TO TINSEL OR NOT TO TINSEL, THAT IS THE QUESTION

I am all for Halloween parties, parades, getting dressed up, and going Trick or Treating.  I don’t believe in ghosts (at least the popular notion of what a ghost is) but I do believe in ghost stories.  If you looked up over the front door of the rectory on All Hallow’s Eve Night, you would have seen my (hastily) carved pumpkin glowing.

The key is, however, that these are not odd ways of behaving floating out there on their own.  They are an extension of what happens at the celebration of the Mass first.  That is what (and always has) gives meaning all of these otherwise odd behaviors we exhibit at this time of year.  The Christian community comes together to celebrate all of the saints (especially those not officially recognized) and in our joy we burst forth from the church doors to continue the celebration in our homes with candy and music and costumes.

If it were not for a grounding in faith, this season would be a sign of a slight madness that overtakes our nation.  Why go about disguised as someone (or something) else on this particular day?  If we are going to unmoor it from its religious roots, why not change it so that it is always on a Friday and make it a three day weekend?  Or better yet, move it to early October when the weather is better.  Why not make every Friday a costume day?  Why give random strangers candy only once a year?  Why take a gourd and carve a face on it?  Why not just buy a ceramic one that you can re-use every year and be done with it?  Or if it is so cool, just leave it up year round.  Without faith, scratch too deeply and all of these celebrations become inane.  Fun perhaps - but inane.  

Thanksgiving is coming up.  Without God, what exactly are we giving thanks for?  “Thank you turkey for being food and letting us eat you.”  As if the Turkey had any say.  “Thank you Mom for making this fantastic meal!”  But she makes dinner every day and why make her do it on a day when we are thanking her for making food?  “Thank you for being my friends/family” might cut it but why do it especially on this day?  Do it another day when things are not so pressing.  “Thank you cosmos for being as you are instead of another way.”  Maybe.  But if existence is pure happenstance, it means there is nothing to thank or to be thanked that matters.  

But if there is a Creator who provides and we know things do not have to be as they are, we give thanks because we are debtors.  It reminds us of The Other.  We are paupers who need to remember we are all in this boat together so don’t let your pride get too high.  And these are things to celebrate.

If there is no God (at least a Pagan god), to Hades with all of the tinsel, the Rabbit, and the shoes placed outside the door.  It is absolutely silly.  Let’s just do our own thing when it is convenient for us, with music we actually like to hear ,when we like to hear it.  I’ll shop for you when there is a sale and let’s worry about things that really matter like Flag Day.  

EVERYTHING OLD IS REINTERPRETED AGAIN.

In college I attended a Mass at which the celebrant invited us all to stand around the altar for the consecration.  There were about 30 people in attendance for this weekday Mass.  We came up around the altar and as we stood there, a toddler came over and laid down on his back next to me, wrapped his legs around the ankle of my right foot and began to shake back and forth violently much to his enjoyment, my embarrassment, and the mother’s smile of, “Isn’t he cute?”

Anyway, that was a fairly common “in” thing to do for a spell.  (Gathering around the altar, not shaking people’s legs.)  I hardly hear about it at all anymore either because it is such old news that it doesn’t make the gossip chain anymore or because it has largely been given up on.

But oddly enough, this is a way of understanding the the use of the much vilified altar rail.  The altar rail is considered an extension of the altar of sacrifice.  That is why almost always, the top of the rail is made out of the same material as the mensa or top of the high altar (and why people should not sit on it, put pamphlets on it, or in general do anything that one wouldn’t do with the altar.)  The faithful who are priests, prophets, and kings by nature of their baptism are called to this extension of the “the Table” as the disciples were gathered around the table of the Last Supper, drawn up to the sanctuary to receive the Body and Blood of Christ from the very table itself.  Understood in this way, unless one troops everybody into the sanctuary to gather around the altar, the laity have actually been pushed back further away from the altar with the removal of the rail in so many of our spaces.  

My home pastor used to say, “When everybody gets tired of the way we do Mass now, we will have some new iteration that will look strikingly like the past, but will be entirely new and the people who start it will be innovators.  Then they too will become old school and someone will come by and change that innovation again.”  From architects to laity to clergy; everyone wants everyone to be “more connected” to the Mass.  All of it depends on how one interprets and labels the symbolism.  I look forward to what comes next. . .

