July-August 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On more than one occasion, people (mostly visitors, but some
parishioners as well) have said to me after a service, “You do a lovely Mass,
Father.” I am honored and humbled that they would think it and say so to me.
I thank them quietly.
I’ve never really tried to ‘do’ anything other than conduct the liturgy
in a comfortable and caring way. What I really try to ‘do’ is to get out of
the way to allow the liturgy itself to take over. In fact, I tell the
acolytes at their training sessions: our objective (theirs and mine) is to
fade into the woodwork to allow the Sacrament, the Real Presence of Jesus
Christ in our midst, to be the focus of each Communion service.
What I really think people are saying to me is that a particular service
has been comfortable enough for them to focus on what brought them to Christ
Church in the first place: general thanksgiving, renewal, confession,
solace/memories (funerals), celebrations (weddings, baptisms), etc. People
come to church to be with God in a community of faith. If we can make them
comfortable enough, they’ll come back.
A few months ago I mentioned in a sermon a billboard in downtown Chicago
that the Chicago Coalition of Reason had rented which declared in big, bold
letters to be read by passing motorists, among others: “Are you good without
God? Millions are.”
Now the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has rented
space on Chicago buses to continue the atheistic assault on organized
religion with billboards that read: “Sleep In On Sundays.” It would seem
that atheists are not only out of the closet but exercising their right of
free speech.
Part of me remembers when a Wisconsin branch of the KKK came to Skokie
for a rally at the end of Y2K. Why do these folks demonstrate here? Because
they can. And, of course, because they may.
That is, at least, a part of the reason the FFRF is advertising on buses
in Chicago. This is its first marketing venture, and they thought they would
get a better reception here than elsewhere.
I think it gives Christians a good opportunity to be even more visible.
Paraphrasing an earlier rallying expression: now is the time for all good
Christians to come to the aid of their faith.
Actually, we really don’t need an excuse to live out our faith: we
simply need to do it. In our Baptismal covenant, we promise to seek and to
serve Christ in all persons. Now is the time to be unapologetic about doing
this.
The Episcopal Church already has attractive signs for our churches. Why
not put a generic one on the buses along side the FFRF’s signs? I know, I
know: it’s only money.
Question: when did being a Christian become a bad thing to be? In
these politically correct days of trying to avoid offending anyone (is that
really possible?), is it possible to reclaim a label (Christian) without
being construed as some right-wing, ultra-conservative, brain-dead, zealous
religious fundamentalist?
I thought The Episcopal Church was the via media with room enough for
all. We have Creeds. We have a Catechism. We even have Articles of
Religion. I don’t thing we should let some who receive lots of media
attention and who call themselves Christian define the term for the rest of
us, especially when their definition differs from the way The Episcopal
Church defines the term.
But I digress. Not that I think we should ignore the world around us
and live with our heads in the sand or in the clouds: Jesus reminded the
disciples to live in the world, not of the world. When others are speaking
in religious terms, we need to join the debate.
At one point in his ministry, a person ran up to Jesus, knelt and asked
him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17)
He replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” (Mark
10:18) Sometimes when people tell me what a lovely Mass I do, I think of
this story in Mark. However, I do not confront them quite the way Jesus did
this person.
When Mary serves (acolyte and/or LEM), she always turns to me after our
closing prayer in the narthex and says, “Thank you for this Mass, Father.”
I always reply, “Thanks be to God,” then return to the nave to sing the rest
of the recessional hymn.
It is always an honor and a privilege to celebrate the Eucharist. I’m
glad that others like the way it is celebrated here. I am prejudiced, but
I think that with our strong singing and the liturgy of our church, we do it
well. Thanks be to God.
Peace be with you,
Fr. Pete +
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