Una Voce Des Moines

Baptism. 

It is my favorite sacrament, as it is the basis of Christian life, opening the door to the other sacraments, especially the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.  

As the father of a large family, a member of an even larger family, and a member of very close-knit parish communities everywhere we’ve lived, I have participated in many baptisms as a father, a godfather, or as a witness. 

With joy, I cry at every one of them, knowing that the catechumen is being born into Christ’s Church a new person, cleansed in preparation for eventually entering into the Kingdom of God.

Together with my wife, we have 11 children, 9 on this earth.  We have celebrated each of children’s baptisms with the same joy and anticipation. 

But something different occurred with this most recent celebration.  Eight of our children were baptized in the Ordinary Form (OF), and having participated in so many baptisms, it has become a very familiar rite. 

Recently we have been attending a Mass celebrated in the Extraordinary Form (EF) of the Roman Rite, and we have fallen deeply in love with this liturgy.  After our ninth child was born, we asked if our daughter could be baptized according to that traditional baptismal ritual. 

Once again, we have fallen in love.  In a special way, the Traditional Baptism highlights what the sacrament is, and – just as importantly – the significance of the godparents. 

The use of the prayers of exorcism remind us that Baptism indeed serves as an exorcism, and highlights the reality of evil in this world.

The use of the exorcised salt brings an imagination of how the Saints of our Church celebrated this sacrament.  This occurs prior to entering into the main part of the church.  The seriousness of the sacrament is also highlighted by the changing of stoles, with violet being used at the beginning, and changing once we moved into the church to prepare for the anointing with the Oil of Catechumens.

But what really stood out to us was the role of the godparents, or the sponsors, and how the questions are addressed.  The sponsors, not the parents, are asked what it is they are asking of the Church.  And the answer of faith is given by them directly. 

Then, the questions become directed to the catechumen, and being an infant, the sponsors again have the responsibility of answering on her behalf.  And, instead of the parents, the godparents were brought into the Sanctuary. My brother and sister-in-law were just as impressed as we were at how the Traditional Baptism highlights the seriousness of their role as godparents. 

A final observation that impressed me is how friendly the EF is regarding Baptism to those who are not familiar with it.  The Priest gently guided us through everything, and the flow was very natural.

Darren Manthei resides just outside of Des Moines with his wife and children.

Inject Some New Life into your Faith in the New Year
by Andy Milam

(Most of the content of this article was taken from here.)

Since the allowance of the vernacular in the Mass following Vatican II, the idea of people having their own Roman Missal or hand missal has fallen into relative obscurity. The erroneous thinking that the Roman Missal was simply there to help one follow the Latin has, sadly, resulted in a temporal and eternal disconnect with the liturgical and spiritual heartbeat of the Church. The liturgical year of the Catholic Church is far more than an arbitrary collection of feasts and seasons. It is a profound and soul-altering spiritual rhythm that provides a veracity as real as cosmic time. The hand missal provides us with a vital navigational tool for the spiritual reality of our Catholic faith.

Praying the Mass

“The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer.” – Pope Bl. Paul VI

When most Catholics call to mind a Roman Missal, we think of the Order of the Mass (ordo), which presents the basic liturgical structures and rhythm of worship. The ordo grants us the foundation for understanding the Holy Sacrifice of Christ and the timeless participation in His death and resurrection. When the Catholic assists at Holy Mass, he is entering into a moment where time and eternity meet. Reception of the Eucharist is a real and complete participation in Christ’s historic Sacrifice, and that deeply intimate experience with Christ in the Eucharist orients the faithful toward the glory of His eternal kingdom. It is past, present and future all coming together in the Eucharistic Banquet, which is then wrapped in prayers, Scriptures and the solemnity proper to it. In this understanding, the hand missal aids the Catholic in engaging heart and soul in the most perfect prayer more perfectly.

A Treasury of Catholic Prayers

Beyond Sunday, the Roman Missal is a wealth of wisdom that offers the individual Catholic a myriad of sacred prayers. Life is turbulent — at times a challenging path where feelings of being lost or overwhelmed are all too common. Other times, life is a resounding joy and a blessed event filled with miracles, daily needs, friends, family and the charity of Christ. For all of these circumstances, our forefathers of the faith have composed prayers to help Catholics communicate with God and express their hearts in wondrous lucidity. The Roman Missal is a tome of these wise expressions and should be an at-hand resource for any Catholic and their family.

Daily Structuring

Hopefully, most Catholics are well aware that their Catholicism cannot be isolated to one day a week — that the faith must be a habitual and daily event that colors the very expression of our lives. However, the daily discipline necessary and the proper actions to accomplish this spiritual necessity can be very difficult. The Roman Missal (hand missal) presents the structure of the liturgical year for every day of the week, offering the readings and prayers to help the individual Catholic participate in the daily expression of the divine reality of his own faith.