JESUS THE MARKETING GENIUS

I think Jesus is a marketing genius.

In marketing, one must always outdo what came before.  Look at phones.  Each new model must promise to do more, do it more innovatively, and quicker.  If that is not achieved, it is declared a grave disappointment and there are no lines at the store.

It is the same with television series.  The next season must always outdo the last season.  It must be wilder, bigger, crazier.  If it is not, people lose interest.  I think that is why so many of them end up becoming a soap opera about who is sleeping with whom.  But once you have jumped that shark, who cares . . .

Many Churches are like this.  The music must get better and better or at least be updated.  The preaching must always be cutting edge.  New special effects; fog, lighting, projections, must be added, changed, improved, expanded because once you have a spectacular, it becomes common.  (Think about the poor guy that has to come up with a new Super Bowl halftime show every year.)

But the Church Jesus founded steadfastly marches in the other direction.  There isn’t really anything to see particularly at its heart - the Eucharist.  The Eucharist couldn’t be more counter-cultural.  There was a big push for a spell to have clear glass chalices so people could “see what was going on.”  Do you know how differently wine looks after it is consecrated?  Not a jot.  Everything happens below the level of the senses.  The bread and wine cease to exist, but their accidents remain.  So it may look, feel, smell and taste like bread and wine, but it has become wholly the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.  This is something that can maintained for 2,000 years without constantly having to come up with something “new.”

Although I am one for great music, art and liturgy done well, none of that is intrinsic to the Eucharist.  Jesus makes Himself present in His Word and the Eucharist whether you are the Basilica of St. Peter or having Mass on the hood of a jeep in field during a war.  Lighting effects, fog machines and the like would be a distraction to this.  We come, not to be entertained, but to give time to the One who loves us.  

“Do you love Me?” He seems to ask, “Then spend time with me, not because you are entertained, but because you love me.”

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: IT IS MY GREAT HONOR TO INTRODUCE TO YOU FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

Except for some clean up, we’ve pretty much married our couple now.  There is not much official left save for the consummatum est.  (Terrible pun there.  I apologize.)  There is one rubric, however, that confounds me and I’ve not heard it addressed.  If there is a liturgist out there I would love to hear from you.

Everything about a rubric is there on purpose; the order of the wording, the inclusion, the detail of the word chosen (may vs must etc.)  So why does it state that, at a matrimonial Mass, “The bride and bridegroom, their parents, witnesses, and relatives may receive Communion under both kinds”?  Why not say all Catholics present may receive Communion under both kinds?  Is it truly limited (I bet not - or at least nobody is saying that.)  I doubt we will have people check their category against the program to make sure they fit into one of the privileged ranks.  Curious.

Thus we bring to an end this series on Friday Potpourri.  Nothing has come across my radar screen to start new as of yet.  Perhaps by next Friday God will provide something - but just in case, if you have an idea . . . pass it along!

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO SAY I LOVE YOU. OH WAIT. THERE ARE.

Let’s say that it is your vacation.  It is one thing to interrupt your vacation to answer a short text, it is another to be interrupted by a three hour video conference call.  Secretly you are dying a slow and terrible death.

So it is one thing to have little ceremonies added to the nuptial Mass.  But the part of the Catholic brain that has not shut down at Mass, that is at least aware of the flow that should be happening, and that is looking forward to Communion, is suddenly thrown off track by a long, long nuptial blessing.  You know who loves this prayer?  The moms and the priest.  Everyone else has just run into a brick wall and is too concerned about why they are no longer moving forward.  

Well, I am exaggerating.  Maybe I just don’t know how to do it well.  And often I have a couple looking at me with dreamy looks in their eyes over what is being said about them.  Maybe it is my attitude.  About half way through I am thinking, “Gads, am I still talking?”

