3/11/14 Happy are the poor in spirit.

The Solemnity of All Saints

The focus of the liturgy this week is life after death.  This is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of our faith.  We teach that life does not end on physical death but we have limited comprehension of what will happen.   I hope that this week's a little liturgy will prompt some fruitful discussions.  



Summary of the Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14

John tells us about a vision he saw where the servants of God received a seal on their head so that they would be saved from the devastation to come.  He says 144,000 people received the seal.  Then he saw a great number of people from every nation standing in front of God and praising him.  They were dressed in white robes and held palm branches.  He also saw angels prostrating themselves (bowing down) in front of the throne of God and elders and "the four animals".   One of the elders said to him that the people in white robes were those who "have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb."

Psalm
Ps 23:1-6. R. Cf.v.6
Response: Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.  
(The Lord's is the earth and its fulness)

Second Reading
1John 3:1-3
St John tells us that God must love us very much as he allows us to be called God's children.  He says that our journey is not over but when it is we shall be like God.  So for now we must try hard to be like Christ.

Gospel Acclamation
Mt 11:28
Come to me, all of you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Gospel
Matthew 5:1-12

Because there was a big crowd, Jesus went up a hill to teach them.  He says that people who are poor and disadvantaged either in physical ways on in spiritual ways will be blessed by God and receive their reward in heaven.
Some of the people he mentions are:
people who stand up for what is right
people who are mourning
people who show mercy to others.

Discussion

This week the focus of the readings is on what will happen to us after this life.  The writer of the Book of the Apocalypse (John) gives us a physical description of what he saw in a vision.  It is a fairly traditional picture of what heaven might be like.  Some of the elements present are familiar to us from Christian and Jewish tradition. e.g. people being marked to be saved, dressing in white robes and bowing down and waving palms.  It is important to consider what lies behind these images.  The main emphasis is on the praise of God by a great crowd.  (note the white garments - think back to the wedding guest who did not have the appropriate garment - also the white symbolism associated with Baptism)

In the second reading, St John is much more vague.  He says that when God chooses to reveal things to us "we shall see him as he really is".

As Christians, we believe that we enter a new life with God after death but it is very hard for our human minds to imagine what this might be like.  Jesus spoke of "My Father's House".  One way to try to understand what it might be like is to learn more about the Father by reading and thinking about scripture.  We could also focus on what the next life with God might feel like rather than on what it might look like.  

The Gospel is one of the most famous passages in Christian teaching.  It shows Jesus reassuring those who suffer that they will have a reward in heaven.  It is the basis of many of the Christian ideas that we believe today.  This passage is often called "The Sermon on the Mount" and parts of it are sometimes called "The Beatitudes".

Activity during Mass

Listen for the phrases listed below at Mass today.  They either mention Angels and Saints or refer to life after death.  Tick them off when you hear them.  

1)  In the Confiteor (I confess...)
"blessed Mary ever Virgin, all the Angels and Saints and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God".

2)  In the Creed 
"I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come"

3)  In today's preface (the part of the Mass that comes after the priest says "Lift up your hearts...") 

"the great array of our brothers and sisters already gives you eternal praise"

and

"the glory bestowed upon those exalted members of the Church".

4)  Before the Sanctus (Holy, Holy)
"and so we glorify you with the multitude of Saints and Angels"

List any names of particular saints that you hear in the liturgy:

You could also make a list of the types of qualities you think a saint should have.  You might start with:

patience
humility
happiness




Other activities and useful resources

Use the clip below to bring today's Gospel to life.  Consider what Jesus' words mean to us in our everyday life.  

film of the Beatitudes on Youtube (includes image of man being whipped)

Look at the text of Eucharistic Prayer I in a missal.  Read through the list of saints near the start.  Pick two that you are not familiar with and research them.  

This week's feast is also know by its Old English name of "All Hallows".  Note that we use this word in the Our Father.  It is also used today when we speak of Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) - the eve of All Saints.  

Below is a sensible discussion of popular culture regarding Halloween - particularly last two paragraphs:

discussion of Christian approach to Halloween

Last Week's Question:

My Muslim friends pray several times a day at set times.   Why don't Christians do the same?  

