Liturgical Catechesis

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, C.M.I.

Lord Jesus, transform me by the renewing of my mind and make me a living sacrifice

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s word from St. Paul about offering our bodies as a living sacrifice offers us an ideal opportunity for some liturgical catechesis. That term can refer both to catechesis about the liturgy and the catechesis that flows from the liturgy.

Those words from St. Paul are echoed in the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer: “… by your Holy Spirit, gather all who share this one sacrifice into the one body of Christ, a living sacrifice of praise.” (Rom. 12:1). That makes this prayer the logical one to use today, of course. Eucharistic Prayer is the central prayer of the liturgy, but it is often the one that people have the most difficulty making their own.

Helping you to understand the unified structure of the prayer and the purpose of its various parts can enable you to make this prayer more fully your own. The current General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes the parts of the Eucharistic prayer in #55.

Beyond the structure of the prayers, Paul’s words offer the opportunity to lead people into the meaning of the Mass, especially into the commitment to daily sacrifice that is implicit in the Amen that we proclaim at the end of the Eucharistic prayer.

Of course, if the Eucharistic Prayer is to exert its full power to form us and to shape our attitudes, it must be proclaimed well. Presiders must examine themselves (and invite feedback from members of the assembly) on how well they proclaim this prayer at every Mass.

Is the variety of Eucharistic Prayers in the sacramentary used well? Are all the prayers used regularly or is one used almost all the time?

A final question to ask is whether the choice of which prayer to use is made on the basis of links to other elements of the liturgy of the day.

Have you ever felt the need to be part of a Liturgical Planning Committee in our parish? If so, will it turn out to be salt and light for our parish liturgical life?

Authority to Nurture

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, give me the power to nurture others.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Authority is the focus of today’s readings, authority conferred, authority revoked, authority abused in the service of self, and authority used rightly, in the service of kingdom. By definition, the word authority means:  the power to enforce laws, exact obedience, command, determine or judge; ‚ one that is vested with this power; ƒ power assigned to another; „ an accepted source of expert information or advice (The American Heritage Dictionary). Etymologically, our English word authority is rooted in the Latin word auctorem or auctor, which means enlarger, founder or more literally, one who causes to grow. Therefore, it could be said that those on whom authority has been conferred or bestowed are thereby vested with the power and the responsibility to help others to grow. Unfortunately and as is reflected in today’s first reading from Isaiah, some, like Shebna, do not use their authority appropriately and, for that reason, their authority may be better exercised by another. Many have fallen in line behind Shebna in abusing their authority, e.g., Henry VIII of England, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, to name only a few.

In today’s gospel, Matthew tells his readers of the occasion and the circumstances whereby Peter’s authority was conferred. Instead of conducting a job interview, Jesus was enlisting the help and loyalty, the love and service of a friend. To that end and by way of preparing him for the authority that would be his, Jesus asked Peter one question: “Who do you say I am?”

Peter’s response was forthright and unequivocal; you are Messiah, you are Son of the living God! It was his true and intimate awareness of Jesus’ person, purpose and mission that prepared Peter for sharing in the authority that would be given him. The same intimate knowledge of Jesus similarly prepares all others who would also be given share in that authority. Without knowledge of Christ, without a loving relationship with Jesus, no one can claim authority over another.

Saving Grace

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, stretch my arms with yours on the cross in the saving embrace of all mankind.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

All three of today’s readings and the responsorial psalm mesh today to focus our attention on the universality of God’s offer of salvation. God’s mercy and salvation is for all people, regardless of race, creed or colour. United by the saving grace of God, we gather today as one family, mindful of our need for the Lord’s mercy.

In the gospel (Mt. 15:21-28) we see Jesus at first refusing the Canaanite woman’s plea to cure her daughter tormented by a demon. His refusal was not a matter of prejudice but a protocol. The divine protocol had foreordained that salvation should come to sinful humankind, first to the Jews and then to all the peoples of the earth. The Canaanite woman challenged that protocol and, because of her faith and daring, Jesus granted her a share in the blessings of salvation, viz., healing for her daughter.

