’s tradition regarding altar relics.

In many places (in particular, it seems, in Italy), the entire body of a saint can be seen on view beneath the altar. Even when it is not in full view, at shrine churches it is not uncommon for a saint’s or blessed’s entire remains to be interred beneath the altar. (Current legislation permits the use of a blessed’s relics, which was not previously allowed.) A very recent case of this can be seen south of Oklahoma City at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine. While including the relics of the Blessed in an altar is not the standard, it does help to highlight the purpose behind putting relics of saints within an altar.

This purpose, according to Nikolaus Gihr, in his Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, is to remind us again of Calvary and the Cross: “They who sacrificed their lives and gloriously shed their blood for Christ, should rest at the foot of the altar, whereon is celebrated Christ’s Sacrifice that infused into them the heroism and the strength of martyrdom. The entombing of martyrs in or under the altar designates their close resemblance to the Lamb of God, as it took place in suffering and now consists in

glory. When St. Ambrose discovered the bodies of the Martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, he placed them under the altar. In an animated discourse to the people, he said among other things: ‘The triumphal sacrifices are to be placed where the propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ is commemorated. Upon the altar is He that suffered for us all; beneath the altar are they who by His sufferings were redeemed…the martyrs are entitled to this resting place’” (242).

The saints are presented to us by the Church as models and inspiration for how to live as Christians. Nowhere are these saints more effective models for giving glory of God and effecting our own sanctification than in the liturgy. For, the saints’ lives were intimately connected with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary offered all over the world. It is here on this altar that we join with the priest in offering that sacrifice, and where we can seek nourishment, where we can accept the grace we need to become saints ourselves. When the faithful pray before the altar, they know that, thanks to the role that altar relics play in the liturgy, they are joined in those prayers by saints and martyrs who have gone before them, and whose earthly vessels remain behind to remind the faithful of their own eternal destiny.

Paul Senz has an undergraduate degree from the University of Portland, OR, in music and theology and earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from the same university. He has contributed to Catholic World Report, Catholics Answers Magazine, Our Sunday Visitor, The Priest Magazine, National Catholic Register, Catholic Herald, and other outlets, and is the author of Fatima: 100 Questions and Answers about the Marian Apparitions (Ignatius Press). Paul lives in Elk City, OK, with his wife and their four children.

The sacrifice of the martyrs—such as that of Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro in 1927—mirrors Christ’s own sacrifice for our salvation, and it was Christ’s sacrifice (continued in the offering of the Eucharist) that gave the martyrs the strength to offer their own lives.

“Current norms dictate that relics are to be placed beneath the altar, not into the mensa as was the practice with altar stones.”

In the side chapel in the recently dedicated Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City, stands its altar, within which is the body of Stanley Rother, the US’s first native-born martyr, killed in Guatemala on July 28, 1981.

Editor’s note: Corpus Christi this year falls on Sunday, June 11. On this day, in many places, Catholics will walk in public procession with the Blessed Sacrament. The following questions are meant to serve as a timely primer for this traditional witness to the Church’s Eucharistic faith.

Q: What does “Corpus Christi” mean?

A: The words “Corpus Christi” mean “Body of Christ” and are another name for the “Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ” celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday. This solemnity marks with particular emphasis the doctrine of Christ’s real presence—body, blood, soul, and divinity—in the Eucharist.

Q: What is a Corpus Christi procession?

A: The Corpus Christi procession, most often held on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, is a “public witness of faith and worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament” (Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass [HCWEOM], 101). Founded upon the Church’s belief that Jesus becomes substantially present (i.e., real!) to us in the Eucharist at Mass, the Corpus Christi procession is one of the ways that we express our devotion to Christ (Eucharistic adoration, Forty Hours devotions, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament are some of the Church’s other forms of devotion).

Q: What can I expect to experience at my parish Corpus Christi procession?

A: A Corpus Christi procession usually begins after the celebration of Mass, at which the host for the procession is consecrated. Placed in a monstrance (a sacred vessel that displays the sacred host to the faithful), the Blessed Sacrament is then carried out of the church and through the streets of the city or neighborhood, accompanied by the songs and prayers of the people. Often there are altars decorated along the route where the monstrance is placed and, after a period of prayer, the people are blessed. In this way the Church shows that Christ, here among us, walks with us on our pilgrimage to heaven.

Q: What are the origins of the Corpus Christi procession?