Some Christians do follow set times for their prayers and many stick to the habit of praying in the morning and at night.  Early Christian practices would have been closely linked to Jewish ways of praying and through the ages new traditions developed.  Early religious orders had set patterns for their prayers: some monks, nuns and priests still follow these patterns and many lay people also pray in this way.  You may hear of evening prayer (vespers) or morning prayer (lauds) at your church.  This way of praying is known as praying "the Office" and the printed book for this is known as the breviary.  

The usual names for these prayers at different times of the day are:

matins, lauds, sext, vespers, compline (dawn, morning, midday, evening, night)

A priest or member of a religious order prays the office every day.  The prayers are made up of readings, psalms, hymns and some familiar prayers.  Often people gather together to do this.  Below is a link to a youtube clip from Ampleforth Abbey in Yorkshire:

click here to hear monks singing compline

Glenstal abbey in Ireland have introduced an App so that you can pray with the monks wherever you are.  

more info here

Often different Christian churches have different routines.  For example the Anglican Church often celebrates evensong on Sundays.  Other traditions can depend on which country you live in.  In Ireland there is a prayer called the "Angelus".  It is said three times every day at 6am, midday and 6pm.  People used to be called to prayer by the church bell.  This is similar to the Muslim call to prayer which happens five times a day.

This week's question:

What language did Jesus and his apostles speak?

All the best for the week!

Maria

26/10/14 - Love your neighbour as yourself.

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Welcome again to a little liturgy.  I hope you have been able to find something useful.  I have certainly enjoyed discovering more about Isaiah over the last few weeks in an attempt to make more sense of the first readings.  Today we come to rather more comfortable territory for me in Exodus - phew!

My son reports that he was a bit unsure about what to do in the activity for Mass last week.  I now realise that it was one that required a bit of explanation and preparation!  My aim is for the Mass activity in green to be simple and be able to be done by the child alone during Mass.  Its focus is the liturgy and its purpose to enhance concentration and awareness of what is happening at Mass.  Older children may also wish to read the discussion in yellow. The activity in red deals with the wider issues arising in the readings or prompted by the season and is designed for use at home.

Summary


First Reading
Exodus 22:20-26
The Lord speaks to Moses and says that the Israelites must behave well to all people.  He reminds them that they were once strangers when they were slaves in Egypt so now they must be kind to strangers.  God says that he will listen to those who cry out to him because they have been mistreated and he will take revenge for them.  


Psalm
Ps 17:2-4, 47, 51. R. v.2
Response: I love you, Lord my strength.
(Praised be the God who saves me)


Second Reading
First letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians 1:5-10
St Paul congratulates the people of Thessalonika for following Christ and imitating him, despite encountering great opposition.  They left their old religion (idolatry) and are now waiting for Jesus to come again from heaven.  


Gospel
Matthew 22:34-40
The Pharisees continue to try to test Jesus and ask him "which is the greatest commandment of the Law?"  he replies:
"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."
He says that that is the first and greatest commandment and that the second commandment is:
"you must love your neighbour as yourself."
He states that the rest of the Jewish Law and the writings of the prophets are all based on these two ideas.  


Discussion

The First Reading and the Gospel both explain how we should treat other people (strangers and neighbours).  This shows us the connection between the Jewish Law (in the Old Testament) and Christ's example in the Gospels (New Testament).  The commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves is one of the most famous and most challenging of Christ's utterances.  It shows a renewed focus on service to others that is based in the old law but that people may have forgotten.

The Pharisees came to Jesus to disconcert him but his answer summed up the whole of their tradition which, in turn, forms the basis of the Christian tradition.  

There are many examples of Jesus being kind to strangers and those who society shuns.  Think about the stories Jesus tells about the Good Samaritan.  He also goes to supper with Zacchaeus (a tax collector) and heals the lepers. All these people were avoided in society but Jesus treats them as neighbours.  He is also kind to women who often struggled to be respected in society.  (e.g. the widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-17 and the woman in John 8:3-11).  

We could think about people who might feel excluded from society in our own time and how we might show our love for them.  


Activity during Mass

The Gospel speaks of loving God.

We are told by Jesus that it is important to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Consider what each of these ways of loving God means.  Can you suggest what Jesus may have meant by each of these concepts?

Below are some words and actions from the Mass to help you think about this A), B), C) and D).  Put a tick by each when you come across them today.  