By extending those salvific blessings to a non-Jew, Jesus was fulfilling the Isaian prophecy that comprises today’s first reading…..” the foreigners who attach themselves to God, who observe what is right and do what is just will also be welcomed and attended by God…for God’s house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples”. (Is. 56:1,6-7)

Paul was also fully aware of the privileges of protocol and he desired that his fellow Jews, who had allowed God’s initial overtures to them (in Jesus) to go un-answered, would not allow God’s continuing overtures of love to pass them by. Paul’s love and concern for both Jews and Gentiles is clearly evidenced in today’s 2nd reading (Rom 11: 13-16,29-32).

Contemporary believers, both Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants, and followers of Islam, are reminded today by Paul, Isaiah and Jesus that membership in the house of God is open to all. Ever since Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross in the saving embrace of all humankind, no one person, no one group can claim an exclusive right to God, to God’s reign and to access thereof. Because of Jesus and the love of God, the mercy of God and forgiveness of God that has been revealed in him, the protocol has been established…Members – All!.

A New Language, A New Vision

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help me learn the new language and the new vision you teach and have an experience of understanding and oneness with others.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s scripture texts from the first book of Kings, from Paul and from Gospel according to Mathew invite us to an experience of understanding and oneness with others. Each presents us with the gift of God’s Word and the challenge of recognizing the various languages through which that sacred Word is spoken. Elijah (1st reading, 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13), for example, had traditionally recognized the Word of God as spoken through various natural phenomena, e.g., as in the strong and crushing wind or in the tremors of an earthquake, or in the heat and flames of a fire. These perceptions enabled Elijah to think of God in terms of irrepressible power or an unharnessable force. But on that day, on the mountain known as Horeb (or Sinai), God’s Word came to the prophet speaking in another language, not with nature’s noises but in the still small silence of the prophet’s own heart. While the prophet was searching and listening elsewhere, the Word of God was speaking within him. He became as it was, “inspired” or “God-breathed”. He understood this new language God was speaking and he opened himself to hear and heed its directives.

In today’s second reading (Rom 9:1-5), Paul shares with his readers the truth of God’s Word as mediated through the language of the paschal mystery. Jesus had been spoken into the Jewish tradition of patriarchs and promises, covenants and messianic expectations. Yet, the Word made flesh was not fully appreciated or accepted by many of Paul’s and Jesus’ Jewish brothers and sisters. Heartbroken that his own did not understand the new language that God had spoken in Jesus, Paul pleaded that they do so, even after the fact. If they did, Paul promised that God would speak the language of reconciliation and salvation.

A language of strength and courage is spoken in today’s Gospel (Mt 14:22-33), when Jesus exhorts, “Be not afraid!” and invites believers “to come!” despite the deep waters and despite our fears. Jesus promises to stretch out his hand and catch us before we are overwhelmed. Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini once said, “A different language is a different vision of life”. Today Jesus offers to teach us not only the new language of unfaltering and fearless faith, but also a vision of life that sees all, loves all and cherishes all as God sees, loves and cherishes.

Chance of a Lifetime

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, give me wisdom, courage and patience to risk all for the reign of God.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

A new era dawned in Sydney, Australia last week. The youth from all over the world with Pope Benedict XVI amidst them were brimming with life. The long awaited World Youth Day 2008, inaugurated with the welcoming Mass by Cardinal George Pell, came to a close with the Papal Mass at Randwick race track last Sunday. 500,000 youngsters attended it. In that open-air mass Pope Benedict urged the young pilgrims to be agents of change because the world needed renewal. “In so many of our societies, side by side, with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair.” The Pope said a new generation of Christians can build “a new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy, self-absorption which deadens our souls and poisons our relationships.” This Sunday’s readings deal with the attitudes and actions required for ushering in a new generation and a new age.

In the 1st reading (1 Kings 3:5-12), we see the young Solomon as king praying to God thus”…. I am only a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in…. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil”. And God responds by giving him a wise and discerning mind. The wisdom which king Solomon received from God enabled him to make judgments in such a way that he remains as an inspirer even today. In the 2nd reading (Rom 8:28-30) we find Paul, also a wise man, maintaining hope despite all the things that happen in life to suggest the contrary .

