Blog by-the-Sea

A Video Homily for the Feast Day of the Archangels

For today's feast day of Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels, here is a You Tube video from a homily given on last year's feast day about the distinctions among the angels.  The homily is by Fr. Ignatius Manfredia, FI.  For more homilies by Fr. Ignatius, see AirMaria.com.

The Theology of Baptism in Priestly Ordination

The Easter Triduum begins today with the Chrism Mass in each cathedral.  Asia News has an article about the Mass at the Vatican, with the Pope's Chrism Mass homily, blessing of the oils, and priests' renewal of their ordination vows.  He spoke about the theology of baptism and the role of a priest.

Full translations of that homily are available from the Vatican and from Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Here is an excerpt from the Pope's homily from Teresa Benedetta's translation:

"This theology of Baptism returns in a new way and with new insistence in priestly ordination. As in Baptism, there is an 'exchange of garments', a change of life, a new existential communion with Christ. In the priesthood, one undergoes a change: in administering the sacraments, the priest acts and speaks in persona Christi.
 
"In the sacred mysteries, the priest does not represent himself, he does not speak to express himself, he speaks for the Other - for Christ. So the Sacraments make dramatically visible what being a priest means, in general: what we expressed by our "Adsum" - I am here, I am ready - during our priestly consecration: I am here so you may dispose of me.
 
"We make ourselves available to Him who "died for everyone, so that those who live no longer live for themselves" (2 Cor 5,15). To put ourselves at the disposition of Christ means we allow ourselves to be drawn into His 'for everyone' - being with Him, we can truly be 'for everyone'."

The Eucharistic View of Foot Washing and Sacramentum Caritatis

"The sacrament of charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God's infinite love for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament makes manifest that "greater" love which led him to "lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). Jesus did indeed love them "to the end" (Jn 13:1). In those words the Evangelist introduces Christ's act of immense humility: before dying for us on the Cross, he tied a towel around himself and washed the feet of his disciples. In the same way, Jesus continues, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, to love us "to the end," even to offering us his body and his blood. What amazement must the Apostles have felt in witnessing what the Lord did and said during that Supper! What wonder must the eucharistic mystery also awaken in our own hearts!"

- Sacramentum Caritatis, Propositio 1.

One of the things that caught my attention about Sacramentum Caritatis at first glance, on the day it was released, was the mention of foot washing in the first paragraph.  Actually, between the reference to foot washing in the context of the Last Supper and the repeated references to "every man and woman", I barely got past the first two paragraphs before I set down my laptop and went on with my day.  After others have already posted commentary on the apostolic exhortation as a whole, I thought I might devote my attention to that reference to foot washing that first caught my attention.

The "every man and woman" references are the work of the English language translator.  I might otherwise have taken it as an indication that Benedict XVI intended to imply approval of washing women's feet on Holy Thursday, a still undecided issue in the Church as a whole.  But the Italian is "ogni uomo," the French is  "tout homme," the German "zu jedem Menschen."   The inclusive "man and woman" seems to be directed at translating the idea of "everyone" into the way English-speaking people speak today, emphasizing that women are included in the eucharistic life of the Church.  Because it is the translator's work, the inclusive emphasis cannot be the basis for any theological interpretations of the whole except, perhaps, an intent by the Vatican to make it clear that the role of the laity in the Eucharist includes both men and women. 

Other efforts by Pope Benedict XVI to make that point have drawn attention recently from the Catholic press, including a recent article in La-Croix about Benedict XVI's efforts to include women in Church government and to open new places for them within the Church.  What is new is his view, as a theologian, of the importance of articulating the theological principles underlying the proper role of women within the Church.  The La-Croix article cites his comments in the General Audience of February 14 as one example.  In that message, the Pope drew from references to various New Testament women in describing the role of women in the Church, concluding:

"As we can see, the praise refers to women in the course of the Church's history and was expressed on behalf of the entire Ecclesial Community. Let us also join in this appreciation, thanking the Lord because he leads his Church, generation after generation, availing himself equally of men and women who are able to make their faith and Baptism fruitful for the good of the entire Ecclesial Body and for the greater glory of God."

La-Croix also mentioned the Pope's comments in his address to the clergy of Rome on March 2, 2006, in which he squarely addressed the role of women in the Church through the centuries and the need to expand their role in Church government:

"I would dare to say, for the government of the Church, starting with women Religious, with the Sisters of the great Fathers of the Church such as St Ambrose, to the great women of the Middle Ages - St Hildegard, St Catherine of Siena, then St Teresa of Avila - and lastly, Mother Teresa. I would say that this charismatic sector is undoubtedly distinguished by the ministerial sector in the strict sense of the term, but it is a true and deep participation in the government of the Church.

"How could we imagine the government of the Church without this contribution, which sometimes becomes very visible, such as when St Hildegard criticized the Bishops or when St Bridget offered recommendations and St Catherine of Siena obtained the return of the Popes to Rome? It has always been a crucial factor without which the Church cannot survive.

"However, you rightly say: we also want to see women more visibly in the government of the Church. We can say that the issue is this: the priestly ministry of the Lord, as we know, is reserved to men, since the priestly ministry is government in the deep sense, which, in short, means it is the Sacrament [of Orders] that governs the Church.

"This is the crucial point. It is not the man who does something, but the priest governs, faithful to his mission, in the sense that it is the Sacrament, that is, through the Sacrament it is Christ himself who governs, both through the Eucharist and in the other Sacraments, and thus Christ always presides. However, it is right to ask whether in ministerial service - despite the fact that here Sacrament and charism are the two ways in which the Church fulfils herself - it might be possible to make more room, to give more offices of responsibility to women."

Although the words of "every man and woman" in Sacramentum Caritatis are those of the English translator, it remains the fact that the translation is the official Vatican translation.  The inclusive meaning of the masculine plural in other languages would not have been conveyed if the masculine plural had been used in the English.  And while other translation options could have been used that would have avoided the issue of inclusive language, such as "everyone" or "all people," it appears that the Vatican did not want to avoid the issue, but rather chose to approve the wording "every man and woman."  The language seems to make a point of it, in English, in the context of a discussion of the Eucharist, which is a sacrament and a theology equally applicable to man and woman.

Then can anything be drawn from it about the debate over whether it is right for a priest to wash the feet of both men and women on Holy Thursday?  Perhaps, or perhaps not.  It could seem so because the Eucharist is, itself, given by the clergy equally, to men and women alike.  A Eucharistic view of foot washing might thus be applicable to men and women alike.  The reason it may yet not imply that women's feet should be washed as a general rule in Holy Thursday ceremonies is that, in describing the eucharistic aspect of the ceremony, the Pope did not negate the apostolic and baptismal aspects of the ceremony but rather subordinated them to the Eucharistic element as primary.

