With Summer right around the
corner, you may be starting to think about what fun experiences you might
engage in over the next several months. I know that around May 1 I always try
to get a schedule of all the weekend festivals, concerts in the parks, and Farmer’s
markets in our local area, and there are lots of them. In fact, I’ll share my
list tomorrow on my Wednesday post. (This is my Sunday post, only 2 days late.)
Our first Summer adventure will
be a weekend at the M Lazy C Ranch “…where you step into the boots of a cowboy
and ride in the old west the way it used to be.” It’s
not a “dude ranch” so we
won’t be working, we will be relaxing. But we will enjoy some of the activities
the ranch has to offer; nightly campfires and s’mores, a horseback ride in the
Colorado mountains west of Pike’s Peak, observing owners caring for their
horses, and much, much more. We will also use the ranch as our home base as we
see some of the sights west of Colorado Springs.
My reason for sharing our plans
is not to brag about what we get to do. We are so grateful and it is only
because of God’s grace and provision that we are even able to consider taking
this time away together. I also do not want to stir feelings of jealousy or envy
within you. Rather, I trust that you are making plans to do some things this
summer that resonate with you. We are so blessed, as Americans, to have options
for recreation, relaxation, and restoration, all of which are important to the
health of our body, mind, and soul. So get out there and do something new this
Summer for a day, a weekend, a week; whatever you have been blessed with in
terms of time and resources.
Speaking of something new, I had
a brand new experience this past Sunday that has given me much to think about,
which is part of the reason I haven’t written my post until today. In fact, my
experience has actually shaken me to the core. When I write, I try to share
everything from the mundane to the profound. I hope to make my audience think, laugh,
relate, and even question. I believe all of those things are healthy and might
I even say, fun. What happened to me on Sunday unexpectedly caused me to do all
of those things.
Friends, I attended a Catholic
Mass for the first time in my life. Our friend’s daughters were taking First
Communion and we decided to go out of love, honor, and support of them. I
really had no idea what to expect, except that I knew I would hear some Latin,
stand and sit a lot, and that the Priest would likely be in a robe. The rest
was up for grabs. I’ll be honest and tell you that I did not know if I would
have a worshipful time, but I remained open to it. I cannot begin to tell you
what is stirring inside of me as I am reflecting on my experience.
All of my life I have heard of
and spoken of the fact that Jesus is alive. I have experienced the presence of
Christ in my life. I have understood as best as I could, the love of God. I
have tried to have a healthy respect, or what the Bible calls “fear” of God and
have engaged in acts of worship, defined as “an expression of reverence, honor,
and adoration for God the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.” Not
only have I thought I understood all of those concepts, but I have also been employed as
a Worship Leader for much of my adult life. I have also believed that the Word
of God, which we know as The Holy Bible, is alive (Heb. 4:12 NIV), vibrant, and
carries the power of life and transformation. I believe the Bible is true, all-sufficient,
and penetrating. The Word of God is active in the spirit and soul of a
Christ-follower, and thus, alive and active in me.
May 16 was Ascension Sunday
according to the Liturgical calendar, a calendar that follows a cycle of
readings based on events and Scriptural themes. The Second Vatican
Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy summarizes the meaning of
the liturgical celebrations of the Church this way:
“Holy Church
celebrates the saving work of Christ on prescribed days in the course of the
year with sacred remembrance. Each week, on the day called the Lord's Day, she
commemorates the Resurrection of the Lord, which she also celebrates once a
year in the great Paschal Solemnity, together with his blessed Passion. In
fact, throughout the course of the year the Church unfolds the entire mystery
of Christ and observes the birthdays of the Saints. (no. 1)”
It is not only the Catholic
Church that follows the Liturgical calendar. Many Protestant denominations
follow it, some closely and others loosely. I have been familiar with it,
having had a course in High School and in College on church history. I also served
in a Presbyterian church, which historically uses the Liturgical calendar.
