Liturgical Abuse II

Fr. Rob has an excellent report on the discussion on Liturgical oppression/abuse over at his Blog. Thanks for linking to The New Gasparian, Fr. Rob!

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 6:10 PM link

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One of Earth’s Sanctuaries

This has been a great vacation, staying at my community’s Province center and taking little side trips to some of Northern California’s more celebrated attractions. Yesterday my sister and I along with some friends did a one-day trip to Yosemite, leaving at 5:00am on Friday morning and returning here at 1:00am Saturday morning. The sights are spectacular and refreshing, and the walks in the quiet woods were exhilarating. If you ever make a trip to California do not neglect to visit one of Earth's natural sanctuaries.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 4:29 PM link

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Beer Reconciliation

Some have taken exception to my acceptance of the apology issued by the Boston Beer Company, but have praised me for continuing or sustaining a boycott.

I received another email of apology from Jim Koch. It was just like all the other standard apologies, but with the flowing added paragraph:

Many people have expressed their concerns that we need to issue a more public apology. Enclosed you will find a link to the apology letters that ran as paid advertisements in The Boston Herald, The Boston Globe on Friday, August 30th and in The New York Post on Saturday, August 31st.

Here is their Link.

Meanwhile, Ad Orientem provides even more information that Sam Adams himself was something of an anti-Catholic patriot.

I will continue my boycott of Samuel Adams until I hear of some notice that they have made some direct reparation to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 4:25 PM link

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Apologies and Replies

This was recieved today from Jim Koch of the Boston Beer Company:

Re: your e-mail

Thank you for sharing with us your concerns about the "Opie & Anthony Show". We take your comments very seriously, and we are grateful that you took the time to share them and have given us the opportunity to respond to you personally.

We at The Boston Beer Company formally apologize to you and anyone we have upset or offended by the incident and by our association with it. My presence on the show, was a lapse in judgment, and I regret it. While not an acceptable excuse, I want you to know that I had no warning that a place of worship would be part of the show. I should have walked off the show and I didn't.

Everyone associated with The Boston Beer Company has worked very hard over the last 17 years to build a good company with world-class products and a quality reputation. Your feedback, along with other feedback we receive, will be used as we develop better guidelines for marketing in the future. As a result of this incident, we are re-evaluating our policy and controls on radio station activities.

Boston Beer is a company that cares deeply about its customers and its reputation with them. We regret that this incident has damaged our relationship with you, and I hope that, over time, we will earn your respect again. Please accept our apology, and again, thank you for taking the time to let us know how you feel. I hope you will continue to do so in the future.


Sincerely,

Jim Koch
Chairman & Founder
The Boston Beer Company


My response:

Many thanks for your email. Your apology is accepted.

Samuel Adams has been my beer of choice for several years. At the Parish where I was pastor we would purchase several cases at a time for a variety of events and for personal use. I will be honest about the fact that I am still not inclined to begin purchasing Sam Adams in the near future. I need to wait and see what actions might result from this.

I have accepted your words of apology for this action. But I am also looking for actions.

So since the Boston Press is not available to me could you answer a couple of questions?

Did you place your apology in other places than the website? for example, a full page ad in the Boston Globe?

Did you make any reparation to St. Patrick's Cathedral?

Many thanks for the apology and I hope to see an answer to these questions.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 7:47 PM link

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Liturgical Oppression

One correspondent was a little surprised at my use of the term “abuse” in the context of a dialogue on these superficial changes and additions to the Liturgy.

I was a little circumspect in using it, which was why it was framed as a question rather than a declaration.

For me, both levels of abuse involve a person of authority derogating to himself the right to play with or to alter something sacred. In both it is an abuse of a sacred trust. Some may be hesitant to compare levels of damage, and it could seem that what we've had to put up with from these priests is nothing like the violation of children, teens, and young adults.

