Trinity Sunday

 

In these months of receiving the revised texts of the Mass, we could be forgiven for focusing only on the texts. It is true that the new texts are taking our attention and effort at the moment. But this rediscovery of the gift of the Mass invites us to a much broader project. These months of renewal are an opportunity for us to appreciate anew the beauty of the Mass.

In every Mass, our human senses are re-activated and re-oriented towards God. The Mass, when celebrated well, engages our physical senses, so enabling the senses of the soul to become more sensitive to the activity of God with us.

In the Mass we listen and we speak. We see. We touch. Even our sense of smell is engaged as the incense rises. Our bodies are active in worship of God as we kneel and stand. We bow and beat our breasts. We process. We listen and look.

The Mass is not simply a ‘spiritual’ event. It is also a physical action.  When Jesus enters bread and wine, transforming them into his body and blood, this is much more than a spiritual experience. It is a tangible event. It is a corporeal reality.

And so our 'spiritual life’ is a profoundly ‘physical’ existence. The fullness of God has become fully present in earthly elements. The bread and wine now have a new reality. They are God-with-us.  We consume this reality and every cell of our bodies becomes a new creation.

We too easily make the mistake of thinking of God as only ‘spiritual’ and dwelling only in the human ‘soul’. Yes, God is Spirit, and God does live in the soul. But the process of human growth invites God to transform every emotion, every experience, every encounter. The full presence of God, in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is a physical reality among us.

Now that this divine reality has been communicated to us, we have become the vehicles of the divine word to the world. Our awakened bodies become the voice through which we tell of God: through our words, and work, the way we look and listen. Every aspect of our presence in the world becomes the vehicle of our inner life with God to our family, friends, neighbours and to all people.

The liturgy of the Church seeks to engage our hearts, minds AND bodies, in worship of God.

One of the most universal and popular prayers highlights this. When we make the Sign of the Cross we use movement to accompany our invocation of the Trinity.

The Sign of the Cross is not simply a convenient way to begin and end prayer. The Sign of the Cross IS prayer.  We have prayed this prayer often and habitually. We rejoice when we see a sportsman or stranger quickly make this sign in a moment of need or thanksgiving. 

The Sign of the Cross, even without the conscious use of words, is a powerful prayer.

On this Trinity Sunday, let us rediscover this short, simple and beautiful prayer; the prayer that engages our bodies in participation in the full life of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Cathedral 'drone' Images

This morning we received images from the damaged Cathedral.

• At this link you will find the film taken by the 'drone' which was sent inside the Cathedral to record the state of the building inside.

• Here is this morning's stuff.co.nz update

• and a TVNZ link

Pentecost Red

It is only mid-week. Already last Sunday seems an age ago with all that has happened.

Last Sunday morning, around 7.30, I was driving to Darfield for Mass. The effects of the Chilean Volcano were visible in the sky above Christchurch.

It was a remarkable Pentecost morning reminder: the red sky  - the liturgical colour of the feast. I stopped and took this picture, and drove on to Darfield.

I was at Charing Cross just before 8am and turned the radio on in time to hear the Concert Programme play the wonderful Douglas Mews Pentecost Anthem: "A Sound Came from Heaven". This had been on my mind since the Christchurch Cathedral Choir had sung this on Saturday at Charles' ordination in Palmerston North.

Many might think that these coinciding moments were simply coincidence. But last Sunday morning these little events were blessings. They served to remind me of the presence and power of the Spirit of God. 

Many times in the last 48 hours I have needed to remember this as we again suffer the effects of the earthquake.

Cathedral Update

The update below was received by Christchurch DIocese parishes last night.

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch

Earthquake report – June 14, 2011

Report from Lance Ryan, 
chairman of the Cathedral Management Board

Unfortunately the Cathedral has sustained substantial damage in yesterday’s earthquakes. Concrete floors on the outside of the basilica have collapsed on to the floor below, damaging the north and south arches that help support the dome.

Walls at the back half of the basilica were displaced horizontally by up to 100mm.

Engineers are presently carrying out a full inspection of the Cathedral, and we have other information to consider, such as assessing the amount of movement of the building during the earthquake from information sent from sensors that had been placed in different parts of the basilica.

It will be several days before we are in a position to comment on the future of the building.

These aftershocks are quite devastating as we were making such good progress in preparing the dome so that it could be lifted off in a couple of weeks. All this work is now on hold.

Drone

The engineers managed to fly a small drone on a preliminary inspection of the interior of the building.  This flight took place before the aftershocks, so it is expected that the interior damage will now be worse than the drone footage shows.

The footage from the drone indicated that the nave appeared to still be intact, although the drone was unable to get close enough to the pillars and walls to identify whether any significant structural damage had occurred. 

The footage also shows some rubble in the sacristy area of the cathedral, as well as an organ still standing upright on the ground floor of the building.

Containers

Several shipping containers were placed in front of the fragile north tower of the cathedral in early June to prevent the tower from collapsing further in an aftershock.  Initial indications are that this preventive measure has held the damaged tower in place as intended, although the extent of any damage from the latest aftershocks has yet to be determined.

Media contacts

Lance Ryan, chairman of the Cathedral Management Board, ph 021-246-0354

John Durning 0274 373 286 (Catholic Diocese)

Karen Wrigglesworth 027 453 0456 (Opus)

Tuesday Masses...prayer in earthquake

Both Tuesday morning Masses tomorrow morning (14 June) will be offered for safety in time of earthquake.

