Pastor's Page

Reflections on Our Sunday Eucharistic Celebrations

From the November 16, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

Today I would like to begin a reflection on the configuration of the Sanctuary in Catholic Churches. Let us begin with the Tabernacle. When the Tabernacle was on the Altar of Sacrifice, it occupied a place of great prominence in our Churches. Worshippers would enter Church and genuflect to the Tabernacle because it contained the consecrated hosts, the Body of Christ. Its historical ancestor was the Jewish Ark of the Covenant, the sign of God's presence amidst His People. During the Exodus, the Ark led the people through the desert. After the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Ark was placed behind a veil in the Holy of Holies. A lamp was placed next to the Ark. This prefigures our Sanctuary Lamp. Whether our Tabernacle is behind the altar, at a side altar, or in a special Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a lamp is always kept burning near it to remind us of the Lord's presence.

Next time, I will offer some reflections on the altar. Until then, be assured of my prayer for you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the November 9, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

We come to the table. After we have prepared ourselves for Communion, we approach the Table of the Lord to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Our need to be fed moves us to come to the table. Our procession symbolizes our common journey of faith to the Heavenly Banquet our God has prepared for us. We need "bread for the journey." Our reception of Communion helps us on this journey. And so we come. We do not come alone. We come together. We have been taught through our Sacred Scriptures that we cannot love the God whom we cannot see if we can't love the brother or sister whom we can see, and so our communion with the Lord also expresses our communion with them. And after we have received, we pray in thanks for that communion.

After our final prayer, we are dismissed. We are sent forth to share the love we have received with those outside our doors. We are sent on mission. The Latin Mass urges us, "Ite Missa est" which means, "Go. You are sent forth!" Our word "Mass" comes from this ancient dismissal. Having received the gift of God's love, we are sent to bring that love to the world.

I will continue these reflections for a few more weeks. Starting with the November 9, 2003, issue of our Sunday bulletin, you also will find some instruction pertinent to the role of ministers in our Sunday celebration and the meanings of postures we assume. We will be asked to make some changes in these areas at the beginning of Advent.

My love and prayers are with you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the October 19, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

"Let us offer each other a Sign of Peace." The Sign of Peace was a part of the pre-Vatican-II Liturgy. It was offered to the clergy at Solemn High Masses. After the Council, that greeting was extended to all participants in the Liturgy. It has also been one of the most criticized changes in the Mass. Why interrupt one of the most solemn of moments for this seemingly inappropriate ritual? Doesn't it interrupt the flow of our preparation for Communion?

In order to understand this moment better, we must consider two things. The first is the origin of a handshake. In ancient times, when hostilities were to cease, opposing soldiers dropped their swords and shields and extended their arms to one another in peace. This was a gesture of complete vulnerability. One man approaches another with arms extended. What if the other had a concealed weapon? He is still embroiled in the heat of battle. What is to prevent him from killing his former adversary? In offering a Sign of Peace at Mass, we are making the words of Jesus our own. "I offer you my life." That is what we are saying to the people around us. We have just heard the words, "This is My Body. This is my Blood." We now have the ability to say those same words to each other as we offer a Sign of Peace.

Secondly, we must understand what the Hebrew word "shalom" means. We often translate it as "peace." The real meaning of the word is hard to express in English. The closest we can come is "the restoring of relationships." So what we are really saying as we prepare to receive Communion is, "How can I be in communion with my God if I am not in communion with my brothers and sisters? This, then, becomes a truly holy moment as we prepare to do that for which we have come to church – to receive Communion.

I hope this explanation gives you new insight into why we offer a "Sign of Peace." Until next week, I commend you to the Peace of Christ, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the October 12, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

During the Eucharistic Prayer, we are asked to make several responses. We make these responses to claim our part in the prayer that is said on our behalf by the Presider. The first of these is the "holy, holy, holy" at the end of the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer. In using these words we echo the words of the prophet Daniel and unite ourselves with our Jewish brothers and sisters in proclaiming the holiness of God.