The day Sacramentum Caritatis was released, I discussed it briefly with my priest, a man whose theological knowledge runs deep.  If foot washing is viewed as primarily apostolic in nature, it is rightly reserved for men.  If it is viewed as primarily baptismal in nature, it is rightly made available to all.  Through the history of the Church, the view on this has differed, and the matter has never been fully theologically resolved.  What is interesting in the introductory paragraph of Sacramentum Caritatis is that foot washing is discussed as primarily Eucharistic in nature.  In my discussion with my priest, we agreed that the Holy Thursday foot washing in fact encompasses all three.  It is apostolic (drawn from Jesus washing the feet of the 12 disciples), baptismal (drawn from the symbolism of water and its connection with baptism in parts of the 4th century Church), and Eucharistic (drawn from its association with the Last Supper in the Gospels and on Holy Thursday in the Church calendar), in a Catholic both-and, multifaceted way.  Whether the Pope would agree with that assessment of foot washing, I am not certain.  However, in the apostolic exhortation, he did connect the Eucharist with both Baptism and Holy Orders.

In propositio 17 of Sacramentum Caritatis, Benedict XVI he drew a close link between baptism and the Eucharist. There, he wrote of the Eucharist as "the centre and goal of all sacramental life", with Baptism and Confirmation being ordered to the Eucharist and the need for a more unitary understanding of the process of Christian initiation:

"If the Eucharist is truly the source and summit of the Church's life and mission, it follows that the process of Christian initiation must constantly be directed to the reception of this sacrament. As the Synod Fathers said, we need to ask ourselves whether in our Christian communities the close link between Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist is sufficiently recognized.  It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist. Accordingly, our pastoral practice should reflect a more unitary understanding of the process of Christian initiation. The sacrament of Baptism, by which we were conformed to Christ, incorporated in the Church and made children of God, is the portal to all the sacraments. It makes us part of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13), a priestly people. Still, it is our participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice which perfects within us the gifts given to us at Baptism. The gifts of the Spirit are given for the building up of Christ's Body (1 Cor 12) and for ever greater witness to the Gospel in the world.  The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian initiation to completion and represents the centre and goal of all sacramental life."

Propositio 23, in turn, discusses the close connection between the Eucharist and Holy Orders, including this discussion which reaffirms the necessity of an all-male priesthood, defining that importance precisely in the context of the relationship of Holy Orders to the Eucharist:

"Here, in the light of the discussion that took place during the last Synod, I consider it important to recall several important points about the relationship between the sacrament of the Eucharist and Holy Orders. First of all, we need to stress once again that the connection between Holy Orders and the Eucharist is seen most clearly at Mass, when the Bishop or priest presides in the person of Christ the Head.

"The Church teaches that priestly ordination is the indispensable condition for the valid celebration of the Eucharist.  Indeed, "in the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, High Priest of the redemptive sacrifice."  Certainly the ordained minister also acts "in the name of the whole Church, when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the eucharistic sacrifice."  As a result, priests should be conscious of the fact that in their ministry they must never put themselves or their personal opinions in first place, but Jesus Christ. Any attempt to make themselves the centre of the liturgical action contradicts their very identity as priests. The priest is above all a servant of others, and he must continually work at being a sign pointing to Christ, a docile instrument in the Lord's hands. This is seen particularly in his humility in leading the liturgical assembly, in obedience to the rite, uniting himself to it in mind and heart, and avoiding anything that might give the impression of an inordinate emphasis on his own personality. I encourage the clergy always to see their eucharistic ministry as a humble service offered to Christ and his Church. The priesthood, as Saint Augustine said, is amoris officium, it is the office of the good shepherd, who offers his life for his sheep (cf. Jn 10:14-15)."

The humility of a priest mentioned here echoes the Pope's mention of the humility of Jesus in washing the disciples' feet.  The reference to the priest's role as servant echoes the actions of Jesus in making himself the disciples' servant, and in telling them to serve each other, washing each other's feet.  In making them servants, as he was a servant, their role as Apostles could be seen.

However, last year on Holy Thursday, the Pope mentioned none of the apostolic implications about the significance of foot washing.  Instead, he emphasized the eucharistic aspect of washing feet in last year's Holy Thursday homily, with specific applications to daily life that would encompass the lives of the laity, men and women alike:

"He [Jesus] cast aside the raiment of his divine glory and put on the garb of a slave. He came down to the extreme lowliness of our fall. He kneels before us and carries out for us the service of a slave:  he washes our dirty feet so that we might be admitted to God's banquet and be made worthy to take our place at his table - something that on our own we neither could nor would ever be able to do. . . .

"God descends and becomes a slave, he washes our feet so that we may come to his table. In this, the entire mystery of Jesus Christ is expressed. In this, what redemption means becomes visible.

"The basin in which he washes us is his love, ready to face death. Only love has that purifying power which washes the grime from us and elevates us to God's heights. . . .   

"The Lord purifies us, and for this reason we dare to approach his table. Let us pray to him to give to all of us the grace of being able to one day be guests for ever at the eternal nuptial banquet. Amen!"

The references there to "our," "us," and "all of us" would include the congregation of the faithful to whom the homily was addressed, suggesting that Jesus symbolically washes the feet of all of the faithful in preparation for the Eucharist, and not merely the feet of the disciples in preparation for their role as Apostles.

In interpreting the meaning of washing each other's feet, in the same homily from last year, the Pope also drew practical implications that would apply to the laity and to both men and women:

"Let us add a final word to this inexhaustible Gospel passage:  "For I have given you an example" (Jn 13: 15); "You also ought to wash one another's feet" (Jn 13: 14). Of what does "washing one another's feet" consist? What does it actually mean?  

"This:  every good work for others - especially for the suffering and those not considered to be worth much - is a service of the washing of feet.

"The Lord calls us to do this:  to come down, learn humility and the courage of goodness, and also the readiness to accept rejection and yet to trust in goodness and persevere in it.

"But there is another, deeper dimension. The Lord removes the dirt from us with the purifying power of his goodness. Washing one another's feet means above all tirelessly forgiving one another, beginning together ever anew, however pointless it may seem. It means purifying one another by bearing with one another and by being tolerant of others; purifying one another, giving one another the sanctifying power of the Word of God and introducing one another into the Sacrament of divine love."

But does that lead to a conclusion that the Pope believes women's feet should be washed on Holy Thursday?  Not necessarily.  And of course, as a general rule, Pope Benedict XVI has favored traditional liturgical views.  To reach such a conclusion based on nothing more than this would involve too great a logical leap.

Neither last year's Holy Saturday homily nor this week's apostolic exhortation go that far.  Where there is noticeable change is in contrast with his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who spoke frequently of Holy Thursday as the institution of the priesthood as well as the institution of the Eucharist.  That emphasis appears, for example, in his letter to priests for Holy Thursday 1988 and 1999.  In celebrating foot washing as a memorial of the institution of the priesthood, it would be reasonable to limit foot washing to men because the Catholic view of the clergy views the priesthood as standing in the role of the bridegroom to the Church as bride, and as a visual image of the role of Christ in offering the Eucharist. 

That view of the priesthood is affirmed by Sacramentum Caritatis as quoted above, but without reference to foot washing and Holy Thursday.  The contrast appears in that Benedict XVI dropped the practice of sending Holy Thursday letters to priests without saying why, and in that his Holy Thursday homily from last year did not mention the institution of the priesthood.

Does the emphasis on the eucharistic role further the discussion of whether women's feet can be washed on Holy Thursday, as bishops have given permission to allow?  I think it does.