A)  When we greet the Gospel we make a small cross on our forehead, our lips and our chest.  This shows that we wish God's message to influence our thoughts, our words and our feelings.  

B)  At the start of the Eucharistic prayer are the following words:

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and just.

C)  One of the prayers that the priest says quietly before he receives communion asks God that receiving the Body and Blood of Christ may be a "protection in mind and body".  

D)  Before Holy Communion we say:

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Traditionally Christians have spoken about "body" and "soul"   and also "spirit".  There have been many debates as to how these are separate or bound together.  Consider what we mean by these terms.  

Jesus also says it is important to love our neighbour.

Listen out for the phrases below during Mass.

1)  peace to people of good will

2)  as we forgive those who trespass against us

3)  peace be with you - and with your spirit

All these phrases make us aware of the need to consider our neighbour.



Other activities and useful resources

Think about the Ten Commandments that Moses received from God.  

click here to see a picture

click here for list of Ten Commandments

How do these commandments suggest that we love our neighbour?
Try to discover what other Laws are given in the Old Testament - start by finding out what is said in the Books called Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  Are all these laws relevant today?

A traditional prayer called the "Magnificat" or the "Canticle of Mary" begins with the words:

"My soul magnifies the lord 
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour"

click here for the full text

The text is based on Mary's words in Luke 1: 46-55 and it interesting to know that Mary speaks of having a soul and spirit with which to praise God.  Mary, of course, was Jewish and we can see here another link between the way we praise God as Christians and the way the Jewish people in Christ's time prayed.

Last week's question:

Q.  If we believe in the Trinity how can Jesus really have died for three days, since that would mean that God died?

(Not an easy one!)

In our limited world view, rational thinking suggests to us that if Jesus "suffered death and was buried" and if he is "consubstantial" or "of one being with the father" then God the father and indeed God the Holy Spirit must also have suffered death.  But we also often refer to God as "eternal", "immortal" and "everlasting".  

The Catechism is a good place to look to help us think more carefully about this.  It says that each of the persons of the trinity is "God whole and entire" (253).  On the other hand, it states that "the divine persons are really distinct from one another" (254).  

These statements seem rather contradictory.  And indeed, in the early church there was much debate and uncertainty about the relationships between each person of the trinity and especially how Christ could be both God and man.  Eventually it became accepted that Christ could be both fully divine and fully human.  This idea became known as "the doctrine of the hypostatic union".  Christ was the "word" who became flesh.  

If we look again at the Catechism (264-268), we can see that death is defined as the separation of body from soul.  So Jesus died in the sense that his soul left his body, just as when we die, our soul will be separated from our body.  However, at the resurrection, Jesus' soul was reunited with his human body.  So we could say that the external, physical aspect of Jesus died but his soul did not.  Just as Jesus existed before the incarnation (being born on earth), he continued to exist after he died on earth.   

I hope these ideas may go some way to helping you develop your thoughts on this question!  Please leave comments and suggest any other reading that you find useful.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

This week's question:

My Muslim friends pray several times a day at set times.  Why don't Christians do the same?  

Watch out for the answer next week!

Have a good week!

Maria

19/10/14 Render unto Caesar!

Welcome back to a little liturgy.  I hope you enjoyed what you found last week.  I have tweaked a little since then.  I am hoping that the green activity section will eventually stand alone as an easy to print resource but please bear with me for the moment.  I am also acutely aware of the lack of  artwork but Rome wasn't built in a day...  

29th Sunday in Ordinary time Cycle A


Summary of Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Isaiah 45:1.4-6
Isaiah announces that God calls on Cyrus (king of Persia) to be a protector of his people and that he will arm him.  Isaiah also reports God as saying "there is no other God besides me"  and that "apart from me, all is nothing"

Psalm
Ps 95:1,3-5,7-10. R. v.7
Response: Give the Lord glory and power
(Sing a new song to the Lord)

Second Reading
First letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians 1:1-5
St Paul writes to the people of Thessalonika wishing them grace and peace.  He states how important they are to him and how they have worked hard to show their faith.  
He tells them that he admires the way they received God's news "not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction."

Gospel
Matthew 22:15-21
The Pharisees and the supporters of Herod plot to trick Jesus into saying something bad about the Roman ruler.  This could be dangerous for Jesus as he could be arrested for treason.  They ask him if it is ok to give taxes to Caesar. 
Jesus refuses to be taken in and looks at the coin used to pay the tax. He says that as there is a picture of Caesar on the coin and as Caesar's name appears on the coin, the coin must belong to Caesar.  
Jesus says "give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar - and to God what belongs to God."  