Next we hear the words, "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith." Before making our response, we must first know what "mystery" means. I love to read mystery novels, but that is not the kind of mystery we proclaim here. This invitation brings us back to our Greek roots. The word that we translate as mystery comes from the Greek "mysterion," which means drama. We are asked to proclaim the drama of our faith. In classical Greek theatre there were two types of drama, tragedy and comedy. We believe that the drama of our faith is comedy in the classical Greek sense. This does not mean knee-slapping humor. It means that no matter how messy the story, no matter how much confusion and suffering is portrayed, the curtain comes down on a positive, hopeful note. "Christ has died" (tragedy), "Christ is risen" (comedy), "Christ will come again" (good news for us).

Our final response in the Eucharistic Prayer is what we call the "Great Amen." It comes at the end of the prayer just before we pray the "Our Father." The "Great Amen" is our affirmation to the entire Eucharistic Prayer. "Amen" means "So be it" or "It is so." Or more colloquially, "Yes." To understand the meaning of our use of this word at this time, we must first of all realize that the entire Eucharistic Prayer from "The Lord be with you" at the beginning of the Preface to our "Amen" at the end is a prayer of consecration. The entire prayer – not just the words of institution of the Eucharist in the middle of the prayer. So our "Amen" places our seal on the words of the Presider and is a statement of our faith in the body and blood of Christ present among us.

Next week we will begin a consideration of the Communion Rite, beginning with our recitation of the "Our Father." Until then, I hold you in love and in prayer, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the October 5, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

Today, our catechesis on the Mass continues with the "Offering of Gifts." Some kind of an offering of gifts was always associated with the celebration of the Eucharist. People expressed their thanks, "eucharistia," by the offering of food, animals, clothing and money. The original offering of gifts had nothing to do with church upkeep. There were no salaries, no building funds, no bills to pay. The offering was for the poor, especially the poor who were widows or orphans. I've always felt it would be nice to go back to that kind of offering. Regular support for the church could be handled through other means. Then, every time the basket was passed during Mass, everyone would know that the offering was for the poor. The average Catholic would probably respond well to this kind of system, since our best collections of the year are often for charities.

Then we offer bread. We don't know the true meaning of bread. Most of us have been told to control our intake of starches – they turn to sugar, and that is not good for us. But the main source of sustenance for most of the people of the world is some form of bread. Whether it comes in the form of pasta, rice or noodles, people eat bread. And when there is famine anywhere in the world, what do we see on TV? Huge cargo planes loaded with 100-pound sacks of wheat being shipped to the place of the famine. Wheat to make bread. No bread, no food. No food, no life. Jesus says to us, "I will be your bread."

Then we offer wine. In our society wine is often a sign of excess. The way it is advertised lead us to believe that it will open us up to the better things in life. If we are shy, it will make us affable. If we are quiet, it will make us glib. If we don't like who we are, it will give us self-confidence. All these things last for as long as the supply holds out. But in many parts of the world, people drink wine because there is insufficient rainfall or because most of the available water is polluted. Such was the case in Israel when Jesus took a cup of wine and said, "This is the cup of my blood which will be shed for you. Do this in memory of me." Once again, Jesus promises to give us life through the gifts we bring.

This will conclude our weekly catechesis on the Mass. Until next week, be assured of my prayer for you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the September 28, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

This week, I am going to take a break from the logical progression of our celebration of the Mass to answer a question that has come up several times over the past few weeks: "What happened to the bells at Mass?" I will also take this opportunity to talk about the use of candles and incense.

Regarding the use of bells at Mass, we have to go back many centuries to the time that many of the churches in Christendom were connected to abbeys or monasteries. In these churches, based I suppose on the perception that the laity were unworthy to even see what was happening at the altar, a huge floor-to-ceiling wall was built to separate the clergy from the laity. This was called the "rood screen." The clergy had access to the altar, while the laity did not. To inform the laity that something important was happening, like the consecration of the bread or wine at Mass, a bell would be rung. The laity would stop their private devotions to adore the unseen Sacrament. In time, the rood screens came down, but the Mass was still in Latin, so the use of bells continued. When the celebration of the Mass was changed to the use of the vernacular, the former use of bells gradually ceased. In fact, it had been many years since I had heard bells used in this fashion until I arrived at St. Al's. Since there is nothing in the official Order of the Mass mandating the use of bells, and since I find them a distraction, I requested of the Worship Commission that they not be used at least for the present. There are certainly other ways to enhance the role of altar server at the Sunday Liturgy, and young people can be catechized about the importance of Mass through their regular classes and through the occasional use of the approved Eucharistic Prayers for Masses where children are present. For a more contemporary use of bells at Mass I would recommend the existing ministry of the Handbell Choir to assist in the singing of our sacred songs and at times of meditation during Mass.