A: The Corpus Christi procession and many of the other Eucharistic devotions seem to have begun in the 12th and 13th centuries. These devotions emerged from a multitude of factors, among which were a greater appreciation and understanding of Christ’s Eucharistic presence and a desire to express this truth outwardly.

Influencing the rise in Eucharistic devotions were the visions of an Augustinian nun, Juliana of Liège, in 1209. In these visions, Juliana indicated that an annual celebration devoted to the Body of Christ should be added to the Church’s calendar. In 1264, Pope Urban IV, who had resided in Liège prior to his becoming Pope and was familiar with Juliana’s visions, established the feast of the Body of Christ for the entire Church. St. Thomas Aquinas (d.1274) is said to have composed the liturgical texts for this new feast, as well as the hymns O Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo (which are the last two stanzas of the hymn Pange Lingua). It is a testament to the enduring beauty of these hymns that they are still sung today.

Q: What is the relationship of the Corpus Christi procession to the Mass?

A: The Magisterium today is adamant that the Corpus Christi procession and all other Eucharistic devotions be understood as being rooted in the celebration of the Mass. One basic principle for every Eucharistic devotion is that it

“must have an intrinsic reference to the Eucharistic Sacrifice, or dispose the faithful for its celebration, or prolong the worship which is essential to that Sacrifice” (Directory on Popular Piety, 161). The celebration of the Eucharist, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “is itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 66). Seen in this way, Eucharistic devotions and the Mass complement one another and are not in competition with each other.

Q: Why should we participate in the Corpus Christi procession?

A: “The annual procession on the feast of Corpus Christi…has a special importance and meaning for the pastoral life of the parish or city…. When the Eucharist is carried through the street in a solemn procession with singing, the Christian people give public witness of faith and devotion toward the sacrament” (HCWEOM, 101, 102). Says Pope John Paul II, “The devout participation of the faithful in the Eucharistic procession on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is a grace from the Lord which yearly brings joy to those who take part in it” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 10). He continues: “In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into the body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope” (62).

Q: Where are the ritual guidelines found for celebrating the Corpus Christi Procession?

A: The ritual text Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass was one of the first of the Church’s books published after the Second Vatican Council, promulgated by the Congregation for Divine Worship on June 21, 1973— the Solemnity of Corpus Christi that year. (A second edition of this book is scheduled to appear in 2023.)

The text contains a number of Eucharistic rituals, including the “Rite of Distributing Holy Communion Outside Mass with the Celebration of the Word” and “Administration of Communion and Viaticum to the Sick by an Extraordinary Minister.”

The book’s third chapter, “Forms of Worship of the Holy Eucharist,” includes three sections: “Exposition of the Holy Eucharist,” “Eucharistic Congresses,” and “Eucharistic Processions.” This chapter on forms of Eucharistic worship, as with the first two and the text generally, contains not only a brief theological treatment of the topic (lex credendi), but also the rubrics and texts used for celebrating (lex orandi).

As Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass explains, “The annual procession on the feast of Corpus Christi, or on an appropriate day near this feast, has a special importance and meaning for the pastoral life of the parish or city. It is therefore desirable to continue this procession…when today’s circumstances permit and when it can truly be a sign of common faith and adoration” (102). The text says that it is for the local Ordinary to permit Corpus Christi processions (101).

“It is fitting,” the text continues, “that a Eucharistic procession begin after the Mass in which the host to be carried in the procession has been consecrated” (103).

Concerning the procession’s specifics, the rite encourages “stations where the Eucharistic blessing is given…. Songs and prayers should be so directed

that all proclaim their faith in Christ and direct their attention to the Lord alone” (104).

The priest himself vests in a white cope, while “lights, incense, and the canopy under which the priest carrying the Blessed Sacrament walks should be used in accordance with local customs. It is fitting that the procession should go from one church to another. Nevertheless, if local circumstances require, the procession may return to the same church where it began. At the end of the procession, Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament should be given in the church where the procession ends…. Then the Blessed Sacrament is reposed” (105-8).

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By Jessica Navin

Catechism of the Spiritual Life by Robert Cardinal Sarah. Irondale, Alabama: EWTN Publishing, Inc., 2022. ISBN 978-1-68278-293-4. $24.95 hardcover.

