Living the Ascension
The feast of the Ascension is a feast which might not seem to reach into the everyday living of our faith. Although Mark's account gives us the barest of details, simply telling us that Jesus was taken up into heaven, this only happens after Jesus has spoken to them and conjuring up all kinds of seemingly strange images about snakes and poison. However, I think the Ascension and the Gospel for the day offer us quite a lot to go on both personally and as a member of the Catholic Community. First of all the commands:
1) Go out to the whole world
2) proclaim the good news to all creation.
These are pretty demanding commands. Is going out to the whole world something simply geographic? Is it easier to think in terms of great distances rather than the whole of the world gathered in my town or place of work? Keeping things at a distance is often much easier. And proclaiming the good news to the whole of creation? Not just people? That made me think - how do I proclaim the good news to the whole of creation? Does my lifestyle and choices actually make good news for the whole of creation? Over the last couple of years, the LiveSimply network have been promoting the call of creation to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with all. How do you or your church community rate yourselves in those three areas?
A few years back, a colleague and I were invited to lead an evening reflection for a Lent group in a Derbyshire village. During the evening, there would be a fasting supper. However, the person who invited us to lead the reflection suggested it would probably be worth eating before we came as there wouldn't be much to eat (Honestly!) During the evening, the finest home made soups, freshly baked breads and rich cheese appeared. It seemed that somewhere along the line, the point of the fasting supper had been lost Maybe too, we have missed the point of proclaiming the good news to the whole of creation, especially when we proclaim it only in words.
At the risk of being overly political, maybe you've seen the advert being used by the BNP for the elections next week. An image of Jesus, pretty negative BNP questions about multiculturalism and then the question "What would Jesus do?" I think the answer the Gospels give is not one the BNP would expect: "Go out to the whole world, proclaim the good news to all creation" - speak with it, touch it, nurture it, heal it, support it, stand in solidarity with it. The whole of creation - including people.. The feast of the Ascension calls us to rise above our small concerns and to be lifted out of our small world view . That means proclaiming the good news to all creation - and living simply, sustainably and in solidarity.
One final question: how does our catechesis - especially in this season of mystagogy - tap into the nature of faith and politics as a lived reality.
LIFT
Well here we are in the middle of the easter season, and although our new catholics remain full of enthusiasm following their easter experience, and want to recount their feelings, they also have questions. They want to ask about the sacraments they have been initiated into, to explore their new status as members of the parish community, and revel in being one of the worldwide Church. Yet I often feel there is that sense of ‘what do we do now’ with our new Catholics?
So we have the final period of initiation: mystogogy ‘devoted to postbaptismal catechesis’ (RCIA 7.4) constantly reminding the whole church that what has just happened at the Easter vigil is an endless mystery that we are always trying to unravel. For those parishes who practice ‘ dismissal’ (RCIA 67), the candidates (and probably also catechumens) have been used to having the scriptures opened up for them when they retire to a place of their own, following the gospel each Sunday mass. The only ‘dismissal’ they encounter as fully initiated Catholics is that at the end of Mass when they are sent forth with the whole assembly to consider the Gospel.
The test is to build on the experience and practice of dismissal, or of the regular sessions arising from lectionary based catechesis, so that when RCIA meetings are no longer ‘a must’, our new catholics will have formed the habit of wanting to hear more of the Word of God: desirous of knowing Jesus more intimately and lovingly through a deepening understanding of the scriptures.
During the first half of the easter season we listen to many of the meal narratives in which Jesus reveals himself and teaches his disciples. On this 4th Sunday we heard how Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, was able to stand up to the Rulers of the synagogue; how John speaks of the love lavished on us as God’s children, and we hear the beloved parable of the Good Shepherd. Our new catholics are also called to go out into the world as disciples, but they like all of us, need continuing support from the community.
Here is an idea that can be used fruitfully during the mystagogy stage, but also answers Caroline’s question (blog 27.4.09) of ‘ How do we begin to integrate candidates and catechumens into the life of the community from the very start?’
Try Living In Faith Together
In small groups, enjoy a fellowship meal at each other’s homes. Not as formal as an RCIA session, nevertheless it involves dialogue, liturgy, and catechesis. Everything about the evening is about sharing – food, home, companionship and our faith, and that’s where the name LIFT comes from. It is important that the host does not provide any food, but that the guests bring it, so there is a real sense of sharing and of bringing the food to the home. It also reduces the pressure of being ‘host’. The evening starts with someone reading the forthcoming Sunday Gospel, followed by 2 minutes silence, then it is proclaimed by a different reader, followed by silence and a sharing of an image or word. Perhaps offer a commentary, or put it into context with the other lectionary texts. You can make it as simple or as detailed as those present require, so it is equally suitable for pre-inquiry and all stages of the catechumenate. A good session may start around the Bible and a candle, lasting half an hour before the group begin the meal and together, sit, eat and talk, starting with the gospel but wherever the discussion takes you.
