Author: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP Page 1 of 2

Jesus Carries The Cross

On 2022-04-15

Lent Reflection – Part 5 of 6

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

It is tempting here to focus on The Stations of the Cross – it seems natural to do so given that Jesus carrying the cross takes up stations 2 through 9. But, as I keep asking, what is the mystery here? It was common for the condemned to carry at least the cross beam as one more humiliation to endure – carrying the implement by which you will be slowly tortured to death to the site of the execution.

Jesus was neither the first nor the last human to suffer this ignominy.

You may be surprised to learn that only in the Gospel of John are we specifically told that Jesus carried his own cross. Again, the descriptions are brief.

As they were marching out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross.
Mt 27:32

And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
Mk 15:21

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.
Lk 23:26

In the Gospel of John, however, no mention is made of Simon of Cyrene.

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.
Jn 19:17

If you are familiar with the Stations of the Cross having attended this moving prayer on a Friday during Lent, you may be thinking, “Wait a minute, what about the falling (stations 3, 7, and 9), Jesus meeting his mother (station 4), and the veil of Veronica (station 6)?”

Well, the Evangelists do not mention these things.

The Eighth Station, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, is in Luke’s Gospel:

And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’
Lk 23:27-31

Ok, whoa!, what does all that mean?

“For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” According to a Navarre Bible commentary, the green wood refers to innocence and dry wood refers to the wicked. One does not generally burn green wood. In 1 Peter 4:17f we read:

¹⁷For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸And “If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?” ¹⁹Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

The commentary on this in the Didache Bible, which commentary is based on the Catechism, says, “In order to share in Christ’s Resurrection, we must also share in his Cross.”

Yeah, so much for prosperity gospels. Christ does not promise us wealth, health and happiness. Rather he promises us his cross. Or rather, he invites us to take up our cross: Mt 10:38, Mt 16:24, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27.

We can do quite the little Bible Study using a Bible with a good commentary and cross references and digging into the meaning of taking up our cross.

I will close with a quote that I think sums up things to consider when contemplating this mystery:

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.
What’s Wrong With the World, V. The Unfinished Temple By G.K. Chesterton

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Next, Jesus Dies On The Cross.

The Crowning With Thorns

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2022-03-23

In Lent, Reflections, Saints

Lent Reflection – Part 4 of 6

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

I suppose the easiest reflection to pull out of this mystery is the fact that the Roman soldiers were actually crowning Christ the King. We could spend a lot of pious time examining the irony. But, while in the first two mysteries we looked at Christ’s humanity, in this reflection I suggest we take an uncomfortable look at man’s inhumanity.

Our inhumanity.

It was common for the Roman soldiers to humiliate the condemned. They would often pick out a victim from among those sentenced to death and mock and abuse them. Think about the psychology here. No compassion, no empathy. They’re going to die anyway, so you can exercise your petty need for violence, your need for a sense of superiority, comfortable in the firm knowledge there will be no consequences for your actions. And perhaps that inner voice encouraging, “They deserve this.”

Think next about public executions in general, about how hangings were attended by men, women, and children; about how it was a social event, an afternoon’s entertainment with death the main attraction. The crowd dispersing, nodding and commenting to each other, “He got what he deserved.”

Think about the horrific reality of lynching, a sordid thread woven into the tapestry of our country. Think about the jeering and mocking, the spitting and hitting, the deliberate and heightened animosity.

Yeah, but those were other people in other times. Surely we have grown beyond this.

But it is deeper and more insidious. Look at the Roman soldiers jeering at the helpless victim, and think about how many times we have seen someone that is helpless, scared, “not cool”, other, weird, a dork, being humiliated by a mob of people. Perhaps that someone was us.

Or perhaps we were in the crowd.

No way, you say?

Think about the idea of “mean girls” or the bullying by adolescents. The emotional violence on social media, the mob mentality of cancel culture; notice and ponder the figurative spitting and buffeting, jeering and smug self-satisfaction while participating in ruining someone’s life. Perhaps that inner thought, “They deserve this.”

Think now on the mockery of Crowning Christ the King.

Is it not mockery to go to Church, receive our Lord, hail him as king, leave church and continue in our small meannesses and our larger sins? And how many times have we mocked Christ the King only minutes or hours after leaving the confessional? Sing or shout or pray “Hail, King of the Jews,” from one side of our mouth while spitting out the other?

Why this short and ugly meditation? Because it is too easy to look at what the Romans did to Jesus and think, “They, not I.”

Think again.

We are the Romans.

Ponder this deeply for such pondering has resulted in many saints.