This reminds me of a complaint I had several years ago. There was once a program on ABC called “Nothing Sacred.” It was supposed to be on the life of a parish and one particular priest. I remember being offended by the title and by much of the program content. But it was about a priest and the priesthood so I watched every episode so that I would know what I was talking about. (I try not to criticize TV shows or movies I have not seen.)

There seems to be a generation in the Church that omitted the mention of anything sacred as part of daily discourse. We raised our understanding of the dignity to which we are called, but then we became semi-pelagian and self-congratulatory. We got to the point where anything goes since there is really nothing sacred in this world. Since we had been raised to such a dignity we had the right to do anything we felt led by the Spirit to do.

The Holy Spirit is not a feeling. And it certainly is not a spirit of disorder.

There is much that is given to us that is holy and sacred. The Eucharist is a sacred treasure, not like something deposited in a museum, but living and active in our daily lives. It is not something I have a right to monkey with. It is something I have a daily obligation to prepare, and to be prepared for.

The people of God are to be subject to the one another’s inspiration, not to the superficial whims of this or that presider.

Many of these priests would be surprised and horrified to discover how clerical they are. My making us subject to their whims, we have to do what they tell us, and find the meaning that they give us. That is clericalism at its worst.

In Good Liturgy that nourishes and deepens faith we are to discover in itself new meaning and purpose each day, not the meaning the cantor gives us at the beginning of each Mass, but the courage and inspiration to be community in the world in which we live.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 7:44 PM link

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This was a delight to read

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 6:30 PM link

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Half-hearted Apology

The Chairman of the Boston Beer Co., the maker of Samuel Adams Beer has apparently apologized. Many thanks go to Amy Welborn and Peter Nixon for making this known.

I can be a forgiving person. I am sure St. Gaspar would want me to be.

But more news is coming out that makes the apology feel less than sincere.

So, apology accepted.

Yet, I am still boycotting Sam Adams Beer.

I would love to enter into a conversation about this. Please click below and let me know what you think.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 2:47 AM link

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The Next Level of Abuse?

Fr. Robert Johansen from the BlogSpot known as “Thrown Back” has presented us with an interesting problem. He describes a new practice at his church. Fr. Rob is the associate and not the Pastor, and the new practice was not begun at his behest. And he is looking for responses.

Click here to see how he describes the new practice:

The way it works is this: the cantor stands up at the cantor's lectern and says something like: "Welcome to St. Joseph Catholic Church. As we begin our celebration, let us rise and take a moment to greet Christ in one another." After a minute or so of this, the cantor then announces the opening hymn and the processional begins.

Here is my response:

The ministry of the cantor or commentator gets in the way of prayer and community prayer when forced to interject new rituals such as these into the liturgy. This is all part of what I am beginning to refer to as the “next level of abuse.”

When I was pastor I made a concerted effort to move us from entertainment models to worship models in the performance of music ministry. In many ways the celebration of the church’s highest form of worship, the Eucharist, has been co-opted by the entertainment industry, turning cantors and psalmists into Concert Masters of Ceremonies and presiders into talk-show hosts.

We had a talented entertainer as Music Minister and he would sometimes give mini-homilies before the introduction of the entrance hymn. Too often his words were laced with modern semi-pelagian heresy and had to be directly contradicted in the homily. By the time I left the parish in 2001 the cantor was not even seen until the Responsorial Psalm.

People come to pray, not to be cajoled into music practice or false community making. It is the Eucharist that makes us community, the Body of Christ, and not this making “happy” before, during or after Mass.

I remember people complaining to me because I did not say “Good Morning” at the beginning of the Mass. I explained to them that the proper greeting was, “The Lord be with you.” I was also on the front steps of the church before every mass to greet those arriving. That was before Mass. During the Liturgy itself I use the Church’s text.

To interject “Good Morning” into the ritual is to say that “The Lord be with you” is not effective liturgy or ritual. We have unfortunately raised a generation of priests who have no faith in the Liturgy or the Eucharist and so must constantly add to or alter the Eucharistic texts to make them more “meaningful” or effective.