Regarding candles: their original function was to provide light to see in darkened church buildings before the discovery of electricity. In early Christian history the use of a candle, or more usually an oil lamp, in the window of a home was a sign to believers that it was safe to enter and worship God in what had come to be called "the new way." So the light in the window or in the catacombs (the places for the burial of martyrs) was a safe welcome to the members of the early church in times of persecution. Today, we use candles as a sign of the "light of Christ" present on our altars, in our tabernacles, and at Easter when the Pascal Candle burns in our sanctuaries.

The function of incense was that of an air freshener. In times when most commoners worked the land, and before regular bathing became commonplace, a church filled with the sweaty masses could be quite rank. So, before the procession of the clergy, altar servers would enter the church and freshen the air. In sacred history, incense symbolizes our prayers ascending to God and our union or communion with the unseen God of our lives.

Next week, we'll get back to the natural flow of the Sunday celebration as we consider the offering of gifts and the use of bread and wine. Until then, be assured of my prayer for you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the September 21, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

This is the third installment of Catechesis on the Mass. The first two appear below this one.

"To prepare ourselves to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries, let us call to mind our sins." Many people would say, "How Catholic!" We've hardly begun and we get thrown into a confrontation with our sinfulness. In reality, the Penitential Rite of the Mass offers us an opportunity to let go of the burdens that we bear. To "leave at the door" all that hinders us from celebrating God's love for us. Our petty grievances, our resentments, our preoccupations can be set aside for a time. We don't have to dwell on our past, on our failings. We can meet the Lord in the present moment and glory in the fact that our Eucharist heals us. We have learned as children that the Mass and reception of Holy Communion has the power to forgive our sins. This is where we acknowledge our sinfulness and our being forgiven. One accompanies the other. We begin our celebration of the Mass with the invitation to leave our brokenness at the door.

The priest then invites us to pray. "Let us pray" is an invitation. It should be accompanied by a pause to allow us a moment to pray. Then, after our prayer, the priest prays for us. The old name for this prayer is the "Collect." The priest collects our prayers and offers them to God through Jesus. This happens three times during Mass. At the Beginning, before the Eucharistic Prayer, and after Communion. These are our times to pray our prayers. These times are very different from the General Intercessions or "Prayer of the Faithful." At that time, we do not pray for ourselves or our own needs or intentions. The General Intercessions are prayers we make for our world and its needs.

We will continue this catechesis on the Mass next week. Until then, be assured of my prayer for you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the September 14, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

Today I would like to speak about the postures we use in church. The first of these is the genuflection. We enter church and genuflect next to the pew we are going to occupy for the next hour or so. If the genuflection is done properly, it should be made to the Tabernacle. In churches where the tabernacle is not in the Sanctuary (the area surrounding the altar), then the genuflection should be made to the altar. This practice had its beginnings in medieval times. We've all seen the old movies of how commoners showed obeisance to the King. It was through a genuflection. If any of you followed the 50th Anniversary of the Queen of England's reign, you saw women curtsying to the Queen. The curtsy is kind of a half-genuflection. So, at some time in our ancient past, believers began to realize that if they were supposed to genuflect to the King, then they should genuflect to the King of Kings, Christ the King. And the genuflection was made toward the Tabernacle, that place in the church where the presence of God was most evident.