Last year, canon lawyer Dr. Ed Peters posted an article on the unsettled question of whether to wash women's feet, from a canon lawyer's perspective.  I followed Dr. Peters' article with my own post that considered the matter from a historical perspective, including the fourth century connection with the baptismal rite in certain regions, and an eighth century papal directive to allow nuns to wash each other's feet in monasteries.  I agreed with Dr. Peters that it would be good to resolve the issue.  Neither of us expressed a strong opinion on which way it should be resolved, nor did we address it from a fundamentally theological perspective as Pope Benedict has done.

The controversy that arose in 2004, when Cardinal O'Malley refused to wash women's feet in Boston, and Archbishop John Donoghue in Atlanta instructed clergy of his archdiocese that only men should be chosen, arose in part because of the English translation of the Roman Missal.  As explained at the time by  John L. Allen, Jr., the restrictions were attributed to a strict following of an instruction from Rome.  However, explained Allen:

"In fact, there is no 'instruction' from Rome, in the sense of a document that provides a clear 'yes' or 'no' as to whether women may take part.  What we have instead is the text in the Roman Missal, the official book of rituals and prayers for the Mass.  On the washing of feet, it says: 'The men who have been chosen are led by the ministers to chairs prepared in a suitable place.  Then the priest ... goes to each man.  With the help of ministers, he pours water over each one's feet and dries them.'

"The Latin term is vir, 'man,' meaning a male." . . .

"In 1988, the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued an updated instruction on the feasts of Holy Week, which referred to the participation of “chosen men” in the foot-washing ceremony. The instruction did not, however, specifically rule out women, although the Holy See was undoubtedly aware of the debate.

"Those opposed to the inclusion of women argue that because Holy Thursday marks the foundation of both the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood, there is an intrinsic connection to holy orders. (In some Catholic cultures, for example, it is customary to wish priests “happy anniversary” on Holy Thursday, reflecting this association). Involving women in the foot-washing rite, from this point of view, would be in tension with the male-only character of the priesthood. On the other hand, supporters of the practice insist that the symbolism of washing feet is primarily about Christ’s call to humble service, something not restricted by gender."

Sacramentum Caritatis, and the Pope's Holy Thursday homily from 2006 followed the view of those who see washing feet as primarily about Christ's call to humble service, not restricted by gender.  But his overall analysis does not favor either side of that argument as described by Allen.  Rather, both the apostolic element and the baptismal element are subordinated to the primary eucharistic element of the rite.

Yesterday, the Vox Clara advisers urged the quick completion of a new English translation of the Roman Missal.  I do not know whether the final form is expected to have inclusive language allowing for the washing of both men's and women's feet, as the majority of U.S. Bishops voted to favor in 1996.

Only time will tell when and whether we will see a full theological analysis of the apostolic, baptismal and eucharistic dimensions, and the resolution of the issue that Dr. Peters mentioned one year ago.  If settled in the near future, the Eucharistic view of Pope Benedict XVI will undoubtedly influence the way that final resolution is theologically articulated.

Cardinal Arinze's Paris Address on the Liturgy

The French website, Chrétienté Info, has posted a transcript of Cardinal Francis Arinze's address on the liturgy given last week in Paris.  This is the address that has attracted some attention in view of the possible expansion of the use of the Latin liturgy in an anticipated (but not yet released) Papal decision.  Here is an English translation of Cardinal Arinze's entire address taken from the Chrétienté Info corrected version of a Forum Catholique transcription.  As stated in Chrétienté Info, "This is a text to be meditated upon and printed for distribution in parishes.  This is how the Church speaks.  In service to the Mysteries of Christ":

The opening speech of the conference organized on the occasion of the Celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the "Higher Institute of Liturgy" of the "Catholic Institute of Paris":

1. Blessed Celebration. Time of Grace.

God be praised for the celebration of this fiftieth anniversary of the life and the service of "the Higher Institute of Liturgy". During these fifty years, the Institute has offered to the Church an important and significant contribution to reflection upon life and formation in the field of the Liturgy.  We pray that the Lord Jesus will bless and reward all those who, in the past, or in our time, lent, or lend still, their assistance to this important section of the Catholic Institute of Paris.  The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments addresses its warmest congratulations to this Institute.

The celebration of a jubilee like this one is not only an occasion to give thanks; it also offers us an opportunity to undertake a reflection, with a view to a re-examination of trends, so that we can clearly trace the road that is best to follow, and can make resolutions for the future. We will consider several topics on the subject, for which one would think that a Higher Institute of Liturgy like this one could endeavor to render certain services.  It is important to show the way of light in various aspects which constitute the Liturgy.  For this reason, as we will see, the ars celebrandi and the homily deserve to have detailed attention given to them.  In the same way, within the framework of the ecclesiology of communion, it is important to clearly underline the roles assumed by the priest and by the diocesan Bishop.  After evoking these various points, we will be prepared to present, in conclusion, a list of the principal services which one could expect from an Institute of Liturgy.

2. To Show the Way of Light in the Liturgical Field

First of all, one of the duties of a Higher Institute of Liturgy is to be a beacon which shows a path of light in matters of the Liturgy. Assuming such a duty makes it possible, at the same time, to inform and also to form leaders, who are capable of appreciating the riches contained in the Church’s public worship, in the true value of those riches, and who, moreover, are ready to share them with others. That makes it possible to enlighten, and to make more explicit, the close link that exists between theology and liturgy, the faith of the Church and the celebration of the Mysteries of Christ, between lex credendi and lex orandi.

It is true that a Higher Institute of Liturgy must promote research.  However, above all, it should establish its work on the solid and durable foundations of the faith, Church Tradition, and the heritage present in the texts, the liturgical gestures and attitudes.  Such an Institute must thus be pleased to consider that the Holy Liturgy is a gift that we receive from Christ through the Church.  In fact, the Holy Liturgy is not a thing that one invents.  It includes, indeed, immutable elements, which come from our Savior Jesus Christ, such as the essential elements of the Sacraments, and also variable elements, which have been carefully transmitted and preserved by the Church.

Many abuses, in the field of the Liturgy, originate not in unwillingness, but in ignorance, since people generally reject “those elements whose deeper meaning is not understood and whose antiquity is not recognized” (Redemptionis Sacramentum, 9).  Thus, certain abuses have as their origin the practice of giving place to spontaneity, or to creativity, or even to a false idea of freedom, or to that error that has a name, "horizontalism", which consists in placing people at the center of the liturgical celebration instead of drawing their attention upwards, that is, toward Christ and His Mysteries.

Darkness is dissipated by virtue of the light, and not by verbal condemnations.

This is why, notably, a Higher Institute of Liturgy must concern itself with training experts in the best and authentic theological-liturgical tradition of the Church.  It thus forms them in the love of the Church and its public worship, and it teaches to them to follow the norms and directions given by  the Magisterium.  In the same way, such an Institute also envisions suitable courses for those who want to promote the continuing education of the clergy, the consecrated people and the faithful laity.  As Pope Jean-Paul II wrote to the plenary assembly of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, one month before his death: "Adequate training programs in parish communities, associations and ecclesial movements are urgently needed, so that the liturgy may become better known in the richness of its language and be lived to the full. To the extent that they can do this, communities will feel the beneficial influence of the liturgy on both their personal and community life.” (Letter of Pope John Paul II to Cardinal Arinze, March 3, 2005, n.5).