But it is a beautiful prayer.  And though now it is better translated, even ICEL did not strip it down in length during the post Vatican II translation and they were not adverse to slashing and burning.  AND AS IS OFTEN THE MISTAKE it should be remembered (even by me!) that the people present are not the ones being addressed at this point - it is our Father.  We are going to our Father and asking for a very specific blessing on two of His children who are being united.  Other than to remind us of what is going on and to agree, the job of those who are there is to offer with the celebrant the words being spoken to our common Father.  He is certainly the cause of the day in so many ways, the King present and begged for a blessing, the eternal Father Who loves and blesses His children.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: THE AWFUL CONSEQUENCE OF CONSISTENCY

So I made the mistake of saying that I would talk about presenting a flower to Mary during a wedding ceremony.  Probably should not have.  But here we go . . . 

For those who do not know what I am talking about, (I thought everybody knew what this was since it has been such a common experience in my Catholic life,) during the wedding ceremony, a bride, with a particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin, will process to the shrine (statue) of Mary at some point during the nuptial Mass, offer a prayer of petition, and as a devotion, leave a flower (usually a single, white rose) which would be much the same thing as lighting a candle.  The only more recent change that I have noticed is that almost without fail, the groom now attends to this devotion also.  (When I was a kid, it seemed that only the bride went.)

There does not seem to be an allowance for this practice in either the new or the old rubrics for the nuptial ceremonies.  This is a private devotion being done in a public forum and as such is “stuck on” to the Mass. 

99.99% of the time I am adamantly opposed to sticking things on to the Mass.  The requests received for private things to be done at Mass come in often.  Private devotions, talks, presentations, other ceremonies, blessings, many of which are not not only not mentioned but expressly forbidden by the rubrics are often presented as something needed to be done at Mass.  The two most pressing reasons given for the necessity of doing such a thing is 1) it would be beneficial/meaningful to everybody and 2) it concerns the whole community and this is when the whole community is gathered.  As for the first concern, having it Mass often makes more people angry than happy and the second is a bait and switch.  The people are there for the Mass.  If whatever else is going on is really important, then you don’t win them over by forcing them to sit through it.  (How happy are you to turn on Public Radio during a fund drive?)

ALL THAT BEING SAID, my liturgical heart says that this devotional as it is often practiced during the Mass should go the same way as the unity candle - that is - snuffed out!  But I am weak where Mary is concerned and unlike a unity candle ceremony, this devotion to Mary is something that the bride and groom can (and should if they are going to subject the congregation to this private devotion at their wedding) continue throughout their lives.  It is also something in which the congregation can at least tangentially participate.  

Further, it can take place in a way that doesn’t really interfere with the rubrics of the Mass.  For example, while the music continues after the reception of Communion, what is to stop the bride and her groom from walking over to Mary, placing a rose, and asking for her intercession in their married lives?  

What do you think?

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: MARRIAGE SAVES THE WORD ASUNDER. WHEN ELSE DO YOU HEAR IT?

Someone asked me the other day if one can accidentally marry someone: that is, say the wedding vows as part of a play, or the rehearsal, or joking around.  The question had to do with, if a sacrament has an outward sign that is efficacious, that is, it does what it says it does, then does the act of saying it make it come true?

Clever question - no.

Knowledge and consent are required.  

So is what you are seeing the real deal?  Just to clarify, the official witness of the Church will, following the vows, announce that you have declared your consent before the Church (using one of the formulas) and announcing the grand reminder, “What God has joined, let no one put asunder.”  One can almost hear the universe shifting.  A new, unbreakable reality has been created.  The course of history has changed. 

In Genesis, poor little Adam is all alone in the garden.  Adam, at this point, is not a guy by himself, he is what humanity was at that point: complete in this one person.  Then after being surrounded by all this life and beauty, he discovers that he lonesome.  St. John Paul II calls this the “original solitude.”  And it wasn’t good.  So God took from Adam, who was one, and created Eve.  Now man, who was one, is now two and incapable of doing everything that a human being is capable of doing until meeting up with a complimentary partner.  (It is only then that all of the equipment is united again if you will.)  That is why they become one in marriage.  They complete each other.  And once joined, they are never to be separated again.  

How amazing is this?  The entire face of the world is about to change.  If your parents had never met, you and your siblings would never have been born.  If your grandparents had not married, your parents, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces would never have been born.  One generation before the number is already become so great as to be difficult to comprehend.  Go back far enough (and probably less far than you think) and entire nations begin to change.  Marriage is powerful.  This service to which you attend at which someone with you has asked, “Do we have to go?” and then huff through it is altering the course of the world.  

