The Most Holy
Name of Jesus
Evening, 2 January 2016
Church of St John / Agawam
And let every
tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ
is in the
glory of God the Father (Phil 2:11).
When we survey the main differences
between the two forms of the one Roman Rite—the forma extraordinaria and the forma
ordinaria—we observe that there are basically two: a difference in the
texts and rubrics on the one hand, and a difference in the liturgical calendar
on the other. We leave the differences of texts and rubrics aside for now. However,
when it comes to the two calendars, the differences are the starkest during the
time of year in which we now are.
A very detailed exploration of these
differences is not possible now; and besides, this is not a lecture. But for
instance, today is the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; in the Ordinary Form,
it is the feast of the Epiphany. In the Extraordinary Form, Epiphany falls on
the 6th of January, twelve days after Christmas. The feast of the
Holy Family, which was celebrated last
Sunday in the Ordinary Form, falls next
Sunday in the Extraordinary Form. As for the feast of the Lord’s Baptism, the
Ordinary Form will celebrate it on Sunday, January 10th; the
Extraordinary Form on Wednesday, January 13th. It is also worth
noting that little season of Epiphanytide was entirely eliminated from the
Ordinary Form.
But all of that is much more detail
than you might have wanted. So, stepping back for a moment from the
differences, we might ask a more basic question: what exactly is the Liturgical
Year? Regardless of which form of the Rite we use, what is this thing that we keep
track of and celebrate year in and year out? I think we likely take it for
granted, and in a certain sense we should. And yet sometimes we focus (again
rightfully) on the mysteries we celebrate, without ever thinking about the
whole picture. We miss the forest for the trees. For a moment, then, let us
reflect on the meaning and purpose of the whole Liturgical Year.
“At the outset we must grasp one
thing: the liturgy is primarily concerned with the present. The past and the
future are only symbols or signposts of today’s outpouring of grace. The chief
function of the liturgy is to bring us divine
life now.”[1] The first thing to note is
that the Liturgical Year is not about reenacting; it is not about trying to put
on some kind of extended pageant. Nor is our liturgy about nostalgia; it has
everything to do with our daily life, here and now, in 2016.
And furthermore—and this is a crucial
point—our yearly liturgical celebration is not about self-expression or
community building. We do not keep the Liturgical Year simply to remind
ourselves or to show others that we are Catholic or that we are a church. Quite
the contrary. Rather, when our divine Savior came among us, everything he did
was winning grace for us; even the simplest of his acts was opening up the way
of friendship to God. Now, Christ did many things; he taught with many
teachings—and these leave us changed and made holy, here in the present moment.
So we need the Liturgical Year to unpack, as it were, the mysteries and the
grace that he won for us, and then to carry them into the present for us to
receive and enjoy.
If that all that is true, then our approach
to the Liturgical Year is twofold: we must first understand what we are
celebrating, and then apply it.[2] The Liturgical Year teaches us who Christ is; and that takes
a lifetime for us to learn. But by gradually getting to know him, we love him.
(I have said all that before; probably I will say it a thousand more times.) We
also love him by gradually following his commandments with greater perfection.
Thus, the Liturgical Year is the means by
which this process of knowing and loving is brought about in our souls.
Year after year, if we live close to our liturgical celebrations, we are meant
to know Christ more clearly and to love him greater devotion.
That brings us rather neatly to
today’s feast, the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The round of the Liturgical Year is
one grand exposition of how the Lord “is in the glory of God the Father,” as St
Paul writes. The cycle of mysteries is given to us as an extended proof of the
glory of the Name of Christ. It is all about him, our Jesus, and all those mysteries
connected with him—especially those of his Immaculate Mother. During one season
we focus on his coming among us as man; then we emphasize his being revealed to
the nations and his teaching; then we gather around the mystery of his Passion;
and then the glory of his Resurrection and Ascension. In a sense, the whole
Liturgical Year is a great proclamation of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Each Mass, too, is an act of
reverence to the Holy Name. We regard the name of Jesus as so holy, in fact,
that the rubrics force the priest to bow his head toward the crucifix each time
he utters it.
But then what spiritual lesson are we
left with? This magnificent sovereignty of Christ, which the Liturgical Year
proclaims, is the stay and support of all our days. Salvation history, and our
liturgical commemorations that draws us into that history, are the foundation
of our personal history. The grace of God, which is constantly given to us
through the Liturgical Year, is here for our strength and consolation. This
means that no matter what 2016 brings for us and for our world, we stand on the
surest foundation—the Holy Name of Jesus. With his name on our lips and in our
hearts, nothing can assail us.
On the night when he was betrayed,
the Lord Jesus gathered his Apostles, the first priests, around himself and
around that first Eucharistic table. Among many other things, he spoke these
words to them, but also to us: “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is
with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may find peace. In the
world, you will only find tribulation; but take courage, I have overcome the
world.”[3]
Wonderful homily.
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God