Suggestions
- A gentle introduction is to say the Opening Prayer for the coming sunday,
- adapt the psalm as a prayer for enquirers,
- read the gospel once followed by silence but without inviting a response,
- A LIFT meal once a month can help extend the mystagogy period through to the anniversary of initiation,
- Have a Justice and Peace Meal,
- Include Ambrose’s sermon on the Baptismal garment (Yarnold, 1994, 2001, The Awe-Inspiring Rites Of Initiation, pp.129-30).
- Mystagogy: do refresh by reading RCIA #7.4 #244-251
What’s next
So the Day of Resurrection that took a week to celebrate draws to a close. Birthing pools for baptism by total immersion are put away; the Easter flowers are beginning to fade; congratulations cards are being filed away with smiles as the names of well-wishers known and unknown are read … there is a real sense that a stage in the journey is complete and, despite the promise of mystagogia for the rest of one’s life, there can begin to creep in a sense of anti-climax… a “what next?” True, there are some whose enthusiasm will stay on a high for some time – particularly if they are given opportunities to relive the experience of the Vigil – but even for them the story of Thomas in the Gospel of the Second Sunday of Easter can sow useful seeds for the future.
It is strange that of all the wonderful stories in the Gospel, this is one the very few that we hear every year – and always at the end of the Easter Octave. True, it is about appearances of the Risen Lord – but most of us will probably remember Doubting Thomas and his frustration at the “tall tales” his friends - previously seen as fairly sane if not always quick on the uptake - are telling him – and their frustration at his not being able to accept what they say. You can imagine the Aramaic equivalent of “oh you had to be there…” springing to their lips, particularly as at that stage, Jesus had given no indication as to whether this was a one-off appearance or was to become a regular occurrence. How do you convey the encounter with a man who was dead in ways that convince someone who wasn’t there when he turned up? Thomas’ (again Aramaic equivalent of) “Yeah… right…” is actually quite sensible under the circumstances.
Caravaggio's painting of Thomas and the Risen Jesus
But – and here’s the rub – isn’t that what we are doing in the RCIA – telling others of our own encounters with one who was dead and who is now risen? But we can’t see him and we don’t hear his voice and we can’t put our own fingers in his wounds (even if we could overcome our squeamishness to do it) and we haven’t smelt and tasted the bread and fish that he served up after the resurrection either.. As eye witnesses it doesn’t make us very good, does it? And yet – somehow we do it! Something in our joy at believing without seeing comes across and people are drawn in to learn more – though we have to admit that an awful lot more come into the “Yeah… right…” category.
So how can we help our newly-fledged Christians and Catholics as they prepare to take flight – to encounter those who will be bemused by their decision and perhaps even be hostile to it? And how do we prepare them for the moment when all the “specialness” begins to evaporate and new set of people are the catechumens – the Elect – and they are just part of a congregation? What about when even for them, faith begins to become niggling doubt – or the pulls of daily living in a frequently unsympathetic society take the edge off the joy they thought they would never forget?
Well, maybe we can look at Thomas – what made the difference for him? We know that Thomas was one of the apostles who said he would go with Jesus and die with him – but didn’t… Also he was the one who admitted he didn’t know where Jesus was going so how could he know the way? Like the other disciples, it would take the personal meeting with the Risen Jesus to make sense of the things he had said about dying and rising again.
That personal encounter…. that moment when the rest of the world falls away and Christ becomes all in all… So where was it for our neophytes? Where for our candidates? Was it in the Word – something that spoke so clearly that it changed their lives? Was it in the Body of Christ – the People of God? Or in a priest? Or, in that moment of receiving the Lord in Communion for the first time? When did they know with all the capacity of their being that this was true – and could say with Thomas, “My Lord and my God”?
Legend has it that Thomas left Jerusalem and took the Gospel to India. It is likely that there were times when he would have quite liked to have given up – and plenty of conversations with people who were not remotely interested in the Good News of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But that moment – the moment of meeting with Jesus and hearing his words “Doubt no longer but believe…” somehow kept him going.
So as we reflect with our new Catholics on the next stage of their journey, perhaps we can bring Thomas alongside as a guide. When he set forth from Jerusalem, he probably had no idea of the way he was going to follow – but he did know who his Way was – and his Truth – and his Life. And so do our new Catholics…
Thoughts to reflect on…
- What are the “soul-memories” of ways in which we have encountered Christ over months and years? How do we keep them alive and ready to strengthen us for the way ahead?
- When I look at the Host and Chalice elevated during the Eucharistic Prayer – and receive the Body and Blood of Christ, how can I develop a sense of this being my personal encounter with “My Lord and my God”?
