One of the legends circulating that purports to prove the superiority of the new liturgical calendar and new lectionary is that in the Extraordinary Form, we hear Scripture readings that really belong to the beginning of the year, not the end. Let’s be honest. We aren’t talking about better or worse when we compare the two forms. We are just saying that they are different–that they are good in different ways. Each sees the conclusion of the liturgical year in radically different ways. In the Ordinary Form, today we hear Jesus prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod, the general persecution of His followers before the return of the King. We hear Him exhort us to persevere, for thus we will save our souls.
Today’s readings from the NT in the traditional calendar have a different way of looking to the end. Both proclamations see the “end” as the goal, the philosophical end. We might call these two readings a roadmap to our objective. Jesus sees the Church being a plant that grows so immense and fruitful that it attracts all the birds of the air–all the peoples of the earth. And, if that simile doesn’t catch your attention, He also says the Church is like yeast which is worked into a barley dough, and spreads throughout the loaf to ferment the sugar and make it rise.
For twenty years I was in the business of selling financial products–money for the future, I called it. In November and early December we were all expected to make our plans for the following year. What would be my objective for sales of various products? What would be my training objective? As a manager, I was responsible for helping my salespeople to put together their plans, and to oversee the fulfillment of those plans. Every day we were supposed to orient our every action toward the objective, toward the end. It was a labor of love for our families, to be sure, because failure would mean family poverty. But it was also a labor of love and steadfastness of hope for the mothers and fathers and businesspeople we worked with. We knew if they spent everything on present gratification, that the work of charities and churches would cease, and that when they were disabled or old or dead, their families would starve.
Likewise, today I know that if my encouragement of the people of St. Pius is halfhearted, or if my homilies are not true to the Gospel and focused on the end of our lives–eternal salvation and mission to the unsaved–I will be held to account. I pray that St. Pius parish be, when I end my ministry here, the kind of church that St. Paul talked about in the Epistle. How wonderful it will be if some day we hear Christ say with Paul: you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in San Antonio and in Bexar County. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in San Antonio and in Bexar County, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
How can that happen? How can St. Pius be the kind of living and inviting home that will attract men and women and children to Christ and the Church, just as a great bush attracts the birds of the air?
All must see us as a place of beauty, goodness and truth. Now we at the Extraordinary Form do participate in the most beautiful art on earth–the sung Latin Mass. The movements, the orations, and especially the chant and polyphony are attractive in themselves. But, more than that intrinsic beauty, they are proclamations of God’s ever-faithful love for His people. Every word we sing, every prayer we utter is connected to the Scripture and the living worship of the universal Church. Do everything you can to support the beauty of our Liturgy. Join the choir, underwrite art and music and missals. But art is not enough. We need to show the beauty of Christ’s love in our everyday lives, and in our countenance when we gather to participate in the Lamb’s Supper, the Holy Mass. Smile, for God’s sake. The King of the Universe has sacrificed Himself for you so that you may participate in right worship, and even share in the sacred banquet of His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Many, including the Holy Father, have said that the culture of this day is only open to being converted by Beauty. Let the beauty of your life shine forth for all to see. Tell them in word and deed how happy you are.
It is not enough for the Church to be beautiful. She must also be good, clearly the chaste Bride of the Lamb. During the last decade the U.S. and European dioceses paid the price for not giving more attention to the morals of the clergy. If priests and religious don’t listen to Jesus telling them to be perfect as the heavenly Father, then they can expect any escapade to be reported in the Washington Post. Nothing can be concealed any more, particularly now that the government seems to feel empowered to go after the Catholic Church even with “no parking” signs to prevent Mass attendance. But all of us need to pay attention to the commandments and the Beatitudes in our daily lives. Part of that goodness is helping the poor. It’s not just a matter of charity; Jesus has commanded it as part of being just. Even the poor have a place in the branches of the tree. For some of you, pursuing goodness will mean a religious vocation, taking voluntarily the evangelical counsels of poverty, celibacy and obedience for the sake of the kingdom. We all need to pray for those who do, for they are at the heart of the Church, a constant witness to the world of the high priority of universal holiness.
When men and women see the beauty and goodness of God’s people, then they can be more open to the Truth of the Gospel. A special part of our calling is to become so educated in the Gospel and the teachings of the Church that we can defend anything the Church teaches when we are approached by a seeker. I would especially recommend the ministry of Catholic Answers, found at catholic.com, as a resource. Of course, the Catechism is the primary resource for anyone seeking the truth, and the Compendium is a valuable support–maybe even keep a couple of copies to give away when you encounter someone who needs it.
We have all been encouraged at one point or another in life to keep our eye on the goal. The goal of our life is twofold–to be one with God after death and to bring others with us to God. As we approach a new year of faith, let’s make some plans that bring us closer to that goal. In nomine. . .
