Animism in the Guise of Ecological Liturgies?

In a meeting of the Parish Pastoral Team, I was informed of the pilgrimage of the Cross of the Sierra Madre mountains. This pilgrimage is aimed at raising awareness regarding the devastation of the Sierra Madre on account of logging and mining operations. Obviously, this is an ecological pilgrimage - something that is in fashion today.

I looked into the pamphlet and I saw a creative liturgical rite which disturbed me:

Misa Alay sa Sierra Madre at sa Buong Sangkalikasan

(Mass offered to the Sierra Madre and to all Creation)

Maaring gamitin ang Liturhiyang ito sa pagdiriwang. O kaya di man ay maari rin namang pumili ng ilang bahagi nito na pwedeng gamitin sa Misa.

(This rite may be used for the celebration. Or if not, some parts of this may be chosen for Mass)

I. PAGBATI AT PAGPUPUGAY SA ESPIRITU NG KALIKASAN

    Greeting and Salutation to the Spirit of Nature

(Maaring gawin ito sa labas ng simbahan - ang bawat isa ay may hawak na kandila)

(This may be done outside the church - each person holds a candle)

Obispo/Pari: Batiin natin ang bawat isa at ang lahat ng bahagi ng Sangkalikasan ng isang umagang puspos ng pagpapala ng Diyos na Maylikha. (Bigyan puwang ang pagbabatian) Atin ngayong sindihan ang ating mga kandila at bigyang pugay ang Espiritung nagbibigay at nagpapadaloy ng buhay.

Let us greet one another and the whole of Creation with a morning filled with blessings from the Creator God. (Give room for the greetings) Let us now light our candles and honor the Spirit who gives life.

Panalangin sa Apat na Direksyon

Prayer to the four Directions

Tagapamuno: Batiin natin ang dakong Silangan na siyang nagdadala ng liwanag ng Araw (Itataas ang malaking kandila) Amang Araw, sa 'yong nakabubulag na kasikatan, bigyan kami ng lakas, liwanag, at kaalaman.

Let us greet the East which bring the light of the Sun. (The big candle is raised) Father Sun, in your blinding radiance, give us strength, light, at knowledge.

Lahat: Espiritu ng Apoy, kami sa yo'y nagpupugay.

Spirit of  Fire, we salute / honor you.

Tagapamuno: Batiin natin ang dakong Hilaga na siyang nag-aalaga ng mga bahaging lupa (Itaas ang sisidlang may lupa o isang maliit na punong kahoy) Inang Lupa na nagkakalinga ng buhay ng Santinakpan, bigyan kami ng lakas na lumagong kapakipakinabang.

Let us greet the North which cares for the earth (A container of soil or a small plant is raised.) Mother Earth that cares for the life of all Creation, give us strength to grow usefully.

Lahat: Espiritu ng Lupa, kami'y sa yo'y nagpupugay.

Spirit of Earth, we salute / honor you.

Tagapamuno: Batiin natin ang dakong Kanluran na siyang nagpapadaloy ng tubig na nagbibigay buhay (Itaas ang sisidlang may tubig) Inang Karagatan at Tubig-Kanlungan, ikaw ang pumapatid ng aming uhay, gawin mo kaming daan ng kalinisan at kagalingan.

Let us greet the West which makes the life-giving waters flow. (A container of water is raised.) Mother Seas and Bosoms of Water, you quench our thirst, grant that we may be means for purity and wellness.

Lahat: Espiritu ng Tubig, kami sa yo'y nagpupugay.

Spirit of Water, we salute / honor you.

Tagapamuno: Batiin natin ang dakong Katimugan na nagbibigay daan sa hininga ng buhay (Itataas at patutunugin ang chimes) Amang Kalawakan, hanging may kaginhawaan, bigyan kami ng lakas na magsaya at magdiwang.

Let us greet the South which gives way to the breath of life (The chimes are raised and made to sound) Father Space, air that comforts, give us the strength to rejoice and celebrate.

Lahat: Espiritu ng Hangin, kami sa yo'y nagpupugay.

Spirit of the Air, we salute / honor you.

