Tag: Lent

Holy Thursday 2023

Published on by Kate1 Comment

Holy Thursday, what a day. We heard this past weekend on Palm Sunday the Institution Narrative (the specific words Jesus used when breaking the bread and sharing the wine which we still use at Mass today for the consecration – the bread and wine becoming literally Jesus’ Body and Blood) from the Gospel of Matthew. Today, while it is the liturgically same moment, we read from John’s Gospel. We don’t actually hear an Institution Narrative on Holy Thursday, though any well formed second grader preparing to receive their First Communion will quickly tell you that Holy Thursday is when Jesus gave us the Eucharist. The Church instead, chooses to highlight the Gospel of John which is the only Gospel containing the washing of the disciples’ feet.

This Gospel passage is one of the critical pillars for the formation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders as a sacrament of service. Jesus is modeling for His disciples what it means to be a true leader, it means to serve. Today, we talk about the model of the servant-leader, someone who puts the needs of those who follow them before their own. This is rooted in Jesus’ model of leadership.

Because this reading highlights the roles and duties of ordained priests, I thought it would be a good time to expand upon that to encompass the priesthood we all take part in by virtue of our baptism. The video for today considers how each one of us, no matter what profession or life situation God has called us to, also has a priestly role to play in our corner of the world. Whole college and graduate level courses could be spent on this topic, so I hope you’ll forgive me another 9 minute video for today.

In this space, I wanted to write out for you the quotes I read in the video in full, as well as a few others that I feel support the idea that each of us is called to a priestly ministry. That’s really what this whole blog is all about, taking the everyday ordinary moments of our day and recognizing in them God’s calling to holiness. Each action, each conversation, each moment (however brief) of silence, is an opportunity to do God’s Will and take a step further in our journey of faith. When we come to the Mass, all these little moments can be united with the bread and wine offered by the community on the altar. Together, the bread, wine, and our very selves, are transformed into Christ. We become what we eat, we are transformed into Christ’s Body here on this present earth.

The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through all their Christian activities they my offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the marvels of him who has called them out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Lumen Gentium no. 10

Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, ar marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit – indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born – all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives. (Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 901)

In each celebration of the Eucharist, there are two such invocations of the Holy Spirit [the epiclesis] that are at the heart of the divine action of the sacrament. In the name of the gathered assembly, the presider invokes the Spirit to act so that their offers of bread and wine may become the Body and Blood of Christ (the first epiclesis). Then, after the institution narrative, the presider prays that the Spirit may make of this who eat this brea and wine “one body, one Spirit in Christ” (the second epiclesis). Sent by the Father who hears the church’s prayer of invocation, the Spirit gives new life to those who celebrate the sacraments of Christ. So, in their turn, Christians become sacramental realities-living signs of God alive in human flesh through the synergy of the church’s prayer and of the Spirit’s anointing.

In this context, it is not an exaggeration to say that these two invocations bring about two transubstantiations: the first is the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ; the second is the transformation of the believers into the Mystical Body of Christ (Philibert, pg 48-49).

Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:2-4; 9)

The eyes of faith behold a wonderful scene: that of a countless number of lay people, both women and men, busy at work in their daily life and activity, oftentimes far from view and quite unclaimed by the world, unknown to the world’s great personages but nonetheless looked upon in love by the Father, untiring laborers who work in the Lord’s vineyard. Confident and steadfast through the power of God’s grace, these are the humble yet great builders of the kingdom of God in history (Pope John Paul II, The Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People, no. 17)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).

Daily Graces. kktaliaferro.wordpress.com

Palm Sunday 2023

Published on by Kate3 Comments

This week’s video focuses on remaining in the present moment. This means avoiding dwelling on the past which we cannot change and anxiously awaiting the future which distracts us from the moment we are in.

Chiara Lubich, who I reference in the video, explained living in the present moment as being on a train. Once the train starts, you can’t make it travel backward, even by walking to the back and gazing longingly at the fading station. You can only go forward. Similarly, you can’t make the train get to your destination faster, even by walking the length of the train to the front and pressing your nose to the glass. You can only be exactly where you are in that moment. The train is outside of your control.

Life is similar. We only occupy this space in this moment. Unless you have the spiritual gift of bilocation, I suppose. I do not possess this gift.

Expanding on this idea, if we only have this moment, then we should fill it with as much as possible. Right?

Multitasking is a feat many moms pride themselves on. Let’s see just how much I can juggle today without all the plates crashing to the floor is a game I often play. There’s a lot to get done in one day and often, it feels like not enough time to do it all in. So, we multitask. Sometimes this works out really well, the laundry got folded and at the same time I was able to have a heart to heart phone conversation with a friend. Other times, dinner ends up burned because I was also trying to help a child with their piano practice, finish folding the laundry that got started in the morning, hear about a science project and meet the demands of a noisy 1 year old who is as fickle as they come.

I recently read a quote by Peter Kreeft in his book, Christianity for Modern Pagans, that is thought provoking in regards to multitasking:

“We want to complexity our lives. We don’t have to, we want to. We want to be harried and hassled and busy. Unconsciously, we want the very things we complain about. For if we had leisure, we would look at our selves and listen to our hearts and see the great gaping hole in our hearts and be terrified, because that hole is so big nothing but God can fill it.”

Oh boy. How often do I complain, to myself or others, that I’m just too busy? Often. How often do I sit down to critically think about our schedule, the activities we are engaged in, and how much time we have to accomplish everything on the list? Less than often.

