Facing God together.

What's the first thought that comes to your mind when looking at this picture below?

Image taken from www.ipadre.net.
Here we can see five concelebrating Priests and a deacon. 

Now is this the expression that you will give or fellow Catholics would give, as shown below?

Common reactions received if you show a Priest celebrating ad orientem

Probably so, Now what exactly is the Priest doing in the picture above? Yes he is saying the Mass, but I think the more specific question is "why". Why because the Priest who is in persona Christi (Now if that Latin phrase scares you, it means in the person of Christ; your catechism should have taught you this) is saying the Mass as he would 50 plus years ago.  

Before I go on, I have three important points to make:

First and foremost this post is entirely my viewpoint on the Mass. I don't intend to create any discontinuity or teach some outdated teaching (which in fact it is never outdated at all). Furthermore I don't wish to be smarter than any Priests or faith formation persons who think what I am about to share is considered old fashion and backwards. 

Secondly, my background is growing up in a Malaysian Catholic culture, where the liturgy and the Mass is thought in catechism classes but at the end of Form 5, ask any Catholic youth to where do we genuflect to or what is the anamnesis is, or simply, what language is the Kyrie Eleison is, and they would fumble and doubt all their 11 years of attending Sunday (or in my case, Saturday evening) school. For most of my faith formation came from my mother and later on through friends who exposed the real beauty of the Mass.

Finally third and most importantly get to know the word: ad orientem, it's Latin for "to the east". Looking through and through the Sunday Missal, and through Sacrosanctum Concilium never has it said that a the Priest should face the people like how he does now. I don't intend to debate on why he does it, I'm just stating a fact. Basically when the Mass is said ad orientem-ly it means that the Priest together with the people are worshiping God togethere, it does not make the Mass a non-community meal as some people teach (though it is never mentioned that the Mass is a meal per se).

Ok, if this already heavy for you, let me be easy on you. Back in the days (pre-Vatican II) the Priest faces away from you, though that is true it isn't the intention or reason, in fact, he is facing God together with you. After Vatican II, that somehow changed and now the Priest is facing towards you and his back towards God (where if the tabernacle is behind the Priest's back). 

A Capuchin priest once told me that the reason the Priest was facing his back, was so that when people saw him, and only saw his back they would also gaze up and look at the Cross which is a reminder of what their faith is all about. 

Altar of Holy Rosary Church, Brickfields. Where not only the upward gaze is
towards the son but it can also be towards His mother.

So what's the fuss about?

The fuss is this; it's not about whether the Priest is facing you so that he can keep an eye contact with you, or you can see what he is doing, in fact it goes deeper whereby the theology of it is that when the Priest is facing away he is actually leading you, as a shepherd towards God. Also, it adds a sense of a mystery of faith to the Mass. Also, when he faces towards God, it will add a sense of sacred dignity for the celebration, not in any way that facing you can't. 

Finally my question is this? Why are Priests and faith formators so afraid of this way of saying the Mass? Perhaps if we really thought and catechise people on the Mass being a sacrifice, a celebration to commemorate Jesus' passion, death and glorious resurrection and not as Pope Francis puts it a "social event" perhaps people would learn to appreciate the Mass altogether. 

To sum it up this simple picture depicts everything that is said:

Do read on below for more on this stigma of saying the Mass

• Offering the Novus Ordo ad orientem
• The Normativity of Ad Orientem Worship according to the Ordinary Form's Rubrics

I do fear that some people would come up and ask, so by this way, it will make you more holy? Truth be told, no, it will not make you more holy - yet (though THAT is the goal) but it will add to the meaning of the Mass and eventually lead you to think on what the Mass actually is. The Mass, as many has forgotten is not something we come for fun or something frivolous that can be taken lightly with special additions and whatnot, it is the culmination of our beliefs and a remembrance of all those who would die for it.  

A little look at death.

There was once a quote that I came across that loosely goes like this:

"When one person dies, a great book is lost forever"

Everyone has a story, no matter how dull or grey their lives are or otherwise, every single person be it an infant or a person over a hundred - their lives is a story. Analogically speaking every person is described as a book, and where ever we go, as long there exists a community there exist a library, a plethora of books, if you put in a place like Malaysia and pick let's say a small town there exists a library of many genres. 