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Next: Jesus Carries The Cross

The Scourging At The Pillar

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2022-03-16

In Lent, Reflections, study

Lent Reflection – Part 3 of 6

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

Some short observations to start off this reflection. The Joyful Mysteries span approximately 12 years of Jesus’ life. The Luminous Mysteries approximately 3 years. The Glorious about 90 days.

The Sorrowful less than 24 hours.

I got to thinking about this when I was reading the Gospel accounts of the scourging. Here they are:

Then he released for them Barab’bas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Mt 27:26

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab’bas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Mk 15:15

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.
Jn 19:1

The account from Luke does not say Pilot had Jesus scourged. Rather it describes him telling the Jewish authorities (twice) that he finds no wrongdoing and that he would have him flogged (or chastised), and then released.

So, I got to thinking about the compressed nature of the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the very minimal mentions of scourging. Why is it that this seeming afterthought in the account of the Passion of Our Lord is one of the Sorrowful Mysteries? I also wondered whether there was a difference between scourging and “chastising” or “flogging”.

Now, there are a lot of things to read about the scourging from sources outside the Bible, including whether or not it was a common practice, technical details as to how it was done, why it was done, etc. But, I did not want to understand why it was done, or how it was done. I wanted to understand, what is the mystery here; what am I supposed to learn and try to understand?

But, I realized that the how and the why are clues. That I would need to study the how and the why as a means to the end of understanding the mystery in this Mystery.

Some things I learned along the way. It is not explicitly stated how many lashes Jesus received. While many refer to Paul’s account in 2 Cor 11:24 of himself receiving “40 lashes less one”, we cannot rely on this. According to Dt 25:1-3, the maximum number stripes that can be given is 40. In order to ensure they did not exceed 40, they typically stopped at 39. An important point to hold in mind is that the 40 lashes were not a prelude to execution. They were a punishment that intentionally spared the life of the person being punished.

But, Jesus was not given lashes by the Jews. The Romans scourged him.

Scourging is to be distinguished from whipping. The scourge would have balls made of lead and bits of bone designed to both bruise and tear flesh down to the bone. In short, it was a savage beating designed to inflict pain and weaken through blood loss. Scourging was the beginning of an execution. People being punished for less than capital crimes were whipped with leather whips or caned with rods; they were not scourged.

Jesus was given the Roman treatment reserved for the very worst criminals. Worthy of note is the fact that Roman citizens could not be scourged. In other words, even a Roman citizen sentenced to death would be spared the humiliation and degradation of scourging.

Jesus was sentenced to death under Roman law, for the crime of insurrection. Crucifixion was used to degrade the criminal, and was a hideous public spectacle designed to deter future enemies of the state.

It is good here to recall some biblical verses:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; ⁹and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
MT 4:8-9

Note, Jesus did not counter that the kingdoms of the world were not Satan’s to give. As prince (ruler) of this world, they were Satan’s to give. Otherwise this temptation would not really be a temptation.

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me;
Jn 14:30

Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out;
Jn 12:31

A question: Are we citizens of this world, loyal to the prince of this world?

So, what is the mystery in the Mystery of The Scourging At The Pillar?

Understand three things, and then ponder. First, scourging and crucifixion go together, it is a package deal. Second, this sentence of death was imposed on Christ as a non-citizen enemy of the state. This execution is specifically designed to deter people from following Christ. Third, when Christ says, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” (Lk 9:23) understand that he is inviting us to insurrection against the devil.

Ask, “Am I a citizen of the State and loyal to the prince of this world?”

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.
GK Chesterton

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Next: The Crowning With Thorns

The Agony In The Garden

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2022-03-09

In Lent, Reflections

Lent 2022 Reflection – Part 2 of 6

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

Deep calls to deep at the thunder of thy cataracts; all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.
Psalm 42:7

As a child, the Agony in the Garden held a special mystery. If Jesus is God, and God knows everything, and is all-powerful, then what was he worried about?

It took many years for me to realize he was not worried. This mystery is not called The Worrier in the Garden. Jesus demonstrated many emotions throughout the Gospels. Anger. Sorrow. Compassion. But never worry.

Ok, so if Jesus is God, and God knows everything, and is all-powerful, then what was He in agony about?

I think the answer to my question is found through the contemplation of the First Sorrowful Mystery. As I mentioned in the introduction to this series, the fact of mystery is the first clue toward understanding the mystery. One of the first things we glean from studying this Mystery is its relation to the mystery of the Incarnation. The Incarnation is God’s response to The Fall. Careful contemplation of the Agony in the Garden will give us some insight into the visceral consequences of that response.