3. The Promotion of Ars Celebrandi

A solid theological-liturgical foundation, a quality formation in the area of the faith, and respect for the proper character of the Liturgy, lead to the support for that reality which has as the name "ars celebrandi"; in fact, that will be promoted not only by the celebrating priest, but also by all those who take part in the liturgical actions: first of all, the deacon, but also the servants of the altar, readers, choirmasters, and the entire assembly that takes part in the liturgical action.

The ars celebrandi is founded on a theological truth that the Vatican II Council expresses in these terms: "the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of the man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7).

An Institute of Liturgy should help each person who takes part in a liturgical celebration to appreciate this truth. That applies, first of all, to the celebrating priest or bishop.  If they are sufficiently immersed in comprehension of the liturgical celebrations that have Christ as their head, if they respect Scripture, Tradition, the historical foundations of the sacred texts and the theological riches of liturgical expressions, then all of that will have the blessed result of manifesting ars celebrandi in an admirable way.  Liturgical celebrations will manifest the splendor of the faith of the Church; they will nourish the faith of the participants; they will remove torpor and indifference from this faith; and they will send the faithful home with the burning resolution to live a truly Christian life and to spread the Word of God everywhere.  We will then be quite far from that coldness, that horizontalism, that puts humanity at the center of liturgical action, and also sometimes from this overtly egocentric mannerism that our Sunday assemblies are sometimes obliged to endure.  The Letter of Pope John Paul ll, already mentioned (N 3), just as the Synod of the Bishops of October 2005 (prop. 25) have both underlined the importance of ars celebrandi.

4. The Homily

The Vatican II Council said that "the homily, therefore, is to be highly esteemed as part of the liturgy itself" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 52).  In the homily, the bread of the Word of God is distributed to the faithful.  The Holy Scriptures are compared with realities of life in today's world.  And it is true that a good homily, prepared well, warms the hearts of the faithful who listened to it, that is, with the "fire" mentioned in the Gospel about the two disciples of Emmaüs (cf Luke 24:32).

Unfortunately, many homilies, delivered by priests or deacons, do not achieve this much desired goal. Some of them greatly resemble speeches marked by considerations of a sociological, psychological nature, or, even worse, political style.  These homilies are not sufficiently rooted in the Holy Scripture, the liturgical texts, the Tradition of the Church and a solid theology.  In certain countries, there are people who do not appreciate the fact that the homily, during the Eucharistic celebration of the Sacrifice, is a pastoral ministry reserved only to ordained ministers: the deacon, the priest and the bishop.  However, although it is true that the faithful laity can very well impart the catechesis outside of the Mass, they are not entitled to deliver the homily, for which it is necessary to receive ordination.

A Higher Institute of Liturgy can thus help to spread right convictions about the homily.  It can help to create a climate of opinion for homilies where the People of God could find a more substantial spiritual food. On this subject, it is appropriate to recall that, for many Catholics, the homily is probably the only religious and catechetical continuing education which they receive during the week (cf Letter of the Pope John Paul II, N. 4; Synod of Bishops of October 2005, m.. 19).

5. The Liturgical Role of the Priest

It is essential for a Higher Institute of Liturgy to clearly state exactly what the role of the priest is to be in the Holy Liturgy.  The Vatican II Council says, indeed, that "Animated by the spirit of Christ, this sacred synod is fully aware that the desired renewal of the whole Church depends to a great extent on the ministry of its priests." (Optatam Totius, Preamble).

The common priesthood of all baptized people and the ministerial priesthood of ordained priests come from Christ Himself.  However, if in the Church’s hierarchical constitution, we confuse those roles with each other, that always does harm.  Moreover, such a position does not further the testimony given to Christ, nor the holiness of the clergy and faithful laity.  Lastly, neither attempts to clericalize the laity, nor efforts to laicize the clergy can be bearers of divine graces.  The Council of Vatican II said that "in liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 28).  Thus, for a priest to try to share the role that he exercises as a priest in the liturgy, and which is thus strictly reserved to him, with the faithful lay people, is to display feigned humility and an unacceptable concept of democracy or fraternity.

Thus, it is not superfluous to affirm that a Higher Institute of Liturgy, like any theological faculty, must help the people to understand that the ministerial priesthood is an integral part and constituent of the Church’s structure, and that, consequently, we have an absolute need for ordained priests to celebrate Holy Mass, to absolve the faithful from their sins through the Sacrament of Penitence, and to give the Anointing of the Sick to those who need it (cf. Tc 5, 14-15).  Moreover, considering that many of the people who come to the celebrations of marriages and funerals, may receive great benefits on the spiritual level, it should be affirmed that, especially in those cases, we need priests to celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice, to deliver words marked by their spirituality in quality homilies to the people, a  certain number of whom seldom take part in the Mass, to bless them, and thus, to be a sign showing that the Church is close to them like a milestone set on their life’s path.  Moreover, and without doubt, the priest’s ministry must not be limited to performing simple liturgical duties; rather, his ministerial activities must come from his heart as a spiritual father and, consequently, his pastoral presence must constitute a spiritual food for the people.

If the role of the priest is weakened, or if it is not appreciated, a local Catholic community may sink dangerously in the idea that it is possible to imagine a community without a priest.  However, such a thought is not in conformity with the authentic design of the Church instituted by Christ.

If a diocese does not provide a sufficient number priests, initiatives should be taken to draw them from other places, to encourage local ministerial vocations, and to keep alive among the people this authentic "hunger" to have priests in their service (cf. John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 32; “When, due to the scarcity of priests, non-ordained members of the faithful are entrusted with a share in the pastoral care of a parish, they should bear in mind that – as the Second Vatican Council teaches – ‘no Christian community can be built up unless it has its basis and centre in the celebration of the most Holy Eucharist’.  They have a responsibility, therefore, to keep alive in the community a genuine “hunger” for the Eucharist.”  And they should resist the temptation that lies in trying to persuade the faithful that they must be accustomed to regard them as substitutes for priests (cf op cit., 33).  There is no place in the Catholic Church for the creation of a kind of parallel “clericalized laity” (cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum,149-153, 165)

On their part, priests should show explicitly that they are happy in their vocation, which goes hand in hand with a very clear consciousness of their identity within the framework of their liturgical functions.  If priests celebrate the Sacred Mysteries with faith and devotion, and in accordance with the approved books, their testimony will then constitute a true sermon in favor of vocations to  the priesthood.  On the other hand, young people will not want to join to a group of clergy who seem doubtful of their mission, who criticize their Church and disobey it, and who celebrate their proper "liturgies" in conformity with their personal choices and their theories.

In conclusion, a Higher Institute of Liturgy and a faculty of theology are precious instruments through which the Church provides for a diffusion of a correct theology of the priesthood, as well as instruments of Christ in the Holy Liturgy.

6. The Role of the Bishop

It is obvious that the Ecclesial communion must mean communio with diocesan bishop and between the Bishops and the Pope.  In the diocese, the Bishop is the first distributor of the Mysteries of Christ.  He is the regulator, the promoter and the guard of the entire liturgical life of the diocesan Church (cf Christus Dominus, 15; CIC, can. 387; Redemptionis Sacramentum, 19).  The Bishop directs the administration of the sacraments, in particular that of the Holy Eucharist.  When he concelebrates in his cathedral in the company of his priests, with the assistance of deacons and ministers of lower rank, and with the participation of the holy People of God, one is then in the presence of "the pre-eminent manifestation of the Church" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41).

