Well friends...it is upon us. The great season of Advent has arrived.
I was traveling these last days - some delays in travel made me appreciate once again, how much I value life in my own home.
Some would beg to differ with me that priests do not 'have' homes of their own but I like to think that where I live becomes a home by virtue of the relationships one makes when we give our lives over to the communities in which we serve.
Regardless of wherever it is you sit - I am indeed happy to be HOME!
This past weekend, The First Sunday of Advent, signaled a new beginning for the universal Church. We have adopted a new and revised manner in which we, as Church, pray at mass.
The Third Edition of the Roman Missal launched throughout the globe this past weekend and we are still getting our minds around that.
Unfortunately, the Missals for our Archdiocese did not arrive on time for this past weekend but they have begun to be shipped out this week. I managed to pick our parish`s Missal in The Pas on Wednesday.
The following begs to be said. This is a turning point for our faith in the english speaking world. This change will demand much of our people and comes at a time when the Church is crying out for a change. I do not believe, however, that this is the change so many North Americans were looking for.
I find it often difficult to balance the teachings of our Church with the lived experience of the people in which I serve. This change in the liturgy comes at a time when our efforts could be better spent examining the manner in which we engage people of this generation. A return to poetic prose in the liturgy may deepen the bonds of intimacy between Christ and some of our faithful but I believe it will speak very little to ordinary people who are simply looking for a comfortable place to pray and a language that is understandable for their children.
In truth, I stumbled a great deal in celebrating mass these last few days. The language of the mass does not lend itself to easy comprehension. I barely understood what I was praying. I cannot believe that our parishioners will have an easy time with this.
Yet, here we are.
I am tempted to ask what would our churches look like if we had funneled as much energy and resources into solid evangelization as we did into the reform of the Missal. If we took the time to clearly look into foundational ways in which we welcome separated and divorced catholics into the faith; restorative justice issues surrounding abuse and victimization; emphasizing dignity for gay and lesbian christians; integrating younger people into our liturgies and church life...all to name but a few.
I feel compelled to support these changes that are ours but I also feel discouraged that we have once again let go of an opportunity for real change. Something that the institutional church will have to address at some point in our lived future.
There....my rant is over. I guess I might be looking at a new job if the bishop see`s this. At the end of the day we are left with an invitation and I will make the most of what this season in our Church`s history has to offer. It will be a time for teaching and revisiting the manner and language we use to pray and ultimately I believe that we will all grow closer to Christ if we choose too.
Be assured of my prayer for all of us. Yesterday, today and tomorrow.
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