So, Fr. Rob, to force the congregation to greet each other prior to the beginning of Mass is to make a statement that you no longer believe the celebration of the Eucharist has the power to bind us together into his Body.

Several years ago I wrote a paper that was to form part of our parish’s Liturgy Document. It is still on-line at NPM. Unfortunately, much of this was discarded when I was transferred to this new assignment in Chicago.

This is a bit of what I said:
The principles of good assembly singing do not require that a music minister be placed in front of, in place of, or perform on behalf of the assembly. Whatever it takes for the assembly, as assembly, to claim ownership of their music and to sing with generous hearts, that is what we shall do.

The Gathering Song is always to be a song or hymn that the assembly knows. A psalmist is not necessary to enable the assembly to sing. With a printed worship aid it is not necessary for the psalmist to invite the assembly to stand or to sing. The manner in which the cantor/organist introduces the song will be enough invite the assembly to stand and pray in song. Psalmist interventions at this point indicate that the assembly is not capable of singing as an assembly or that they do not know their role in the liturgy. Psalmist actions or words at this point can be perceived as intrusive, manipulative, or preachy.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 2:12 AM link

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The Wine Cellar

The wine cellar is fitted with a wine press to squeeze out the juice of the grapes in order to obtain from them those precious wines which we have been speaking of until now. Indeed, using the wine cellar as a type, was not the Heart of Jesus put under the wine press of a most cruel suffering? And, does not all the profit which comes from his sufferings - to make an application from our comparison - flow from that source into our souls? Torcular calcari solus, et de gentibus non est vir mecum. (I have trodden the winepress alone. Of the men of my people not one was with me. Is 63:3)

My beloved in Jesus Christ, it is time for us to submit the vineyard of our souls to cultivation, to toil willingly under the pressure of present trials. The love of Jesus, represented by the wine, will take away our lethargy, will provide against our dejection, and will give us strength and comfort for the journey to our dear home in heaven, where we shall rejoice triumphantly without end. Let these sentiments be impressed upon the minds and hearts of each one of us. Let the image of the wine cellar remind us to fulfill our obligations by corresponding to a God most lavish with his gifts

from St. Gaspar’s Fifth Circular Letter, 1831

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 1:53 PM link

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Exhausting trip to the wine country today. Yes, I am still on Vacation. I hope to blog some more tomorrow.

Pax+

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 10:40 PM link

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Sunday's Liturgy

The Liturgy is a very special event each day for me. When I preside at Eucharist I see it as something that belongs entirely to Jesus and to the Church. It is a place where we are immersed each day in the Paschal Mystery. We are changed by this mystery into his very own body. The Liturgy is not something I can change. I am to be changed by my involvement in the liturgy and by my immersion in the Paschal Mystery.

This morning my sister and I, along with a friend, traveled to San Francisco and participated in the Eucharist at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi. It was an absolutely beautiful experience. The Schola Cantorum of the Shrine is something to be celebrated. Their hospitality and welcome, and their encouragement to sing the Eucharist is a direct contrast to the very unwelcoming experience of last Sunday at St. Theresa in South Lake Tahoe.

The presider is another story. Sorry, Father, we really do not care whether or not you have a pleasant singing voice. We did not need to hear about your discomfort in singing. We came here to meet Jesus, not just you. Besides, your singing skill hardly serves as an introduction to today’s gospel, or as an invitation to attend to this morning’s readings.

Your homily was a little long, but good. I spent the first half wondering what the point was and if you would ever find it.

But my main quibble is with your constant changing of the text of the Liturgy.

“The Lord is with you”

Yes, Father, I know he is and he is with you too. But this was supposed to be a prayer, not a homily. What you gave us was a declarative statement of truth, to be sure. But we were hoping to pray with you, that the Lord be with you also.

“May almighty God bless us”

Nice prayer, Father, but I wanted YOUR Blessing. Do you not wish us blessing? What would be wrong with saying “May almighty God bless YOU?”