So after the declaration is something that I like but find difficult to do in practice.  This is new.  Immediately after this the celebrant sings (or says) “Let us bless the Lord!” to which ALL present are to respond, “Thanks be to God!”  This makes absolute sense.  We have just witnessed something awesome and we should sing an acclamation.  The problem is nobody is ready for it, has practiced it, or is looking at a program.  Even die hard Catholics who come to Mass every day are often have brains that shut down during a wedding and have to be reminded, “Let us stand now . . .”  And it kind of takes the punch out of it if you have to explain too much.  “I am about to say, ‘Let us bless the Lord’ and your are going to respond . . .”

Our Cathedral has a decent way of handling such things.  We will have to find our own way.  I sometimes poo poo such things with, “Well, THAT will never work.”  But I’ve also been wrong about that plenty of times.  Maybe this will become so common that it will even be used in movies as readily as “speak now or forever hold your peace.”

God is ironic.  It could happen.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND STILL WANT TO DO IT?

The evil prince absconds with a fair maiden from the village and forces her, against her will to marry him.  Is this a valid and licit marriage in the Catholic Church?

No.

Marriage is true when the couple, knowing what they are getting themselves into, freely chooses to do it just the same.  So at their first meeting with me, I ask them if they are here freely and without reservation.  At their last meeting with me I am required to read to them a statement that asks much the same question, invite them to discuss it, and then have them sign it.  THEN, just before they exchange their vows, they are asked once again, publicly, “Have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?” to which they must answer, “I have,” before we can move on to the binding stuff.

This is another section that has been slightly rewritten.  “Have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in holy matrimony?”  It seems there has been an emphasis on the free will aspect in the new question.

The next pre-vow question has been re-written also.  The original way really ticked off my sister.  She did not approve of the way it was stated.  Here we go:  “Will you love each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?”  She though “man” should be “husband.”  That is no longer an issue.  “Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?”  Notice the little change of clause?  This was re-written by lawyers.  (Joking)  The first part makes no mention of being married whilst loving each other as “man and wife.”  I guess we want to be very clear.

The last pre-vow question is changed the least.

“Will you accept children loving from God and bring them up according the law of Christ and His Church?” vs. “Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Chris and His Church?”  The first is kind of theoretical.  “Sure.  I suppose.  One day I’d be willing.”  The second is slightly more pressing.  “Are you prepared?  Because that is part of what Christian marriage is and it may happen more quickly than you anticipated.”

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: IF YOU DON'T KNOW, PRETEND LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING

A few Advents ago the new Missal came out.  Prior to that point, a typical wedding would begin with the Penitential Rite, which, quite honestly, though probably a good thing to do, was always a bit awkward especially when there were a lot of non-Catholics present.  (Personal opinion.)  In its stead, when there is a nuptial Mass, we begin with the Gloria - which I like better, but is difficult when there are few (practicing) Catholics in the congregation and it is just me and soloist belting out God’s praises.  But it is amazing when it is a bunch of Catholics.

So think back to that first advent of the new Missal.  I’m about to concelebrate a wedding at our cathedral and the question comes up, “Do we sing the Gloria?”  After all, it is not prayed all during the Advent season.  Right?  But the new rite calls for it.  This was not one of the topics covered when we went to all of the workshops on the new Missal.  So, the other clergy, the musicians and I huddled together to make a decision.  Although it went against our instincts, it seemed that that the rubrics clearly called for the Gloria to be sung.  So we did.

When I got home I called the liturgy office for a response.  Nobody was in so the person who was the liturgist for the diocese at the time called back a few days later.  We had a pleasant conversation and then got down to discussing the wedding Gloria.  The person was very honest and said, “I am not entirely positive but I can tell you this:  There was a wedding at the cathedral earlier this week and they sang the Gloria so I would use that as your example until we can confirm so.”

HA!

As it turns out, singing the Gloria is the correct thing to do.  It is part of the ritual for this particular type of liturgy and therefor when a nuptial Mass is said, the Gloria is always prayed even when otherwise it would not be.