Think about The Incarnation for a moment. Try to think of it as if hearing it for the first time, not having been taught it as a child, not simply accepting an astonishing claim. Let me quote a lengthy passage from GK Chesterton:

We should have a worse shock if we really imagined the nature of Christ named for the first time. What should we feel at the first whisper of a certain suggestion about a certain man? Certainly it is not for us to blame anybody who should find that first wild whisper merely impious and insane. On the contrary, stumbling on that rock of scandal is the first step. Stark staring incredulity is a far more loyal tribute to that truth than a modernist metaphysic that would make it out merely a matter of degree. It were better to rend our robes with a great cry against blasphemy, like Caiaphas in the judgement, or to lay hold of the man as a maniac possessed of devils like the kinsmen and the crowd, rather than to stand stupidly debating fine shades of pantheism in the presence of so catastrophic a claim. There is more of the wisdom that is one with surprise in any simple person, full of the sensitiveness of simplicity, who should expect the grass to wither and the birds to drop dead out of the air, when a strolling carpenter’s apprentice said calmly and almost carelessly, like one looking over his shoulder: ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’
“Everlasting Man” – GK Chesterton

To aid in our study, the readings for the First Sunday of Lent from Cycle A are worth a short review. They can be found here.

Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7 recounts the Fall. Main points to recall:

Adam and Eve were created, man from earth, woman from man.
They were tempted by Satan.
They fell and were expelled from the Garden.

In Rom 5:12-19, Paul explains the consequences of the Fall, and what is necessary to set things right. Main points to recall:

Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin death.
Death reigned, even over those who had not sinned through direct disobedience as had Adam.*
Just as through the disobedience of one man, the rest were made sinners, through the obedience of one, the many will be made righteous

Mt 4:1-11 tells us of the first temptation of Christ by Satan. Main points to recall:

Jesus was led into the desert by The Spirit – to be tested by the devil
Hungry, he was first tested with food – a basic human need. Subsequent tests addressed the human need for recognition and power. (It is worth pondering how these human needs are perverted by the Devil.)
Jesus sends him away. Luke tells us that Satan left “until an opportune time.” (Lk 4:13)

This is a pretty complete backdrop for the Sorrowful Mysteries, and will be referred to throughout this series.

Back to my original questions, “Why was He in agony?”

First, what is “agony?” The word comes to us from ancient Greek, and means struggle. It is the final struggle of a person at the point of death. The struggle to stay alive.

Consider that Jesus was the first complete human since Adam. After the Fall, all creation was out of balance. But Christ, born of an immaculately conceived woman, born of The Holy Spirit and not sinful Man, was perfect. A man in as complete a union with God as a living human being can be.

How much more attuned would Jesus be to the needs of the body? How much more precious would be the gift of life? The gift of existence? How much stronger the human desire to live?! In his hour of suffering He prays in the Garden to His Father. Abba. He calls him Daddy. Please Daddy, he asks, let this cup pass from me.

Consider that death, brought into the world by sin, is an unnatural state. We all sense this. Most people want to live at all costs. The urge to survive is seen all through nature. How much more would this urge, this need, this yearning, be in someone fully and completely alive?

It is thought that Christ, being God and Man, could have suppressed his human suffering, or simply taken it away. Go through the motions, so to speak, but experience no discomfort.

But what kind of cheap God is that?

Jesus experienced agony because He was fully human. He would die as humans do. He would pay the price. He chose to experience it completely and possibly more fully than any human before him. Add in his divine nature, with foreknowledge of what was about to happen, and you can see, this was no mindless fear due to imagination. This was complete recognition, precognition, of what was to happen.

There is another piece to this. Recall that after Christ was led into the desert, specifically by the Spirit to be tested, he passes the test, and as Luke tells us, the Devil left for an opportune time. That opportune time is in the Garden.

As a side note, Gethsemane, the name of the garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, means olive press. The place where pressure is put on olives to yield olive oil. The place where Jesus felt so much pressure he sweat blood.

You will recall that Jesus prays in the Garden. Perhaps you missed the same thing I missed all these years until I stopped to consider this mystery deeply. There is more to the request of Jesus than the simple ask to let this cup pass. We see in Lk 22:42-43 that Jesus says “…nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”

I never recognized this part of his prayer, “not my will, but thine, be done,” as Jesus asking for help. But see how his prayer was answered. Jesus prayed, and his Daddy sent an angel to strengthen him. Just like after his first test in the desert.