The Gospel (Mt. 13:44-52) presents before us the kingdom of God as the chance of a lifetime. With the twin parables of the treasure buried in the field and the pearl of great price, Jesus teaches of the supreme value of the reign of God, emphasizing that those who seek it must be willing to risk all in order to possess it. In Jesus, they would find a wisdom and a way of life of far more value than any buried treasure or any fine pearl. The third parable of the dragnet challenges those who might be tempted to “write” off anyone, while reminding us that their eligibility is God’s concern alone; we, for our part, remain responsible for gathering them in and seeing to their needs without rendering judgment

Let us gird ourselves with the attitudes and actions required to help the youth and see that we send a team to the WYD 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

Seeds, Words and Their Growth

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, help us accept the seed, your Word, take it home with us and lovingly tend to it.   Amen.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

One much-loved teacher gave everyone in a first grade class a lima bean along with an explanation that each of them would be solely responsible for what became of it. With the bean and the explanation, they were also given a paper towel and a small Dixie cup and were instructed to moisten the towel, wrap it around the bean, put it in the cup and place the cup near a window or other light source. After a week or so, the teacher invited them to bring their sprouting beans to school. Some of them were ashamed to say that they had lost the bean or “the dog ate it”. Others had forgotten to keep the bean moist and its growth was stunted. Some forgot about the light source and the bean sprouted but withered. Still others among them were proud to show off a relatively tall and healthy sprout with a hint of a leaf here and there.

Since all of us can, in some small or large way, relate to seeds and growing things, the scripture texts for today, especially Isaiah (55:10-11) and Matthew (13:1-23) are particularly significant. Both the prophet and the evangelist prompt us to compare the word of God to a seed, planted anew in us each week. Like a much-loved teacher, the church provides, through the liturgy, both the seed and the wherewithal to allow the seed to germinate, to grow and thereby to transform our lives. But in order for growth to occur, we must accept the seed, take it home with us and carefully, lovingly tend to it while allowing it also to tend to and care for us. While Jesus lived and walked and worked among us, he planted the seed of the Word in the form of parables. Then Jesus challenged, “Anyone who has ears should listen!” and so does Jesus continue to challenge his listeners today.

Listening to Jesus means understanding and accepting that the seed of the Word is portable, that is to say, it may not be left hanging in the air, intermingled with the smell of candles, flowers and incense. But in order to be portable as well as translatable into every aspect of the human experience, the Word must germinate within the good soil of the human heart and mind and, ultimately, the human will. If the Word we hear does not germinate in us and then travel with us across the threshold of the church and on into the rest of the week, it cannot accomplish its God-intended purpose – to achieve the end for which God spoke it into the world and into each of our lives (Is 55:11).

Our Approachable God

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, make me ever approachable learning from you how to be gentle and humble of heart.  Amen

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God, as is revealed in today’s liturgy, remains utterly approachable. In today’s first reading (Zech 9:9-10), the prophet Zechariah celebrates the approachableness of God, who does not remain aloof and pompously distant from the people but comes away in all meekness. Israel’s God repeatedly assures believers, “I am with you”; “I have seen your plight”; “I hear your cries”; “You are mine and I am yours”. Israel's God made the divine presence as obvious as a pillar of fire illuminating the darkened desert sky or the cloud that signalled nearness by day. By describing the divine love for Israel as that of a mother who never forgets her child (Is49:15) or as a loving parent who teaches a son to walk, raises the infant to his cheeks and stoops to feed him and enfold the child in love (Hos 11:3,4), the prophets of the Hebrew scriptures affirmed the divine desire to be near, to be approached.

That desire took on human form and features in the person of Jesus, whose very incarnation signalled the ultimate gesture of divine approachability. In Jesus, God came so near as to become one of us. This mystery is dramatically and clearly expressed in today’s Gospel (Mt 11:25-30), wherein Jesus first insists that those who know him can also know God who is revealed in him. “Then,” Jesus invites, “Come to me and find rest. Learn from me and be refreshed”. There is no mention of protocol here; no appointment is needed; no political correctness or special attire is specified. There is simply Jesus, made accessible in flesh and blood, made forever present in bread and wine.

“Come to me, take my yoke upon you”, Jesus asks, and then specifies that his is an easy yoke and a light burden. In a comment on this invitation by the utterly approachable Jesus, T.W. Manson (“The Teaching of Jesus”, UK, 1931) has explained that the yoke is not one that Jesus imposes but one that he himself wears. In Jesus’ day, a yoke was a common wooden device that paired two oxen and made them a team. The ever approachable Jesus invites each of us to become his yoke mate and with him and in him, to find our burdens lessened and sorrows shared. Our weariness and weighty worries of life will not drag us down or overwhelm us because the One who has called us into being has shouldered our troubles as his own.