Obispo/Pari: Sa ating pagsasama-sama, ang Banal na Espiritu, ang Enerhiya ng Diyos na nagbibigay-buhay ay sumasaatin. Kasama ang buong Sangkalikasan, tayo ngayon ay magpuri sa kanya at ipaabot ang ating pagkamangha at paghanga sa kanyang Pangalan.

In our gathering, the Holy Spirit, the Life-giving Energy of God is with us. Together with all creation, let us praise him and express our awe and admiration for his Name.

                 ______________________________________________________________

While claiming to praise the Holy Spirit (the Energy of God?), the prayers actually honor the spirits of nature which we call the "elementals" or nature spirits (which are actually demonic spirits worshiped by animists.

I remember the first reading for Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time:

"This (the Assyrian Occupation) came about because the children of Israel sinned against the Lord...and because they venerated other gods. They followed the rites of the nations..." (2 Kings 17: 7-8)

The Smoke of Satan entering the cracks of the Church?

The Church is the Kingdom of God

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

The parables today speak of the Kingdom of God. It would be good to make clear at the beginning what this kingdom really is. Many people have strange ideas of what the “kingdom” refers to. The catechism of the Church says that the Kingdom of God is the “gathering” of men around Jesus so that they may share in his own Divine life. “This gathering is the Church, ‘on earth, the seed and beginning of that Kingdom.’” (CCC, 541) We can only understand the parables if we keep in mind that Christ was talking about the Church which he established on earth as the beginning of the Kingdom of God. Looking at the history of the Church, we begin to see how, like a mustard seed, she began as a small community of disciples and later on grew into an immense family made up of people coming from the 4 corners of the world. Indeed, what once was the smallest of seeds is now “the largest of plants that puts forth large branches, so that birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” This is why the Church of Christ is called “Catholic”. The Catechism says: “The word ‘catholic’ means ‘universal’, in the sense of ‘according to the totality’ or ‘in keeping with the whole’. 

The Church is catholic in a double sense: 1^st, the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her. ‘Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church.’ In her subsists the fullness of Christ’s Body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him ‘the fullness of the means of salvation’ which he has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession. The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of Pentecost, and will always be so until the day of the Parousia.” (CCC, 830)

“Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race: all men are called to belong to the new People of God. This People, therefore, while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the design of God’s will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered as one…The characteristic of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods, under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit.” (CCC, 831)

Apparently, the world is hungry for unity. Speaking of “one world” is fashionable today. But it must be said that the unity of “one world” can only be possible under Christ who draws all people to himself. Any unity without him is artificial and cannot last. The true unification of all creation will be made in and only in Christ. “Christ stands at the heart of this gathering of men into the ‘family of God.’” (CCC, 542) And he has begun gathering the scattered children of God.  That gathering is called the “Catholic Church.” One world…One Catholic Church.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Need for Holiness in the Priesthood

The Feast of the Sacred Heart is the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of the Clergy. This feast gives us the occasion to speak about the relationship between the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the holiness that is demanded of the clergy and of the entire People of God as well.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart allows us to look into the interior life of Christ. The image of the Sacred Heart shows us an exposed human heart – something which seems strange as all of us know that the heart is an internal organ. The iconography of the Sacred Heart thus teaches us that Jesus is the Master, the Teacher of the Interior life. As priests and religious, it is only right that we should concern ourselves with the interior life. It is our task to imitate the beloved apostle who leaned towards the breast of the Lord to learn the secrets of his Heart. It is also our task to testify, like the same beloved apostle, to the gushing forth of blood and water from the opened Heart of the Redeemer. These images of the beloved disciple and the Lord are truly intimate images expressive of the intimate friendship which we priests should enjoy with the Lord. To me, the priest is first and foremost a friend of the Lord. Before all our pastoral duties, we ourselves must first “draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation,” “be strengthened through his Spirit in the inner self,”   and “comprehend…what is the breadth which surpasses knowledge.” In other words, we who share in the priesthood of Christ must lead lives of profound interiority. We must be men who constantly go to our inner rooms to pray to our Father in secret. The Holy Father has time and again reminded us of the necessity of retreating from activity in order to sit at the feet of our Lord and be truly his disciples.