In closing this reflection, please consider that Jesus Christ, God made Man, suffered, and when he suffered he asked for help. There is no shame in suffering, no shame in being overwhelmed, no shame in asking for help. Consider that He experienced a complete suffering, mind, body, and soul. When we break our arm, we go to the doctor for help, and we don’t count it as weakness. When we break our union with God, break our souls, if you will, we go to the priest who in the person of Christ repairs that break, and we should not count that as weakness. When we have any brokenness of any kind, we can and should ask for help, and never count it as weakness. Jesus asked for help in his hour of need. So too should we.

Next up: The Scourging At The Pillar

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It is a Dominican practice to contemplate the mysteries of God, and to share the fruits of our contemplation. I hope you found this fruit tasty and good to eat. But I ask for your help. If contemplation is the nurturing and harvesting of this fruit, then the comments and additional thoughts of others are the fertilizer, the water, the weeding. This is part of the pillar of Community. Please help deepen my understanding of this mystery with your comments.

*This will be explored further in the subsequent mysteries.

Invitation to Pray for Peace from fr. Gerard

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2022-03-06

In community, Lent, prayer

Dear brothers and sisters:

As we begin the great season of Lent, the Master of the Order, fr. Gerard Timoner, OP, has issued a Lenten message asking us to continue to offer our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for peace where there is war, unrest, and persecution, particularly for Ukraine, and to remember that we are part of a global Dominican Family. He also invites us to pray the Litany of Dominican Saints at least once a week until the First Week of Easter.

– Click here to read the Master’s letter
– Click here to view the Litany of Dominican Saints and Blesseds in English (or Latin)

In addition, the Polish Dominican friars are working to provide assistance to Ukrainian friars and refugees. If you’d like to donate, you can donate funds through the Western Dominican Province, who will then transfer the funds to the Polish Dominican Province. You can help by clicking here: https://opwest.org/ukraine

Grace to you and Peace,
– Mr. Alan Phipps, OP
– Lay Provincial Secretary, Province of St. Martin de Porres

Lenten Reflection – 2022

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2022-02-28

In Lent, Reflections, study

A 6 part series

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

I am writing this on Fat Tuesday. Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and so I decided to do a personal Lenten reflection by doing a deep dive into the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Since Lent is focused on Christ’s Passion, and the Sorrowful Mysteries are about Christ’s Passion, it just seemed to make sense. (Well, actually the Triduum is focused on the Passion and Lent leads into it. So, in preparation for the Triduum…)

I plan on an introduction (this post) and the 5 mysteries as subsequent posts, The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, and finally the Death of Our Lord.

Have you ever wondered why the mysteries of the Rosary are called mysteries? What do we think of when we hear the word mystery? Usually, it depends on the context. In a mystery novel, we know that something has happened but the explanation is hidden. The hero/detective, a very observant and rational person, slowly figures out what is hidden through research and careful consideration of clues. In the best mystery novels, the clues are there for us as well as the detective in the novel, and when he or she figures it out, we think, “Ah hah!” and it all makes sense. Mystery solved. The key point is this: We know there is an answer, we know that the mystery can be solved. And, we enjoy the search and discovery. I think in the most successful mysteries, we figure it out at the same time as the protagonist, and when all the pieces fit together we feel satisfied and think, “That was a good mystery.”

When we think of mystery in the context of religion, we generally have a different experience. We hear or read something that we don’t understand, and when we ask about it, all too often we are told, “Well, it’s a mystery.” By this is meant, “I don’t know either, we can’t figure it out, we shouldn’t try to figure it out, so just accept it on faith.”

But, isn’t this dissatisfying? Why can’t we get answers to our religious questions? Why can’t they be solved? Are we really supposed to just turn off our brains and accept things on faith? This seems dangerous to me, but mostly it just seems wrong. If there is Truth with a capital T, shouldn’t we strive for understanding?

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a hiddenness to reality. Let’s face it. Reality is mysterious. We probe reality—this is a defining human characteristic, and this is what drives all discovery—the desire to know, and equally, to understand.

And what do we want to know, what do we want to understand? While our minds and hearts are young, the answer to that question is “Everything.” But as we get older, we begin to suspect something troubling, something maybe even a bit scary.

Reality is too big.

Some are defeated by the fact that all of reality is beyond their grasp and stop questing. Losing their child-like wonder at the world, they live with a vague sense of loss and a certain weariness. Jaded and cynical, they dissipate themselves with idle diversions and ask, “What is the point?”

So, what is the point?

The point is just this: There is a point.

