bearing blog

Part of a series.

Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386) wrote around 347 a series of Catecheses for adults preparing to be received into the Church.   The whole series of Catecheses is very interesting to read.  What caught my eye was the description and instruction in the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass that appears in Lecture 23.

It begins with a description of the rite of hand-washing, then the kiss or sign of peace, then the familiar call and response:  "Let us give thanks unto the Lord,"  "It is meet and right."  (Today in English we respond "It is right to give him thanks and praise.")    The "Holy, Holy, Holy" hymn is sung. 

Then having sanctified ourselves by these spiritual Hymns, we beseech the merciful God to send forth His Holy Spirit upon the gifts lying before Him; that He may make the Bread the Body of Christ, and the Wine the Blood of Christ; for whatsoever the Holy Ghost has touched, is surely sanctified and changed.

Prayers are said, again following a familiar pattern:

for the common peace of the Churches, for the welfare of the world; for kings; for soldiers and allies; for the sick; for the afflicted; and, in a word, for all who stand in need of succour we all pray and offer this sacrifice.

Then we commemorate also those who have fallen asleep before us, first Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, that at their prayers and intercessions God would receive our petition. Then on behalf also of the Holy Fathers and Bishops who have fallen asleep before us, and in a word of all who in past years have fallen asleep among us, believing that it will be a very great benefit to the souls, for whom the supplication is put up, while that holy and most awful sacrifice is set forth.

The "Our Father" follows.  Cyril expounds at length on each petition of that "Prayer which the Saviour delivered to His own disciples."  Then Communion:

After this ye hear the chanter inviting you with a sacred melody to the communion of the Holy Mysteries, and saying, O taste and see that the Lord is good. Trust not the judgment to thy bodily palate no, but to faith unfaltering; for they who taste are bidden to taste, not bread and wine, but the anti-typical Body and Blood of Christ.

In approaching therefore, come not with thy wrists extended, or thy fingers spread; but make thy left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. And having hollowed thy palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. So then after having carefully hollowed thine eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest thou lose any portion thereof; for whatever thou losest, is evidently a loss to thee as it were from one of thine own members. For tell me, if any one gave thee grains of gold, wouldest thou not hold them with all carefulness, being on thy guard against losing any of them, and suffering loss? Wilt thou not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from thee of what is more precious than gold and precious stones?

Then after thou hast partaken of the Body of Christ, draw near also to the Cup of His Blood; not stretching forth thine hands, but bending, and saying with an air of worship and reverence, Amen, hallow thyself by partaking also of the Blood of Christ. And while the moisture is still upon thy lips, touch it with thine hands, and hallow thine eyes and brow and the other organs of sense. Then wait for the prayer, and give thanks unto God, who hath accounted thee worthy of so great mysteries.

It is almost astonishing to see how little the Mass, with the underlying beliefs in it, has changed in the 1,658 years that separate us from Cyril’s pen.   So much is the same, in the crucial core of the Eucharist, that almost any Catholic can respond with confidence and gratitude to Cyril’s closing admonition:

Hold fast these traditions undefiled and, keep yourselves free from offence. Sever not yourselves from the Communion; deprive not yourselves, through the pollution of sins, of these Holy and Spiritual Mysteries.

We are not severed, and we do hold these traditions fast.  At least, what’s good enough for 347 is good enough for me.

And the God of peace sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit, and soul, and body be preserved entire without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:–To whom be glory and honour and might, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and world without end. Amen.

Part of a series.

"I can worship God better outside in nature than in a building."

I have heard that line before, spoken by non-churchgoing folks.  It has never struck me as a good excuse (not that anyone owes me an excuse); indoor worship doesn’t exclude outdoor worship, and I wonder how much worshipping the speaker does outdoors at all.  Why not just say "No, I don’t go to church, I don’t like it?"  At least it would be honest.

Today’s one-sentence selection tells why community worship is an important part of a balanced spiritual diet.

You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.

The writer is John Chrysostom (347-407), whose nickname ("Golden-Mouthed") reflects his reputation as a brilliant public speaker and preacher.   He wrote prolifically, and I hope to excerpt some more of his work.

The sentence doesn’t denigrate the prayers offered in the home, alone or among family.  Family and private prayer in the home is good.  But it does point out two special qualities of worship in church.  Neither is conferred by the building.

The first quality is rooted in the people gathered there for the purpose of worship.  That gathering is an act of worship in and of itself, because it exists solely as a worship community (unlike the family or the indvidual).

The second quality comes from the ordained priests, who ordinarily preside at worship in church and are absent from private or family worship.  As this passage demonstrates, the Church has always understood the ordained priest as a special representative.   He "has something to offer" that most of the Christians do not, by virtue of his office and the sacrament of Orders he has received.   

Private prayer is valuable; but corporate worship and sacramental worship are needed, too.