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Exploring the Mass... Following the proclamation of the gospel, we are again seated to listen to the homily. If you have traveled in Europe, you have probably seen examples of pulpits from the past, quite different from what we are used to. These giant installations (the vast majority of which are no longer in use) dominate the nave, and are often splendid artistic creations, with saints swarming over their decorated surfaces, supported by larger-than-life figures like St. Jerome or the four evangelists, and approached by elaborate staircases. They are also located at a considerable distance from the altar. These pulpits speak powerfully of the importance of God’s word. But they also speak of a separation of the word from the action of the Mass. Where early Church Fathers like St. Augustine almost always preached on the readings of the day, in the Middle Ages sermons came to be more like lessons in catechism, teaching truths of the faith without much connection—if any—to the readings. The principal preaching would sometimes take place at a service like Benediction, and not in the context of the Eucharist at all. This was the case even into the twentieth century. In The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the first major document the Second Vatican Council produced, the Council Fathers affirmed that the homily “forms part of the liturgy itself.” There is a world of meaning in those words, and they have had an impact on everything from church architecture to homiletic style. If the homily is part of the liturgy, then it necessarily takes its subject matter from the liturgy itself—from the readings of the day, the feast or mystery being celebrated, from the Eucharist we are soon to receive. If the homily is part of the Mass, then clearly catechism lessons, theological disquisitions, complex biblical exegesis, or instructions on the latest encyclicals—valuable as these are—belong elsewhere in Catholic life. If the homily is part of the Mass, then its function becomes quite specific: it “points to the presence of God in people’s lives and then leads a congregation into the Eucharist, providing, as it were, the motive for celebrating the Eucharist in this time and place…. the homily should flow quite naturally out of the readings and into the liturgical action that follows” (Fulfilled in Your Hearing). The homilist has, therefore, the daunting task of helping people to experience that “the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4: 12). There are as many ways of responding to that challenge as there are homilists! (Look at Luke 4 for a “homily” by Jesus—it must be one of the shortest on record. See Acts 2:14-36 to read Peter’s homily on the first Pentecost.) Brilliant, bland, or in between, “if we listen with open hearts” to the homily, writes Msgr. Joseph Champlin, “the Holy Spirit will use a word, a phrase, a concept, a story from the homily to speak to us, to touch us.” Cardinal Lustiger adds: “it is not the priest who changes the hearts of the faithful, but the Holy Spirit, to whom both the priest and the faithful should be open in this sacramental action of the Church.” The practice of dismissing the catechumens, those preparing for baptism, goes back to the early Church. “After the sermon the catechumens are dismissed,” wrote St. Augustine, “and the faithful remain.” Even after infant baptism had become the norm in the Roman Church, the dismissal survived, nominally. One Sacramentary had the deacon exclaim just before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, “Let catechumens depart! Any who are still catechumens must leave! All catechumens outside!” And many will remember the days when the Liturgy of the Word was called “Mass of the Catechumens.” The catechumenate was restored following the Second Vatican Council, and with it the public dismissals of those preparing for baptism. Those who are not yet baptized do not profess the creed or join in the prayers of the faithful, nor do they remain for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. And yet, these ‘hearers’ (which is what the word catechumens literally means) are already “part of the household of Christ” (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults); they have begun to live the Christian life, and they participate fully with the rest of the community at the table of the word. They are sent forth with the prayers of the whole community, to gather in a separate place, where they continue the work of the Liturgy of the Word, exploring the ways the readings speak to them in their own lives, endeavoring to understand how God’s living word is speaking to them here and now. After the catechumens have been dismissed, we stand together, and recite the Nicene Creed. The Creed is one of the latest additions to the Mass, becoming part of the Roman liturgy only in the 11th century. The Creed is one of our richest prayers. “Just as the mustard seed contains a great number of branches in a tiny grain, so too this summary of faith encompassed in a few words the whole knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and New Testament,” writes St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Largely scriptural in its content, the Creed expresses in a few sentences the basics of Christian faith in God, Father Son, and Holy Spirit. The Nicene Creed, which we share with all the principal churches of East and West, was formulated by the first two great ecumenical Councils of the Church, in 325 and 381, and has its own extraordinary history (for a readable account, see Thomas Bokenkotter’s A Concise History of the Catholic Church). The public profession of the Creed at the Mass serves several purposes. It is a reminder of our baptism, when we made our first profession of faith; in reciting the Creed together we reaffirm our Christian identity before we begin the celebration of the Eucharist. We also give honor to Christ’s presence among us, bowing at the words of the incarnation: “By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” The Creed is sometimes called the “Symbol.” “The Greek word symbolon meant half of a broken object, for example, a seal presented as a token of recognition. The broken parts were placed together to verify the bearer’s identity” (Catechism 188). The Creed is the sign of our Christian identity: the “spiritual seal,” as St. Ambrose called it, by which we recognize our fellow believers throughout the world. In reciting the creed, we assert our oneness with the Church throughout the world and across time. “How tremendous is the Amen that resounds at the end of the Creed,” writes Father Jeremy Driscoll, “echoing round the globe, echoing through the centuries, echoing in the halls of heaven.” The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the General Intercessions. The intercessions were an important part of the liturgy of the early Church, but dropped out of the Roman Rite around the 6th century. They survived at certain key moments in the Church’s year—most notably on Good Friday, where the intercessions are still one of the most solemn moments of that solemn liturgy. The intercessions were restored in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. They usually follow a set pattern, as we pray for the needs of the universal Church, for public authorities and the salvation of the world, for those experiencing difficulties of various kinds, and finally for the local community. The General Intercessions are among the most important acts of the gathered faithful—for here we fulfill our baptismal call to be a royal priesthood, interceding for others on behalf of the whole world. “Coming as they do after the dismissal of the catechumens, [the intercessions] are a privilege of the faithful, and they underscore the latter’s priestly character. To present to God the appeals and hopes of the entire human race is to share in the care and concern of the Priest of the New Covenant who gave his life for the salvation of the world; it is to share in his mission” (Cabié). The intercessions are intentionally broad, because at this moment we are called to look beyond the boundaries of our parish community, and to pray for all who are in need—the whole world, in fact. And it is precisely in looking beyond our own personal needs that we become catholic, that is, universal. “As a sign of the universal Church, each community must also be a sign of its universal prayer… Between God and the nations of the world, God has placed each Christian community, little as it may be. Between God and the pain of humanity, God has placed the intercession of the smallest community. The Prayer of the Faithful is the mystery of love that binds this community to the universe” (Deiss). In a few moments, the faithful will bring forward gifts of bread and wine to be transformed into the body and blood of Christ; at this moment, in the General Intercessions, “the Church brings both herself and the world forward and petitions transformation” (Driscoll).
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