While we will never have complete grasp of the mystery that is life, we can always know and understand more. We can read the mystery book of life, and begin to see the clues. Rather, we can intentionally participate in this mystery. And while we may not figure it all out until the end of the story, we can always know more tomorrow than we do today.

Some recognize that this desire to know everything is simply the desire to know God. They understand that while reality is what we must work with, reality isn’t the goal.

Reality is the clue.

Mystery is the subject of knowledge. Mystery, the kind of religious mystery that we are talking about here, is not so different from that of a mystery novel. The clues are there, they need to be studied. Rather, they need to be lived. For in this particular mystery, we are not reading about characters. We are the characters.

As is always the case with mystery, the fact of mystery is the first clue. What do I mean by that? Oddly, mystery is in some ways self-revealing. It announces its presence, it says,

We will never be aware of all the mysteries, we will never see all the clues, but that’s OK. We can work with the clues we have, the ones we see in a sunset and find in the spring thaw, and the ones we have been given through Revelation. We can pursue these clues, study them, and hope to have those “Aha!” moments when we suddenly understand some piece of the grand and glorious Mystery of our lives. And what is this mystery? It is the Mystery of who we are in relation to God—it is the Mystery of Salvation. And it is this Mystery that is the subject of the Rosary.

The Rosary offers several mysteries for our consideration. Think of them as clues, insights into Revelation, insights into reality. Traditionally there have been 15 mysteries, three sets of five, known as the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries. These mysteries date back at least 400 years. In brief, they in turn focus our attention on the Incarnation, the Passion, and The Resurrection of our Lord. In 2002, Pope St. John Paul II offered a fourth set, the Luminous mysteries. These mysteries focus on Christ’s public ministry, aka the Gospel.

Succinctly, these four sets of mysteries offer us opportunities for meditations and contemplations on the birth of Christ, the life of Christ, the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. As Jesus is God made Man, they also offer us an opportunity to reflect on our own birth, our own life, our own death and our own resurrection. And in solidarity with our fellow man, we can enter into the births, lives, deaths, and yes, the resurrections of our family and friends. One more thought on mystery and knowledge: there is no theoretical limit to how much we can know. And, if to know someone is to love someone, then there is no theoretical limit to how much we can love God. Yet the question remains, “How can we know God?” The answer is obvious when you understand it—we can know God because he has revealed Himself to us.

He has revealed Himself to us.

Join me, if you will, and over the next 5 weeks we will dig into the Passion of Our Lord, beginning with next week’s post: The Agony In The Garden.

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As Dominicans we contemplate and bring the fruits of our contemplation to those we know. I don’t know about you, but my contemplation is helped by the thoughts of others. Please share your thoughts in the Comments.

To Praise, To Bless, To Preach

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2022-02-24

In Books, Four Pillars, Lay Dominican, spirituality

Dominican Life is Liturgical (First and Foremost!)

By Mr. Pedro A. Moreno, O.P.

This is Part 4 of a Series on what it means to be a Lay Dominican. Part 3 is here.

Dominican Spirituality: Principles and Practice by Fr. William A. Hinnebusch, O.P., chapter V, Dominican Life is Liturgical, begins with these words:

“We have examined the ends of the Order — contemplation and the apostolate, the first fructifying in the second. These are the noble goals that the Order sets before the Dominican. However, it is not enough to have marvelous ideals. It is necessary to have suitable means to achieve them.”

He reminds us that:

Contemplation and Apostolate are the ends of the Order.
Liturgy can lead us to contemplation, and is distinct from it.
Liturgy is a prerequisite to our apostolate of preaching because it feeds our ministry with life.
Liturgy, how we Praise and Bless God, is our most important, foundational and essential act.

This chapter presents Liturgy as the means to achieve the ends of the Order, contemplata aliis tradere. It presents us with basic principles on the liturgy in Dominican Life that will always stand the test of time and councils.

Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, written before the final 1965 adaption of Fr. Hinnebusch’s 1962 Lenten Conferences to the Dominican Sisters in Amityville, NY, states in paragraph 10 something similar for the whole church:

“… the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows. For the aim and object of apostolic works is that all who are made sons of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord’s supper… the renewal in the Eucharist of the covenant between the Lord and man draws the faithful into the compelling love of Christ and sets them on fire. From the liturgy, therefore, and especially from the Eucharist, as from a font, grace is poured forth upon us; and the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God, to which all other activities of the Church are directed as toward their end, is achieved in the most efficacious possible way.”

Liturgy, primarily the celebration of the Eucharist, and then the praying of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, is how we, on a regular basis, worship. It is how we give God his just due and affirm the primacy of God in our lives.