Catholic theological faculties, liturgical institutes and pastoral centers have a vocation to help the Bishop, in his role as Shepherd of the diocese.  They also cooperate in a suitable way with the Conference of Bishops and the Apostolic See, and they help to explain and distribute documents and instructions released by those various authorities.  They constitute obviously valuable advisers for the diocesan Bishop, the Conferences of Bishops and the Holy See.  Because of their capabilities, they help the people to understand that Holy Liturgy is not a domain where free exploration reigns, but that it is really the official and public prayer of the Church for which the Pope and Bishops are first in responsibility.  A Catholic institute or a faculty of theology understands that it is not appropriate to assume a path parallel with that of the Bishop or the Holy See, or even to consider itself to be an independent or critical observer.

On this subject, we must thank the "Higher Institute for Liturgy" for the positive role that it has played for half a century in the Church, for the promotion of Holy Liturgy and the Ecclesial communion.  These remarks lead us to the conclusion, which will comprise a list of some of the services that one could expect from a Higher Institute of Liturgy.

7. The Several Services Expected from a Higher Institute of Liturgy

From what has been just said, one can conclude that a Higher Institute of Liturgy should be a house where light and love reign.  It should, then, prepare experts ready to inform and to give, themselves, a formation in liturgical matters.  Consequently, it is their task to stir up among the people the faith and love of the Church, so that they can appreciate that " these [liturgical] norms are a concrete expression of the authentically ecclesial nature of the Eucharist; this is their deepest meaning. Liturgy is never anyone's private property, be it of the celebrant or of the community in which the mysteries are celebrated." (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 52).

That means that institutes of liturgical studies should place at the disposal of the faithful the necessary means so that they will be able to reject vulgarization, desacralization and secularization.

The horizontalism, which leads people to celebrate themselves instead of celebrating the Mysteries of Christ, has harmful consequences for Catholic faith and the worship, and this is why it absolutely must be avoided.

The liturgical institutes should also help the people to better appreciate the existing link between the Eucharistic celebration of the Sacrifice, on the one hand, and the respect and adoration of the Holy Eucharist outside of the Mass, on the other, by supporting such practices as the visitation of the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharistic Blessing, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic Processions or Congresses (cf Redemptionis Sacramentum, nn. 129-145).

An Institute such as yours exerts a great influence, because of the inclination and spirit of those who study here, its publications, and also because of its moral authority when it transmits its ideas and its reflections to liturgical centers and diocesan pastoral centers, as well as to publishing companies.  This influence extends beyond France, and has reached the villages of Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

A Higher Institute of Liturgy must constitute an effective help for the Bishop, the Conference of Bishops and the Holy See, in connection with the formulation of directives in liturgical matters, and the articulation of the theology that underlies liturgical rites. Since "the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows." (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10), no one can fail to consider the importance of the apostolate of an institute of liturgical studies.

Dear "Institut Supérieur de Liturgie", I give you all my best wishes on the occasion of your fifty year anniversary!  By the intercession of the Very Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord, whose mysteries we celebrate in the liturgy, may this institute and all those which, like it, are spread throughout the whole world, grow in effectiveness and in its love for the Church, in the achievement of her high vocation and her noble mission.

Cardinal Francis Arinze

October 26, 2006

Updated Jan. 20, 2007: Zenit now also has an English translation of this address.

Balthasar: Jesus Is Catholic

Ignatius Press has posted an excerpt from Hans Urs von Balthasar's book In the Fullness of Faith: On the Centrality of the Distinctively Catholic, with the article title "Jesus is Catholic."   Here's a taste:

"So, in the distinction between Father and Son, we discern simultaneously the unity of the divine essence, and, within it, the possibility of uniting those qualities that seem to us irreconcilable. The famous Catholic "and"--Scripture "and" Tradition, etc.--which is the object of Protestant criticism, has its true origin here, and here alone."

Retrospective on München: The Homily at Islinger Feld

This is the third in a series of posts about Pope Benedict XVI’s homilies and other addresses during his journey to Bavaria.  This post considers his homily at the Mass at Islinger Feld in Regensburg, given the morning before his address at the university that has drawn much attention since that journey.

"Those who believe are never alone."  Those were the first words of the homily.  Shortly before the journey, it was anticipated that the motto of the trip and the phrase to be remembered from that journey would be these words.  Those words have been nearly forgotten in the aftermath.  And yet it should be remembered that, at the time when the Holy Father gave his address at the university, later that day, it was thought that the most memorable thing he was going to say in Bavaria was “Those who believe are never alone.”

The same phrase is one he had used in his homily for the Inaugural Mass on April 24, 2005:

"How alone we all felt after the passing of John Paul II – the Pope who for over twenty-six years had been our shepherd and guide on our journey through life! He crossed the threshold of the next life, entering into the mystery of God. But he did not take this step alone. Those who believe are never alone – neither in life nor in death. At that moment, we could call upon the Saints from every age – his friends, his brothers and sisters in the faith – knowing that they would form a living procession to accompany him into the next world, into the glory of God."

Indeed, in that Inaugural Mass homily, he spoke most personally of what it meant to be alone, taking on the burden of the papacy, and yet never alone, accompanied by the prayers of the Communion of the Saints, including the prayers of the living Church:

"And now, at this moment, weak servant of God that I am, I must assume this enormous task, which truly exceeds all human capacity. How can I do this? How will I be able to do it? All of you, my dear friends, have just invoked the entire host of Saints, represented by some of the great names in the history of God’s dealings with mankind. In this way, I too can say with renewed conviction: I am not alone. I do not have to carry alone what in truth I could never carry alone. All the Saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me and to carry me. And your prayers, my dear friends, your indulgence, your love, your faith and your hope accompany me. Indeed, the communion of Saints consists not only of the great men and women who went before us and whose names we know. All of us belong to the communion of Saints, we who have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we who draw life from the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood, through which he transforms us and makes us like himself. Yes, the Church is alive – this is the wonderful experience of these days. During those sad days of the Pope’s illness and death, it became wonderfully evident to us that the Church is alive. And the Church is young. She holds within herself the future of the world and therefore shows each of us the way towards the future."

He spoke of how apparent it became, during the last days of John Paul II's papacy, that the Church is alive and young, and that She shows us the way towards the future.

In his sometimes nostalgic, sometimes forward looking journey home to Bavaria, he returned to the theme of the inaugural of his papacy, and asked:

“We are gathered for a celebration of faith. But the question immediately arises: What do we actually believe?  What does it mean to have faith?  Is it still something possible in the modern world?”

Here was the issue for the week: Those who believe are never alone . . .  but what do we believe in the modern world?  And the world he was addressing was the increasingly secular world of modern Europe, looking at its present and at the course of its future direction.

Here, too, he raised the issue of the Middle Ages, but not with a desire to return to the Church of the Crusades.  Rather, he said:

“When we look at the great Summae of theology compiled in the Middle Ages, or we think of the number of books written each day for or against faith, we might lose heart and think that it is all too complicated.  In the end, we can no longer see the forest for the trees.”

