Transfiguration of Christ!

Fra Angelico's work captures so well the mystical dimension of scripture and prayer, knowledge of the word and knowledge of the person of Christ. Here in his painting of the Transfiguration he depicts Christ surrounded by the glow of his hidden divinity. Moses and Elijah appear beside him although Fra Angelico depicts only their heads, thus illustrating this vision as a spiritual encounter. The three apostles, Peter, John and James are fully present at the feet of Christ. They are depicted as in fear and in awe of this vision of their master. From the Gospels we know that Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah on his mission in Jerusalem, that he will suffer there and die for the salvation of the world. This conversation happens as Christ is revealing his divinity to his three closest disciples. Traditionally this is understood that these three would be strengthen then through Christ's passion. Fra Angelico's work is not intended to depict the Gospels as accurate as possible but to elicit a prayerful meditation on the life of Christ. In his simple and unique way of painting he depicts the sacredness of Christ in all his Glory and splendour.

Posts from another blog I had to shut down!

Getting more out of the Eucharist!

A practical guide

First communion is coming up for many of our children here at St. Patrick’s and it is a good time to examine our practice of receiving our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Have you ever wondered how you can experience God’s love and blessings more fully? As parents and adults in faith we are called to set an example for our children and others so they may learn the proper behaviour in church and learn to give proper reverence to the Lord. Sometimes when we are so used to doing something it becomes ritualistic and we show less enthusiasm in our actions. Here are a few suggestions on how we can experience our communion more profoundly:

While in communion line take consciousness that you are about to meet Jesus in the most powerful way. In receiving communion you are receiving the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, His full presence. An ancient prayer that comes to us from Thomas the Apostle is to say right before communion: “My Lord and My God.” The way we receive communion is important as well. It is suggested that we do a slight bow before coming up to the priest. After the priest says “The Body of Christ,” we say “Amen.” This does two things, first it is a statement that you believe that the Eucharist is the true body of Christ, for “Amen” means “so be it, or I believe.” Secondly it is a way for you to let the priest know that you are Catholic and that you have the right to receive. Once in front of the priest, the traditional way to receive Holy Communion is on the tongue. If this is your usual way to receive, make sure you stick your tongue out just enough to receive well the host from the priest. Priest do not enjoy sticking their fingers in peoples mouth, and want to avoid as far as possible dropping the host on the floor. Receiving on the tongue can be very reverential, but it can be difficult and unhygienic as well. If you have a cold it is preferable to receive in the hand. Don't bite the priests finger.

Receiving Holy Communion in the hand can be just as reverential as on the tongue. It all depends on how we approach this sacred moment. If we do not leave our things in our pews and our hands are filled with things we brought to church, such as our coats, purses, bags, books, etc... even when carrying up small children it is preferable to receive on the tongue. There is a danger that the host may be dropped or crushed while trying to manoeuvre everything we brought with us to put the host in ones mouth. The best and most reverent way to receive Holy Communion in the hand is to make sure both hands are free. We never “take” communion, we always “receive” communion, for this is Christ’s body “given” for you. One never takes what is given but receives what is given. To receive well then, one hand should be presented to the priest or Eucharistic minister palm face up, and the other hand underneath it, palm also face up. As you present your hands thus you are called to see your hands as a throne or altar for God who is to be placed there. Allow the priest to deposit the Eucharist in the hand. With your free hand from underneath then you take the host that was given to you and gently put it in your mouth. This shows great reverence and love for the Eucharist one is receiving. Presenting one hand and then throwing the host in your mouth with the same hand does not show proper etiquette, nor does trying to snatch the host out of the priest’s hand. Most priest find this rude.

Understanding what we are doing of course helps us to know how we should behave and allows us to get the most out of what we are called to experiencing at mass. Realizing that God is fully present as we come to hear his word and celebrate his sacrifice of the mass we can open our hearts and lives to the loving relationship God wants to have with us. Just as in every relationship we are called to learn how to treat each other with proper social etiquette, we too are called to learn how put ourselves in God’s presence and how to receive our Lord with dignity, love and devotion.

Yours in Christ

Fr. Stephen Otvos

P.s. for another good post on a blog about receiving Communion go to: Adam's Ale

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Suffering is a part of life.