And that is why we now sing the Gloria at nuptial Masses.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?

Is a priest who wears oxford shoes and uses a thurible a conservative?  Is a priest who wears sandals and uses an incense bowl a liberal?  If both options are on the Catholic playing field, does it matter?  Does it matter any differently if you are St. Patrick Cathedral or in a mud and thatch church in the missions?  Does it matter if one is a Jesuit and one is a Franciscan?  

The last paragraph that we are going to look at in this particular section (111) of the GIRM (we start something new next week) is really trying to get everybody on the same page.  It tells us that great care should be taken that the Mass is coordinated among all of the ministers as well as having some input from the parishioners with final say coming from the “rector.”  This is so that the choir director doesn’t prepare for the usual weekend Mass, the celebrant decides to move the patronal feast to the weekend, and the lector not knowing which readings to prepare.  That is why the “rector” sets the calendar, tone, and is responsible for communicating it.  

It is interesting that they use the world “rector.”  I had to research this a little bit.  It is not a term often used in the Catholic Church.  It comes from the Latin meaning “ruler.”  I think they use this term because not every parish has a pastor.  A seminary has a rector, not a pastor.  The bishop’s church (cathedral) may need a person to see to the day to day running of it as the bishop is out and about so much.  So you might have the rector of the cathedral . . .

So now, the rector has coordinated the Mass, communicated what will be happening, but another priest is going to celebrate.  Things may not go as smoothly as one might hope because the very last sentence of this last paragraph of this last section states, “However, the priest who presides at the celebration always retains the right of arranging those things that pertain to him.”

So that is terribly interesting.  What exactly does that mean?  I think that is what allowed my first parish to run both smoothly and somewhat diversely.  Mass was essentially the same from celebration to celebration though the celebrant changed.  Along with him however there may be oxfords or sandals, the Missal at the top of the corporal or off to the left, thurible or incense bowl.  Does the rector have the right to say to a celebrant, “No cassock,” or “No jeans” at Mass?  I would argue that this right does not exist (though it is possible for said rector to make said celebrant’s life miserable - and a good parochial vicar tries his best to bring about the vision a particular rector is trying to establish - but I’m just saying - and I admit to having strong preferences)  though a rector (and indeed anybody) has not only the right but the obligation to point out something that a priest is doing that is illicit or invalid.  

So if a presider likes to wear a fiddleback or a properly colored tie dye chasuble you might say to him, “I really don’t like that,” but in the long run it really doesn’t matter.  It is both valid and licit and Jesus is still fully present at the Mass.  But if he celebrates not wearing a chasuble at all or changing the words of consecration because he thinks it is truer to the Latin, then something needs to be said.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: HELP WANTED

GIRM 107 - 110

My father was a difficult man with whom to play volley ball.  He was that guy that liked to play everybody’s position for them.  I could stand through an entire game and not have to to

uch the ball. 

In the same way, liturgists will tell us that ministries should not be all done by one person: lecturing, serving, and distributing communion all at one Mass.  Neither should they be artificially divided up in order to give as many people as possible a chance to “do a ministry.” So, for example, a reading should not be divided up between lectors, one starting, one reading the middle, one reading the end of any given reading.  The noted exception noted being the Passion.

The priests, save for those parts that are explicitly allowed, are not permitted to divide their roles up such as, “I’ll take the Liturgy of the World and you take the Liturgy of the Eucharist.”  Deacons can do that however such as the above example or one takes the singing parts and one does the working parts . . . 

Different ministries can be done by one person if there is a lack of ministers.  So if you were serving and there was nobody else available, you could also do the readings but this is clearly a permit-able but none-the-less exception to the rule.

Remembering Pope Emeritus’s writings however, the MOST IMPORTANT JOB for the lay faithful at the Mass is to PRAY THE MASS.  This is essential.  Those doing the readings or ushering or serving are not “getting to do more,” they are in some ways being distracted from doing the most important job: that of giving glory and praise to God - offering themselves for all that their Father has given them.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: FINDING YOUR WAY OUT OF PAPER BAG

As a recently ordained, I went to the Vatican and was able to pray a Mass in St. Peter.  I was assigned a little altar server who grabbed a Mass kit for me and led me through the cavernous space to some chapel altar.  There were priests and altar boys all over the place saying Masses.  Here and there were lay people, who woke at an hour I think God did not intend for us to be awake, who were in attendance at various altars.  

