le-year-b-bulletin-inserts-and-poster-color by Ryan Multer

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t h e F I R ST su n day o f l e n t

Bread and Wine in a Season of Fasting What is Lent all about? Giving up chocolate or beer? No meat on Friday? Ash marks on our forehead?

How about this: Lent is about spiritual renewal. It’s about a journey we’re invited to make. On the far horizon is the glory of Easter. On the near horizon—ashes, mortality, and temptations in a desert. It’s the time in between these two horizons that is a different kind of space, a passage, a time of being on the way. It is a time of conversion, of change, of growth, and also of uncertainty and “not knowing.” Lent is the annual trust walk of the Church, when we let ourselves be led by the Spirit into the desert of purification. What does the Eucharist have to do with Lent? How do we feast on the “bread of heaven” during a season of fasting? It is good to ask such basic questions during a time of renewal. Because we participate in the Eucharist all year round, do we simply take it all for granted? Is our experience of Eucharist on autopilot? Perhaps Lent is the time to slow down and reconsider what really takes place in the Eucharist. Perhaps it is a time to rediscover how it can change our lives. The Mass gives us a vision of who we are and who we are called to become. It renews our confidence in God and deepens our love of neighbor. Authentic worship helps us become better witnesses to God’s reign in our world.

Covenant Making This year, the golden thread that runs through the season of Lent is to be found in the first readings of the Sunday Lectionary. Their theme: covenant and the renewal of covenant. Each Sunday you will hear an Old Testament reading concerning a covenant God made. This series of

readings leads up to God’s promise of a new covenant, announced on the Fifth Sunday of Lent: a promise fulfilled in Jesus. What is a covenant? It is more than a pact or an agreement. A covenant is a loving and life-giving commitment. When God makes a covenant, as described in the Bible, it is not like a contract between two equal parties. Rather, the initiative—and generosity—are all on God’s side. The covenants God makes last forever, they are forever fruitful, and they require a faithful response. This week, on the First Sunday of Lent, the spotlight shines on the covenant with Noah. The biblical story of Noah, from which today’s reading is drawn, begins by telling of a terrifying disaster brought on by human sinfulness. Yet a consoling promise follows the devastation of the flood, as the reading proclaims today. God makes a covenant with Noah and his family and, by extension, with all creation. This moment is creation’s new beginning, blessed by God.

Bread and Wine So perhaps the connection between the Eucharist and the season of Lent this year begins right here, with the elements of bread and wine—the fruit of creation, gift of the sun and the soil and of life, faithfully brought forth from the earth, year after year. Bread and wine are natural signs of God’s love and fidelity in creation. Yet they also require human skill and labor to make them what they are. Divine and

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human work, together, produces bread and wine. Planting, harvesting, and many stages of preparation are needed to turn wheat and grapes into bread and wine. One of the great teachers of the early Church, Saint Augustine, reflected on the process of forming the Christian community by comparing it to the baking of bread. “Remember,” he said, “bread doesn’t come from a single grain, but from many. When you received exorcism you were ‘ground.’ When you were baptized, you were ‘leavened.’ When you received the fire of the Holy Spirit, you were ‘baked.’ … In the visible object of bread, many grains are gathered into one just as the faithful (so Scripture says) form ‘a single heart and mind in God’ [Acts 4:32].”

The Greatest Gift Before Jesus gave his life for us on the Cross, he shared a meal with his disciples. He blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them, saying “This is my body.” He also said the blessing over the cup filled with wine and shared it with them, saying “This is my blood.” Thus bread and wine—already wholesome and holy things—have become something infinitely more precious. In the Eucharist, as Jesus himself told us, they become his own Body and Blood. The Eucharist makes present the mystery of Christ’s saving death and resurrection. It is the sign of the new covenant, made in the Blood of Christ. The rainbow in the clouds was the sign of God’s faithfulness in the covenant with Noah. But the greatest sign of God’s love and fidelity for all time is Jesus, who becomes our food and drink in the Eucharist. His Paschal Mystery, his dying and rising, is our bread and wine in a season of fasting. By putting other things aside during Lent, the Church creates a time and space in which to reflect on what Jesus Christ has given us—the greatest gift—himself.

