The Season of Easter

We are now in the second week of the highest liturgical season of the year: Easter. Yes, Easter is more than a day or even three days; it is a season of fifty days! It begins with Evening Prayer I* for Easter Sunday and ends with Evening Prayer II* on Pentecost Sunday. In fact, the word pentecost implies fifty days. 

       This makes the season of Easter longer than the season of Lent, the season that prepares us for Easter. This is fitting, and it is in keeping with one of the guiding principals of Catholic liturgy since Vatican II: the principal of progressive solemnity. This principal states that feasts and seasons of higher importance are to be marked with greater solemnity. Thus, the season of Easter should be longer than the season that prepares for it.

       It also means that those who come into a Catholic church during the Easter season should recognize that this time of year is different and more special than either Lent which precedes it, or Ordinary Time which follows it. Some examples of ways that parishes can do this:

• Use more flowers in decorating the sanctuary. For parishes that find it difficult to keep flowers in the sanctuary year-round, having them just for the Easter season is a worthwhile investment.
• The music at the liturgy should a little more elaborate (note that it already is more elaborate than Lent by virtue of resumption of the singing of the Gloria; the trick will be making it more elaborate than the Ordinary Time that follows when the Gloria is also sung).
• Replace the Penitential Rite with a Sprinkling Rite as a reminder of Baptism. (See below for the connection between Easter and Baptism).
• Have more elaborate banners, altar cloths, and other decorations (of course, using the color of the season — white — along with gold and other festive materials).
• Use images of the resurrection and Christian initiation (particularly Baptism), which symbolize the season.

In keeping with this last point, Easter is the usual season for parish celebrations of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Baptism is celebrated in a big way at the Easter Vigil, when adults are brought into the Church during the memorial of Jesus' death and resurrection. But Baptisms should also be celebrated with the Baptism of infants on other Sundays of the Easter season. In addition, many dioceses hold the bulk of their Confirmation celebrations during Easter, and most parishes celebrate First Holy Communion during these fifty days, as well.

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*Evening Prayer (Vespers) is part of the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office), the official prayer of the Church which is not tied to the administration of any of the seven Sacraments. (For some foundational reading on the Liturgy of the Hours, read Chapter IV of The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.) Evening Prayer I is said in the evening of the day before a Sunday or solemnity; Evening Prayer II is said in the evening at the conclusion of a Sunday or solemnity.

Three Days, One Liturgy

It is Holy Week, the week of special celebrations leading up to the highest Holy Day of the Church year: Easter. As holy as the entire week is, the final three days are most special and most unique. 

       Beginning at sundown on Thursday, we begin the sacred Triduum. Literally translated, Triduum means "three days." What we celebrate during the Triduum is a three-day liturgy. This liturgy speaks loudly of the things that are central to our Catholic faith. Here is a brief summary, starting with the climax and working backwards to Thursday:

• The Resurrection (Easter) — we believe that death does not have the final word, that there is a part of us that is touched by God and has become divine, and therefore we are destined to live with God forever when we leave our earthly bodies behind.

• Jesus' commitment to his ministry of peace and justice (Good Friday) — Jesus led a life of feeding the hungry, healing the broken, and liberating the captives, and he did not back away from that ministry even though political and religious leaders of his time saw his work as a threat. He was even willing to go to a cruel death in order to bring about a more just world, a world that is reconciled with God.

• The importance of the Eucharist (Holy Thursday) — Jesus, in his human body, understood that we need to eat, and so he gave us the richest of foods, his very self, so that he can enter our bodies and use us to carry on his mission after his Ascension. That mission is one of love and compassion, especially toward the least and the lowest, as represented by the washing of feet that we do on Holy Thursday.

The Season of Lent

The liturgical season of Lent is upon us. As with the change of natural seasons, people should be able to perceive that something is different as we change into another liturgical season. To the point, people arriving at church starting this Wednesday should notice that things are different, and the changes should bring Lent to their minds. The liturgical documents specify the minimum:

• The color of the liturgical season is purple.
• Flowers may not be used to decorate the altar.
• Alleluia and the Gloria is not to be said or sung.
• Musical instruments may only be used to accompany singing.

Beyond that, there are other things that can be done. Here is a short list of other things that some parishes do:

• Change the Mass setting (the musical compositions that are used for the Eucharistic Prayer acclamations and the Lamb of God); some parishes even use the traditional Latin chants for the Holy, holy, holy and the Lamb of God.
• Eliminate all musical instruments except for the organ, played on just one or two stops.
• Use the "Form a" for the Penitential Rite ("I confess to almighty God…"), then sing or chant the Kyrie litany.
• Go beyond just removing the flowers and remove all green plants from the church, replacing them with bare branches.
• Greatly simplify all decorations, such as using a minimal altar covering and very plain banners (if any are used at all).
• Set up an Operation Rice Bowl display to highlight the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and giving.
• Add extra prominence to the Stations of the Cross.

In signs perceptible to the senses, we should know it's Lent right away and throughout the entire liturgy.