God’s love for us and our love for Him, through the re-presentation of the Paschal Mystery, is ritualized, proclaimed and celebrated. Liturgy is our reaffirmation, and personal reminder, that God is the most important, and most loved, being in our lives.

He’s #1, and we are totally dependent on Him. Liturgy is our communal thanksgiving of being saved by the God that loves us more than we can ever understand. Liturgy is life and this life is not optional!

The primacy of God in the life of every member of the Dominican Family is a principle reaffirmed by St. John Paul II in a letter he wrote to the Order back in March of 1983,

“The Church continues to propose these principles as the foundations of Christian wisdom and as the axis of apostolate… The first of these principles is that which affirms the absolute primacy of God in the intelligence, in the heart, in the life of man. You know well how Saint Dominic responded to this requirement of faith in his religious life: “He spoke only with God or of God.” You also know how, on the level of doctrine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, beginning with the Sacred Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church, envisioned this primacy of God and how he supported it with the force and consistency of his metaphysical and theological thought, using the analogy of being which permits the recognition of the worth of the creature, but as dependent on the creative love of God.”

Liturgy is receiving the oxygen we need to be able to speak the Word! Liturgy is communing with Veritas so as to be able to share Veritas with others. Liturgy is when we Praise and Bless so we are then able to Preach. Liturgy is our community’s lifeblood. Liturgy is what keeps the Dominican Family united as one with Christ first and then, through Christ, unity with each other.

In a paragraph dedicated to all Lay Dominicans Fr Hinnebusch states…

“Tertiaries follow a rule which, in accord with their life in the world, parallels that of the fathers and sisters. They promise to live according to the Order’s spirit, attend Mass every day, if possible, and recite either the Office of the Blessed Mother or the fifteen mysteries of the rosary. They hold their monthly chapter meeting and endeavor to achieve a deeper understanding of the truths of the faith. In all branches of the Dominican family the same goals are pursued, fundamentally the same means are employed, and the same spirit is engendered and maintained. In this chapter we shall discuss only the prayer life of the Dominican.”

What follows in the chapter are clear recommendations for those living a conventual life. References are made to the vowed life, leaving the cloister and how the liturgy is a key part of life in these houses. Recommendations that are clearly not with the Lay Dominican in mind. Here is an example that clearly does not apply in my home:

“… an atmosphere of prayer in its houses, enjoining silence as the essential environment in which Dominicans shall lead their lives.”

It is clear that the late Fr. Hinnebusch never visited my house between 1990 and 2010 when my three daughters were teenagers! This reminds me of a favorite family meme, “We’re not loud, We’re Puertorrican!”. Silence in our house back then meant that we were either traveling, or, it was 3:00AM and we are finally all asleep.

As a Lay Dominican it is my responsibility to find or create moments and places for my personal prayer. While never equaling the silence of conventual life spaces for prayer are available if you take the time to look around. I sometimes lock myself in the bedroom, or even the bathroom. (Thank God we have more than one!) After finding a place I then, if possible, set up some classical or instrumental music, open a Bible or the Liturgy of the Hours and spend some quality time with the Lord.

Sometimes I just stay in the car, or just stay at the office, after 5:00PM when everything calms down a bit. If I didn’t get to Mass yet then I would search for an evening Mass or an opportunity for quiet adoration. All of this is essential for the preaching life. We all need to Praise, Bless and then, after some serious study, Preach.

Regarding the Divine Office, a.k.a. the Liturgy of the Hours, it is more common for today’s laity to participate in this liturgical prayer. Here is a quote from Laudis Canticum, the Apostolic Constitution promulgating the revised book of the Liturgy of the Hours, from 1970:

“The Office has been drawn up and arranged in such a way that not only clergy but also religious and indeed laity may participate in it, since it is the prayer of the whole people of God. People of different callings and circumstances, with their individual needs, were kept in mind and a variety of ways of celebrating the office has been provided, by means of which the prayer can be adapted to suit the way of life and vocation of different groups dedicated to the Liturgy of the Hours.”

Chapter V once again speaks specifically to Lay Dominicans, or Tertiaries, and they are mentioned in reference to the “Little Office”:

“The spirituality of Dominican sisters and tertiaries, shared with a priestly and apostolic Order, is also liturgical. The little Office of the Blessed Mother which they recite fashions and molds them in the spirit of Mary, teaching them how to do everything in her, through her, by her, and for her. They contemplate the Mother of God, who, “kept in mind all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke, 2:19). They love souls because Mary, the mother of souls, loves then. They are anxious to save souls because she, the Mother of the Savior, wants to save them.”