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REFLECT One of the visible signs of God’s covenant with us in Christ is our unity. How can you help foster oneness of heart and mind in your parish? Is there someone you need to forgive or whose forgiveness you need to receive, in order to become this living sign?

ACT Be intentional about fasting before receiving the Eucharist. The Church asks that we abstain from food and drink for one hour before receiving Communion. Take care to observe this practice in a spirit of reverence and joy. Make room for a feast by fasting.

PRAY Heavenly Father, you gave creation a new beginning after the devastation of the flood. Let me begin again this Lent. Holy Spirit, you led our Savior into the desert. Guide me to where I can better hear your voice. Lord Jesus, you have made the Eucharist a living sign of the unity of your Church. Help us to be that sign for the world.

Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church.

The quotation from Saint Augustine is from his Sermon 272 (translated by Nathan D. Mitchell; Assembly Vol 23:2, March 1997). Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2011 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. All rights reserved. Nihil Obstat: Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Most Rev. Barry C. Knestaut, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington, February 7, 2011. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. There is no implication that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed therein. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org

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t h e S ECO N D s u n d a y o f l e n t

A Face in the Crowd Imagine you are walking along a busy street. You are minding your own business. The people passing by are no more than unfamiliar faces to you—not bad or threatening, just people. Ordinary people. No one special.

Suddenly you see someone you know. More than that, you see someone you love and are truly happy to see: a long-lost friend, a grown-up son or daughter, a dear family member, someone you never thought you’d run into on this day or in this place. Your face lights up. You call out or wave. There’s a happy moment of recognition, smiles, hugs. Hands are clasped or backs are slapped. “Hey, it’s great to see you!” All sorts of people have walked by without you noticing or pausing. But when you see someone you care about, that person’s face “stands out in the crowd.” He or she shines for you, in the light of love. We use expressions like “she lit up” or “he was beaming” to describe the happiness we feel in such an encounter.

The Shining Gaze of Love Now imagine how God the Father, the first Person of the Blessed Trinity, “sees” his incarnate Son. The love between the Father and the Son is ultimately beyond human imagining, of course, but we can try. Consider this analogy. If your own heart is awakened by a surprise encounter with a beloved friend or family member whom you chance to meet on the street, think how much more must God’s love be “heartfelt” and “full” when he beholds his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. How much more must the Son shine in the eyes of his Father? How much more does God “light up” when he sees his own Son?

So far, so good. But what does this have to do with us? What does this have to do with Eucharist? Simply this: that same brilliance, that shining gaze of love, is what God lavishes on us as we worship him in the liturgy. Why? Because God recognizes his Son in us.

Christ Present in the Assembly of his People The bishops of the world, gathered at the Second Vatican Council, solemnly affirmed in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (article 7) that Christ is present in the assembly of his people. His presence in them, as they pray and sing, is real. What does it mean that Christ is present in the assembly? It does not mean that we lose our individuality, or that we are preoccupied with ourselves, or that we do not acknowledge our sins and weaknesses. But it does mean that when God sees us at prayer, he sees his own Beloved Son, despite our faults and failings. He sees what is best in our humanness. God is not neutral toward us when we worship him. He is moved by the greatest love.

The Trinity and the Sacraments of Initiation Our worship is Trinitarian. Because we have been baptized into Christ, we have the immense gift of sharing in that relationship of love that exists between the Father and the

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Son. We can share in the prayer of Jesus to his Father in heaven. We also share in their Spirit of love, who sealed us in the Sacrament of Confirmation and who strengthens us for mission. To understand the true implications of Jesus’ presence in the assembly, we must remember this Trinitarian quality of worship.

To recognize the presence of Christ in the assembly

On the Corner of 4th and Walnut

differences do you find most challenging to accept in

The spiritual writer and monk Thomas Merton (1915–1968) once described an epiphany—a manifestation of God—that happened as he was walking along the street in Louisville, Kentucky. He was on the corner of 4th and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, when suddenly he was overwhelmed with love for all the people around him. He was filled with a sense of having awakened from a dream of being separate from others, to the truth of being one with them. He saw the glory of God’s Son transfigure all the people around him. Here’s what he wrote:

REFLECT means accepting certain differences—differences of culture, race, language, income, style, etc. What

your neighbor? Can you learn to see the face of God’s Beloved Son in someone very different from you?