I could go for pages, but my sister constantly encourages me in my exercise of charity.

Let me end with a voice of praise for the music ministry. The Choir was outstanding. My favorite moment was the Psalm. It was a very singable refrain, and the four-part accapella chanting of the psalm text was outstanding. The Palestrina “Tu es Petrus” was glorious, and the Palestrina Missa Brevis was enough to transport us to an experience of the heavenly mystery.

Church building: A+
Liturgy: A-
Lectors: A+
Choir: A++++
Music Ministry: A+++
Preaching: C
Presiding, C
Hospitality: A+

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:01 AM link

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Memories

This would probably not be the homily I would preach this Sunday. I am still on vacation and will be going to Mass with some friends tomorrow at the Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francisco. However, reading this gospel always brings back memories of preaching this at Grandma’s church on the occasion of her 90th birthday. It was a surprise. She did not know I was coming. Grandma died at the age of 92 in 1995. She is still missed by us, and every word spoken on this occasion still rings true. So today, yes, I will think of Peter and the Petrine office. But I will also remember Grandma, the rock from which I am hewn.

Homily August 22, 1993 Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Preached in San Antonio, Texas, On the occasion of the Ninetieth Birthday of Iyleene Schmidt

I. This is an experience of Revelation

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

If we say this as Peter,
not by flesh and blood revealing it to us,
but by the light from the Father in heaven
shining in our heart,
we too become as Peter,
being pronounced blessed as he was,
because the grounds on which he was pronounced blessed
apply also to us,
by reason of the fact
that flesh and blood have not revealed to us
that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God,

but the Father in Heaven has revealed this to us,
from the very heaven,
for the scriptures tell us that is where our homeland lies,
that our citizenship is in heaven,

Philippians 3:20
"our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

It is this gracious Father revealing to us the revelation which carries up to heaven those who remove every veil from their heart, and recieve the spirit of the wisdom and revelation of God.

II.The Veil Has been Removed for those who profess faith in Christ

2 Corinthians 3:12-16
"Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, {13} not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. {14} .... that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.. ... but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed."

So the veil is removed.
And if we have said like Peter,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,"
not as if flesh and blood had revealed it to us,
but by the light from the Father in heaven
having shone in our heart,
we have become Peter.

To us is said
by the Word made flesh,
You are Peter.
For a rock is every disciple of Christ
of whom those drank
who drank from the spiritual rock that followed them....

1 Corinthians 10:4
and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

.... and upon every such Rock
is built ever word of the church,

and in each of the members
who have the combination of words and deeds and thoughts
which make up this blessedness
is the church,
the ekklesia,
this gathering called by God.
Each and every believer here
is incorporated into that rock
and reveals that rock to the world
in all your actions.

Matthew 7:24
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise person who built their house on rock."

III.We can make this profession of faith in spite of weakness, darkness or doubt.

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The insight that Peter has spoken,
as inadequate as it will soon be proved to be,
is nevertheless an indication
that God has been at work in his life.

In spite of Peter's incompleteness,
even before Peter's complete misunderstanding
of who this Christ is supposed to be
Even before Peter's denial
before his fear, and his flight

Even so,
It is on this confession of faith that God will build this kingdom,
it is on this profession that God will work
and call to each person who makes this profession,
you are rock,
you too are peter,
on you I will build my church,
on you I will build the realization that "I am"
and that I am present to all at all times.

We sometimes have trouble seeing that Jesus has called us Peter.
We say we believe
We repeat the profession of faith
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,

but when someone asks us to be Peter
when someone calls us to be the rock on which their church is built
we falter
much like Peter did

We think it is someone else's job
it belongs to pastor or priest
or to bishop or pope.

We fail like Peter fails.
We sink in the dark waters
We take Jesus aside and say
"God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you."
We become a stumbling block;
setting our mind not on divine things but on human things."
We fall asleep in the garden
and by our actions even deny him....

Luke 22:31-32
"Simon , Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, {32} but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your
brothers."