 The Missal and the Home Altar

Home altars are important focal points for any Catholic family striving for holiness. Often set aside in bedrooms or even closets, home altars are domestic sanctuaries that provide Catholics with a quiet place of prayer and meditation. Among the crucifix, the icons and the candles, the Roman Missal is a vital part of the home altar, as it brings into a place of family prayer the liturgical guide gifted to all Catholics by the Church.

A Personal Bond

Catholics dedicated to praying the Rosary can witness to the intimate bonds they develop with their own rosaries. Each bead in each mystery is a witness to God’s faithfulness, whether it is an answered prayer or a comfort in mourning. Each decade of the Rosary comes to be a memorial for the divine events in Christian lives. The Roman Missal is no different. Holding it in one’s hand each week at Mass, turning to its prayers in times of need, and having it serve as a spiritual guide is likewise a divine bonding experience. In time, as with the rosary, the pages and prayers begin to call to mind the divine actions the Christian has witnessed, and grant him the endurance and joy to live the good life.

Proper of Saints

The People of God in this age are not the first — or last — ones to strive after a life of holiness. The hand missal can be a constant source of spiritual direction, and the proper of the saints serves to reinforce that reality through brief accounts of their lives and enriching prayers related to each. The study of Catholic forefathers, the celebration of their fidelity, and the acceptance of their present reality and intercession all serve to bind together the family of God. As the Church militant, the faithful must look back to the lives of the Church triumphant and look forward to receiving the eternal prize they now embrace.

Ritual, Votive and Requiem Masses

The Roman Missal also includes special Masses and rituals for various occasions. Votive Masses and Masses for the dead are unique circumstances in the Catholic life, circumstances that can be difficult for many families. Again, like the rosary, having in one’s hand the Roman Missal that has consistently been a source of guidance and comfort is invaluable in the most arduous of times.

A Question

Are you looking to draw closer to the heartbeat of the Church? The Roman Missal or hand missal will provide you with blessings for decades to come. If you have never owned one, the new year provides a great opportunity to make a purchase. And if you have an old one, it’s a perfect time to update. Which one?  The first, I own, which is from Angelus Press.  The second is a very faithful expression from Baronius Press.

Regardless of what you choose, the ownership of a hand missal is a wonderful way to grow closer to the Sacrifice of Calvary re-presented at the altar.  Practically, once you make the decision and get used to praying along with the priest, you will always have a way to follow the ordinaries and the propers of the Mass, regardless of whether a church has permanent hymnals or uses missalettes.

The Importance of Listening as Participatio Actuosa
by Andy Milam

In continuing my exploration of participatio actuosa (see parts one and two), there is an importance placed upon listening and understanding the internal action of the human person as it relates to worship at Holy Mass.  In my first blog in the series, I made the following observation:

The most demanding of human actions is that of listening. It requires strict attention and summons up in a person his total constructive effort.  It is possible to sing, especially a very familiar tune, and not be conscious of actually singing. However, one cannot truly listen without attention to that which he is hearing. Especially in our day of media attention, whether it be radio, television or social media, we are able to tune out almost every sound we wish. To listen attentively demands full, conscious and active human concentration. Listening can be the most active form of participation, demanding full effort and attention.

The Church does not have the entire congregation proclaim the gospel text, but rather the deacon or the priest does it. It is the duty of all to listen. The cannon of the Mass is not to be recited by everyone but all are to hear it. Listening is the most important form of active participation.  This is why it is often referred to as “hearing Mass.”

The concept of active listening has been promoted for centuries within the Church, however, since the time of Vatican Council II, it has taken a new distinction.  One which seems to be overlooked in favor of doing.  So much so that some of the leaders in the Church today have coined a new phrase, “doing the Liturgy.”  Not only is it a clunky expression of the English language, it is also very vague.  If the faithful and those leaders would take to heart what some of the Popes of recent memory have suggested, as opposed to imposing their own version, there may be a more intimate relationship between the worshipper and the worship at Holy Mass.  In turn, this could stop the lamenting of those same leaders that there is a “flight” away from the Church.

Pope Francis has said:

A synodal church is a listening church, knowing that listening “is more than feeling.” It is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn. Faithful people, the College of Bishops, the Bishop of Rome: we are one in listening to others; and all are listening to the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:17), to know what the Spirit “is saying to the Churches” (Rev 2:7).

The Holy Father was speaking to the Synod of Bishops, but it applies equally to all Catholics.  There has to be mutual listening.  This active listening, which is how Catholics commune with the Holy Spirit, is how they worship.  The faithful shouldn’t look to find their completion in ministering, for that is not their role.  Their role is to worship God the Father.  To minister is a specific calling within the Church.  It is not something the Catholic person should seek out or expect.  It isn’t a right, it is a need.  That is why those actions are extraordinary.  Those actions, while good in and of themselves, are a distraction to the active listening which the Holy Spirit is calling all men to do.  That is why a vocation to minister is rare, but necessary.  It is also the reason why a priest gives up a family, so that he can devote himself to the actions which would otherwise divide his time, unfairly.  It is a unique and special calling to devote one’s life to the harmony of participatio activa and participatio actuosa.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI taught us this:

