Time for a Story
The Summer holidays, or any holiday is a time to catch up on reading . If you have time try Paul Turner's When Other Christians Become Catholic. It is a must when considering how we should be planning our catechumenate.
Turner not only explores the ritual text, but puts the practice of receiving others into full communion with the catholic church into our 21st century context, reminding us that the rite is what it says, about being "received": it is not about being 'forgiven or reconciled'. We have moved on from the early church needing a route, by which those guilty of heresy or apostacy, could renounce their beliefs and return to the fold. The process and rites that applied to such a situation are hardly applicable to those christians who knock on our parish doors today.
While restoring the RCIA, Vatican 2 also looked at providing an appropriate means that would enable other christians to come into full communion with the catholic church, in a way that would not make too burdensome, Turner shows how we have in a way compromised the rite, when we combine the rite of receiving baptised christians into the catholic church with the rite of initiating unbaptised catechumens.
What becomes clear, reading Turner, if you hadn't already felt it so, is that there was no intention to make is so easy for catechists, that those already baptised would be added to the catechumens, so that all progressed the same route, using the same rites.
From such a background there are some surprising but reassuring insights, for Turner says the rite was intended for a single candidate. How many of us worry when we only have person forward? Turner refers to such a situation, which calls for a 'simple ceremony with a profound meaning'. Looking at it from the opposite perspective, what does this say to us, when we have a large number of candidates, generally outnumbering the catechumens in combined rite? Should we immediately be thinking of spreading out our rites of reception throughout the liturgical year, so as to help that meaning come out?
For Turner the Rite of Reception happens within a Sunday mass, at any time of the year, any time that is, but at the easter vigil. Why not read his book and see if you think what he says makes sense . Will it influence your future planning of the RCIA process?
Sue
Who do you say that I Am?
Caesarea Philippi is situated at the foot hills of Mt Hermon on the borders between Jordan and Israel. It is an extraordinary place. The waters of the river Dan, one of the sources of the river Jordan, flow out of the base of the mountain, ice cold and fresh. Carved into the side of the mountain are the remains of the cave dedicated to the god Pan to whom the area was originally dedicated. The generative powers of the gushing waters were taken as signs of the fertile qualities of this god of nature, still captured in its current name of Banyas. It is a truly significant place. During the lifetime of Jesus of Nazareth it was the site of the capital of the region ruled by Herod the Great's son Philip. It was he who dedicated Paneas (Town of Pan) to Caesar.
It is little wonder that one of the key questions of Matthew's Gospel , "Who do you say the Son of Man is?"(the gospel for the coming Sunday) is set in this part of ancient Israel. The area was redolent with answers of all kinds. The area spoke of the awesome power both of the fertility god of nature and the might of ancient Rome and it's Emperor. Powers rarely questioned. Where we're concerned the context for the question put by Jesus appears to be very different, no longer do we believe in the god Pan and the power of ancient Rome has passed away. However the realities which they represent are very much present in our culture and society. We are surrounded by all kinds of offers "guaranteed to give us life in abundance", not gushing from the foot of Mt Hermon but flowing out at us in a constant stream of images and adverts: -coming from the various forms of media, offering a plethora of alternative possibilities of life style to one and all. Total freedom of choice: ‘after all it's your life, do with it what you will'. As for Caesar and his military power, he has simply changed his clothes. He now wears a collar and tie or a free flowing garb. The approach of Pax Romana (Pax Britannica or Pax Americana), which maintains peace through the use or threat of violence has more adherents than the more vulnerable approach of Pax Christi. The world of Caesar hasn't quite passed away.
The question put by Jesus is a real question but it is not a request for a definition of belief, a catechism answer, no matter how accurate that answer might be. It is an invitation to answer from the depth of our own relationship with the person of Jesus. I love the story told by Anthony De Mello where he imagines a conversation between Jesus and a Christian:
| "Jesus: | And you, who do you say I am? |
| Christian: | You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. |
| Jesus: | Well and truly answered. But how unfortunate you are that you learnt this from mortal man. It has not yet been revealed to by my heavenly Father. |
| Christian: | True, Lord. I have been cheated. Somebody gave me all the answers before your Heavenly Father could speak. I marvel at your own wisdom that you said nothing to Simon yourself, but waited for your Father to speak first." |
The whole process of the RCIA at its heart is a journey of formation rather than of information. Sadly in many cases we give in to the danger of overloading the information to the detriment of the formation. Next Sunday's Gospel gives us time to pause whether we are continuing to journey each week with an enquiry group or a catechumenal group or taking the time out to prepare for a new start after the holidays. The question still remains in our complex world: "Who do YOU say the Son of man is?"
Battling with a heavy sea in a headwind!
In the middle of August, we have this well-known Gospel, which echoes powerfully with us as a parish, in the 'holiday season' trying to maintain contact with our candidates - feeling we are battling against the odds..... And He made us get into this wretched boat and go on ahead while he dismissed the crowds (yes, dismissed!) and went up into the hills for a nice quiet time by himself! We quite fancy a nice bit of quiet ourselves.
Well, in this story there is room for both - time for quiet refreshment in the 'sheer silence' on the hillside (Community Bible translation of 'gentle breeze' (in 1 Kngs 19:12) and with the psalmist to 'hear what the Lord has to say, a voice that speaks of peace', and time for battling with our own fears and immaturity as we attempt to move forward with the process of initiation.
On reflection, perhaps rather than highlighting Peter's doubt, it is is his courage and faith that is emphasised when he says in the height of the storm on seeing Jesus walking towards them, 'Order (or 'tell')me to come to you' and Jesus says 'Come' and he climbs out and gives it a go!
So what have we been 'giving a go' this Summer? The 'group' has not been meeting to break the Word, which could be seen as a disapointment. However, the sponsors have been alongside our candidates these last weeks, sitting with them at Mass, bringing them to parish picnics, prayer vigils for Zimbabwe, and pilgrimages to local shrines, as well as continuing to share on the Sunday Gospels over a coffee, and telling stories of their own experience, for example, of reconciliation, as this sacramental opportunity approaches for the one who is to be received into full communion in September (on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross - most appropriate for him). Our neophyte has got married - so that has been a great joy in the whole parish community. He specifically wanted the recitation of the Creed in the nuptial mass because it has come to mean so much to him. So on reflection, the community and the candidates have been quietly getting on with the business of helping 'those who are searching for Christ in the various circumstances of daily life'. (RCIA9) Perhaps, gradually we are moving towards a more liturgical/mystagogical apprenticeship!
Loaves and Fishes
As it is probably a general view of this blog that an all year round catechumenate is a good things, if not an easy thing. It seems appropriate that the blog does continues all through the year. As with a year round catechumenate it does not mean that the same level of offering is present but contact and support is kept up.
In this Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 14:13-21):
- Jesus withdraws to a lonely place
- The crowd catches up with them and he has pity for them
- It is evening and the disciples want to send people away for some food
- Jesus tells the disciples — give them something to eat themselves
- They have 5 loaves and 2 fish — Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them
- There is more than they wanted.
A Paradox — perhaps
The disciples are told to provide the food themselves and find they have more than enough. Often what we are looking for is already present whether it be new team members or sponsors. The resources, the people we need are present in our parish — in fact they can come from no where else.
However those we seek to evangelise we need to begin to seek from beyond our familiar boundaries. It is worth reflecting on where those who been through the RCIA process in the past have come from and wondering what might be done to widen our 'net'.