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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Thurs. Feb. 17, 1977
KNOW YOUR FAITH The Sign of Peace
Lay Persons in Pastoral Ministry New Wine
By Msgr. Joseph Champlin
By Michael Warren truly an innovation in the liturgy, but merely the reintroducJohn and Sharon no longer Recently an undergraduate tion of a practice which has its come to Mass at Holy Family. stopped by my office to discuss roots in early Christian tradition Their families do and they did career possibilities. As a' drama and even existed before the time until a few months after tlieir 'major in a state university, he of Jesus. marriage. Throughout the initial Christ- became involved in charismatic At that time, however, the ian centuries, this sign of peace prayer -groups. The experience young wife, rather shy and some- occured at the conclusion of the convinced him he needed an inwhat timid, experienced a pain- homily and the liturgy of the depth understanding of his religious tradition, so he transferful rejection one Saturday night' Word. at the Eucharist. During the Furthermore, at that position, red to St. John's as a theology Sign of Peace, she turned with just prior to the presentation of major. Like many such students, some hesitation to a neighbor, gifts, it linked naturally with , he wishes to become involved in full-time parish ministry. offering her hand and cautious these words of Matthew: Today;s young people are de- smile as a gesture of Christian "So then, if you are bringing love. The individual frowned, your offering to the altar and veloping a keen sense of their then faced in the opposite direc- there remember that your broth- possibilities for ministry. Some tion. er has something against you, years ago, they would have gone The next week John joined his leave your offering there before to religious novitiates or semwife for Mass. At the Sign of the altar, go and be reconciled' inaries. Today, as graduate stuPeace, both experienced similar with your brother first, and then dents, they select for their reunfortunate rejections" It was come back and present your of- search theses subjects such as the ministry of the catechist, more than they wished to en- fering." (Mat. 5,23-24). dure. Soon they joined another Nevertheless, in a century or problems facing team ministry, parish which had not yet intro- two, the pattern changed and the place of women in team minduced the gesture of reconcilia- the gesture of reconciliation was stries ,the complementarity of tion. moved to its present location, ministries in the Church. And I doubt if that event would re- after the Our Father and before all but one of my graduate students seeking a master's degree peat itself today. A recent na- Holy Communion. are lay people. tional survey indicates some 75 S~ific Practice What is happening? One percent of Roman Catholics now The Sign of Peace exchanged accept the Sign of Peace. ' following the Lord's Prayer priest with whom I discussed this said he thought most of The gesture of peace is not Turn to Page Thirteen them were "frustrated priests." I do n9t agree. I feel they have a deep commitment to the. Church and consequently are making the effort to prepare themselves to serve her. They By Father Paul Palmer, S.J. No Conflict have recognized certain gifts At the close of the second they have for ministry and want Many readers of Know Your century the process of desacral- to exercise them. In most cases Faith will be surprised and disappointed that the New Testa- lization or spiritualization is they are searching for a lifetime ment never refers to the Apost- complete enough to allow Hippo- service to the Church. les or their successors in the Iytus of Rome to apply the term The future catechetical leaders ministry as priests, and that the "priest" to the newly ordained in my classes are ready to conEucharist or Lord's Supper is biยงhop who "offers the bread vince volunteer catechists in never explicitly referred to as a and the cup," giving thanks to parishes. they will serve of the the Father, "because you have beauty and importance of their sacrifice. commanded us to stand before Our best biblical scholars sug- You and minister as priests to time-honored, privileged role as , gest t.hat the terms sacrifice and You" ("Apostolic Tradition," IV, lay catechists. Priesthood is being put in the priest could not be applied to 11): frame of reference that unites the early Eucharist and its minIt should be noted that the all those who offer service withisters until Christians, had separated themselves from the pray- "Apostolic Tradition" of Hippo- in the 'heloved community. This ers and sacrifices of the Jewish Iytus was adopted and adapted allows priests to understand temple, and had come'to see in by the Churches of the East and anew their key rolll as affirmers the breaking of the bread and the West as the model for the of the gifts of the community. the blessing of the cup a meal Eucharistic liturgy, and that the It helps them and all others in Canon of Hippolytus is basically ministry leadership roles to see with sacrificial overtones. Time was needed before such the same as the second Euchar- that they are to be ministers to cuItic words as temple, priest istic Prayer of the New Order of the ministers. The young