Tuesday 14 June

7.00am &  9.00am

Our Lady of VIctories Church

106 Main South Road

The church will also remain open 24 hours each day until further notice for people wishing to pray.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will continue Tuesday from after Mass throughout the day until Benediction at 5.30pm.  Full details on parish website at www.olv.co.nz

earthquake

It's just after 6pm and the geonet website already lists fifteen quakes today. Two quakes this afternoon were significant, causing major damage.

Thanks be to God there have been no reports of loss of life or of serious injury.

But the day has taken its toll on our emotions and sense of stability.  Once again we turn to prayer, especially the Collect from the Mass in time of Earthquake:

God our Father

you set the earth on its foundation

Keep us safe from the danger of earthquakes

and let us always feel the presence of your love

May we be secure in your protection

and serve you with grateful hearts

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

Bishop Charles Drennan D.D.

This morning, priest of the Christchurch diocese Charles Drennan was ordained as the Co-adjutor bishop of the diocese of Palmerston North.

The gathering of people from around the diocese of Palmerston North and throughout the country (and abroad) was a powerful witness to the life of Catholic faith vibrant and visible in the diocese and throughout New Zealand.

It was clear throughout the Ordination Rite, that the Sacrament of Order in the Church is one hundred percent dependant on the power of the Spirit of God.

Below you can read part of the Ordination Rite used today. Let it inspire us to pray for Charles as he begins his ministry as a bishop.

At the end of the homily, the ordaining bishop Peter Cullinane turned to the rite instructing us and examining Charles: 

Consider carefully the position in the Church to which our brother is about to be raised.  Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was sent by the Father to redeem the human race, in turn sent twelve apostles into the world.  These men were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel and gather every race and people into a single flock to be guided and governed in the way of holiness.  Because this service was to continue to the end of time, the apostles selected others to help them.  By the laying on of hands which confers the sacrament of orders in its fullness, the apostles passed on the gift of the Holy Spirit which they themselves had received from Christ.  In that way, by a succession of bishops unbroken from one generation to the next, the powers conferred in the beginning were handed down, and the work of the Savior lives and grows in our time.

In the person of the bishop, with his priests around him, Jesus Christ, the Lord, who became High Priest for ever, is present among you.  Through the ministry of the bishop, Christ himself continues to proclaim the Gospel and to confer the mysteries of faith on those who believe.  Through the fatherly action of the bishop, Christ adds new members to his body.  Through the bishop's wisdom and prudence, Christ guides you in your earthly pilgrimage toward eternal happiness.

Gladly and gratefully, therefore, receive our brother whom we are about to accept into the college of bishops by the laying on of hands.  Respect him as a minister of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God.  He has been entrusted with the task of witnessing to the truth of the Gospel and fostering a spirit of justice and holiness.  Remember the words of Christ spoken to the apostles: "Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me."

You, dear brother, have been chosen by the Lord.  Remember that you are chosen from among men and appointed to act for men and women in relation to God.  The title of bishop is not one of honor but of function, and therefore a bishop should strive to serve rather than to rule.  Such is the counsel of the Master: the greater should behave as if he were the least, and the leader as if he were the one who serves.  


Proclaim the message whether it is welcome or unwelcome; correct error with unfailing patience and teaching.  Pray and offer sacrifice for the people committed to your care and so draw every kind of grace for them from the overflowing holiness of Christ.

As a steward of the mysteries of Christ in the church entrusted to you, be a faithful overseer and guardian.  Since you are chosen by the Father to rule over his family, always be mindful of the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep and is known by them and who did not hesitate to lay down his life for them.

As a father and a brother, love all those whom God places in your care.  Love the priests and deacons who share with you the ministry of Christ.  Love the poor and infirm, strangers and the homeless.  Encourage the faithful to work with you in your apostolic task; listen willingly to what they have to say.  Never relax your concern for those who do not yet belong to the one fold of Christ; they too are commended to you in the Lord.  


Never forget that in the Catholic Church, made one by the bond of Christian love, you are incorporated into the college of bishops.  You should therefore have a constant concern for all the churches and gladly come to the aid and support of churches in need.  Attend to the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit appoints you an overseer of the Church of God -- in the name of the Father, whose image you personify in the Church -- and in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, whose role of Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd you undertake -- and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the Church of Christ and supports our weakness with his strength.

Examination of the Candidate

The bishop-elect then rises and stands in front of the principal consecrator, who questions him:  An age-old custom of the Fathers decrees that a bishop-elect is to be questioned before the people on his resolve to uphold the faith and to discharge his duties faithfully.

My brother, are you resolved by the grace of the Holy Spirit to discharge to the end of your life the office of the apostles entrusted to us, which we now pass on to you by the laying on of hands?

The bishop-elect replies:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved to be faithful and constant in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ?

Bishop-elect:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved to maintain the deposit of faith, entire and incorrupt, as handed down by the apostles and professed by the Church everywhere and at all times?

Bishop-elect:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved to build up the Church as the body of Christ and to remain united to it within the order of bishops under the authority of the successor of the apostle Peter?

Bishop-elect:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved to be faithful in your obedience to the successor of the apostle Peter?

Bishop-elect:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved as a devoted father to sustain the people of God and to guide them on the way of salvation in cooperation with the priests and deacons who share your ministry?

Bishop-elect:   I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved to show kindness and compassion in the name of the Lord to the poor and to strangers and to all who are in need?

Bishop-elect:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved as a good shepherd to seek out the sheep who stray and to gather them into the fold of the Lord?

Bishop-elect:  I am.

Principal consecrator:  Are you resolved to pray for the people of God without ceasing, and to carry out the duties of one who has the fullness of the priesthood so as to afford no grounds for reproach?

Bishop-elect:  I am, with the help of God.

Principal consecrator:  May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.