Why the looking at death suddenly? The reason is because death is a natural part of life for a saying goes "For life we are uncertain but death it is for sure". Everything and everyone will die, that is the continous reality of the law of nature. This insight of death is to reflect on life, and how are we to spend our lives as to one day end up dying.

In this first part of looking at death, we would look into the "books" each one of us are. We call ourselves books because we are constantly writing  our stories. Every single day is a story to write, the dullness or bore of the day, or the exciting adventures we have from the moment we open our eyes to the time we close it is a new page in our book; when something takes a turn in our lives we then call that a chapter in our books. 

Each person's story is as unique as to themselves. Not only because of what the person goes through physically but more importantly is what the person perceives about something. Picture this, two people with very similar background from terms of ethnic and the way they are brought up can have very different opinions about how their community should be governed. The opinion, the perception or the viewpoint of the person is what adds into the story of one's life. The beauty of this is the concept of a free will, the freedom in which we are given to think; this is what gives our individuality. 

Now when death comes to a person, the book finally closes, the final sentences are written, and the reference list is added and index compiled just before the back cover closes. All of whatever is written is then lost to eternity. No matter how much one can account of the one who has passed, they will never get the same book ever again. For that reason that is why there is the reference list and the index, it is where after death, people continually to talk about the deceased. One might die like a superstar who died of an overdose, where people will talk about his sad way to go or die a martyr and how he sacrificed his life for others or in something he believes in; the book actually really never closes. What closes are the main chapters of that person's life. 

That is why no matter what a person is going through, everyone has their story to tell, pivoting that is what goes in their mind that makes it right for them - the subtle emphasis in their own lives, the usage of punctuation and perhaps pictographs in their pages. 

Never give up the chance to continue writing in your book; the question might occur on who then might read it? The person you share your adventures with.

"Jesus, have pity on me"

In preparation for the Extraordinary Year of Mercy which is about a month and a half away, the Gospel reading from last Sunday is an amazing example on the love and mercy of God. This Sunday's Gospel is taken from Mark chapter 10 verses 46 to 52; it tell of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus who calls out to Jesus to heal him. Whilst calling out some of the disciples silenced him but he persisted and kept calling on Jesus. When Jesus heard him, he called him and asked what does Bartimaeus want, he said he wanted to see again, and as simple as that, Jesus made him see again thanks to his faith.

When listening to this Gospel a few perspective on our faith came to mind. I really love this Gospel, because it opens up an invitation for us on how to receive the mercy and healing power of God. Furthermore, it shows a practical, so to say, guide on how to actually receive that mercy and healing; a clear method.

"Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road."

First and foremost, let us compare ourselves to the poor Bartimaeus  - we know that he is blind, we know that since he is blind, he is considered an outcast of some sort in the community, whatmore than that is he needs something to cure him. Now take that example and compare to us, how blind are we? Blind spiritually? Blindness is also a reflection on what we are lacking of in our lives; this blindness however is not something we ignore, it is actually something we know that lacks in us yet there isn't something we can do about it because we don't know how or the chance hasn't passed us yet.

"When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.'"

Now is when we that opportunity comes walking by, the answer that we have been looking and yearning for. When we know that the chance of renewing ourselves is at hand, we reach out to it, only to find that...

"And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder.."

Here we look at the obstacles in which hinders us from getting that grace, that healing power which we require so much. Reflecting on our lives, we will look at this on how the people around us or the environment itself pulls us away from getting to be our better selves. Look at it this way, deep in our hearts we know we want to change, to become the better self, but do we receive the support we get from our family or friends, our colleagues or even fellow-Church goers? Sometimes the hindrance from others retracts us from being that better self, yet we need to be like Bartimaeus and continue to shout because...

"Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Courage,’ they said ‘get up; he is calling you.’"

And that is how we receive God's grace; the invitation that Jesus calls towards us. After calling us to him, Jesus asked the man

"What do you want me to do for you?"

It is not that Jesus does not know what you want, here is stating that, in order to receive the grace of God, we need to be sure of what we need. Bertimaeus knew it, because he was blind, similar to ourselves, upon receiving the invitation of God's love, are we sure and bold enough to ask what we really need? Are we certain that what we need is going to make us the better person we long to be?  When asked this question to ourselves, be sure that we be honest and more importantly direct.