The “Little Office of the Blessed Mother” also known as “Hours of the Virgin”, is a simplified version of Liturgy of the Hours and has a cycle of psalms, hymns, scripture and other readings highlighting and promoting the devotion to our Blessed Mother.

I thank Fr. Hinnebusch for the examples of saints and their prayer lives, beginning with St. Dominic. He ends that section with a clear warning:

“If a Dominican is not devoted to prayer and praise, he cannot contemplate; he cannot even hope to contemplate. Without prayer, he will never penetrate the truths of faith. Speaking of Our Lord’s mysteries, St. Thomas writes:
If anyone would diligently and piously consider the mysteries of the Incarnation, he would find such a profundity of wisdom that it would exceed all human knowledge… the wonderful meaning of this mystery is manifested more and more to him who piously ponders it.”

To contemplate, piously ponder or lovingly gaze, is a special supernatural grace given freely by God to many of those that Praise and Bless so they may Preach. No liturgy means no true contemplation and no contemplation means no preaching that is consonant to our call. May God grant us the gift of perseverance in our prayer life, both liturgical and private.

The last section in chapter V is a reflection on, The Prayer of the Dominican Family. It begins with these words:

“As the Church is a family, the Mystical Body of Christ, so also the Order of Preachers is a mystical family. Its members, numbered in thousands, are joined to their holy father, St. Dominic, and to one another by the bonds of profession. By birth men are related to their parents, brothers, and sisters by ties of blood. Religious profession joins the Dominican in a spiritual relationship with his Founder and all his children on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven. This union is closer than the bond of blood linking earthly parents and children because it is supernatural.”

Paragraph 3 of The Rule of the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic reminds us that all Lay Dominicans are united in communities and constitute, with other groups of the Order, one Family. And, as Father Patrick Peyton use to say, “The Family that prays together, stays together.”.

I end with a slight variation on the ending of chapter V.

When the Dominican Family prays, we all benefit. Our prayers make us fervent, intimate friends of God. We also help the other members of the Dominican Family, and all their neighbors everywhere. Prayerful Dominican save more souls by prayer and contemplation than by words and action. When we participate at Mass or pray the Liturgy of the Hours, St. Dominic stands in spirit with us as he did 800 years ago in Bologna. He encourages us to put our whole heart into it. When we listen to him, we place our prayers in his hands. In turn, he bows toward the Holy Trinity, offering the combined homage and adoration of the entire mystical body of the Dominican Family.

Thank you Fr. William A. Hinnebusch, O.P., for this book that stills gives fruit after almost 60 years.

VERITAS

Next up: Dominican Life is Doctrinal

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I thought it might be interesting for everyone to understand the concept of liturgy from a practical mundane standpoint. I found this definition of the word separated from the usual religious trappings; I think it applies to us as Lay Dominicans and is something to keep in mind when we engage in public worship:

In ancient Greece, particularly at Athens, a form of personal service to the state which citizens possessing property to a certain amount were bound, when called upon, to perform at their own cost. These liturgies were ordinary, including the presentation of dramatic performances, musical and poetic contests, etc., the celebration of some festivals, and other public functions entailing expense upon the incumbent; or extraordinary, as the fitting out of a trireme in case of war. [Century Dictionary]

Liturgy is a form of personal service. _{(Mr. Mark Connolly, OP)}

The Visitation

By Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

On 2021-12-17

In Advent, Reflections

4th Sunday of Advent

BY: Mr. Mark Connolly, OP

The reading for this coming Sunday is from Luke and is commonly referred to as “The Visitation.” It is in the Visitation that we find the second Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary and also part of the prayer known simply as the “Hail Mary.” What can we find in this mystery? Reflection will provide much food for thought. Mary has just been told by Gabriel that her kinswoman, Elizabeth who was called barren, was in her sixth month, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Lk 1:37). Straightaway Mary hastens to her. And something amazing happens.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. (Lk 1:39-44)

There is a lot happening here. When Elizabeth heard the greeting, so did her son, John the Baptist. Consider that John, at around 24 week’s gestation, leapt at the sound of the voice of the mother of God. How could he possibly know that voice, given that this would be the first time he had heard Mary’s voice? Consider that part of the Annunciation story is that Mary left straightaway to visit her kinswoman. She could only have been a week or so into her pregnancy. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit asks, “And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” What tipped her off? Mary would not have been visibly pregnant.

What tipped Elizabeth off was John leaping for joy in her womb. John recognized Jesus, even though Jesus Incarnate was less than a handful of cells.

