Oil that Soothes

 

This weekend, our parish will celebrate the Church’s healing Sacrament, the Rite of Anointing of the Sick.  Oil is the primary symbol for the Rite of Anointing.  The oil we use is olive oil that has been prayed over by the Archbishop at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday.  Why do we use oil in this Sacrament?

The Ancient Greeks believed that the human race received the olive tree as a gift from Athena, the goddess of wisdom and strength.   It was thought to confer wisdom, power and strength.   So, atheletes were anointed with oil from the tree’s olives,  and  physicians prescribed olive oil for a variety of maladies—everything from baby’s teething to constipation and ulcers.   In Jesus’ time, olive oil was used as fuel, butter, and medicine. 

 I think of the way I use all kinds of oil every day, as lotion to heal my dry skin and protect it against the cold and dryness, as motor oil to keep my car running smoothly,  and in cooking to help nourish and strengthen me. 

The word “anoint” comes from a Latin word meaning to smear or rub.  And, in the Rite of Anointing, the priest rubs the Holy Oil on the forehead and on the hands of the sick.  We pray and believe that this anointing nourishes and strengthens the sick physically and spiritually.

O Lord, bring health and healing to all those suffering this day in mind, body, or spirit.  Amen.

Christians United

Tragedies, it seems, have a way of uniting us.  Like most of you, I’ll never forget the tragedy of 9/11.  The community of St. Thomas Aquinas gathered that night for an impromptu liturgy.  The church was packed.  At least half of those in attendance were Hispanic, the other half Anglo.  Yet, we were united in spirit and in sorrow, confusion and pain.   The recent shootings in Tucson are another example of how tragedies can unite and sometimes divide.  One woman who had just visited the makeshift shrine at the site of the shootings summed it up nicely when she said, “We’re really more alike than we think.”

This is the week that the Church asks us to pray for the Unity of Christians.   Despite our differences, all Christians  have gathered around the tragedy (and triumph) of the cross of Jesus Christ for centuries.   Though our worship takes on different expressions, we also share much in common:

• We believe in the Triune God.
• We share a common baptism.  That is, our belief about and our liturgy for baptism is simliar and so we recognize and affirm most other Christian Baptisms.

•  With many, we share a common creed.
•  With many, we share a common lectionary and so often the Scripture readings proclaimed in our church on Sundays are the same Scripture readings proclaimed in other Christian Churches.
• The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults reserves the use of the word “convert” to Catechumens (the unbaptized) who are coming from no belief to belief in Jesus.

Those baptized in other Christian faiths are considered already converted.  

• We have a whole Mass dedicated to praying for the Unity of Christians.
• We work side by side with Christians of other faith denominations in outreach efforts

with organizations like:  Habitat for Humanity, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, North Fulton Community

Charities and others.

Much has been done to foster unity in the past several decades, but much more is needed to reach the fullness of unity called for by Jesus. 

O Lord, help us to be instruments of unity, that all may be truly be one in you.  AMEN.

The Now of the Liturgical Year

 

It’s that time again, time to transfer all the special days of the year to the new year’s calendar.  Birthdays, anniversaries, even the dates of the deaths of those close to me—anything I need to remember to mark will be planted on the days of 2011.   As I fill out the new calendar, I look at  the days of 2010 to reflect back on what celebrations and activities filled the time.   Not only do last year’s markings tell me what I did, but by the activities and the relationships that I kept, they tell me who I was.

This is not unlike how the Church views its liturgical calendar.  Through its various seasons and feasts, the liturgical calendar teaches us who we are as followers of Christ.  For example, celebrating the feasts of All Saints and All Souls affirms our belief in everlasting life!

While we follow Jesus throughout the liturgical year, we do not go back in time to commemorate his biography.  We do not go back to first-century Palestine anymore than we go back to the hospital where we were born to mark our birthdays.   It is our “present” experience of Jesus that the church calls us to celebrate.   I think of the words of the Exsultet sung at the Easter Vigil:  “This is the night,” or the words of the psalm for Easter “This is the day the Lord has made.”  

For most of us, it is not easy to live in the present.  Try meditating or really focusing for a time and count how many seconds until your mind drifts to the past or the future.  The liturgical year reminds us that God is never in the past or the future, but right here, right now, today.

O Lord, help us to live in the present, forgive the past and not fear the future.  Keep our minds attuned to the present moment, ever watchful for you.  AMEN.

On Water...

 

I bet that by now most of our Christmas trees are either packed away or have been put through the chipper, our wise men have gone home to their storage boxes in the basement or the attic and our gifts have been put away or put in the re-gift corner.  But, the church continues to celebrate Christmas this weekend with the Baptism of the Lord as another sign that God in Christ has become one of us so that we might become God.

We are sprinkled with holy water at the beginning of this weekend’s liturgies to remind us of our own baptism.   The sprinkling rite causes me to think about the meaning of water.  Water is cleansing, renewing, ritualizing (bathing in the morning or evening, having a cup of tea or coffee at certain times of the day), gathering (at the beach or pool in the summer), refashioning (Grand Canyon) scattering (tsunami), death, (Hurricane Katrina), and life (we can’t live without water!).

This reflection deepens my understanding of baptism by helping me to see why water is its primary symbol.  Baptism too is cleansing (of original sin), renewing, (being called to live as a new person) ritualizing, (marking key moments in life) gathering (bringing the  baptized body of believers together), refashioning (forming us into a new creation), scattering (being Christ in our homes, workplaces and communities), death (dying with Christ to self, ego, pride), and life (living as a child of God forever).

Today then is a day of celebration and challenge.  I celebrate that I, like Jesus, am a child of God.  I too have been anointed and share in Christ’s mission of hope.  I am challenged by the promises made on my behalf at my baptism, promises to remain faithful to God’s covenant of love.

O Lord, thank you for the gift of water and the gift of my baptism.  Continue to refashion me into your own image.  AMEN

Those "Aha" Moments!

The Amen Corner – Connecting liturgy and life

by Kathy Kuczka

One of the men in my small faith group told a story not long ago.  He was at Mass and was sitting next to a young girl who was mentally challenged.

He was honest enough to admit feeling  a little uneasy and apprehensive .   When he came back from receiving communion, the child threw open her arms and invited his embrace, which he gladly affirmed.  She was his “epiphany.”  That is, God was revealed to him unexpectedly in this innocent child.

            The Magi, too experienced the presence of God in the form of a humble child.   These astrologers were pagans who were willing to take the journey, follow a star and bow before the King of Kings.

There may have been as many as 12 Magi but the number three stuck, based on the number of gifts (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh) mentioned in the Gospel.

    Gold was a usual offering presented to kings.

    Frankincense was a very costly gum distilled from a tree, which becomes very fragrant when burned.  That’s why we use it in incense.

   Myrrh is another aromatic gum which also comes from a tree.  Myrhh was used in perfumes and also served as a medicine, but had a very bitter taste.   It was often mixed with wine to drink, and was given to Jesus as he hung on the cross.  It was also used in embalming the dead

       The magi were a sign that the Gentiles would now be co-heirs with the jews of the promises of God. 

       The Solemnity of the Epiphany celebrates the reality that Christ comes for and among all people.

O Lord, open our eyes and arms wide to see and embrace you in all people.  AMEN.