In the introduction to his book Catechism of the Spiritual Life, Cardinal Robert Sarah observes postmodern society the way a doctor observes a patient. He notes the symptoms of a crisis of moral values, confusion within the Church about divinely revealed truth, and loss of meaning in the liturgy. Then, with clarity and precision, he diagnoses the problem as a disease of the interior life, a lack of lifegiving encounter with God and an absence of a path forward in relationship with him. The cure Cardinal Sarah presents to the reader is an outline of the basic means of entering into relationship with God, or as he puts it, a “catechism of the spiritual life.”

Cardinal Sarah wisely intuits that the Church today does not simply need a book on the spiritual life, but a catechism. When the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published in 1992, Pope John Paul II wrote in the accompanying apostolic constitution directing that the new catechism be promulgated, Fidei Depositum, “A catechism should faithfully and systematically present the teaching of Sacred Scripture, the living Tradition of the Church and the authentic Magisterium, as well as the spiritual heritage of the Fathers and the Church’s saints, to allow for a better knowledge of the Christian mystery and for enlivening the faith of the People of God.” He later adds that a catechism should “help illumine with the light of faith the new situations and problems which had not yet emerged in the past.” St. John Paul II correctly identified two great needs of the Church: 1) a detailed and ordered presentation of the faith and 2) an application of those truths in modern times. His answer was a catechism.

The Eternal Today

The two needs that St. John Paul II recognized broadly in the Church can also be identified in the more concentrated area of the spiritual life. One need only examine popular booksellers to see this need.

A quick search in Amazon for Catholic spirituality books yields over 80,000 results. While search results do include some classics, most titles are by relatively unknown authors and include everything from Catholic gardening to the history of the Mass. The average layperson seeking to grow in his relationship with God could feel overwhelmed trying to discern where to begin and which authors to trust. Then, there is the matter of new problems and controversies that have emerged in the modern era.

In the past 10 years, the Church has debated how to address, to offer a few instances, the rise of transgender issues in society, rampant divorce and the question of divorced-and-remarried persons receiving Holy Communion, and new liturgical movements springing up in the Church. All of these debates can have a profound impact on the spiritual lives of those who ponder them. Thus, a simple roadmap outlining the spiritual journey with applications to modern circumstances from a trusted source is sorely needed. Enter Cardinal Sarah.

Cardinal Sarah is not unique in attempting to offer a roadmap of the spiritual life. What is unique is that he presents the sacraments as the roadmap, whereas many other spiritual writers focus on methods of prayer and ascetic disciplines. Take, for instance, Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. In this book, written more than 400 years ago, de Sales also wishes to provide a roadmap for the average Christian to grow in relationship with God. However, he structures his book around methods of prayer, key virtues to pursue, ascetical practices, and advice for overcoming temptations. In a more recent book, written in 1961, Go to Heaven: A Spiritual Road Map to Eternity, by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, chapters cover topics such as prayer and meditation, resignation to God’s will, and suffering. While these two prolific spiritual authors certainly speak of the sacraments, these premiere gateways to grace are not the foundational structure of their books.

In the eras of the Church in which de Sales and Sheen wrote, Catholics were much more likely to baptize their children, marry in the Church, and participate in sacramental life, so perhaps because the sacraments were taken as a “given,” these authors felt that the needed emphasis in the spiritual journey was on meditation and various spiritual disciplines. However, in the modern era, there is a rapidly

declining participation in the sacraments, and Cardinal Sarah rightly discerns that there is a dire need to show the faithful that the sacraments are their path to Heaven.

Practical Truths

As Senior Manager of Spiritual Formation for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), I have noticed that even the students who are the most passionate about their faith lack an understanding of how the sacraments change their lives. Take, for instance, the most well-formed students’ understanding of the Mass. These students will say that the Mass is the “source and summit of their lives,” but in conversation with them, they are not able to say why. If they are encouraging students to come to Sunday Mass, the main reason they give is that “Jesus is really there.” While this answer speaks to their faith in Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist, the fact that it is usually the only answer they give shows that they do not fully understand the Mass as a sacrifice or how they are called to actively participate in it.

In contrast, when you ask them about Eucharistic adoration, they are overflowing with examples of how praying before the Real Presence in the monstrance has changed their hearts and drawn them closer to God. In listening to them, one would easily think that Eucharistic adoration is the source and summit of their lives. While these students have a good foundation, they need more. They need to understand the radical transformation that the sacraments effect in their lives and practical ways that they can dispose themselves to receive the graces God has in store for them in the sacraments. Cardinal Sarah’s book is the perfect blend of theology and practicality that is needed by these students and countless other faithful Catholics.