The passing reference to the Summae of the Middle Ages entails a reference to reason as understood by St. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century, and indeed to St. Thomas’ understanding of the interaction of faith and reason.  Much more has been written about that aspect of St. Thomas' writing in an earlier post on this blog with quotes and commentary on the Summae's analysis of reason and divine revelation.

Instead of the complexity of St. Thomas, Benedict pointed to the Apostle’s Creed, a simple statement of what we believe that dates back to the early centuries of the Church. 

About the Apostle’s Creed, he made two basic points:

1. Faith is simple:  “We believe in a God who enters into a relationship with us human beings, who is our origin and our future. Consequently, faith is, always and inseparably, hope: the certainty that we have a future and will not end up as nothing. And faith is love, since God's love is "contagious". This is the first thing: we simply believe in God, and this brings with it hope and love.”

2. Faith is a relationship: “A second thing also becomes clear: the Creed is not a collection of propositions; it is not a theory. It is anchored in the event of Baptism - a genuine encounter between God and man. In the mystery of Baptism, God stoops to meet us; he comes close to us and in turn brings us closer to one another.  Baptism means that Jesus Christ adopts us as his brothers and sisters, welcoming us as sons and daughters into God's family.”

The reference to baptism also reprized the theme of his inaugural Mass, in which he said, in April 2005:

"All of us belong to the communion of Saints, we who have been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we who draw life from the gift of Christ’s Body and Blood, through which he transforms us and makes us like himself."

In a week remembered much for a statement that came across to some people as prejudiced, this homily actually expressed a great ecumenical openness, a statement of the simplicity of faith and a statement of faith as rooted in baptism.  This echoed his reference in the inaugural homily to the communion of the Saints as including all baptized in the Trinity, thus extending well beyond the bounds of people who are in full communion with the Catholic Church.  In the inaugural homily, this implication was made more clear by another statement he made, specifically referencing baptized Christians who are not in full communion with the Catholic Church and also reaching out to acknowledge those who are not Christians:

"With great affection I also greet all those who have been reborn in the sacrament of Baptism but are not yet in full communion with us; and you, my brothers and sisters of the Jewish people, to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual heritage, one rooted in God’s irrevocable promises. Finally, like a wave gathering force, my thoughts go out to all men and women of today, to believers and non-believers alike."

Perhaps the inclusiveness of these words would be most remembered from Bavaria, if not for a distraction.  The Pope then returned to the issue of the present day: secular reason that has separated itself from faith, dating back to the efforts of the Enlightenment to separate faith from reason and to support only reason separated and apart from faith:

“As Christians, we say: 'I believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth.'  I believe in the Creator Spirit.  We believe that at the beginning of everything is the eternal Word, with Reason and not Unreason.” 

It was in this homily that he clearly introduced a new theme of God as Logos -- the Greek for "Word" in John 1:1 ( and of reason as part of the nature of God, just as God is love and love is part of the nature of God.  The Logos of John 1:1 enters into the Christian understanding of reason, : “In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God.”  It is a concept of Hellenistic reason interwoven with the Hebrew concept of creation and with the Trinitarian concept of Christ as God and as the Logos, the Word of God.  And this concept of reason as a Person, as Christ, involved in creation, is the reason that is contrasted with the secular reason of the Enlightenment and of the present day.

Continuing, the Holy Father linked this God of Reason, of Logos, with God who is Love:

“The second section of the Creed tells us more.  This creative Reason is Goodness, it is Love.  It has a face.  God does not leave us groping in the dark.  He has shown himself to us as a man.  In his greatness he has let himself become small.  "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father", Jesus says (Jn 14:9).” 

Reason and Love are thus seen as one, and that One is the God of the Trinity, as Christ is both Love and Logos.

In that context, he also mentioned the "hatred and fanaticism" that denies that God, by nature, is love and is reason.  Without specifically mentioning Islamic terrorism, he did specifically contrast hatred and fanaticism with the understanding of God's nature as love and logos:

“Today, when we have learned to recognize the pathologies and the life-threatening diseases associated with religion and reason, and the ways that God's image can be destroyed by hatred and fanaticism, it is important to state clearly the God in whom we believe, and to proclaim confidently that this God has a human face." 

He then turned again to the subject of modern secularism, seeing its source as a fear of God, and offering as a remedy for that fear an understanding of God as a God of love, reason and joy:

"Only this can free us from being afraid of God - which is ultimately at the root of modern atheism. Only this God saves us from being afraid of the world and from anxiety before the emptiness of life. Only by looking to Jesus Christ does our joy in God come to fulfilment and become redeemed joy.  During this solemn Eucharistic celebration, let us look to the Lord lifted up before us on the Cross and ask him to give us the immense joy which, at the hour of his farewell, he promised to the disciples (cf. Jn 16:24)!”

In Deus Caritas Est, the Holy Father wrote primarily on one aspect of God's nature: God is love.  In Bavaria, he spoke more extensively on another aspect of God's nature: God is Logos.  He did not demand such faith, in a form rejecting of those who might disagree.  Rather, he offered that faith as a means of overcoming fear, overcoming emptiness of life, overcoming political and social violence, and finding joy.  This was not a message of prejudice, but one of openness.

In considering the connection of faith and reason in his lecture at the University of Regensburg later the same day, the Holy Father was carrying further the thoughts he had introduced earlier in Bavaria, including the ideas expressed in the homily that morning at Islinger Feld. 

Yet, concluding the homily at Islinger Feld, we might remember again that his introduction to the homily echoed his inaugural homily.  For the conclusion of the homily at Islinger Feld could be seen as an affirmation the he, as pope, intended not to be silent in the face of injustice.  His speaking out for peace a few weeks earlier, during the war in Lebanon, had drawn criticism from those who supported the Israeli intention to continue the war while Benedict XVI called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and yet his speaking for peace also opposed violence by Islamic militants such as Hezbollah.  The time a few weeks before his trip to Bavaria had been a time when he had spoken out more on global political issues of immediate importance in a way that had drawn controversy, and yet his message was consistently a message of peace and a message of justice for people on all sides of that conflict.  That intent to speak out on issues of injustice could be seen as a look back at the role he took on in the papacy, as he also encouraged those listening to not let fear make them become silent accomplices to the world's injustice:

“In the face of injustice we must not remain indifferent and thus end up as silent collaborators or outright accomplices. We need to recognize our mission in history and to strive to carry it out. What is needed is not fear, but responsibility - responsibility and concern for our own salvation, and for the salvation of the whole world.”

Cardinal Barbarin's Homily for the Funeral Mass of Father Marie-Dominique Philippe

Here is an English translation of the homily given by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin at the funeral mass of Father Marie-Dominique Philippe on September 2, 2006:

CARDINAL BARBARIN’S FUNERAL HOMILY FOR FATHER PHILIPPE
SEPTEMBER 2, 2006 AT THE PRIMATIAL CHURCH OF SAINT-JEAN IN LYON

The readings of the funeral mass for Father Philippe were the following:

First reading: Rev. 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Psalm 115
Second reading: I John 1:1-4
Gospel: John 17:6, 14-23

“Yes, I am coming, and will not delay.  I am coming soon.”

That word of the Lord, we heard it two times, in the passage from the book of Revelation, which was our first reading.  It resonates within us in a strange manner on this day on which we entrust to God the life of a man whom the Lord has just called to Himself, just short of his 94th birthday.  Since mid-July, this preaching friar who had spoken and taught so much, was silent, he had entered into silence!