ACT When you exchange the Sign of Peace at Sunday Mass, meet the eyes of the other person, however briefly, with respect and affection. Carry the same spirit of respect into your everyday interactions, especially toward people who serve you in any way.

“It is a glorious destiny to be part of the human race, though it is a race dedicated to many absurdities and one which makes many terrible mistakes: yet, with all that, God Himself gloried in becoming a member of the human race. A member of the human race! … And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” Think about it. The people in the pew, no matter their idiosyncrasies, are the people in whom Christ is present— the woman wearing unfashionable clothes, the man singing off-key, the restless teenager, the cranky elder—every one of them. Christ is present in them as they become the assembly at worship. God looks on them with love. If only we could see ourselves as God sees us!

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Sometimes people feel invisible. See them. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

PRAY Merciful Father, as Abraham trusted you and so received your blessing, help me to trust you in the tests and trials of my life. Jesus Christ, beloved Son of God, let me see your face shining in all those around me at worship. Holy Spirit, help our parish to be what you call us to be. Let our faith shine for all to see. Amen.

Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church.

The quotation from Thomas Merton is taken from his book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1966), p.141. Copyright © 2011 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. All rights reserved. Nihil Obstat: Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Most Rev. Barry C. Knestaut, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington, February 7, 2011. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. There is no implication that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed therein. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org

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t h e TH I R D s u n d a y o f l e n t

Eucharist: Meal or Sacrifice? In the period before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), Catholic Mass was often called “the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.” The altar was viewed as a place of sacrifice. Church vocabulary for the Eucharist was filled with expressions like “sacred victim,” “unbloody sacrifice,” and “Christ the priest”—phrases hallowed by the Council of Trent.

The Second Vatican Council reminded Catholics, however, that the Mass is also a meal. Our church vocabulary began to include expressions like “the feast of the Eucharist,” “gather at the table of the Lord,” and “sharing the paschal banquet.” So popular was this, in fact, that people began to wonder if the idea of sacrifice was becoming outmoded. If the Eucharist is a gathering at a dining table, how can it also be a sacrifice on an altar? These two themes—sacrifice and meal—bring up different associations. Sacrifice calls to mind things that are hard, scary, distant. Blood, guts, fear. Meal brings associations that are warm, convivial, ordinary. Food, drink, family. In the background of a meal, you see women with rolling pins. In the background of a sacrifice, you see men with knives. So which one is it? Is the Eucharist a sacrifice or a meal?

The Wrong Question The problem with these alternatives, however, is that they are not really alternatives. What we have before us is a both/and situation, not an either/or. The Eucharist is both sacrifice and meal. To worry about which one takes priority is to miss the point. We need both. Our understanding of the Eucharist must hold together both sacrifice and meal for three reasons. First, the origins of the Eucharist in the life of Christ demand both. Second, the two ideas belong together in human life and sacred history.

Third, we need both of them to ground us in the reality of God’s work here on earth today. Let us look at each in turn.

Origins in the Life of Christ At every Mass, we recall what Jesus did at the Last Supper. He gave his disciples his Body and Blood as food and drink. Yet the Mass is not a memorial of the Last Supper. It is the death and resurrection of Christ that we remember and encounter in the Mass. If Jesus had not died on Calvary and risen again, no one would even remember that meal in the upper room. Similarly, if Christ had died for us on the Cross but never instituted the Eucharist, we would have no dining ritual like the one we actually have. Jesus himself linked his suffering with a meal. That’s why we do the same, in memory of him.

Human Life and Sacred History Sacrifice and meal are also linked in nature. We may not like to be reminded of it at the dinner table, but every delectable roast was once a live animal. Even vegetarian meals involve cutting down or pulling up some living thing so we can eat it. There is death-for-the-sake-of-life in the background of every meal, no matter how safe and serene the setting may be. Beyond this, the sacred history of the people in the Old Testament brings together sacrifice and meal in a crucial

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way. God saved his people from the tenth plague in Egypt by having them sacrifice a lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts of their houses. The angel of death would “pass over” the houses marked by the blood of the lamb. No one within would be harmed. This same sacrificed animal then became the main dish of the meal they would eat as they prepared for the Exodus.