Sarah structures his book into nine chapters, which includes a chapter for each sacrament, a chapter on praying with Scripture, and a chapter on the mission of the Church. He begins each chapter devoted to one of the sacraments by diving into the rich theology of that sacrament and then weaves in contemporary questions, providing clear answers from the Church’s doctrine and tradition. One continual emphasis throughout these seven chapters is the receptive nature of the sacraments, juxtaposed to the modern “will to power of contemporary science, which would like to make man capable of creating himself as he pleases” (28).

For example, in his chapter on baptism, Sarah points out that, while our first parents sinned in trying to become like God through their own human effort, baptism “is the humble, grateful acceptance of this unprecedented gift of divinization, the work of the Most Holy Trinity in us” (24). Sarah thereby shows that baptism is a consent to God’s work in the soul and heals the inclination towards self-reliance in the quest for holiness. The emphasis on God’s work in the sacraments vs. human striving for holiness is an important reminder for modern readers, who live in a self-help culture and can easily reduce the spiritual

life to a list of goals they must accomplish to reach heaven.

Clarity Amid Controversy

While Sarah offers a beautiful summary of the theology of each sacrament, it is his clarity and directness in addressing modern controversies which may benefit readers the most. For instance, Sarah openly recognizes that there has been confusion among the faithful regarding Pope Francis’s 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia and the Church’s teaching on the reception of Holy Communion for those who are civilly divorcedand-remarried. He acknowledges that “the words of pastors—whether bishops or priests—may sometimes be ambiguous” (203) and then states that their teaching “should be compared with the source, that is, with the words of Jesus and with the Tradition of the Church since the beginning” (203). Cardinal Sarah then states unequivocally that divorced-and-remarried persons must not receive Holy Communion. With the Church in the United States entering into a time of Eucharistic revival, direction such as this is timely and wise, and such clear teaching on worthy reception of the sacraments will surely be helpful for the faithful seeking to grow in their spiritual lives.

Cardinal Sarah’s candor, as in the above example, is a hallmark of this spiritual master’s works; some readers will surely find it refreshing and clarifying, but others may find it jarring. For example, when speaking of the Holy Spirit as the soul of the Church, Sarah notes that some Christians only speak of the Church’s imperfections and the failures of her leaders. He then states that such a Christian “contradicts his faith and doubts the Holy Spirit” (40), and that speaking about the Church in this way “amounts to fighting against Her and contributing to Her annihilation” (41).

In speaking of the recent Coronavirus pandemic, Sarah laments, “Astonishingly, however, very rarely did we see the pastors of the Church praying and having others pray to God for the end of this scourge, and in the churches holy water was replaced by hand sanitizer, which apparently they think is more effective at protecting us. Where has our faith gone?” (274). Speaking of priests who give Holy Communion to the divorced-and-remarried, Sarah writes that, “Like Judas, they sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver so as to be considered merciful, open-minded, and understanding by the world” (206). Sarah confronts these and other controversial topics with his characteristic frankness.

His concepts are not particularly novel in themselves to those who are familiar with the spiritual life and the eternal concepts that have been taught by mystics for the ages, yet he sets himself at odds with a world that is increasingly hostile to Church teaching and with pastors who have shied away from teaching the truths of the faith to offer softer messages of tolerance and compassion. Readers will benefit not only from hearing the truth proclaimed by Cardinal Sarah, but also by his example of fearless adherence to Christ’s teachings.

Divine Invitation

Written for a broad audience, Catechism of the Spiritual Life is best suited to the average lay faithful. Readers looking for rich but simple theology on the sacraments and candor on modern controversies will find both in this newest work by Cardinal Sarah. Those who have noticed in themselves a lukewarm devotion to the sacraments will be inspired to frequent them with zeal and increased appreciation. Those seeking a greater understanding of the sacraments and their role in the spiritual life will also find it in Sarah’s book. Those simply desiring to grow in relationship with God will see the great plan established by God through the Church to bring the faithful closer to him.

Cardinal Sarah’s latest work invites the faithful deeper into the very heart of the Church through the sacraments and thus into deeper participation in the divine life itself.

Jessica Navin serves the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) as Senior Manager of Spiritual Formation. During her 12 years with FOCUS, she has coordinated over 185 retreats for college students in the United States and Europe. Navin also manages spiritual direction initiatives within FOCUS and hosts the FOCUS spiritual formation podcast “He Leadeth Me.” She resides in Denver, CO.