The letter coming from the Congregation of the Clergy reminds us of this: “The expression found in Scripture ‘This is the will of God: your holiness!’ (1 Thess 4:3), though addressed to all Christians, refers to us priests in particular, for we have accepted the invitation to ‘sanctify ourselves’ and to become ‘ministers of sanctification’ for our brothers. In our case, this ‘will of God’ is, so to speak, doubled and multiplied to infinity, and we must obey it in everything we do. This is our wonderful destiny: we cannot be sanctified without working on the holiness of our brothers, and we cannot work on the holiness of our brothers unless we have first worked on and continue to work on our own holiness.” The Sacrament of Holy Orders configures us to Christ. We must acquire not only the mind of Christ, but his Heart as well. If St. Augustine calls the priesthood as amoris officium (Sacramentum Caritatis, 23.), then it is very clear that we must acquire the Heart of Christ. The flock of Christ deserves to be loved by nothing less than the love of the Lord. Thus, the responsory of the Litany of the Sacred Heart should truly be a priest’s prayer: “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine!” This conversion of our hearts into the Heart of Christ cannot be made possible drawing close to his opened Heart to learn its inscrutable riches. It cannot be made possible without looking upon him whom we have pierced.

St. Claude de la Columbiere, SJ, the spiritual director of St. Margaret Mary, lived in the friendship of Christ’s Sacred Heart. It would be good to end our meditation with his prayer: “My Jesus, You are my true Friend. My only Friend. You take part in all my misfortunes. You know how to turn them into blessings. You listen to me with great kindness when I tell you all my troubles, and You always have something with which to heal my wounds. I find You at any time of the day or night, for I find You wherever I happen to be.  You never leave me. If I change my dwelling place, I find You wherever I go. You never weary of listening to me. I am certain of being loved by You, if I but love You. My worldly goods are of no value to you, but by bestowing Yours on me You never grow the poorer. However miserable I may be, no one more noble, more clever, or even more holy, can come between You and me and deprive me of Your friendship. And death, which tears us away from all other friends will unite me forever to You. All the humiliations attached to old age or the loss of honor will never separate You from me; On the contrary, I shall never enjoy You more fully and You will never be closer to me than when everything seems to conspire against me and cast me down. You bear with all my faults with extreme patience. Even my lack of fidelity and my ingratitude do not wound You to such a degree as to make You unwilling to receive me back when I return to You. O Jesus, grant that I may die loving You and that I may die for love of You.   Amen.”

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine!

Corpus Christi in Holy Family Parish

Missa Cantata in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite was celebrated at the Holy Family Parish on the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 10, 2012. It was followed by a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. Thanks to Dennis Maturan for the pictures.

Corpus Christi in De La Salle, Manila

As part of the closing activities for the centenary of De La Salle University in Manila, a Missa Cantata in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite was offered at the historic Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the University on the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 10, 2012. The Mass was said at the request of the Alumni of the University. Thanks to Dinky Nievera for the pictures. 

Eucharistic Adoration

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

The Feast of Corpus Christi gives us the occasion to express our faith in the real presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament through Eucharistic Adoration. Unfortunately, in the liturgical reform following the 2^nd Vatican Council, there has been a perceived waning of Eucharistic Adoration because of the over emphasis on the celebration aspect of the Eucharist. In his Corpus Christi homily for this year, the Holy Father acknowledged and expressed his sadness over this imbalance: “concentrating the whole relationship with the Eucharistic Jesus only at the moment of Holy Mass risks removing his presence from the rest of time and the existential space. And thus, perceived less is the sense of the constant presence of Jesus in our midst and with us, a concrete, close presence among our homes, as ‘beating Heart’ of the city, of the country, of the territory with its various expressions and activities.” 

There should be no conflict between Communion and Contemplation: “In reality, it is a mistake to oppose celebration and adoration, as if they were in competition with one another. It is precisely the contrary: the worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament is as the spiritual ‘environment’ in which the community can celebrate the Eucharist well and in truth. Only if it is preceded, accompanied and followed by this interior attitude of faith and adoration, can the liturgical action express its full meaning and value. The encounter with Jesus in the Holy Mass is truly and fully acted when the community is able to recognize that, in the Sacrament, He dwells in his house, waits for us, invites us to his table, then, after the assembly is dismissed, stays with us, with his discreet and silent presence, and accompanies us with his intercession, continuing to gather our spiritual sacrifices and offering them to the Father."