However, it was loosely observed in my church, probably because of my lack of
familiarity and lack of practice with it. Ascension Sunday means that the theme
of the Mass centered around the places in Scripture where it talks about Christ
leaving the Earth in bodily form and “ascending” into heaven. It’s a story from
the life of Christ I am familiar with and includes reference to 3 of the 4 gospels
(Mark, Luke, and John), as well as the Book of Acts and others. The experience I
had on this particular day will forever change my relationship with Christ.
The first point of reflection
from this experience is the reverence and respect for the presence of God. I
observed this in the parishioners crossing themselves and some bowing or
nodding to representations or icons of Christ. Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta said “We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist; the moment we
do, something breaks…When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much
Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much
Jesus loves you now.” While I said that I have a healthy respect for God, the
parishioners at St. Mark’s gave an outward showing of the respect that seemed
to be inwardly sincere.
Another action in the worship
service was the burning of incense, which I had never experienced as part of
worship. The smoke of burning incense is interpreted by many churches as a
symbol of the prayer of the faithful rising to Heaven. This symbolism can be
seen in Psalm 141:2 as well as other places in Scripture. The act of preparing
the incense and releasing the smoke appeared to be an extremely respectful act
on the part of all those that preformed the ritual.
Respect was also shown by parishioners
in the physical act of standing at certain times and by some in the act of kneeling at
certain times. What was unique about this here compared to other churches I have worshipped in is that nobody was invited or told to stand. It was as if they were
doing so because they knew at certain points in the worship service standing or
kneeling was an appropriate posture, not just something they do. This could just
be my perspective based on the newness of the experience for me, but that is
how I interpreted it.
The next point of reflection for
me leads to me closer to the most profound parts of the service. What I heard in the
Mass was the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that God sent Christ to die
for our sins and rise from the dead, proving His power over sin and death. Jesus
later ascended into Heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God the
Father, interceding for us. The Priest, in his homily, reminded parishioners
that Christ, though physically in Heaven, would also be present with us in a
very real way “very shortly.” While the Priest described this as one of the
mysteries that we are unable to understand, it is true. However, the presence
of Christ he was referring to was something much different than the presence of
Christ I know and understand to be Biblical.
That leads me yet closer to reflecting
on the profound. The worship service ended with what some call the Eucharist,
the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. This is the practice of remembering Christ’s
death and resurrection with the eating and drinking of bread and wine. It is
something that Jesus asked His followers to do and has been a practice of Christians
for centuries. As Christ explained, the bread represents His body that was
broken for us and the wine represents the blood that was shed for us. Christ-followers
are to eat and drink in remembrance of Him and in a manner worthy of
proclaiming the Lord’s death. 1 Corinthians 11 goes on to say “Anyone who eats
the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the
crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of
“remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart,
come to this meal in holy awe (1 Cor. 11:27-28 TM).
Here is where Catholics and
Protestants differ. Most Protestant denominations and certainly Evangelical
churches consider the elements of the Eucharist to be symbols of the body and
blood of Christ. The Catholic Church believes in what is called Transubstantiation.
Oxford defines this as “the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic
elements into the body and blood of Christ at consecration, only the
appearances of bread and wine still remaining.” Here began my profound
experience.
The Priest had been talking about
the fact that Christ had left Earth at the Ascension, yet was periodically present
with us. His description of the presence of Christ referred to the sacrament of
the Eucharist. It is the belief of the Catholic Church that Christ is present
with His people at the moment the bread and the wine are consecrated and,
though it still appears to be bread and wine, it is actually Christ Himself in
the presence of His people. This is why devoted Catholic parishioners take
communion at any and every opportunity. It is the moment when Christ is
literally with them. As a non-Catholic Christ-follower, I understand the words
of Christ and those who wrote the Scripture to explain that Christ is always
with us, not only at certain times on certain occasions. It is at this moment
in the service that the difference in theology was most evident, yet deeply sacred,
moving, and mysterious at the same time.