The server assisted me in finding my altar, helped set up and get Mass going.  It was wonderful not to have to figure things out on my own with a space in which I was rather unfamiliar.

One would think Mass is Mass is Mass.  But in every parish things are done just a little bit differently.  How and when are the gifts brought up?  (Before the collection?  After the collection?  When the altar is set up?)  When does the Gospel Alleluia begin?  (When the priest stands?  When the deacon stands?  When the organist is good and ready?)  How is Communion distributed?  These may seem like little things but they are terribly distracting when one is attempting to pay attention to the prayers.

It is always a great thing to have someone who knows what they are doing guide you around.  At St. Sebastian we attempt to try to have someone on with a visiting priest that can help them navigate the way things are done here.  With a visiting server there is an effort to have an experienced server on with him to make it less stressful. 

These are some of the reasons paragraph 106 of the GIRM says that it is desirable in cathedrals and in larger churches (though it might be helpful just about anywhere) “to have a competent minster or master of ceremonies, to see to the appropriate arrangement of sacred actions and to their being carried out by the sacred minsters and lay faithful with decorum, order and devotion.”  In other words, allowing the ministers not to become the center of attention as they turn, look around, and in general look helpless wandering around the sanctuary.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: ONE WHO USHES

Here is the entire entry for “ushers” at Mass under the listing of liturgical functions in paragraph 105:

“Those who take up the collections in the church.”

That’s it.  But you and I both know it encompasses so much more than that.  No longer having those etherial nuns in our parish convents they easily rise to the top of the most mysterious grouping of persons in a parish.  It is like a secret society with their own secret handshakes, dress codes, and private room (sometimes just a closet) in any given church.  They hold great power.  “Please move in so this family can have a place to sit.”  They handle the wealth of the parish asking parishioners and visitors alike to cough it up as they pass the basket.  They know all.  “The bathroom is down the hall to the right.”

In all seriousness there are two things here.  One is the functionary.  Often everything that needs to be done at the Mass that is not liturgical is dumped on the ushers; reserving seats, taking the October counts, learning how to save lives with the defibrillator, passing things out, distributing bulletins, cleaning messes, and keeping a pulse on the parish - few are as well informed with the goings on around a parish than an usher.

But secondly bear in mind that their role is under liturgical functions.  The collection IS a liturgical function, not a convenient time for the taking up of money.  “Gosh that was a great homily dear, throw in an extra $20.”  When we end the Liturgy of the Word where we learn more ABOUT God, and before we enter into the Liturgy of the Eucharist where we MEET God, we take up the offering.  The Eucharist is the source and summit of our life.  All we have flows from the Eucharist and returns back.  What we gain in life that week then we return to offer some of it back.

Catholic “tithing” has 6 components:

1. It is voluntary:  It is not a tax.  One must choose to give it or it is not really a gift.
2. It should be proportionate:  It’s one thing for a billionaire to give $20, it is quite another for a family of 5 where the parents are out of work and in danger of losing their house to give $1.  Compared to the billionaire, they have 1,000s of times more.
3. It should be systematic:  In other words, part of the budget.  I don’t just give to the parish because they need to pay the gas bill on which they are behind, but rather I give weekly like giving a kid his allowance.
4. Sacrificial is the difficult one.  It shouldn’t just be the change one happens to have in one’s pocket.  It is set aside right away and should not be insignificant to a person (such as the $20 from a billionaire.)
5. It can be divided:  Not every penny goes to the parish.  It is imperative that the parish be supported because if it doesn’t come from the parishioners, the parish ceases to exits.  There is no magical well.  But there are other needs in the community and the world: mission appeals, favorite charities, the person you know that needs assistance . . . 
6. Finally, it should be liturgical:  The collection at Mass is a liturgical function, not merely a bill to be paid.  This is why the ushers are listed under the section for those who fulfill a liturgical function.  Those who do not give do not participate in this part of the Mass.