Discussion of Readings

A key theme of the readings this week is leadership.  In the first reading the king of Persia is chosen even though he does not know God.  He turns out to be a leader who will help to restore Israel and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.  We are also reminded of the first commandment and the authority of God who stands alone. 

St Paul writes as a leader in the church to give his people encouragement.  Notice that he tells them "we always mention you in our prayers".  

In the Gospel, Caesar is a leader on earth and Jesus suggests that we should abide by the rules of the society but that we must also respect the rules of God.  He will not be caught out by trick questions.  It is interesting that his questioners say "a man's rank means nothing to you."  

Jesus is a leader and king of a different sort.  We are reminded about the moment when Pilate questions him and he answers "My kingdom is not of this world."  And at another point he states that one cannot serve both God and Mammon.

There can be times when our faith in God clashes with the laws of the land or the conventions of society.  Consider how we might face these problems. 

In all areas of our lives we have to make decisions about who we look up to and respect.  Sometimes we try to imitate the behaviour of others.  Consider how we choose people to follow in our everyday lives and in our society as a whole.

St Paul commends the Thessalonians for their "utter conviction".  What does this mean?  Do we have utter conviction?


Activity during Mass

The response we use at Mass today is:
            
              "Give the Lord glory and power".  

The psalmist suggests many ways in which we can do this.  Some of these ways are incorporated in the Mass each week, so that by taking part we fulfil what the psalmist suggests.

Consider how we do the things on the list below at Mass:

A) sing a new song to the Lord
B) tell his wonders to the nations and all the peoples
C) give the Lord glory and power
D) bring an offering and enter his courts
E) worship the Lord in his temple

Now match these  to the parts of the Mass listed below:

the entrance antiphon and collect

the Gloria

the first and second readings

the responsorial psalm

the Gospel acclamation

the Gospel

the homily

the Creed

the Holy, Holy, (Sanctus)

the offertory

the consecration

the Our Father

the sign of peace

the concluding rites

You might like to tick each element off as we progress through the Mass today.

We also follow the instructions in the psalm by our various actions.  

Think about what we mean when we:

come together to Church
genuflect and kneel
make the sign of the cross
receive Holy Communion
walk in a procession
sing


Other activities and resources

Look at the accounts of the same incident in the other two synoptic Gospels (Mark 12,  Luke 20).  Note any differences and look particularly at the reactions of the Pharisees when Jesus answers their question.  


Click on the link below for a thought provoking analysis of today's Gospel.  

Interesting interpretation and picture of a denarius

Also very interesting historical and theological perspectives offered below - bit complicated for children but worth a look!  (Note the lovely Doré print and click to see more!)

Detailed information on good old Wikipedia!


Last week's question

Q.  Are the readings the same in all churches on Sundays?

A.  Each Christian church will have its own calendar for readings.  Each Roman Catholic church in the world will use the same readings on each Sunday.  This is to show unity and to help highlight the different seasons of the year.  It emphasises the universal or "catholic" nature of the church.  Some Catholic churches will use different readings occasionally if there is a special local feast and there are some churches who use a slightly different rite for their service which includes different readings.  

The readings repeat every three years in a cycle. So if you live to be 100yrs old, you will have heard each reading (and a homily on each reading) at least 33 times!  Of course, this does not apply to those people who are 100yrs old today as there was a big meeting in 1964 (called Vatican II) where the bishops decided to change the calendar and the choice of readings.  In every 3yr cycle we cover most of each of the four Gospels.  We are currently using Cycle A.

To find out more about the church calendar, look at:

http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Calendar/


This week's question

Q.  If we believe in the Trinity how can Jesus really have died for three days since that would mean that God died?

Log on next week for some ideas about an answer!

Wishing you all a happy week!

Maria

12/1014 Weeping and gnashing of teeth!

Welcome to the first little liturgy blog with resources.
It's designed so that you can pick and choose the bits that you fancy and hopefully you can print!  Please bear with me for the next couple of weeks while I sort out any any teething problems. 