Everything is Waiting For You
It’s a beautiful spring morning as I sit to write: the kind we’ve been longing for and which is much more Easter than most of the preceding twenty eight. Cold yes, but with the brightness of morning sunshine promising to warm water and soil and hearts. A wonderful morning to look to what will be next Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 6:1-7) and which begins with the words:
“About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing …”
It’s a familiar story: the good news of increasing numbers, tempered by struggle and tension; we’re not being fairly treated! And with it comes the requirement for the early church to listen to the complaints and adapt to meet the needs of the current situation. It’s certainly a relevant text for our own times, but what about the neophytes and their continuing reflection on their new status as full members of the Body of Christ? As the apostles considered ways of delegating and involving more people in the tasks of ministry, perhaps it’s a good time to consider ways in which the neophytes’ particular gifts and talents can be welcomed and put to good use within the particular parish community to which they belong. The rite instructs us:
“The period of post-baptismal catechesis is of great significance for both the neophytes and the rest of the faithful. Through it the neophytes with the help of their godparents, should experience a full and joyful welcome into the community and enter into closer ties with the other faithful. The faithful in turn should derive from it a renewal of inspiration and of outlook.” [R.C.I.A. 236]
In my last parish we made a special effort to undertake the necessary discernment and then training and support across various ministries in order that by Pentecost our neophytes could be seen to be active in an appropriate area of ministry. So we had new readers, new cleaners, new flower-arrangers, new welcomers and companions on the journey for new enquirers. Sadly, the new life of Easter can be restricted to a narrow, spiritual focus if we’re not careful and the opportunity to bring new people into new areas of ministry can be overlooked. Just as that clear blue sky of a sunny spring morning can highlight the tired paintwork and dingy windows that have survived the darkness and gloom of winter so too the Easter life of resurrection can highlight the need to revitalise ministries that have perhaps grown tired, albeit settled and comfortable. A burst of energy and enthusiasm can be just the Easter sunshine required to warm the water, the soil and the hearts of our parish ministries. Whilst a failure to consider ways of integrating the new life the neophytes represent into the existing life of the community risks leaving them marginalised and under-valued. There’s a wonderful David Whyte poem, Everything is Waiting For You, that I think speaks to both neophytes and the community at this special time, especially the final verse:
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
Perhaps part of the joy of mystagogia is the discovery that for both neophyte and parish community everything is indeed waiting!
- Everything is Waiting For You, Poems by David Whyte, 2003 Many Rivers Press
An Emmaus Walk
It's a shame that, at least as far as Sundays are concerned, we only hear the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus once every three years. As a story that shows the power of meeting Jesus in the Word and Eucharist, it is wonderful for all Christians - and a real gift for those in these early days of mystagogy. It's a Gospel we can go back to from time to time and reflect on how we have met Jesus - and what effect this has had on our own discipleship.
At some point, the weather in the UK has to improve - our bleak weather at Easter must soon give way to springtime! There are signs of spring around us - but they are hard to spot from under and umbrella or behind a scarf and hat. So, having a bit of faith... let us assume that this is the week when it will be warm enough to get outside and maybe take an Emmaus Walk for ourselves.
New Catholics might like to do this with their godparent or sponsor - or it could be done in small groups. The main thing is to ensure that there is space for talk - and space for the silence in which the Word can speak. It can be useful to give each person a certain amount of time - to speak without interruption or to keep silent - their companion offering respectful listening before having their own time to speak.
The Walk can be divided roughly into four parts. Though each part will have its own dynamic and there has to be flexibility if something really significant comes up, it is important that all four areas are experienced to give a sense of wholeness and completion by... Participants can always agree to come back to the parts that seem worth revisiting.
Read the first part of the Emmaus Story: Luke 24: 13-17
What were the sorts of things that we were discussing at the beginning of the Journey to initiation? And what issues along the way caused us to ask hard questions - perhaps even to wonder if this was the right path for us: was this man Jesus actually the one we wanted to follow? What helped to resolve the issues - or are there still things we are pondering on?
Read the second part of the Emmaus Story: Luke 24: 18-27
What are our memories of the Easter Triduum? Of Holy Thursday evening? Of the solemn celebration of the Lord's Passion and the long hours of waiting at the end of Good Friday and Holy Saturday? How easy was it to feel part of the events we were recalling? What emotions did we experience?
What spoke to us in the Word of God during those days? Where did we hear the voice of Jesus as the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus did - speaking - explaining - challenging - as we listened to the many pieces of Scripture of the Triduum?
Read the third part of the Emmaus Story Luke 24: 28-31 (If this can be timed to arrival at a convenient hostelry or tea room for refreshments so much the better!)
