THE GIFT, NOT THE WRAPPING PAPER, OF THE EUCHARIST

THE GIFT, NOT THE WRAPPING PAPER, OF THE EUCHARIST



Most of the parish mission talk tonight was spot on and excellently delivered. Then he had to do a little side eye towards my Trad friends. I can pick on them a little bit since I spent some time in that community,. But I'll sometimes defend them when the mood is right.

Father made the point about some in the church who seem to get into more of a focus on how the liturgy is executed rather than what's really important. He goes on to say that it's like these folks have missed the gift and focused on the wrapping paper. Seems a bit unfair of a judgement to describe them all, but he might have a valid point too.

If you know the community of the Holy Name of Jesus parish, you'd probably know that the vast majority of folks won't know what he is talking about. But with the sensitive ears of a former traditionalist, I know he's clearly talking about the liturgy war, so-called.

Without really taking a definitive side on that debate... I think he's right. But I also think he's kind of wrong. At least, a half-truth. Yes there are those in that community who seem to be more focused in on rubrical execution rather than the awe and wonder of the mystery and miracle that is manifesting before them. Yes that's a problem.
But let's not minimize the validity of the concerns of that community for proper and dignified liturgy.

It's not just a traditionalist concern.

"Beginning with the liturgy tells us: “God first”. When the focus on God is not decisive, everything else loses its orientation. The saying from the Rule of St. Benedict “Nothing is to be preferred to the liturgy” (43, 3) applies specifically to monasticism, but as a way of ordering priorities it is true also for the life of the Church and of every individual, for each in his own way. It may be useful here to recall that in the word “orthodoxy”, the second half, “-doxa”, does not mean “idea” but, rather, “glory”: it is not a matter of the right “idea” about God; rather, it is a matter of the right way of glorifying him, of responding to him. For that is the fundamental question of the man who begins to understand himself correctly: How must I encounter God? Thus learning the right way of worshipping—orthodoxy—is the gift par excellence that is given to us by the faith."
- JOSEPH RATZINGER Theology of the Liturgy The Sacramental Foundation of Christian Existence Edited by Michael J. Miller Translated by John Saward, Kenneth Baker, S.J., Henry Taylor, et al.

There is also an error on the flip side.
Some folks might focus so much on the gift, that they miss out on the meaning and value of the "wrapping paper". 

I don't need to get deep into the theology here.
Use your simple human intuition.
In the practice of gift-giving, at least in the West, there is definitely an unspoken message conveyed and received from the way in which gifts are presented. There is something that elevates the experience of the gift when it is presented in a very beautiful manner. I'd be very suspicious of anyone who's going to make an argument that it's better to half-ass a wrapping job than to at least attempt to put effort into it.

Be honest, you see a pile of gifts at a party. 
Some are wrapped beautifully. 
Some are wrapped decently. 
Some are wrapped poorly. 
And some are not wrapped at all. 
Which ones are probably going to be the most appreciated regardless of the value of the gift?

So what's the point I'm making?
Let's not make a false dichotomy.
The gift of the Eucharist is our Lord and Savior, the God of the universe Jesus Christ. 
Let's get that doctrine correct, first and foremost.
Now that you've recognized what is happening at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, What do you think is appropriate, proportionate to the resources and means of the parish, to ensure that the gift of the Eucharist is presented in the most appropriate and dignified way?

Remember this part in the Mass?

Lift up your hearts. 
We lift them up to the Lord. 
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. 
It is right and just.

Lastly, this is the piece that I've been talking about where the traditional groups can stand to gain a bit of insight from Vatican 2 and after. 
The meal is important. 
It's good to recover some of that theology from earlier centuries. And let's not forget that it still is the unbloody re-presentation of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. 
This, in essence, is a propitiatory sacrifice to God the Father, which was and is, the means of salvation for the many to whom the fruits of the Sacrifice are applied.

Both and, not either or.
Meal and Sacrifice.
Gift and wrapping paper.

- Laurence Gonzaga 
12.04.23

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