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REFLECT Are you willing to make sacrifices in your everyday life, for love of God and neighbor? Sometimes a sacrifice means going out of your way to help somebody, or taking a humble attitude, or doing

The lives of the Chosen People were safeguarded by the blood of the lamb. Its flesh, shared as food, nourished them for the journey that lay ahead—the journey from slavery to freedom. Both meal and sacrifice are necessary parts of the story.

God’s Work on Earth Today As the story of the Passover suggests, there is a purpose to the signs God uses in dealing with his people. The slaying of the Passover lamb, and the eating of it, are part of the great story of the Exodus. The people were being led into freedom. They were on their way to the Promised Land. For Christians, the sacrifice of Jesus and the sharing of bread and wine are also part of a great story—the story of our redemption. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ leads to resurrection and eternal life. We eat the bread of life and drink the cup of salvation to strengthen us for the journey of faith. Even death cannot harm us when we are signed with the cross of Jesus.

something good when it’s inconvenient. Think about the week that just passed. What opportunities were presented to you? How did you respond?

ACT Make time to share a meal with someone. Maybe invite a family member whom you don’t see often, or a friend or colleague you’ve put off because of your busy schedule. Make it delightful. Let “living the spirit of Eucharist” be the hidden agenda of the meal.

PRAY Jesus, you are the true Lamb, whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers. Thank

But that’s not all. Living for others, as Christ taught us— outside of Mass—is both a sacrifice and a feast. We give ourselves in sacrifice when we love, labor, and suffer to do what is right and good every day. We prepare a meal of justice and peace when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and share the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ in our world.

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you for giving your life for me. You are the Good Shepherd, who spreads a banquet before us. Thank you for feeding me. How can I bring you to this hungry world? Show me the way!

Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church.

Copyright © 2011 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. All rights reserved. Nihil Obstat: Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Most Rev. Barry C. Knestaut, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington, February 7, 2011. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. There is no implication that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed therein. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org

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t h e f o u rt h s u n d ay o f l e n t

T he Amazing Work of the Holy Spirit in the Liturgy Who makes our birth, brings all to be? Who breaks the earth, who bestirs the sea? Sets heart’s desire where the wind must go? Who calls the fire? No one may know.

Of all the Persons of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most mysterious. Wind, breath, fire, dove? Many images of the Spirit suggest movement and freedom and life. They help us capture a sense of the Spirit as kind and gracious, yet awesome in power. Wind can be a gentle puff of fresh air or a fierce gale. Fire brings the safety of warmth and light, but it can also burn a house down. You don’t play with fire! The Church in the early centuries formally defined the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit is not a force but a Person. Equal in majesty with the Father and the Son, the Spirit is worthy of worship. Although traces of the Holy Spirit are seen in the Bible from the beginning, it is the New Testament that reveals the Holy Spirit most fully. In John 16:7-15 Jesus promises to send the Spirit to be our advocate and guide. The Spirit continues Christ’s mission on earth. The Holy Spirit is with us even now, leading and empowering us. The joint mission of the Son and the Spirit is now our mission, the Church’s mission. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it well: “[T]he Church’s mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity” (CCC 738).

The Holy Spirit is always leading us into the future. The eschaton, or the “last days,” when Christ will come again, is the Holy Spirit’s special lookout. Just as the Spirit hovered over the waters in creation, and anointed Jesus for his work of redemption, so the Holy Spirit guides the Church into the future in hope. We rightly stand in awe before the freedom of God. And we know that the Spirit “blows where it will” (a truth amply demonstrated in the Acts of the Apostles). Yet we also know that the Holy Spirit is trustworthy. The Spirit never contradicts the revelation given in Jesus Christ. Indeed, the Spirit leads us more deeply into that truth. Our life as Christians, in the Church, is life in the Spirit. In fact, the Spirit’s presence is especially intense in the sacraments of our salvation. The Holy Spirit is active in all the sacraments. The three sacraments of initiation— Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist— make us who we are through the Spirit.