So we do not let doubt or darkness speak to us,
even our own fear and flight cannot prevent us
For this revelation does not rest on flesh and blood
But it is God in heaven who has revealed this to us.

We return to our profession of faith
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

And to the ones who profess this
Jesus replies,

You are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church.

IV.The Face of Christ is revealed in our presence for those who
believe.

And the prophet asks us to pay attention to this Rock
pay attention to the rock of which we are a part
look to the Rock that gives us birth
and pay attention to the quarry from which we have been dug.

Isaiah 51:1-2
"Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. {2} Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many."

Well, as far as I can see
I come from a good quarry
and if anyone can be Rock for her family
Iyleene Schmidt has been for her's.

In her humility she may not embrace everything I am to say about her, she may at times feel as incomplete and inadequate as Peter yet she is the rock on which God has built this family.

and as our ancestors who wandered through the desert were given to drink from the rock and all drank the same spiritual drink, and we have come to say of that Rock, the "rock was Christ," so this family has been given to drink from this rock, and the face of Christ has been revealed in this time and place.

For me, my experience of grandma has been an experience, of nourishment, warmth and encouragement.

She seemed to be able to feed the world. My home in California did not seem to be nearly as open as her house, and every journey to the MidWest was an experience of an abundance of meat, potatoes, salad, vegetables, and especially cookies and pies. Every journey through saw me leaving with a fresh coffee tin full of my favorite cookies. I can't look at a wilted lettuce salad without thinking of grandma, and I have the recipe for my favorite cookies in my bible next to a picture of Grandma Iyleene and Grandpa Richard.

My experience of grandma has been an experience, of nourishment, warmth and encouragement.

I can't remember a time when she wasn't making something for someone. Every family home in California has at least one afghan holding pride of place in the living room. All of them have come from grandma's talented and artistic hands. The one on my bed for the past nine years was a gift from grandma, and is one of the reasons that God hears a prayer for her every night, especially on the cold foggy nights in Berkeley.

My experience of grandma has been an experience, of nourishment, warmth and encouragement.

She has always taken an interest in her grandchildren, whether we have been good or whether we have strayed. She has an interest in all of us, and mentions most the ones she has not heard from in a while. On of my favorite times was when I lived in Illinois for a year and was only a couple of hours drive from her home. I got to visit her more then than ever before, and learned much about my family, and about myself. She has always taken an interest in my music, and it was a great a surprise and a real joy when she made the journey to California for my ordination.

The prophet speaks: "Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for she was but one when I called her, but I blessed her and made her many."

this is the rock
this is the rock on which this family is built
we have been hollowed from wonderful quarry
and in her have been given a experience of a Rock
who gave his all for his people.


In each of the members of this family
in all the members of this church
all who make this profession of faith in Jesus,
as Son of the living God
who have the combination of words and deeds and thoughts
which make up this blessedness
the church,
the ekklesia,
this gathering called by God.
Each and every believer here
is incorporated into that rock
and reveals that rock to the world
in all our actions.

All people who make this profession of faith with Peter are called to imitate this Rock and be the foundation on which Christ builds his kingdom. Today, however we are able to honor one of our own who for ninety years has been this rock for us, and say, with more joy than ever, Happy birthday.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 1:06 AM link

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For our lax bishops:
and for me too

Deny yourself in the Blood of Christ crucified; drink deeply of the blood; fill yourself with the Blood; vest yourself in the Blood. If you have been unfaithful, be baptized again in the Blood; if the devil has clouded your intellectual vision, bathe your eyes in the blood; if you have been unappreciative of unrecognized gifts, be grateful in the Blood; if you have been a lax shepherd, forgetful of the rod of justice tempered with prudence, undo that in the Blood…In the heat of the Blood dissipate your tepidity. In the light of the Blood banish your darkness, so that you may be the spouse of the Truth and the true shepherd and guardian of the flock placed in your hands.

St. Catherine of Siena’s advice to Priests

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:27 AM link

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