The Eucharist from the Church, Chapter 5

Whenever I teach a course in the catechism, I usually conclude it with a tour of the church, in which I serve as a surrogate guide to the artistic and liturgical treasures of our lovely Grotto Church. I like to point out such things as the skillful marble carvings of the high altar and communion rail, the exquisite colored glass windows, especially those over the sanctuary, and the baldachino that towers above the altar. One gets the sense that, even in this relatively small church, every effort was made by the designers and builders to make this the finest edifice possible for the divine Majesty. No other explanation suffices to explain adequately the extravagance apparent in such a structure. All this for the glory of God. Nothing was considered too good, too costly. The finest of everything affordable at the time. And we are the fortunate inheritors of a richness that was obtained through the sacrifice of believing Catholic people before us who knew the value of their faith.

Our Holy Father’s letter The Eucharist from the Church praises such efforts that convey the dignity of the place where the sacred liturgy is conducted. The idea that the only very best should be given to God at the Mass (the finest art, the best materials, the most beautiful music, with the most reverent conduct–these expressions of excellence that the Church has always maintained, at least until modern times when the trite, ephemeral and the ugly has crept into our churches) is actually biblically founded. If one were to imagine, for example, the splendor of the Temple in Jerusalem as described in the OT (with its choice materials, its perfect proportion, its gold and silver ornamentation, its vessels, vestments and other accouterments), one is confirmed in the idea that the Almighty must not be tendered second best. Moreover, when one reads in the Gospels how our Lord instructed His apostles to prepare everything with such care for the Last Supper–the furnishings had to be “just so”–and how solemnly the ritual events of the first Eucharist took place, one is led again to figure that the Mass ought to have a like solemnity, dignity and majesty. Of course, at times the Mass has to be celebrated on battlefields, on ships, and in the most humble of circumstances, out of necessity. But are exceptions to the rule that the Mass ought to be given our total best effort and celebrated in the setting most befitting the all-holy God.

As you know, the Church has sometimes been criticized for its property, fine art, and its alleged wealth. While I would not want to spend all my words addressing this matter and thereby missing the greater one set before us, I would have you notice that when a woman brought some excessively expensive oil to anoint Jesus’ feet (worthy “a hundred days’ wages,” we are told), our Lord did not refuse it. Rather, He rebuked those who considered it a lavish wastefulness and commended the good woman for the expression of her deep love. From my own perspective, I find that it’s usually those who are themselves greedy, envious and worldly-minded who complain about the Church’s goods. The Church places her material finery at the service of God in an attempt to express in human terms the excellence, beauty and infinite greatness of divinity.

Since God is here we seek to approach Him with all due reverence, highest praise, and the very best expression in human terms. The Pope, while acknowledging the intimacy of Christ’s dwelling among us in the Holy Eucharist, also rejects the suggestion that this should lead to trivialize the Mass or the sacred places where it is conducted. Christ is the One who inspires us to achieve a high level of excellence in our conduct, in our worship, in our art, architecture, sculpture, mosaic, music and all things pertaining to the divine worship. And this is true not only of the Catholic Church in the Western world, but also of the Eastern Churches which have expressed the sublime in their own cultural ways, different from our own, but so admirably. These things express symbolically the beauty that is in God and so we are stirred by them to desire the divine Beauty Himself. Yes, one can say that the Church is giving us in the liturgy on earth a little preview of heaven, just as our Lord Himself gives us a foretaste of heaven’s food in the Holy Eucharist. When we step into the church, then, we have one foot already in heaven, so to speak.

From age upon age, holy Church has always insisted that her sacred liturgy should be conducted in a manner worthy of God. The heartache of so many Catholics in our time over the debased treatment of the sacred is echoed by the words of our Holy Father himself who has introduced tighter disciplinary norms regarding the celebration of the Mass. One hopes that these have not come too late to reverse trends that have impoverished the faith and very deeply wounded the religious sensibilities of so many Catholics. To quote the Pope directly here: “It must be lamented that, especially in the years following the post-conciliar liturgical reform, as a result of a misguided sense of creativity and adaptation, there have been a number of abuses which have been a source of suffering for many. A certain reaction against “formalism” has led some, especially in certain regions, to consider the “forms” chosen by the Church's great liturgical tradition and her Magisterium as non-binding and to introduce unauthorized innovations which are often completely inappropriate.” Completely inappropriate! We know what he means.

You are aware that at the Grotto we want God to be first (and the Blessed Mother with Him). If all our activities here do not redound to His greater glory, we are fools. We do not visit here for fine architecture, art, music and ceremony for their own sake but to ‘perform’ for the Lord’s good pleasure. I hope you contribute your own part in keeping to our sacred purposes in this parish in promoting an authentic Catholic worship of God. Demonstrate your love for Christ; show your love for the Church!

Our 40 Hours Devotion is your chance. “Come, let us worship the Lord!” Our Lord will be here in solemn exposition for you after Mass today until 4:00 p.m. Please stay for a time of adoration and, if possible, come for the closing ceremony at 3:00 p.m.