“Yes, I come without delay.”  I receive that sentence much as the Lord’s answer to the questions that Father Marie-Dominique Philippe asked Him all through his life, as a child, as a religious, as a professor, and as a founder.  A disciple with a burning heart and intrepid intelligence, he questioned his Master about everything: the world, people, mission . . . He was a seeker, who wanted to understand, to receive the understanding of things and people.  Yet Jesus’ answer is never a reflection or an analysis; it is His own self who approaches and who gives Himself: “Yes, I come without delay!”

From his youth, Father Marie-Dominique learned from his Dominican uncle, Father Dehau, to consider the book of the Apocalypse as a fountain of hope, a comfort, a support in times of testing.  He who “will come to judge the living and the dead” approaches us each day.  By the Word of Life and by the sacraments that the Lord left us, eternity comes to pass nearby each one of our days.

*

Father Marie-Dominique Philippe was the man of the Source [The French word "source" means both "source" and "spring", as in a spring of running water.].  Contemplating Jesus on the cross, he saw in that love that went on to the end, to the extreme, the summit of all wisdom.  He wanted unceasingly to go up to that Source, and he invited us, us his students and you his brothers and sisters, to not “go with the flow,” to never leave the demanding and joyful path that goes up.  Men, in the beauty of their existence created in the image of God, in the nobility of their intelligence, the Lord’s disciples will only be truly refreshed with living and vivifying water.

For him, the water of the Spring had a name: truth.  Veritas, a word that Jesus chose to define Himself: “I am the truth.” (John 14:6)

Truth, which is the Dominican family’s currency.  Truth, a supreme good, which holds an essential place in the prayer of Jesus, as we just heard: “Consecrate them in the truth.  Your word is truth.”  (John 17:17)  Between man who seeks with sorrow and God who gives Himself generously, the meeting point is the sanctuary where we meet to prostrate ourselves and to enter into worship.  That is the interior attitude to which the first commandment invites us: “Word of life”: “You will worship”  There, all the charity of God is communicated to us.

Worship and charity, for Father Philippe, are without doubt two of the most precious words of the spiritual life.  Charity is like a river of kindness which comes from God and goes down onto men.  That vision made Jesus thrill with joy, through the working of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21).  It is living in the present, remaining available in a concrete way, in relationship with those near to us.  It begins with the splendid experiment of friendship, a subject so dear to Father Philippe’s heart.  Friendship, for him, was “the pearl of the human heart.”  God knows if he was himself admirable and faithful in his friendships, even in difficult circumstances.

Life did not spare him, and he knew suffering.  With a very fine humanity, a sharp sensitivity, he knew how to live those moments that, most often, dumbfound us completely.  With courage, with nobility of heart, he set out again, despite testings, in search of a truth that one can find only by charity.  He looked at the world, he listened to people, he loved all he knew, with a particular affection for the young!  He even said that he had the impression of understanding them better at the age of 90 than at 50.  Youth, “I see in it,” he said, “a great desire for light and truth, like a new enthusiasm.”  The young were for him a source of inner joy.

*

Father Philippe was truly indwelled by hope in his search for truth.  He was convinced that one can always go deeper, to the origin of the philosophical question.  Philosophy, for him, begins with the observation of the world that provokes astonishment and leads to amazement.  Like a child, the philosopher poses his questions and must never fear to go to the essential.  One could say that his philosophy is ambitious.  He does not intend to stop with commentary on texts, with analysis or with description of situations.  Ardently, he seeks truth.  Metaphysics is for him neither a luxury, nor a superior science.  And he is happy to see that “a poor country woman,” as he said, Marthe Robin, encouraged him to continue this difficult work, rather than to go to preach retreats in monasteries.  The Church needs it.  With a great interior energy – that is the thumos of truth – he continues his search and asks still and always.

For him, philosophy is a via inventionis, a road of discovery.  One goes out, one seeks, one hesitates, then one perceives the order of things, relations are established, and it is a wonder to share with others what one has discovered.  Such is the joy of one who teaches philosophy.  All that, of course, closes nothing, stops neither with a circle of friends nor with a school.  Father Philippe surprised by the diversity of his contacts: he maintained fruitful relationships with intellectuals from diverse disciplines and philosophies very different from his own.  He spoke often of his meetings with artists, for whom he had a real admiration and perhaps a wisp of envy.

How beautiful is intelligence open to a variety of cultures, expanded by the observation of the world and the broad love of all those whom He has given to us to be near!  It is ready to welcome the revelation, with a real breadth.  In theology, St. Thomas was very quickly given as master to Father Philippe, by Father Dehau and by the Dominican order.  Theological work is a rational path in which all of spiritual life is engaged.  It is a mysterious adventure, for the revelation is a love that gives itself and leads us in its vigor.  In reading what Father Philippe wrote of the “three wisdoms”, I have often thought that the last two, theology and mysticism, are so dependent that they merge.  For him, surely, as for the great cantors “practiced in divine music” who have carried the Christian message to us since Antiquity, “theology is written on the knees.”  That is the Apostle John who tradition calls “o theologos”, the theologian.  And, in fact, when Father Philippe gave conferences or courses, his audience perceived a grace which invited them to enter into prayer.

*

The texts that we have heard in the liturgy of the Word are all clearly Johanine: Saint John, whom he loved, and who Saint Thomas taught him to love more.  St. John, whom he gives as a model for his proximity to the Lord.  St. John, who can do so much, according to him, to clarify the Church’s present and future.  “In the renewal of the Church,” he said, “it is necessary that there should be that perspicacity of intelligence, that purity of heart, and that youth which, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, characterize the holiness of St. John.”  But if I stopped there, I would have the impression of having said nothing yet.

For Father Marie-Dominique Philippe was first of all a priest.  His ministry and all his life are situated by the Cross of Jesus.  It was enough to see him celebrate Mass to understand that the Eucharist was not for him a treatise of theology, but first of all a mystical adventure that leads to the source of salvation.  Entirely given to his mission, he was always accessible to those who addressed themselves to him, patient to listen to them.  In his attention to their regard, his proximity with the mystery of the Cross and his intimacy with Mary showed through.  He wanted to invite them into the love of communion that united Mary and John, the image of the incipient Church, at Golgotha.  His compassion was for him the source of an immense hope, sometimes excessive.  He was convinced that, whatever his misery, a man is awaited by God’s mercy.  From any wound, he could be cured, be raised, reappear.  Sometimes this fatherly heart trusted, trust too much, beings so fragile that he should have had more closely accompanied, and perhaps tested more, brothers to whom he should have listened more, for a fairer discernment.  If he searched for all paths to healing, it was especially with the intention that the testimony of the Father’s love be close to each one.

This mystery of compassion finds, for him, an exceptional model in the presence and silence of Mary at the foot of the Cross.  It is the moment when Jesus trusts his mother to the care of the beloved disciple: “Woman, behold your son. . . behold your mother.”  (John 19:26-27)  Several among you would have liked, I was told, for this passage of St. John to be read, as it is foundational for your community and in the whole life of the Church.  Finally, you chose to contemplate the sacerdotal prayer, the Lord’s long and precious message, on the vigil of His passion.  That prayer helps us to understand the depths of the mystery of compassion.  When we understand the words by which Jesus evokes his union with the Father, “That they may be one, as you, Father, you are in me, and I in you (17:21), we understand what the unity can be that He proposes that we live with each other, in our communities, in the Church or in the family.  The source is in the Trinitarian communion, and the first example of it is offered to us by Mary, the All Holy, and John, the beloved disciple, at the foot of the Cross.