Collections and Second Collections — Why We Have Them, and When They are Especially Good

Except for the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, there is nothing in the Roman Rite about taking up collections at Mass. Yet, it is a common practice at Sunday Mass. Some find this objectionable; however, one of the precepts of the Catholic Church is that Catholics are to take care of the needs of the Church, and giving money is an efficient way to do this. Money helps pay the Church clergy and staff, it funds the Church's outreach efforts, and it purchases materials that the Church needs for its liturgy (bread, wine, vestments, vessels, etc.) and mission (religious education materials, the cost of meeting spaces, funds for the needy, etc.). The collection is usually taken up while the altar is being prepared for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the money collected is brought to the altar in procession with the bread and wine.
       Then there are the infamous "second collections." These are (typically) appeals for special projects or causes. Some are mandated by the local bishop or the conference of bishops (e.g., a second collection is always taken up for Catholic Relief Services every March); other collections are at the direction of the pastor (e.g., a monthly second collection to pay off parish debt). Second collections are sometimes taken up right after the regular collection; more often, they are taken up between the Communion Rite and the Concluding Rites (i.e., as the announcements are read). What often works best is for the first announcement say what the collection is for so that people know what the cause is for that particular collection.
       Personally, I hope that every parish takes up a second collection this weekend for the Haiti relief effort, and I hope every Catholic in the world contributes something to it. The earthquake this week in Haiti affected over 3 million people and early estimates are that this could be the single most destructive natural disaster in world history, with hundreds of thousands of people killed as a direct or indirect result of the quake. If your parish doesn't do something, please consider donating directly through Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Internationalis, or one of the other great Catholic charities that provide international disaster relief. Haiti was such a poor country to begin with, and this week's disaster is only increasing the suffering of the people in that country. As Catholics, we have a preferential option for the poor, the vulnerable, and the suffering; the best way we can respond in this situation is to help fund the relief effort.

Identity and Mission through Baptism

A few years ago, while working at a diocesan office of worship, I received a phone call. The caller had seen an infant baptism at his parish that Sunday and he had a suggestion: he thought it would be a good idea if we said the same words after a baptism that were said after Jesus' baptism: "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased." The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he had a point (even if I couldn't single-handedly change the Roman Rite): we need to name the newly baptized belovedness and assure them of their identity as a child of God.
       Of course, the other part of the story of Jesus' baptism was how the Holy Spirit came upon him and set him off on his mission and ministry. This, too, is something that we need to do at baptisms: we need to give the newly baptized their mission.
       In looking at the Rite of Baptism, both of those pieces are there in the prayer that is said right before anointing the child with the Sacred Chrism. The prayer is, "God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life."
       In this prayer, we receive our identity as a member of Christ's body, a member of that person to whom it was said, "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased." Being a member of that body also means sharing in the dignity and responsibility of participating in Jesus' servant ministry of priest, prophet, and king. This is an awesome responsibility, but one that is possible because of the strength we receive by being beloved sons and daughters of God.

What's different in Advent?

Advent is the three-to-four-week season before Christmas. It is a time when we prepare ourselves (spiritually and otherwise) for the celebration of the memorial of Christ's first coming and his second coming at the end of time.
       Liturgically, Advent is marked in several ways:

1. The Gloria is not sung. The reason for this is that the angels sang Gloria in excelsis Deo! on that first Christmas morning and so we refrain from singing it during our season of preparation so that it is new and fresh for us when we sing it again this Christmas.
2. Liturgical music in general should be marked by some moderation from the Ordinary Time that preceded Advent and the Christmas season to come. It need not be as spare as during Lent, but the average Catholic should notice that something is different about the music.
3. Along the same lines, parishes may do other things to mark the difference in the season. For example, one parish where I have served uses a dimmer light setting during Advent so that it is noticeable when the lights come up full on Christmas (reflecting the notion that Christ, the Light of the World has come). 

All of this falls under the principle of progressive solemnity, which is to say that Christmas is a season that should have greater solemnity than Advent, and so we do things to mark our progress on this journey from preparation to high feast.

When in Rome (or Key West, or wherever)…

When Catholics travel, we have the delight of experiencing the Sunday Eucharist in both its universality and its diversity. The essence of the liturgy is the same everywhere, especially within a particular country; yet, each bishop has some freedom to "customize" the liturgy for his particular diocese. Sometimes the differences are fairly significant; other times they are very subtle.
       A case in point: on a recent weekend in Key West, I attended Sunday Mass at the local parish church. All was very familiar, until the priest began the Invitation to Communion ("This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper"). At this point, the assembly got down on their knees, and stayed there until the Communion ministers were in place for the Communion Procession. Although I had heard that some US dioceses had implemented this after the 2002 Roman Missal made it clear that a bishop could mandate this posture for his diocese, I hadn't personally experienced kneeling at this point in the liturgy since the 1970s. So I fumbled to get the kneeler down and did what everyone else in the assembly was doing: kneeling for the Invitation to Communion and the assembly's response.
       And that's the point: we must respect the fact that our universal liturgy has local adaptations. Even though our home diocese might do things differently, we are obliged to follow the customs of the diocese in which we are worshipping. We best express our universal faith when we suspend our personal preferences in favor of the unity of the assembly. Doing so reflects our notion of who we are as a Church and what our worship is all about: a sacrifice of self for the good of the community.