Something the Holy Spirit has been working in me is an awareness of “wasted time.” In a multitasker’s world, nothing is worse than wasted time. 30 seconds of non-productivity here, shocking! 5 minutes of wasted time in the grocery line, the horror! Imagine how much I could have gotten done if I only had green lights on the way to x, y, or z! I think you know what I’m talking about. Some days, I have this attitude so intensely swaying my thoughts I get mad at myself for not knitting enough rows while watching TV, what a slacker! All of these are completely ridiculous and in truth, I have thought them all.

Yet, none of these examples are bringing me closer to Jesus. They make me anxious, annoyed, unpleasant to be around, and generally crabby. They are not life-giving. The truly wasted time is the time I spend wallowing in my perceived lack of productivity instead of relishing the gifts God has given me.

God does not desire for us to fill every moment of every day with work, production, or action. That is not the example He gave us. Work hard, yes. But rest well in complement. That means, waste time! Another way I’ve heard this described is to create white space. White space, like the white space on a paper, isn’t filled with plans, activities, to-do lists, etc. It’s blank, open for possibility. It’s time for play, for prayer, for walks, for reading, for laying in a hammock and listening to birds, it’s meditation, it’s phone calls that don’t include laundry folding or dinner making, it’s fill in the blank because that space is open for anything!

Be on the look out for how you can find some white space. It doesn’t need to be whole afternoons of skipping through daisies. Perhaps it is as small as including 5 extra minutes at the breakfast table to savor your coffee instead of downing it in 2 gulps. Make that cup of tea you are craving in the evening but still have your to-do list running in your head. Say yes to a walk, even if it’s just once around the block. Pause and pray when you are prompted, instead of thinking you’ll remember later. These aren’t wasted minutes, these are what make a life well-lived.

Daily Graces. kktaliaferro.wordpress.com

Fifth Sunday of Lent 2023

Published on by Kate1 Comment

Today’s post is going to be a little different in that it’s also a book review. Over spring break I was able to read a most excellent book I wanted to share with you. By the Rivers of Babylon by Michael D. O’Brien is a historical fiction novel about the early life of the prophet Ezekiel. I fell in love immediately and one of the overall themes of the book fits in perfectly with this Sunday’s Gospel reading – God’s timing.

In case you haven’t noticed, either from Scripture or your own life experience, God doesn’t follow a schedule we can easily decipher. In the story of Jesus’ raising Lazarus, Jesus finds out about Lazarus’ illness 2 full days before He begins to journey to Bethany. Jesus is about 30ish miles from Bethany at this time (the previous chapter of John tells us Jesus traveled to Samaria after some confrontations at the Temple in Jerusalem). At a walking pace, it would have taken them at least 2 days to get to Bethany, maybe longer. And Jesus waited to get started.

I’m sure everyone was wondering why Jesus chose to wait. If they had listened closely, they would have already known the answer to their question:

When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

John 11:4

Something larger was at work in Lazarus’ illness. Jesus could have rushed to Lazarus’ side and cured him of whatever was ailing him. But, the bigger, more miraculous, impossible story happens because Jesus choses to wait for God’s timing. To reflect more fully on God’s timing, check out this week’s video.

The Israelite people experienced this time and again. In By The Rivers of Babylon, you walk with Ezekiel through the crumbling of faithfulness in Jerusalem and into exile in Babylon. While this at first sounds like a depressing read, Ezekiel’s perspective lifts your eyes to heaven and God’s larger plan that is at work. Below is my full review:

Because of the distance of time between today and Biblical days, it can be difficult to fully appreciate the world during which the Bible was written. We rely on ancient texts, cultural traditions, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what life could have been like during the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, the glory of David’s kingship, or times of exile. We are also blessed by the imaginations of authors such as Michael D. O’Brien who, through his new book, By The Rivers of Babylon, can open up for us a whole new perspective on a particular moment in Biblical history. 

O’Brien has crafted a beautiful book about the early life of the prophet Ezekiel, or Yezekiel in the Hebrew O’Brien utilizes. I was entranced by this book and the gentle way O’Brien unfolds the young Ezekiel’s life. The inside of the dust jacket includes the question, “What makes a prophet?” I found this to be a poignant question. While the book thoughtfully unfolds moments of Ezekiel’s life which are clearly preparatory for his eventual calling to be a prophet to the exiles, O’Brien also invites the reader to consider what God could be preparing them for someday. Do we each have a unique purpose to which God is calling us? How is God using today to prepare us for the tomorrow we do not yet see?

I’ll share one quote as an example:

“I am carefully fitting corner bricks to overlap with bricks of the adjoining wall. Ah, if only I could mold a whole wall in an instant, go my thoughts. I could carry it here on my shoulders. I could put four walls together and make a house in the blink of an eye.

Then I smile at the notion. Life is like this, I remind myself. You cannot move a whole wall on your shoulders. You move the wall brick by brick. This is how God as built Israel, little by little, step by step.

pg 178

What a beautiful, timeless insight into the human heart. We want things to happen immediately. We want quick answers, minimal waits, instant gratification. The story of Ezekiel through O’Brien’s imagination is one of slowness, anticipation, and difficult waiting. Instead of lashing out against their conquerors, Ezekiel offers a prayerful approach. He trusts in God’s plan for His people and continually unites himself to that plan through simple acts of love and generosity. He also would have been a man immersed in the psalms, which O’Brien does a masterful job of weaving into all sections of the book. Through these psalm-prayers of Ezekiel, we are able to witness a powerful form of praying in, with, and through the words of Scripture.

You know you’ve found a good book of Biblical historical fiction when the first thing you want to read after finishing is the book(s) of the Bible referenced. This is exactly how I felt and what I did upon closing By The Rivers of Babylon.

I cannot encourage everyone enough to find the time to read this book, and then to go on to read through the book of Ezekiel. I am already planning a second read through, likely of both.

Daily Graces. kktaliaferro.wordpress.com