undergraduate I and sacrifice could be applied to the Mass. talked about earlier plans, after -It remained, however, for the the place where Christians asgraduation, to marry and have a theological genius of an Augustsembled, to the ministers of the Eucharist, and to the sacrament- ine to show that there need be family, but he is not expecting al rite in which the eucharistiz- no conflict between the spiritual wealth or even a very comforted bread and wine were offer- sacrifice which Christians offer able economic status through ed. Such cultic words had to be in the temple of their own bod- Church ministry. "Is there a desacralized, that is, interioriz- ies and the sacrament-sacrifice place for me? Is it worthwhile ed before they could be used of the Eucharist which is cele- to pursue a career in ministry?" without misunderstanding of brated visibly at the Christian he asked. altar. "This is the sacrifice of Difficulties of Ministry Christian liturgy or worship. I told him the difficulties: The process of spiritualiza- Christians: 'We the many are tion as it applies to temple, the one body of Christ' (Rom. 12, ' about some of my friends who priest and sacrifice is seen in 5). And this also is the sacrifice dropped out of catechetical minthe first letter of Peter, in which which the Church continually istry because they could not find he exhorts the baptized: ". . . celebrates in the sacrament of a parish that would pay a living like living stones, be yourselves the altar - which is known to wage; about discouraging statisbuilt into a spiritual house to be the faithful. In it the' Church tics on the job stability of para holy priesthood, to offer a learns that in the offering she ish catechetical coordinators. And I told him the joys: about spiritual sacrifice acceptable to makes she herself is offered" those I know who have found God, which is your spiritual sac- ("The City of God," 10.6). immense satisfaction in their Turn to Page Thirteen rifice." (Rom. 12, 1).
Whole Christ OHers
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MICHAEL WARREN WRITES of the growing number of theology students seeking careers in lay ministry, seeing this as a hopeful sign for the Church. This young man discusses an art project with a boy at a migrant reading program in upstate New York. (NC Photo) ministries; about dioceses where bishops, diocesan leaders, and many local pastors have created an excellent climate for lay people seeking full-time ministry.
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I encouraged him to write the National Conference of Diocesan CCD Directors at 1312 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Washington, Turn to Page Thirteen
Am I a Priest?
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Vatican Council II seems to have brought together all these The word priest is surrounded views of priesthood. House liturwith a multitude of meanings. gies are restored, while Church In the Old Testament it is as- liturgies are retained. Church sociated with temple worship. ceremonfes, once redolent of anThe priest is the one who per- cient temple liturgies, are now forms the sacrificial rites, whet- vastly simplified. her offering lamps or incense or Stirring Moment driving the scapegoat into the The uniqueness of the presiddesert. In the New Testament' ing priest is affirmed, while the the priest becomes the celebra- value' of the people of God as a tor of the Eucharist. . . royal priesthood is retained. The In early Christian times, the role of priest as one ordained to priest offered Eucharist in offer Eucharist is enriched by homes. There was none of the the title of minister, so that he paraphenalia of the Hebrew tem- shl!ll never forget his obligation ple priesthood. The first priests to serve the people. of the New Covenant followed Whereas the meaning of priest more the custom of the presider in former times was tied to his of a Jewish household at a Sed- "being" more than his function, er meal. there is now a greater emphasis The fourth century 'liberation on function. This is dramatized of Christianity by the emperor much better now at ordination Constantine witnessed introduc- services, where the priest candition of basilicas as worship cen- date is presented to the ~ople ters. As worship moved from the for their approval. When this is home to the church, so did the received and the bishop affirms priest. The style of temple lit- the will of the people that this urgy from the Old Testament re- man is called to priesthood, the asserted itself. Once again, the congregational applause is a stirchoirs, the altars, the candles, ring moment of participation by the incense. The simple bread the, people in the ordination evand wine of the house Euchar- ent. ists assumed the imagery of the What has really occurred in sacrificial lamp. The presider at the recent search for the identity the table of the Lord became of the priest is a recovery of the the priest at the altar. community and human dimenThe Reformation revolted sion of priesthood. In a way it is against the ceremonial role of a new celebration of the incarthe priest and began to speak of nation of Christ. God so loved him as minister, and of the human beings that he decided to priesthood of all the faithful. Turn to Page Thirteen By Father Alfred McBride