“To really communicate with another person I must know him, I must be able to be in silence close to him, to hear him and to look at him with love. True love and true friendship always live of the reciprocity of looks, of intense, eloquent silences full of respect and veneration, so that the encounter is lived profoundly, in a personal not a superficial way. And, unfortunately, if this dimension is lacking, even sacramental communion itself can become, on our part, a superficial gesture.” 

We have to adore what we receive in Holy Communion: “As Saint Augustine put it: ‘nemo autem illam carnem manducat, nisi prius adoraverit; peccemus non adorando – no one eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we not to adore it.’ In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration. Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, "only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another." (Sacramentum Caritatis, 66.)

The Eucharist is not simply a matter of food and drink which we share in fellowship. We cannot and should not deny that what we eat and drink is Christ the Lord himself, the Holy One who offers himself to his Father to obtain our eternal redemption. “In this Sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood (which)…cannot be apprehended by the senses but only by faith which relies on divine authority.” (CCC, 1381.) Therefore, let us adore Christ in the Holy Eucharist. “Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go and meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease.” (CCC, 1380)

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

ZENIT - Pope's Corpus Christi Homily

In his Corpus Christi homily for 2012, the Holy Father made reference to the imbalances that occurred in the liturgical reform after Vatican II:

"...a reflection on the value of Eucharistic worship, in particular adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. It is the experience that we will also live after the Mass, before the procession, during its development and at its end. A unilateral interpretation of Vatican Council II has penalized this dimension, restricting the Eucharist in practice to the celebratory moment. In fact, it was very important to recognize the centrality of the celebration, in which the Lord convokes his people, gathers them around the twofold table of the Word and the Bread of life, nourishes them and unites them to Himself in the offering of the Sacrifice. This assessment of the liturgical assembly, in which the Lord works and realizes his mystery of communion, remains of course valid, but it must be placed in the right balance. In fact – as often happens – the stressing of one aspect ends up by sacrificing another. In this case, the accentuation placed on the celebration of the Eucharist has been to the detriment of adoration, as act of faith and prayer addressed to the Lord Jesus, really present in the Sacrament of the altar. This imbalance has also had repercussions on the spiritual life of the faithful. In fact, concentrating the whole relationship with the Eucharistic Jesus only at the moment of Holy Mass risks removing his presence from the rest of time and the existential space. And thus, perceived less is the sense of the constant presence of Jesus in our midst and with us, a concrete, close presence among our homes, as “beating Heart” of the city, of the country, of the territory with its various expressions and activities. The Sacrament of the Charity of Christ must permeate the whole of daily life.

In reality, it is a mistake to oppose celebration and adoration, as if they were in competition with one another. It is precisely the contrary: the worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament is as the spiritual “environment” in which the community can celebrate the Eucharist well and in truth. Only if it is preceded, accompanied and followed by this interior attitude of faith and adoration, can the liturgical action express its full meaning and value. The encounter with Jesus in the Holy Mass is truly and fully acted when the community is able to recognize that, in the Sacrament, He dwells in his house, waits for us, invites us to his table, then, after the assembly is dismissed, stays with us, with his discreet and silent presence, and accompanies us with his intercession, continuing to gather our spiritual sacrifices and offering them to the Father."

The Holy Father spoke of the relationship between Communion and Contemplation:

"... Communion and contemplation cannot be separated, they go together. To really communicate with another person I must know him, I must be able to be in silence close to him, to hear him and to look at him with love. True love and true friendship always live of the reciprocity of looks, of intense, eloquent silences full of respect and veneration, so that the encounter is lived profoundly, in a personal not a superficial way. And, unfortunately, if this dimension is lacking, even sacramental communion itself can become, on our part, a superficial gesture. Instead, in true communion, prepared by the colloquy of prayer and of life, we can say to the Lord words of confidence as those that resounded a short while ago in the Responsorial Psalm: “O Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid. / Thou hast loosed my bonds./ I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving /and call on the name of the Lord” (Psalm 115:16-17)."