In the history of the Church, Father Marie-Dominique rightly loved those in whom he recognized that mystery of compassion.  You know their names:  St. Dominic, who often exclaimed: “My mercy, what are sinners going to become?”  St. Catherine of Siena, John of the Cross, “my old friends,” as he called them.  Of St. Thérèse and her “little way,” he said: “She touches what is deepest.”  Then, we must mention Marthe Robin, who lived the Passion of the Lord each week and who mattered so much to him, St. Faustina, and Mother Teresa very indwelled by the cry of Jesus on the Cross: “I am thirsty!”  But always, and first of all, St. John and the very holy Virgin Mary.

One among you told me, “Never have I heard anyone speak of Mary like Father Marie-Dominique Philippe.”  For him, in the company of this Mother, one grows in the spiritual life, which is to say that one becomes little again, until being only a little one like the Beloved Son nestled at his Mother’s breast, “the fruit of her womb.”  Mary invites us too to learn the path of the Source, the Source of a love that Jesus alone knew and that, by the Incarnation, he came to reveal to us:  “No one has ever seen God: the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father, it is He who has revealed Him.” (John 1:18).  For him, it was more important to form his students’ spirit and heart in this mystery of the compassion than to write books for them.  He especially loved to communicate to them the thirst to receive God’s gifts directly.

I would like to address myself most especially to you, the sisters and brothers of the “St. John family.”  On April 8, 2001, some bishops were brought together with the bishop of Autun to tell Father Philippe of the French Church’s recognition, and to listen to him reflect on its charism and its foundations.  He had come with some brothers, chosen from his close collaborators.  He explained to us his profound attachment to the successor of Peter and spoke to us of the exchanges that he had had with the Holy Father.  One day, he told us he had received from him a clear message: “Tell your brothers that the true founder of the Congregation of St. John is St. Dominic.”  His bull of canonization, he explained to us, presents St. Dominic not as a monk or an apostle, but as a vir evangelicus.  In that, he follows Christ.  It is not a question of knowing if he is contemplative or active, since Christ was both at the same time:  a being turned toward the Father and entirely given to his brothers.  “Vir evangelicus, there it is for us, in the Congregation of St. John, the essential expression.”  That sheds an additional light on Marthe Robin’s view of Fr. Philippe: “He is a man who profoundly saw the Gospel.”  And, so that the word vir does not imply any isolation (!), he added: “A little contemplative who gives himself totally to God . . . putting all his confidence and his hope in Mary, is there anything more beautiful?

Father Philippe thus leaves you the figure of St. John as a treasure.  One could say that he went up from St. Dominic to St. John to touch the Lord more closely.  He wishes the renewal of your theological life by the perspicacity of intelligence, to serve faith, by the purity of heart, to serve charity, and with the vigor of youth, to serve hope.

*

I would like to close with some words of St. John himself.  Which ones to draw from the readings of this Mass?  There are those that join our prayer with that of the Church: “The Spirit and the Bride say: “Come!” (. . .)  Let the one who thirsts come forward”  (Rev. 22:17), and those that invite us to mission: “That which we have contemplated (. . .) we testify to it.  We announce to you that eternal life.”  (I John 1:1-2).  “Bring to others the fruit of our contemplation,” here is what the apostolate is, according to St. Thomas.  While the deacon proclaimed the Gospel, did you not have, as I did, the impression that those words came to us at the same time from Jesus and from Fr. Philippe?  They evoked the work of your founder among you and his view of your future: “I have made your name known to them . . . I do not ask you to take them out of the world . . . Consecrate them in truth.”  The prayer of Fr. Marie-Dominique is based on that of the Lord for all of his disciples: “That they may be one.”  It also includes the vast range of all those who will be touched by your apostolate or who populate your prayer.  “I do not pray only for those who are here, but also for those who will hear their word and will believe in me.”  (v. 20)

May the power of that prayer be a great comfort for you in the accomplishment of your vocation and of your mission.  As Pope John Paul II invited us in entering into the new millennium: “Let us go forth in hope, with the support of Christ, with love for men.”  Duc in Altum!

"Intelligent Project" Page on Ignatius Insight

Ignatius Press has set up a page titled Intelligent Project with a collection of articles related to the topic of Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming meeting with a group of his former doctoral students.  This  year's topic will be creation and evolution.  Ignatius Press President Mark Buckley, in a blog post on Insight Scoop, has said that he hopes to update the page "so that readers will have, if not a one-stop-shopping place to go, at least a reasonably well-stocked one."

Carmelite Father Millan on Forgiveness and Judaism

Carmelite Father Fernando Millan Romeral, a professor at the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid, was interviewed by ZENIT, as reported in an article published today.  The subject of the interview was a comparison of Christian and Jewish ideas of forgiveness.  An excerpt:

"What has perhaps happened, at least in certain milieus, is that by preaching a merciful God, which could not be otherwise, we have forgotten that forgiveness means a "return" to God, a conversion -- that God does not rain down forgiveness and does not distribute it indiscriminately."

The Solemn Mass of Saints Peter and Paul

Pope Benedict XVI's homily from today's Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is discussed in this Asia News article.   Both the homily and the Angelus focused on the primacy of St. Peter and the three Gospel passages that draw attention to him, emphasizing St. Peter's role of service rather than the more divisive issue of his power. 

A transcript of the homily in English is available from Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum (scroll down below several earlier homilies).  Sandro Magister has the complete text at Chiesa: Espresso on Line, and here is the Vatican translation.  ZENIT also posted the full text of the Holy See's translation here.
 

A portion of Teresa Benedetta's translation about St. Peter and the ship of the Church is this:

"Ever anew, the small boat of the Church is assailed by the winds of ideology, taking in so much water that it seems doomed to sink.

"Nevertheless, it is precisely in the suffering Church that Christ is victorious. Notwithstanding everything, faith in Him is always renewed and reinforced. Even today the Lord commands the waters and shows Himself Lord of the elements. He remains in the boat that is the Church.

"Thus even the ministry of Peter shows not only the weakness of that which is purely human but also the power of God. The Lord manifests His power precisely in the weakness of men, demonstrating that it is He himself who is constructing His Church made up of men with all their weaknesses."

The Angelus message is here from Teresa Benedetta at Papa Ratzinger Forum (again scroll down).  ZENIT Angelus address translation here.

Pictures: St. Peter, stained glass window by Franz Mayer & Co. in Saint Joseph’s University Collection (formerly in St. Elizabeth's Church, 1872-1993) and St. Paul, stained glass window made in 1949 from Rambusch Decorating Co., principal artist Joep Nicolas in St. Joseph University's Stained-Glass Collection (formerly in Resurrection of Our Lord Church, Chester, 1911-1993), from the book Stained Glass in Catholic Philadelphia, ed. Jean Farnsworth, Carmen R. Croce and Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S.,book available for order online from St. Joseph University.