From Font to Table It begins with water. The purest and clearest of liquids, water is superbly suited by nature to be the sacramental sign of God’s own Spirit—cleansing, restoring, giving, and sustaining life. From the waters of creation to the waters of the baptismal font, the Holy Spirit’s amazing, life-giving work is carried out through water.

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Anointing with oil, also a sign of the Holy Spirit, follows Baptism, when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The gift of the Spirit in this sacrament strengthens us for mission, and seals the Baptism we received.

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REFLECT Do you ever think of your heart as needing to be “prepared to receive the Word of God” at Sunday

Finally, the Holy Spirit is the agent of transformation who, through the words of Jesus spoken by the priest, changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit transforms us too and makes us holy.

From Eucharistic Celebration to Everyday Life The Spirit is constantly working within us to make the Mass fruitful for us and for the world. The Holy Spirit prepares us to receive God’s Word with faith. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts as we pray and sing; interceding with and for us at all times. The Holy Spirit knits us together in unity, especially during the Communion Rite, but also in the celebration as a whole. Finally, the Holy Spirit strengthens us as we are sent out to live the mission of the Church. We profess faith in the Holy Spirit in the Creed at Mass, yet our faith in the Holy Spirit is perhaps never better expressed than when we are obedient to the Spirit’s promptings in our everyday lives. Discerning the Spirit, responding to the Spirit, and rejoicing in the Spirit are indispensable movements of the Christian life.

Mass? Boredom, restlessness, and distractions are not something we can simply dismiss or get rid of by force of will power, all on our own. We need the Holy Spirit.

ACT Listen for the promptings of the Holy Spirit within you this week. It may be that you will be faced with a moral decision, or an unexpected opportunity for doing good, or a crisis you need to manage. Listen, and then act, according to the Spirit. Notice the outcome, for yourself and others. Next Sunday, when you return to the Eucharist, bring your gratitude.

PRAY Spirit of God, thank you for your amazing work in

We learn how to discern and respond to the Spirit through evangelization and catechesis, but we also develop a taste for this—indeed, a flair for this—by the way we worship. How do we know what is good? What to pray for? How to thank God? How to praise him? The Spirit teaches us these things through the prayer of the Church.

all the sacraments, but especially in the Eucharist. You enable us to pray, to worship, and to embrace the truth of Jesus Christ. Open our hearts to the ongoing work you wish to accomplish in us, and empower us for our mission in the world.

Author

Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church.

The quotation at the top of the front page is taken from Still Must We Walk, a song by Tom Conry. Used with permission of the author. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2011 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. All rights reserved. Nihil Obstat: Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Most Rev. Barry C. Knestaut, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington, February 7, 2011. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. There is no implication that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed therein. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org

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t h e fif t h s u n d a y o f l e n t

Full, Conscious, Active Participation “Not me, I don’t sing at Mass.” “If you heard my voice, you’d be glad I keep my mouth shut!” “Why are all those people up there on the altar? I liked it better when it was just Father.” “Participation from our teens? The fact that they come at all is a miracle.”

Ever hear comments like these? Among the people in the pews a variety of opinions may exist about the value or even the possibility of active participation in the liturgy. Sad to say, not everybody is convinced that their own full and active participation—or that of others—is ever going to happen. Yet full, conscious, active participation is the Church’s vision—for everybody. Not only for the most devout, or those with the best singing voices, or adults, or some select group of insiders. Participation is for everybody.

Spectators and Participants Imagine you’re at a ball game, and your favorite team is playing. Could you possibly sit still and not make a sound when they score? Even spectators can be active—by cheering (which is like an acclamation or song), by paying attention to what is happening (as we do when we listen to the readings or follow the actions of the Mass), and by feeling invested in the outcome (as we do when we remember the Mass is for our good and for the salvation of the world). Hold on, however! Being a spectator, even an enthusiastic spectator, is not the best analogy for what we do at Eucharist. Participation in the liturgy is less like being in the viewing stands, and more like being on the team. It’s true. Every single person in the liturgy is a “player” in one way or another. n The assembly prays, sings, listens, and joins in the actions and gestures that are theirs.