The posture of standing has become quite controversial in our moist recent past. Before we get to the controversy, let us reflect on what the posture of standing symbolizes. We stand to welcome someone to our home or to acknowledge his or her presence. When someone rings our doorbell, we stand and open the door to greet our guest. We stand at the beginning of our Sunday celebration to greet each other and to greet our Presider, who comes to us in the name of Christ to lead us in prayer. We also stand to listen to the Gospel, for we believe that Christ is present in our Scriptures. We also stand for certain prayers, most notably the Opening Prayer, the Prayer Over the Gifts, the Prayer After Communion, and the Concluding Prayer. Standing is our most ancient Judeo-Christian prayer posture. Even today, Jewish people, especially Jewish men, stand with outstretched arms to pray. This posture symbolizes their total openness and vulnerability before God. It is the way the priest prays at Mass.

Here is where the controversy begins. Some people feel that the whole congregation should stand for the Eucharistic Prayer. Others feel that reverence demands that we follow the practice with which most of us grew up, and kneel for this prayer. Neither posture is more or less reverent. Both are good. Nor is there universal acceptance of one form over another. The U.S. Bishops want us to keep kneeling as the normative prayer position at this time of the Mass. The Bishops of Ireland have mandated standing as normative. And that is just one example of divergence of opinion on this issue. Most of the ancient churches of Europe had no pews at all. Some, like St. Peter's in Rome, have some pews, but not nearly enough for all who come to Mass. So most of the faithful stand. We will be following the directives of the Bishops of our country, but there will be times when those gathered will be asked to stand. I suggest we adapt the attitude of "live and let live" on this issue. Regarding the posture of kneeling specifically, it is a posture of reverence. It is also a posture of penitence. When we kneel, we humble ourselves. It is my hope that we might use this posture a little bit more during the penitential season of Lent, perhaps at the time of the Penitential Rite.

Finally, let us consider sitting. Sitting is the posture of the learner. So we sit for the readings. A more ancient word for our Sunday Readings is the "Lessons." We sit to listen to the Lessons, then again when the priest or deacon attempts to apply them to our daily lives.

Next week, we will concentrate on the Penitential Rite, and on what the words, "Let us pray" mean. Until then, be assured of my prayer for you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks

From the September 7, 2003, bulletin:

My Brothers and Sisters,

Starting this weekend I will be offering some reflections on our Sunday Eucharistic celebrations. They are the result of about 10 years of catechizing on the Mass for the young adults of the Archdiocese.

Let us begin at the beginning. We are all creatures of habit. We tend to do the same things over and over without giving them much thought. So, we come to church on Sunday, dip our hands into the Holy Water Font, bless ourselves, go to our pews, genuflect, and slide in. I might not know who you are, but I can take mental "roll" every Sunday by simply scanning the crowd from the Presider's Chair. Let us leave the whole issue of posture in church to next week and simply concentrate on Holy Water and the Sign of the Cross.

Water is a very powerful symbol of life. Without water, we die. Too much water also will kill. We have all had experience with draught and flood, if not personally, then certainly through the media. Our ancestors in faith had a great respect for water. They lived in an area of the world where water was a very precious commodity. So they used water to symbolize the change of heart from sin to virtue. This is what the Baptism of John was all about. This Baptism was much more than a ritual of the pouring of water. Those coming for Baptism were quite unceremoniously dunked into the Jordan and submerged to the point of drowning before they were rescued from death and brought back to life.

Our Holy Water Fonts are situated at the doors to the church to symbolize our entry into the church through Baptism. As we enter church each Sunday, we remind ourselves of our Baptism by taking some of the water and signing ourselves with the sign of the Cross using the words by which we were baptized, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It is the way in which we enter the church and the way we begin all our prayers. The only time we do not observe this ritual is during the Season of Lent when some parishes empty the Fonts since there strictly should not be any Baptisms during Lent. It is also interesting to note that the time for use of the Holy Water Fonts is when we enter church, not when we leave it. But since the Fonts are there, we have grown accustomed to using them as we leave.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive catechesis on Holy Water and the Sign of the Cross. It is just a beginning. With God's help, more will follow over the next several weeks. Until then, be assured of my prayer for you, for I am your brother,

Fr. Frank Jenks