It also prompts questions concerning on-line giving.  As far as being able to meet the parish budget, I am a HUGE fan of on-line giving.  It is a constant upon which we can rely.  If you go to Florida for the winter, if you were sick in bed Sunday morning with the flu, if you forgot or lost your envelope, we will still be able to pay the gas bill!  So what might be a solution?  Maybe this would be a good time just to sneak in something to the basket that just happened to be in your pocket.  Maybe that extra dollar that you might not otherwise miss.  This way you not only help stabilize the financial health of the parish and participate in the offertory giving, but you allow the ushers to fulfill their liturgical function and otherwise keep them out of trouble.  

There are so many great stories about ushers.  I will share only one.  This took place in Cleveland.  I am surprised that it worked since the community of ushers tends to be tight knit.  But there was a guy who put on a coat and tie, walked into a Catholic church, grabbed a basket, and helped take up the collection and then promptly walked out the back door.  Can you imagine the chutzpa?  Unfortunately for him, he had the cheekiness to try to do it two weeks in a row.  For his efforts he got a ride from Mass in a nice car with lights on the top.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?

I remember being a kid and there still being commentators at Mass explaining what was happening following the wake of the changes that occurred the Second Vatican Council.  The commentator explained what was going on and what the people were supposed to be doing.  It seemed that, just about the time I was aware of it, there was a call to bring this role as it pertained to teaching people the Mass changes to and end.

Interestingly enough, this role, if truly needed in a given situation, is still permissible according to paragraph 103 b.  The use of such a role is to be highly restrained however.  There are a lot of phrases such as “if appropriate,” “briefly explains,” “thoroughly prepared,” “notable for their restraint.”  In other words, it is not to be a distraction, but if really needed, to be an aid to lead people into the Mass.

The person may not give the instructions from the ambo but another suitable place within site of the people.  It reminds me a little bit like a good commentator for golf: quite, reserved, and somewhat minimal.

When might one use such a person today?  I was wondering about this myself.  It might not be a bad idea at large weddings and funerals and other such events at which there may be many people in attendance that are not Catholic.  It might aid them in understanding what is happening or at least what it is that they are supposed (or nor supposed) to do.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: AND OTHER JOBS AS NEEDED

It takes a lot of people to properly get the Mass off the ground at any given parish.  Paragraph 105 lists some of the people that are often not thought about.

The first is the sacristan.  The sacristan works primarily in the sacristy which is the place where everything for the Mass is prepared. Of primary concern for the sacristan is all of the liturgical books needed for all of the rites (which may be more than many realize) all of the vestments “and other things necessary for the celebration of the Mass.

This last part can be expanded or retracted depending on the policy of the parish.  Does a sacristan simply make sure that the vestments are properly stored or do they set them out for Mass, mend and launder, order and create vestments?  There are chalices and ciboria, thuribles and aspergilum, candles, purificators and corporals.  There are flowers and decorations, holy water fonts server’s vestments.  The list (and the amount of time) can be great.  You are very fortunate if you have someone who is not only talented and efficient, (here we go into opinionland,) but also subtle (when things to south) and who makes people feel comfortable and welcome in the sacristy.

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL

Nothing is worse than a meeting when nobody is really in charge.  The proceedings go off topic, conversations last too long, people lose interest, bullies arise who try to save the day, and little beautiful happens.

It is the same with music.  Aug!  Have you ever gone to a Mass where there is no organist or leader and someone starts a song - maybe it is even introduced by the priest, and it gets slower and slower, maybe changes key, someone in the back starts trying to rally the troops, some roll their eyes and wag their heads and close hymnals . . . why even bother trying?

I find it painful.

Paragraph 104 calls for a choir director for the Mass.  If there is no choir director, then the cantor needs to be able to lead the singing.  This person is chairman of the (musical) board.  Like a good  leader of a meeting, they make sure we are on the agenda (so to speak), are proceeding in a way that keeps interest and encourages participation when called for, and does so with craft and decorum.  

It’s not just about singing.  It is about making something beautiful.  Beauty inspires, lifts, directs.  Music for the sake of having music can be torture.  If you are going to do it, do it as well as the community can muster.  Those present deserve beauty whether it is because they are listening or they are asked to participate in which case they are part of creating that which is beautiful when giving glory to God.