The ministers, such as ushers, lectors, servers, musicians, cantors, and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, have special roles to play as they serve the assembly. n

n The priest and the deacon have specific liturgical functions, too, such as leading, proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, praying, and so on.

All these roles interact. Though different, they form one ordered and organic whole. This contributes to the beauty and richness of the liturgy. When the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” he is “throwing the ball” to the congregation. They cannot drop the ball! Their response matters.

A Vision of Church We show forth the true nature of the Church through our active participation in the liturgy. When we all do our part, in concert with one another, we support others at the same time as we strengthen our own experience. Like a good team, we perform the liturgical action together, each of us taking care to do our own part in its proper way. As St. Paul said, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5). Participation in different roles is a unified effort. Also, like a good team, we can’t just run out onto the field willy-nilly. We need to train. Catechesis is one form of training. Having a prayer life outside of Mass is another. The active living of our faith in daily life is a third. Some

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people are helped by previewing the Sunday readings, or getting to church a few minutes early, or some other modest discipline. Some need rest and leisure. Whatever is needed, it is worthwhile to consider how we prepare.

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REFLECT Recall an instance when you participated fully, actively, and consciously in the liturgy. What

Formed by Participation

helped you to participate? What hinders your

When we actively participate in the liturgy, we are formed by what we do. We make the sign of the cross; we stand, sit, or kneel; we say the responses, sing the songs, hymns, and acclamations. We give to the collection; we receive Holy Communion; we join in the listening, in the silences, in the prayers. These actions, performed faithfully, are etched into our minds and hearts. They become part of who we are.

participation? How might you prepare over the

They also return to us in moments when we need them. A snippet of music, a prayer, a posture or gesture can help us to find our way and remember God’s presence, long after the liturgy is over. It’s a common experience, for instance, to find that a snatch of song from the liturgy comes to mind during a “dark night” of grief or loss. It is like the breath of the Spirit sent to revive us. But what if we never sang that song? We must participate in the first place, so the experience can continue to echo in our lives. Beneath the outward expressions of the liturgy lies another layer of participation. This might be called inner or spiritual participation. Heartfelt desire and assent—saying “Yes” to God—is participation. So is the Spirit striving within us to bring about ongoing conversion. Participation includes the willingness to experience life shared—with all its joys and struggles—in communion with one another. These are the inward movements of faith, the dispositions of the heart.

coming week to experience Eucharist more fully next Sunday?

ACT Invite a friend, neighbor, or co-worker to Mass with you. Be attentive to their needs, especially if they are unfamiliar with your community. Or you might offer transportation for someone who has a hard time getting to church. Participation begins by being there.

PRAY Loving God, you invite us to share in the life of Jesus your Son through the Holy Eucharist. Help us to participate, fully, consciously, and actively in this wonderful sacrament of your Church. Bless our efforts together and make them fruitful!

Both outward and inward participation is important. We need the outward signs of the liturgy, which engage us through our senses. But it’s the dispositions of the heart that allow the liturgy to bear fruit over the long run.

Author

Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church.

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palm sunday of the passion of the lord

On the Road to Sainthood “The Paschal Vigil is the center and goal of our liturgy. We live for this night.” (“La Vigilia Pascual es centro y meta de nuestra liturgia. Vivimos para esa Noche.”) With these words, Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago (1918–1963) expressed his great passion for liturgy, for the Paschal Mystery, and for the Risen Christ.

Carlos Manuel (“Chali” to his friends) worked as a clerk in an office. He was chronically ill. He never finished his education. He died young. Yet he shared his faith. He founded several religious publications. He taught religion, counseled, and wrote. He touched so many lives so generously that in 2001 he was declared Blessed, the third step on the road to sainthood. He is the first Puerto Rican to be accorded this honor. Chali was part of the Liturgical Movement of the early twentieth century. He worked hard to bring the liturgy to the people, and the people to the liturgy. Even before the Second Vatican Council, the reform of the liturgy was underway. It began with Holy Week. In 1951 Pope Pius XII restored the Easter Vigil to its ancient splendor as a night service welcoming the Resurrection. Later (in 1955) he restored the rest of the Holy Week liturgies. Chali conveyed the meaning of these liturgies to ordinary parishioners, so they could come to know and love them. As Holy Week begins, it is good to remember how much we all owe to people like him.