28th Sunday in Ordinary time Year A

Summary

First Reading
Isaiah 25:6-10

Isaiah tells us that the Lord will prepare a banquet for all his people and he will wipe away their tears.      He goes on to say that the Lord will destroy death and that we will exult and rejoice because he has saved us.

Psalm
22. R. v.6

The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want.

Second Reading
St Paul to the Philippians 4:14-14, 19-20

St Paul tells us that when God is there in our lives we can overcome all difficulties.  He also thanks others for being near to help him.

Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14

This Gospel shows Jesus telling the story of a king who is giving a wedding feast for his son.  The guests who were invited don't come at the right time and are busy with other things so he sends his servants to call them.  The invited guests are abusive to the king's servants and kill them.  The king is furious and sends his soldiers to kill the ungrateful guests and to burn their town.

Next the king sends his servants out into the "highways and by-ways" to collect all the guests they can "good and bad alike".  Many people come and enjoy the feast but one man does not put on a wedding garment and refuses to speak to the king.  The king commands his servants to throw the man out of the feast into the dark where there will be "grinding and gnashing of teeth".

At the end of this Gospel, St Matthew reports Jesus' words to his audience "For many are called, but few are chosen".

Discussion 

Just like last week's Gospel, we hear Jesus using a parable about a father, a son and his servants to explore the relationship between God and his people.  The king's actions seem rather drastic and we feel especially sorry for the guest who was excluded on account of his clothes.  This perhaps illustrates the importance of respect for God and the seriousness with which we should treat the journey towards salvation.

Imagery associated with food runs through all the readings and the Psalm today.  It reminds us that God is as essential for life as food.  We are invited to his feast each week in the Eucharist but also to work on his harvest and accept his invitation every day (and wear the correct garment!).

St Paul echoes the Psalmist who claims that God will always look after us and protect us from our foes.

Think about why Jesus uses parables to help us understand his message. 
What does comparing the king to God and the king's son to Jesus suggest to us?
Who can we compare the other characters in the story to? 
Consider other times when a marriage or a feast is mentioned in the Gospels.

Activity for Mass

This activity explores the different names we use for God and the different ways we look at him.
Look at the text of the Mass:

click here

If possible print it out and use a highlighter to mark all the different names we use for God.  Alternatively, use the list below and tick after the name every time you hear it at Mass. 

Lord Jesus Christ
Holy Spirit
God the Father
Almighty God
Lamb of God
Heavenly King
The Holy One
Lord God
Son of God

Consider why we have all these different names for God and what they might mean.  In today's psalm the Lord is called a shepherd.  In the Gospel God is compared to a king and Jesus could be compared to the king's son.

Keep a list of other names for God.  Here are three more to consider:

Messiah
Saviour
Rabbi



Other Activities and useful resources

Listen to "The Lord's My Shepherd" at 

traditional performance on youtube
or
performance of Rutter setting on youtube

Consider the imagery surrounding a shepherd and think of some examples in the Gospels where Christ is compared to a shepherd.  Does the image of God as a shepherd in the psalm fit with the actions of the king in the Gospel?


This week's question

Q.  Are the readings the same in all churches on Sundays?

Tune in next week for the answer and some musings!

Have a good week!
Maria

Introducing "a little liturgy"

Welcome to "a little liturgy"

As Mum of a 10yr old, I have recently been preparing my son for First Holy Communion and this has made me re-examine my own beliefs.  It has made me realise that my own religious and spiritual understanding is often woefully inadequate.  So this blog is an attempt to remedy this and provide a resource that will help adults and children alike become "grown up Catholics".

It also has another aim.  In a brief survey of Catholic blogs on the net, I come across, time and again, not uplifting and enriching debate but partisan positioning of what I will call the liberal and conservative camps.  Infighting will not help the recovery of the Church and so let us "grow up" and in the words of Vatican II aim to "foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ".  

To this end, I have gone back to basics and made my focus the Word as it is given to us in the weekly Sunday liturgy.   I hope that I have created something accessible and useful to all but especially parents, who, like me need some help to avoid infantalising the faith.  

What to expect from a little liturgy:

1)  Summary of Liturgy of the Word

2)  Discussion and some ideas for debate

3)  Activity for use during Mass 

4)  Other activities and useful resources

Please feel free to pick and choose whatever you find useful and print as you wish.

I hope that you enjoy this week's little liturgy.

Maria