Thy Will Be Done

We forget how rich in wisdom are the words of our prayers. Unfortunately, they become words we say unthinkingly. Listen to the commentary of St. Cyprian on one phrase of  The Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. This is not that God should do what he wills, but so that we may be able to do what God wills. For who could resist God in such a way as to prevent him doing what he wills? But since the devil hinders us from obeying, by thought and by deed, God’s will in all things, we pray and ask that God’s will may be done in us.

For this to happen, we need God’s good will – that is, his help and protection, since no-one is strong in and of himself but is kept safe by the grace and mercy of God.

Moreover, the Lord, showing the weakness of the humanity which he bore, said Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, and showing his disciples an example, that they should do not their own will but God’s, he went on to say nevertheless, let it not be my will, but yours.”

Corpus Christi

“I Love a Mystery” was a radio program I listened to as a young boy, long ago. It started, as all mysteries do, with something concealed. Someone, something was lost, someone was killed or was being hunted down and for the next half hour those who would solve the mystery followed various clues until the mystery was solved.

The Mass is a mystery we Christians love. A “mystery of faith,” we say, that reveals the great blessings of God’s love.  It’s a sacrament, a holy sign Jesus has given to his Church, and there are a number of ways to describe it.

One of the earliest terms describing the Mass is “the Lord’s Supper,” which refers to the supper when Jesus sat down with his disciples the night before he died and shared his life with them.  He spoke at the table that night of his love for them and then gave himself to them under the signs of bread and wine.

Whenever I go into a Catholic church or chapel I see how faithfully the church has kept Jesus’ command “Do this in memory of me.” Whether it’s St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican or a small chapel off a busy city street, there will be an altar, a table, at the center of the place. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated here in memory of him.

Readings from the Old and New Testaments will be read here, because Jesus spoke from the scriptures to his disciples. Then the priest who represents Jesus takes bread and wine, gives thanks to God for the gifts of creation and life itself, then repeats the words of Jesus, “This is my body” “This is my Blood.” Then we all receive these gifts.

We don’t just look at a picture from the past when we remember the Lord’s Supper or imagine it in our mind. It’s not enough to read about it in the bible. As Catholics we celebrate it again, by gathering together as Jesus’ own, “whom he loved till the end.” We are his people whom he calls to a table and feeds with his wisdom and life.

You may have seen one of the large Christian “mega-churches”  springing up in our country today. They’re usually large buildings to hold a big congregation gathered around a preaching platform where there’s also room for a choir and musical groups. The mega-churches stress preaching-usually by a well-known preacher- and stirring spiritual music.

But there is no altar in the mega-church, no celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Yes, the Catholic celebration of the Mass can be flawed by cold routine or lifeless participation. Those who take part in the Mass–priest and people – may not bring the lively faith or spirit of thanksgiving  that’s  “right and just” for this great act of worship. We certainly need better preaching and better efforts at celebration.

But still,  as a church we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We have been celebrating it from the time of Jesus till now, and we will continue till its signs are replaced by the reality of the Kingdom they signify.

Thomas Berry, CP, Funeral

Here are video excerpts from the funeral of Fr. Thomas Berry, CP, at Jamaica, NY. June 6,2009. The homilist was Fr. Stephen Dunn, CP , an associate of Fr. Berry. His niece, Ann Berry Somers, offered some remarks.

Thomas Berry, CP, died June 1,2009

The Passionists will remember him at a liturgy at Immaculate Conception Monastery in Jamaica, New York on Saturday, June 6, 2009. You can find information about this extraordinary priest and scholar at http://www.thepassionists.org

But here are two wonderful videos that captures his contribution as a thinker and scholar:

The Truth about Jesus

The Bible Today is a wonderful publication about various aspects of the Bible, published six times a year by Liturgical Press.  The current issue discusses the apocryphal gospels, like the Gospel of the Hebrews, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, that feature so prominently in many television programs on the History Channel and National Geographic.

These programs have their limitations, according to Bible Today’s editor, Fr. Donald Senior, CP. “In many instances the format of a television program allows only brief comments by experts. In a more leisurely setting they might add some needed nuance. And often, in the interest of stirring audience interest, the producers of such programs look for more provocative and unqualified statements rather than the carefully modulated views the complexity of biblical history requires.”

Underlying these presentations is the question why did the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and other Christian writings become accepted by the majority of Christians as the New Testament and other writings did not?

“In the view of some scholars” Fr. Senior says, “the driving force in the selection of the gospels, for example, was a combination of ecclesiastical control and imperial politics–a view presented in a popular format by Dan Brown’s novel, The DaVinci Code. The four gospels were selected because they favored the established powers, while the more creative and charismatic extracanonical materials were suppressed.”

A better explanation for the selection of our four gospels, Fr. Senior says, is “that the majority of the early Christian communities cherished the four gospels, used them in their liturgy, and circulated them widely soon after their composition–a much more compelling reason why the four ‘made the cut.’”

The articles in The Bible Today put the apocryphal writings in their place. Early Christians “had access to a wide array of gospel –type writings beyond those that were eventually recognized as canonical,” writes Christopher Matthews, an expert on the early Christianity. These writings “preserve a valuable heritage that enables scholars to understand the social and theological history of early Christianity, and  especially popular piety.” They do not shed much light on the life, teachings and significance of the Jesus of history, but “they do tell us something about those who seek to know more about such things…”

Fr. Ronald Witherup, SS, in his article on the Gospel of Judas, a recent favorite of National Geographic, writes, “What is clear from the hype that surrounded the publication of the Gospel of Judas is that some scholars have tried to use it to push their own agendas to limit the influence of the mainline Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church. Thus some have claimed that this gospel shows that diverse forms of Christianity that were (wrongly) rejected for their lack of revealed truth were just as ancient and valid as what became mainline, orthodox faith. This is fanciful thinking.”

Thanks to The Bible Today for taking on an issue that can color how we see the beginnings of the Christian faith.