We should be clearly aware that external actions are quite secondary here. Do­ing really must stop when we come to the heart of the matter: the oratio. It must be plainly evident that the oratio is the heart of the matter, but that it is important precisely because it provides a space for the actio of God. Anyone who grasps this will easily see that it is not now a mat­ter of looking at or toward the priest, but of looking
to­gether toward the Lord and going out to meet him. The almost theatrical entrance of different players into the lit­urgy, which is so common today, especially during the Preparation of the Gifts, quite simply misses the point. If the various external actions (as a matter of fact, there are not very many of them, though they are being
arti­ficially multiplied) become the essential in the liturgy, if the

liturgy degenerates into general activity, then we have radically misunderstood the “theo-drama” of the liturgy and lapsed almost into parody.  (The Spirit of the Liturgy, (SF, CA: Ignatius, 2000), p. 170)

Benedict XVI goes on to say:

I am convinced that the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing today is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the liturgy, which at times has even come to be conceived of etsi Deus non daretur: in that it is a matter of indifference whether or not God exists and whether or not He speaks to us and hears us. But when the community of faith, the world-wide unity of the Church and her history, and the mystery of the living Christ are no longer visible in the liturgy, where else, then, is the Church to become visible in her spiritual essence? Then the community is celebrating only itself, an activity that is utterly fruitless. And, because the ecclesial community cannot have its origin from itself but emerges as a unity only from the Lord, through faith, such circumstances will inexorably result in a disintegration into sectarian parties of all kinds – partisan opposition within a Church tearing herself apart. This is why we need a new Liturgical Movement, which will call to life the real heritage of the Second Vatican Council. (Milestones: Memoirs 1927-1977 (SF, CA: Ignatius), p. 149.)

This concept of the finding the real heritage of Vatican Council II and the New Liturgical Movement is paramount.  It is, quite simply, the most important work of our time.  The purpose of this article will be to challenge the reader to look at the Mass and at Catholicism in a different light.  Not as a “doer,” but as a worshipper.  Catholics are called heroic virtue, but not heroism when it comes to actions.

Full, conscious and active participation in the Liturgy isn’t heroic because the Catholic ministers; but rather because he worships God the Father, through God the Son, by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

The Importance of Baptism in our Active Participation
by Andy Milam

In my most recent article, I posited the following:

The difference between participation in the liturgy that can be called activa and participation that can be labeled actuosa rests in the characteristics of baptism.  It is this very sacramental seal that grants one the right to participate. Without the baptismal mark, any action we conduct at Mass, singing, walking, kneeling or anything else can be termed “active,” but they do not constitute participatio actuosa. Only through the sacrament of baptism can any action be truly participatory.

The early Church saw baptism as a real participation in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.  This translates directly into the liturgical action of the Mass, as it is the unbloody sacrifice of Calvary. In the Apostolic Constitutions (late AD 4th century), we find a prayer for the blessing of water so that the baptized person may be crucified with Christ:

Sanctify this water so that those who are baptized may be crucified with Christ, die with him, be buried with him, and rise again for adoption.

St. Gregory Nazianzen expresses something similar:

We are buried with Christ in baptism so we may rise again with him.

St. Cyril sees the three immersions as a symbol of the three days of the Paschal Triduum and therefore, through his immersion, the Catholic is plunged into Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. In responding to those who hold that baptism only forgives sin and procures divine adoption, but is not a participation in the sufferings of Christ, St. Cyril maintains:

We well know that not merely does [baptism] cleanse sin and bestow on us the gift of the Holy Spirit, it is also the sign of Christ’s suffering…. So in order that we may realize that Christ endured all his sufferings for us and our salvation actually, and not in make believe, and that we share in his pains.

It is understanding the link between the early Fathers, Sts. Gregory and Cryil which bring us to understand the sheer importance that the sacrament of baptism plays in the Catholic’s life.  He is bound to the Church in a way which is wholly and completely unique. He is literally changed.  The sharing in the passion, death, and resurrection allow for the Catholic Christian to actually participate in what Pope Pius XI called the source and summit of our faith.  The liturgical action extends beyond the Mass insofar as it imbibes the faithful.  It is a way for Catholics to commune with God the Father in a way that is so intimate, is so open, is so awesome that it is very hard to compare.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

Christian initiation is accomplished by three sacraments together: Baptism which is the beginning of new life; Confirmation which is its strengthening; and the Eucharist which nourishes the disciple with Christ’s Body and Blood for his transformation in Christ. (CCC #1275)

One cannot completely share in the Eucharistic banquet unless he is baptized.  And it is through baptism and with the Eucharist that we come to fully, consciously, and actively participate in the liturgical action.

In closing, Benedict XVI said in 2010:

With Baptism, [new Christians] become sharers in Christ’s death and Resurrection, they begin with him the joyful and exulting adventure of his disciples. The Liturgy presents it as an experience of light. In fact, in giving to each one the candle lit from the Easter candle, the Church says: “Receive the light of Christ!”