Throughout this Holy Week we will continue to meditate on the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Easter Triduum (which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, and continues through Vespers on Easter Sunday evening) is the center of the whole church year. Of course, we remember the saving death and resurrection of Jesus all year long, whenever we celebrate the Eucharist. But our annual celebration of the Paschal Mystery—Christ’s Passover—helps us to see just what he accomplished. Satan is defeated. Death has no more power over us. We have been given a new life. The high point of the Triduum is the Easter Vigil. This is the night when Christ rose from the dead. It is our Passover feast. This is when we baptize and confirm and bring new members to the table. This is when we sing the alleluia, silent all Lent. This is when the feast of Easter begins. The Masses of Easter Sunday overflow with the joy we first taste at the Vigil.

Holy Week Begins

Three Days of Wonder

With Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, another Holy Week begins. The churches are arrayed in red, the color of martyrs. They fill to overflowing with people and palm branches. Today we remember the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his journey to the Cross for our salvation.

Throughout Lent, through the Living the Eucharist program, we have been reflecting on Sunday Mass. During this Holy Week, a time of devout recollection, prayer, and liturgical celebration, we have the opportunity to delve into the mystery of the Eucharist with the whole Church.

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On Holy Thursday, we meditate on how Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper. We also experience gratitude for the priesthood, established at this meal. The washing of the feet, in memory of Jesus’ own act of humble service, gives us a chance to reflect on how we serve others. The emblem of eucharistic living is how we care for the lowest and the least.

palm sunday of the passion of the lord

REFLECT The Passion of Christ was redemptive suffering. When we join our sufferings with his, they too can become part of the mystery of God’s love. Ask yourself: Where do I experience suffering in my life?

On Good Friday, the reading of the Passion and the veneration of the Cross invite us to see the depth of God’s love for us, poured out in Jesus. He loved us even unto death. This is the love celebrated in the Eucharist. The salvation Christ won for us on the Cross is at the heart of the Mass. Finally, in the Easter Vigil, we recall the story of our salvation, from creation to resurrection. When the elect are baptized, confirmed, and brought to the Eucharist, we see in the Eucharist the crowning glory of Christian initiation. Eucharist is the sacrament of who we are in Christ.

Can I offer my pain to God, joined to the faithful suffering of Jesus?

ACT Attend all three of the Triduum liturgies this year, if you can. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, and the Easter Vigil are actually one great liturgy spread out over

What Changes? Our Catholic understanding of the Eucharist is centered on the change that comes upon the bread and wine as they become the Body and Blood of Christ. This change is real, awe-inspiring, and important. Yet, when we open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist, the change or transformation that takes place there goes beyond what happens to the bread and wine. Something also happens to those who participate. We change. Participation in the Eucharist makes us into the Body and Blood of Christ, so that we may be poured out and given for the life of the world. The Church is called to share in the mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Like Carlos Manuel, we are called to share Christ’s light with others. Like a ripple-effect, the gift of God’s saving love flows from the Eucharist, through us, to those we encounter in the world.

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three days. Treat yourself to the full experience.

PRAY Lord Jesus, by dying on the Cross and rising to new life, you brought hope to the world. Help us hold fast to that hope. By your willingness to suffer for us, you showed us the meaning of love. Help us to love as you love. Through your gift of the Eucharist, you nourish our faith. Grant us the joy of sharing that faith with others.

Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker in the areas of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church.

The opening quotation from Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago is taken from an article by Sr. Dominga Maria Zapata, SH, in Misa, Mesa, y Musa: Liturgy in the U.S. Hispanic Church, compiled and edited by Kenneth G. Davis, O.F.M. Conv. (Franklin Park, IL: World Library Publications, 2008), p. 45. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2011 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. All rights reserved. Nihil Obstat: Rev. Christopher Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Most Rev. Barry C. Knestaut, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Archdiocese of Washington, February 7, 2011. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free from doctrinal or moral error. There is no implication that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree with the content, opinions or statements expressed therein. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org 710

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