"Master, let me see again.’
 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And immediately his sight returned..."
This is where we tell Him our desire, our need of healing. And in the many times Jesus has said this (Luke 7:50, Luke 17:19, cf Mark 5:43), it is clear that our faith in him, our belief in him, is the key for us to receive the blessings and healing we require. 

"... and he followed him along the road."
Then again, the receiving is not just enough; like many people we might know, yes they have accepted Jesus but the harder part is following him. Living it up to the teachings of the Gospel is no easy feat; receiving God's grace is easier with faith, but living it up to it is where we fail. That is why we must always be like this poor Bartimaeus and keep calling out to Jesus to heal, and upon receiving that healing, keep on the journey with Him. 

In addition to that, here are another two wonderful reflection on this week's Sunday Gospel:
Word to Life - October 25, and
Deacon's bench - Homily for 30th Sunday

A biblical advice on solving problems with someone.

Today's Gospel puts it almost perfectly on how to solve problems with someone. It takes on four approaches:

First, talk to your "brother", speak, reason and dialogue with him. Settle it between the both of you. If in the end, you and him reason things out, then it is solved!

Second, if step one fails, bring along another person or two, to settle it with him/her. Speak it out, dialogue and reason once more. Hear another person's point-of-view; what more get a person who's wiser and you know has dealt with a problem similar to what you to have.

Third, if approach number two fails, bring it to the community. Community meaning the bigger picture - bring him to court if it comes to that, or round up the groups and circle involved. Sort things out, discuss, and once again dialogue.

Finally if all else fails, "treat him like a pagan or a tax collector." As harsh as it may sound, this means that the problem with this person is beyond help. So what to do if it reaches here? Simple, do like what Jesus did, forgive them (see Luke 18:13), make sure to reason with them and most of all let them know what they are doing is not correct - be sure to justify why,  and above all pray for them. 

The practical guide provided by Jesus can easily be related to; when dealing with a person, it is always wise to reason out on what and why the person did what he did. It's best that problems between people can be solved through understanding, at the smallest point is to always solve it before it gets too large. Furthermore, the four approaches is not necessarily a procedural approach, it can also depend on the gravity of the wrong doing. The most important approach is always to keep in mind to do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

"Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector." - Matthew 15:18-17 

A hint of mercy.

"In short, we are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves. At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully."

The first line is probably the most special one of all, "because mercy has first been shown to us". The beautiful text taken from Pope Francis' bull on 2016 being the Year of Mercy (you can get it here) is a document proclaiming that next year is a year of understanding but more importantly receiving God's mercy. Because mercy has first been shown to us therefore it is only our right to be merciful and forgiving and having all the Christian values.

But wait!

Isn't this one of the hardest thing to do? To forgive, to understand, to listen, to comprehend, to tolerate and most of all to even love. Too many times, have we preached the word of mercy, but how merciful are we?

Mercy is an act of love, not only love for the other, but it extends as the inherent nature of human. Through mercy is where we experience the basics of human companionship, comfort, and fellowship with one another.

The challenge of mercy sometimes comes at a price; a price that can only be paid with humility and with a feeling of respect for the other person. Most of the time, this challenge arises when we are to show mercy to another person, showing mercy shouldn't be synonymous as a condescending attitude or a "duty" for the sake to care for the person, in fact showing mercy comes from the self offering to and for others so that others might gain from it(see Romans 12:1). Another challenge of mercy is also giving it out to those who need it most. Without going too far - as far as showing mercy to those in poverty and hunger - ask ourselves, who are the people who need mercy from us, in our everyday lives?

Sometimes we overlook this, and we tend to not show the mercy that others crave from us. Now the word "crave" may be strong, but let's reflect, who in our lives do actually crave for it. Another point of view is that sometimes the person who needs mercy from us is our very own self. Self-mercy isn't about pitying ourselves but rather a room we give ourselves to learn from the pain which we ourselves have caused or the pain from which others have given us.

"Perhaps we have long since forgotten how to show and live the way of mercy. The temptation, on the one hand, to focus exclusively on justice made us forget that this is only the first, albeit necessary and indispensable step. But the Church needs to go beyond and strive for a higher and more important goal. On the other hand, sad to say, we must admit that the practice of mercy is waning in the wider culture. In some cases the word seems to have dropped out of use."