Pause and let that burrow into your mind and heart.

Suffice it to say that this was not one “blob of tissue” responding to another “blob of tissue.” This was a creature recognizing his Creator and responding in joy! Elizabeth is “filled with the Holy Spirit” and shouts what she cannot otherwise have known, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

How fitting this is the second line in the Hail Mary. We first have the announcement of the Incarnation by the angel Gabriel. Then we have the first recognition by Creation (Elizabeth and John) that their Creator has entered into His Creation. Next, Mary responds with a song of praise. We will look at the first two verses. Depending on the translation that is read, you will hear different versions, and, because words matter, they will have different flavors. In the King James Version we have:

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Lk 1:46-47)

Other translations will use “proclaims the greatness” instead of “doth magnify” or “magnifies.” Since Latin is the root of most English multi-syllable words, it is sometimes useful to look at the Latin for some clues to depth of meaning. In Latin it goes like this:

Magnificat anima mea Dominum,
et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo,

We can see where magnify comes from. Dominum is a form of Deo which is God. We can see where spirit comes from. One can see the idea of salvation in salvatore and perhaps pick up the idea of “God my Saviour.”[1] But where does “rejoice” come from? Perhaps you can see the idea of exultation in exsultavit? What about “soul”? The Latin word is anima[2].

Coupled with anima, the interesting words are magnificat and exsultavit. Mary says her soul magnifies the Lord. If God is so great, how can any puny human magnify God?

Think about what happens when you use a magnifying glass. You see details you could not see before. Remember the hiddenness of reality? The magnifying glass is the iconic tool of Sherlock Holmes, used to bring the hidden into the open. Mary’s soul is just such a lens, and what does her soul do? Participates in making God visible. Jesus is coming into the world as living flesh and blood.

All through the Old Testament we hear that no one can look on the face of God and live; that no one has seen God. Later, we have this exchange in the Gospel of John:

If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father? (Jn 14:7-9)

If we see Jesus, we see the Father. “My soul doth magnify” indeed.

That translation seems much more appropriate than “My soul proclaims the greatness…” Why do I say this? Because “proclaiming greatness” does not require or even suggest active participation. Proclaiming greatness is simply acknowledging a truth. But Mary’s soul magnifying the Lord is a visceral earthy participation and how else can you describe giving birth? To make God visible, to make God present to the world, requires active participation in God’s plan. Let’s face it, how many saying “God is great” are viscerally making Jesus present to the world? There is a difference between a cheerleader on the sidelines and a player on the field.

Mary also says her spirit rejoices. The Latin word is exsultavit. It is the source of the word “exult”, which is to show or feel elation or jubilation. The Latin means to leap up, and the context is one of excitement. Mary’s soul leaps for joy as does John the Baptist’s. What for?

“…for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.” (Lk 1:48-55)

That’s what for. This song of praise, Lk 1:46-55 and known as the Magnificat, is both prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy. There is cause for great joy. A leaping exultation at centuries of prophecy coming, literally, to fruition. And, as with all new life, the hope for the future.

What else can we learn from thinking about Mary visiting Elizabeth? How about solidarity, how about selflessness? Mary had just been told, in practically the same breath, that she was to carry the Lord even though she knew not man, and that her kinswoman, thought to be barren, was with child. Of all the things a young woman might do in such a situation, she immediately went to Elizabeth? Why?

Perhaps she sensed that Elizabeth would be the only one that could understand her unique situation? Perhaps she knew that Elizabeth, an old pregnant woman, would need help? Perhaps because they both knew this news would be jarring to the public at large? Perhaps the simple need for loving companionship? Perhaps because they both had something to celebrate?

Perhaps the simple instinct for family.

[1] Please note, Mary also required salvation.

[2] Permit a very brief and inadequate excursion into Greek and Latin and overlapping concepts along with some related philosophy. All of this can be found googling the words, and usual warnings about reliability of the internet apply. But, just consider the interrelated ideas. The Latin word anima and the Greek words pneuma and psyche, all translatable in English as soul all also have the concept of wind or breath in common. What separates the living from non-living, oversimplified, is an exchange of air. Even plants do this exchange despite the fact they have no lungs. In this way you can perhaps see how the Latin anima becomes the basis for words like animated, animal, etc. It is the animating principle. For the Ancient Greeks, there were three kinds of animating principles: vegetative, sensitive, and rational. By this they distinguished between plant, animal and human life. This animating principle, this life force, is what we call the soul and it is God breathed (Gen 2:7).

Life from life.

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