The Holy Father spoke on the Sacredness of the Eucharist:

"... the sacredness of the Eucharist. Also here we heard in the recent past of a certain misunderstanding of the authentic message of Sacred Scripture. The Christian novelty in regard to worship was influenced by a certain secularist mentality of the 60s and 70s of the past century. It is true, and it remains always valid, that the center of worship is now no longer in the rites and ancient sacrifices, but in Christ himself, in his person, in his life, in his paschal mystery. And yet, from this fundamental novelty it must not be concluded that the sacred no longer exists, but that it has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, incarnate divine Love. The Letter to the Hebrews, which we heard this evening in the Second Reading, speaks to us precisely of the novelty of the priesthood of Christ, “high priest of the good things that have come” (Hebrews 9:11), but it does not say that the priesthood is finished. Christ “is the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15), established in his blood, which purifies our “conscience from dead works” (Hebrews 9:14). He did not abolish the sacred, but brought it to fulfillment, inaugurating a new worship, which is, yes, fully spiritual but which however, so long as we are journeying in time, makes use again of signs and rites, of which there will be no need only at the end, in the heavenly Jerusalem, where there will no longer be a temple (cf. Revelation 21:22). Thanks to Christ, the sacred is more true, more intense and, as happens with the Commandments, also more exacting! Ritual observance is not enough, but what is required is the purification of the heart and the involvement of life."

ZENIT - Pope's Corpus Christi Homily

Nothing Like This!

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Immediately after the celebration of the Easter mysteries, the words of Moses are addressed to us: “Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself…?” Moses was then speaking about the events of Passover which God did for the Israelites in Egypt. It was the most decisive intervention of God in Old Testament history. But if Moses was able to say this to the Israelites, the word of God more fittingly addresses these words to us. I say more fittingly because the Paschal Mystery of Jesus which unfolded before us during the days of Easter is even greater than the events of the Exodus. In the Israelite exodus, all that transpired was the liberation of an entire nation from centuries of Egyptian servitude. In the Christian exodus, however, Christ liberated us from slavery to the devil. In the Israelite exodus, God took a nation for himself from another nation. In his Paschal Mystery, Christ our Lord redeemed us from sin, from death, and from the Evil one.

The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost completed God’s revelation of himself to us. He did not reveal himself simply as the one God living and true. He allowed us to see his inner life. He revealed to us that he is a communion of 3 Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus did not ascend into heaven without revealing this Divine mystery in the clearest terms: “…baptiz(ing) them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The Apostles received from Jesus a revelation greater than what Moses received from God on Mt. Sinai. “Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of?” Nothing like this has ever been revealed to man. Jesus said, “No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Definitely, God the Son has not revealed this secret to anyone but to the Apostles and to us. “Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire and live?” Our answer is “Yes!” We heard the revelation of the Holy Spirit as he descended in the form of tongues of fire.

But it was more than just a revelation that we received. We were not simply given a peek into the inner life of the Trinity. Jesus gave us an access into this inner life of God. He allowed us to enter into the communion of the 3 Divine Persons. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we received the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” In Baptism, we became children of God – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. We did not simply become a nation taken from the midst of another nation. We became God’s family, sharers in the sonship of Jesus. We became recipients of the Spirit of adoption. We worship the Father in Spirit and in truth – boldly we cry out to him: “Abba!” Indeed, God has not done this to any other nation!

Let us rejoice that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has invited us into his communion. Let us know and fix into our hearts that the Lord is God, and that there is no other. Let us keep his statutes and his commandments. Let us not hesitate to suffer with Jesus so that we may be glorified in him.  He is with us always until the end of the world. God has not done this to any other nation!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Truly Unconfused Worship

Taken at the Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Our Lady of Grace Shrine, Grace Park, Caloocan City. The Mass was offered on the 31st of May 2012, Thursday in the Octave of Pentecost. The Celebrant was Rev. Fr. Rodel Lopez, OMI, assisted by yours truly as deacon, and Mr. Dennis Maturan as straw sub deacon. Thanks to Mr. Maturan for the pictures.