It often seems that we have no control over events that shape the world and that chaos often hits unexpectedly.
It is also assumed by many unfamiliar with the church that we Catholics have an attitude about suffering whereby the faithful should just “suck it up,” or “deal with it”, and that “suffering makes you holy.” This myth sometimes puts people off of the faith and the Church. Logically and humanly speaking it is madness to believe that suffering is a good, and if one would be actively seeking to suffer we would generally get the person some professional help. It is not suffering that makes a person holy, it is a certain kind of attitude of life in the face of suffering that can help one be holy. This attitude is an attitude of faith and trust in God but also and attitude that braves the difficulties and tries to bring justice and God’s peace in the turmoil of life to the best of ones abilities. It is not a passive attitude.
This weeks Gospel deals with the coming tribulations that Christians will undergoes before the second coming of Christ and how we are called to persevere. The message though can have a broader perspective on life and on suffering. Jesus reveals that there are going to be many trial that the faithful must endure: “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” This last line however is key to this scripture passage. Our endurance, our faithfulness to God and our perseverance in living the Christian way will be a witness to the world that Christ brings us life in abundance, a foretaste of the life that is to come.
God does not want suffering, but where sin exists, where there is selfishness, greed, unbridled ambition, and disordered Pride, there will be violence, injustice, tyranny and suffering in the world. No, God does not want suffering. Jesus wants to give us life in abundance. Jesus wants us to have an intimate relationship with the Author of life. Through faith in Christ the Christian will pass through the suffering that life dishes out, they will live the pain of life with Christ crucified and will be transformed by it, they will persevere in God’s grace and their witness will be a light in the darkness of suffering. They will show that Christ is compassionate and not indifferent to the misery in the world, they will witness in there lives that Christ has conquered death and that resurrection and fullness of life everlasting await those who remain steadfast. Life here and now then becomes an opportunity to grow and live and choose holiness, and this holiness that comes to us from God leads us to the true temple, the New Jerusalem, God’s everlasting home for the children he so loves. But for now as we live in this world, let us go forth, live the fullness of life in faith and holy deeds.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Real Thanksgiving

Along with our understanding that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ, that is: Christ present among us through the veil of the consecrated bread and wine, Eucharist is also the act of praise and thanksgiving. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way in numbers 1359-1360:
The Eucharist, the sacrament of our Salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the work of creation. the Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means forst of all "thanksgiving."

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Week of theTwenty-Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time

October 2 Feast of Gaurdian Angels.

We celebrate on this 2nd day of October the memorial of God's messengers who protect us human beings. We see them throughout the Bible. Angels delivered messages from God, protected people from dangers and rescued them. The New Testament, in the Acts of the Apostles, tells in chapter 12 how St. Peter was led out of prison by an angel. The belief that we each have a guardian angel has been common to Christians for many centuries.
The picture of a guardian angel that we often see is an angel protecting a little child as he or she walks over a small bridge. In 1608, Pope Paul V added today's feast to the calendar of saints and celebrations. It is very encouraging to know and believe that we each have an angel guarding and protecting us. Our guardian angel is a gift from our loving God.

(article by Dino Fontes)
We can say this brief prayer as often as we would like to throughout the day:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love entrusts me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

What is an angel according to the theological understanding of the Church?

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church #328 it states: "The existence of Spiritual, non corporeal being that Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith."

An angel then is is basically a spiritual being that has no physical body, thus an angel does not take up space. St Augustine, a theologian of the early church(354-430a.d.) states that the word angel denotes the spirits office not nature. The word "angel" is what they do not what they are. With their whole beings angels are servants and messengers of God.

The CCC states in #330 that "As pure Spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendour of their glory bears witness."

One misconception that many have today is that when a person dies they become angels. This has never been the teaching of the church. So ingrained is this misconception that many cartoons from Dysney to Looney Toons, have depicted caracters such as Wild E Coyote to Goofy as becoming angels with wings, halo and even strumming a harp and sitting on a cloud after their spirits has left their body due to some misfortune or accident.

Humans and Angels are different creatures created by God. Angels are unique in that they have what we call the Beatific Vision, that is they are in the presence of God and they see Truth itself face to face. We, as humans, while we do not have the beatific vision in this life, we are none the less created in the image and likeness of God. Not only do we have this dignity of being in the image of God, the word of God took flesh. God the son, second person of the Trinity, incarnated and became man in the person of Jesus. Jesus was fully human and fully God.

In the teaching of the Church, when a person dies their spirit separates from their body and then they are judged by God. Having led a life of faith and good deeds they enter into heaven, thus dwelling in the presence of God and awaiting for the resurrection to come. A person is only truly human unless he has a body and a spirit. The body we will have in the resurrection will be a glorified body, a spiritualized body. You can check out more about our resurrection in the CCC #988-1014.

So as we can see angels and humans are cery different from each other. To illustrate this difference let us use a concrete example. While an angel knows what an apple is and what it tastes like, an angel, because it is a spiritual being can never actually taste an apple. A human being however may not know what an apple is until he actualy sees one and then only knows what it tastes like when he atually bites into it and savours it.

Angels because they are with God, dwelling in his presence, are truly his servants and messengers. God has given some of them the task to aid us in our journey towards salvation. Each of us has a gaurdian angel. the angels keep our world in divine order keeping it from falling into chaos. Let us not neglect to ask for their aid in times of difficulty and especially in times of temptation and sin.

Fr. Stephen Otvos