I sat in my pew so intently
focused on the Priest as he was preparing the elements for Communion. I’m not
sure if I blinked or moved a muscle. There was a very real sense that something
special was taking place and I did not want to miss it. My reflection regarding
this act of worship in the service has changed my thinking forever. The
reverence with which the sacrament of the Eucharist was performed was beyond
remarkable. The seriousness and care in the preparation of the elements was
something incredible to watch and one could clearly observe the weight of
responsibility the Priest felt as he prepared for the Lord’s presence. I wonder
how many Priests take extraordinary care with the Eucharist as the Very Rev.
Gregory W. Bierbaum, V.F. Those that received communion, including our neighbor
girls, were required to come forward and receive it from the Priest or one whom
he had appointed. The Priest went so far as to say that the bread and the wine
had to be consumed right before them in order for them to observe the consumption
out of “protection of our Lord.” Were Parishioners to walk away with the bread
and not consume it, but instead let something else happen to it, it would be an
offensive treatment of Christ’s body. Again, I reflect on the instructions
given in 1 Corinthians where Paul says “Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the
cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit
on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of?
Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe (1 Cor.
11:27-28 TM). What I observed and experience and observed was “holy awe.”
While I do not personally believe
in Transubstantiation, my life and my worship will be forever changed for this
reason; if Catholics believe that in the sacrament of the Eucharist Christ is
fully present, and act with such reverence and “holy awe” towards Christ in the
moments of preparation, fulfillment of Communion, and subsequent cleaning up (which
was another amazing ritual to behold), with how much more reverence should I conduct myself believing that Christ is always with me, every moment, waking or
sleeping. I can easily say that I rarely conduct myself in a manner before
Christ with the same posture of worship as was demonstrated by the Priest, his
appointed assistants, and even the Parishioners of St. Mark’s Catholic Church
on Sunday.
The final piece of profound
insight I wish to reflect on after having worshipped in the Catholic church on
Sunday is that in this specific Catholic church, the gospel message was
unequivocally clear, precise, and for those who were listening, could NOT be
missed. It was not a false gospel. There was no heretical twisting of
scripture. Those who say that Catholics are not Christians or that they do not
know or preach the gospel are as wrong as those who say every person that steps
foot in a Protestant church
is a
Christian. In fact, I believe that many Evangelical Christians need to repent of
their divisive attitudes towards others who may practice worship differently
than they do. Friends, there are people who claim to be Protestant Evangelical Christians
that have never heard the gospel
because
they have not chosen to listen. I will concede that just as there are
Protestant churches and pastors that do not present a clear telling of the
gospel, I’m sure that there are Catholic churches and priests who fail to do the
same. However, anyone who attended Mass on Sunday at St. Mark’s in Highlands
Ranch, if they were paying attention, heard the full gospel preached by Father Bierbaum
and could have responded, if they had chosen to. Once again, I was convicted of
the tendency of Protestant Evangelical Christians to not only be judgmental but to communicate judgment loudly and perpetuate division amongst people.
That is something I do not want to have a part in. While I do not agree with
all of the Catholic theology (things like the necessity to pray to anyone but
the members of the Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) I also do not agree
with all of the Protestant Evangelical theology and may actually have problems
with more points of it than that of Catholic theology (a blog for another
time). Outsiders looking in on any specific group of worshippers can easily
find faults, hypocrisy, and maybe even heresy if they are looking for it. I
believe the main thing God is concerned with is what we do with His Son. In
that church on Sunday, Jesus was treated with holy awe! Christ-followers, let’s
stop going after the differences and judging and condemning those that are not
like us and let’s celebrate the thing that truly matters; the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ as a result of the reckless love God, our Creator
has for us!
Friends, I encourage you to try
something new this summer. Go for a hike on a trail you have never been before.
Order food from that restaurant you have been wanting to try. Rent a boat and
go for an afternoon cruise on the lake with your special person. Go to a church
that is different from the church you attend every week. Share your thoughts
with the rest of the readers of this blog. We will be glad you did. You will be
glad you did.
Thanks for reading,