What was the experience of taking part fully in the Liturgy of the Eucharist like? What did it mean for me - does it mean for me - to recognise Jesus in the breaking of bread?
Read the final part of the story: Luke 24: 32-35
So - having encountered our Risen Lord in our confusions and questions - in the Word of God - and in the breaking of bread - what are we going to do with it? Leave it all behind with the hymnbook at the end of Mass? Or...
As we walk back to our own "Jerusalem" what do we take back - and how do we share that with other people?
Easter – a Rollercoaster
For neophytes, and those candidates just received into full communion with the Catholic Church, this Second Sunday of Easter marks yet another turning point, as they enter the final period of christian initiation. While remembering the height of the Easter Vigil, it is quite easy to be brought sharply back to the realities of everyday life in the readings of the Second Sunday of Easter. This leads me to ponder four questions. What signs are going to be received in awe by our new catholics (Acts, 2.43)? How will their faith be nurtured? Are they going to have the resilience to continue the post baptismal period of mystagogy? What are the practical considerations for the RCIA team?
As ever I return to the rite: the neophytes, together with those received into full communion with the catholic church #244, #410 ( see #330 for children) now join with the whole community as they:
… grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives through meditation on the Gospel, sharing in the eucharist, and doing the works of charity.
RCIA #244
The above assumes #75 will have been followed in a systematic way: providing appropriate catechesis over sufficient length of time, based on the liturgical year. The Word that was opened up in the period of Dismissal, is now able to be explored and built upon, particularly during the Easter Season when the sacraments of initiation have been encountered, experienced and made one’s own. In the following Sundays all the faithful can be reminded of their baptismal vows (sometimes overshadowed at the Easter Vigil when all thoughts have been with those being baptised). The community is ready for the sacramentals to be opened up anew, to be reminded of the importance of the symbols of our faith: oil, water, bread and wine. Yet one of the greatest ritual symbols is the assembly: this is the community the neophytes will have experienced through sponsors, godparents, catechists and the local church as they were introduced to the christian way of life. Now this relationship develops as they become one with the community, as all journey towards Pentecost, nurtured by liturgical catechesis, the ongoing RCIA sessions and all the people.
The community must never underestimate their role in the initiation process, but this can only occur where the whole church is aware how vital is the ‘the pastoral care of Christian initiation’ (GDC 91). Where RCIA is not part of integrated church practice this poses a delicate problem to be overcome. The Easter Season provides the opportunity for the whole community to walk the same easter path.
Another obstacle is if the catechumenate period envisaged by #75 did not take place. What can then occur is a frenzy to impose all the required catechesis in the mystagogy period. But we have missed the purpose of mystagogy if we cram it with ‘religious facts’ (see #244- 248), whether during the initial period which ends with Pentecost, or the extended mystagogy to the anniversary of initiation (adopting the USA system).
This is the time for the neophytes to create and make firm their ties with the community; to experience the liturgy as one of the faithful, and to become immersed in a process of formation that continues throughout one’s life. This is a time to renew the whole community as they see faith experienced as known, lived, celebrated and prayed (GDC 84)
Suggestions
- Forward planning to provide a new group for the newly initiated; to plan the initial period and extended period.
- Use the liturgy - involve the initiates, process the gospel, the offertory gifts, intercessions.
- Use the homily - remind the faithful of their baptismal vows: the rights, obligations and duties they bring; before Pentecost have the sprinkling rite, or invite the assembly to process and dip their hand in the baptismal font.
- Let the initiates continue to meet sponsors, godparents, the community; provide opportunities for questions to be asked, contexts explored.
- Have ongoing formation sessions for the whole community- open up the Easter Mystery, explore the symbols, look for the signs in daily life, bring the gospel alive through lectionary based catechesis, engage in prayer.
- Introduce them to parish groups, tasks, charities, web based resources, newspapers and journals.
- Ensure they attend - and the parish is represented - at the Pentecost Mass with the bishop (this should occur in all dioceses).
Have in mind that faith has to be known, celebrated lived and prayed (GDC 84) as you search for new ways to show what it means to be part of the body of Christ in today’s world, nourished by the Word and Eucharist.
All this demands forward thinking so the newly initiated don’t believe they’ve hit the jackpot and have nothing more to do. This is a new way of life for those who believe, and it will keep returning to new heights.
- # RCIA (1998, USA edition)
- GDC General Directory for Catechesis (1997)
Two prayers for the week
Two Opening Prayers from the Missal for Easter Week
Easter Monday
Father,
you give your Church constant growth
by adding new members to your family.
Help us put into action in our lives
the baptism we have received with faith.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Easter Saturday
Father of love,
by the outpouring of your grace
you increase the number of those who believe in you.
Watch over your chosen family.
Give undying life to all
who have been born again in baptism.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.