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Enlightenment during Advent: Repentance and Healing

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A full and robust catechumenal process has four stages: inquiry, catechesis, enlightenment or final preparation (which culminates with the sacrament of baptism or a rite of remembrance/renewal for those already baptized) and mystagogy. Our current Advent Series is exploring an alternative timing of the catechumenal process. We are taking a close look at the lectionary readings leading up the festival of the Baptism of our Lord, as a suitable time for the final preparation or stage of Enlightenment. Last week Kent’s blog reviewed the final two weeks of the church year, noting the themes from the appointed gospel texts in the lectionary that correlate with themes of discipleship for this stage of the catechumenal process.

Today we flip the calendar (and lectionary year) to the first Sunday of Advent (Year A, with Matthean gospel texts). In the Roman Catholic catechumenal process, these Sundays include “the scrutinies,” which are “rites for self-searching and repentance … meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect” (Catholic Rites Today, 91-92). The corresponding ecumenical Journey to Baptismal Living rites of “Healing and Deliverance” have a similar purpose (and a more eponymous title). As Kent noted, our starting point is the LSB lectionary, which is closely aligned with the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC). For Advent 1, the two lectionaries are nearly identical, and themes appropriate for this third week in the stage of Enlightenment run as a golden thread through all the appointed texts.

The Advent 1 Old Testament reading, Isaiah 2:1-5, is filled with beautiful language of “all nations” that “stream to [the Lord’s house]” (2:1). The people of all nations are quoted: “Come … [so that the Lord] may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths” (3). The Lord’s house, the temple in Jerusalem, is located on “the highest of the mountains” and the verb “to stream” evokes the image of moving water. Contrary to the natural world, where water flows downhill, the nations (in Isaiah’s day the enemies of the people of God) are streaming uphill—going against the flow of worldly life—and are drawn to the ways and paths of God. The text lends itself to the stage of Enlightenment, to the movement away from sin that separates people from God and toward a repentance heart, ready to listen to “instruction … out of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (3). God’s judgment has the power to “beat their swords in plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (4), to end conflict and war. The text concludes with an exhortation to the people of Israel to do the same as “the nations”: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” (verse 5).

That final phrase, “walk in the light,” is the image picked up in the epistle reading from Romans:

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:11-14

Quoting again from the RCIA explanatory notes for the scrutinties, this is a most suitable text “for self-searching and repentance … meant to uncover … all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect,” and to prepare them to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” in baptism.

The traditional gospel text from the one-year lectionary, Jesus’ entry in Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-11), is list as the first of two options for Advent 1 in the LSB lectionary; the alternate LSB gospel text is the text appointed in the RCL, Matthew 24:36-44. Contextually, this latter passage is part of the eschatological discourse of Jesus spoken to his disciples who “came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming of the end of the age?’’’ (Matt 24:3). The appointed text primarily answers the “when” question: “About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (24:36). It will be “as the days of Noah were,” unexpected to many people; and as Noah was saved, so will some be at the “coming of the Son of Man” (24:37): one of two working in the field; one of two women grinding meal together (24:40-41). “Keep awake,” Jesus warns, and “be ready” (24:42, 43), language that evokes the same theme Paul wrote to the Romans: “now [is] the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near” (11). These texts speak to the Elect in these weeks of final preparation, reminding them that baptism is not an end but a beginning, one that calls disciples to stay alert to the temptations of the world, to stay on the paths of the Lord, to hold fast to Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, to “keep awake” so that they are prepared for his Second Coming.

Finally, we consider Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the question it evoked (Matt 21:10). “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’” The text has given clues, by quoting from Zechariah, “Look, your king is coming to you,” and by recording the shouts of the crowds: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” This text may evoke for the Elect how they felt during the first stage of the catechumenal process, inquiry; perhaps some were “in turmoil” and asking “Who is this” about Jesus. The Elect (and the whole assembly) can be reminded on this Sunday of who Jesus is, the Word made flesh who lives among us and whose birth is anticipated with hope in this season of Advent.

To complete the circle, we return to Isaiah 2, filled with the powerful symbolism of the city of Jerusalem, from which comes instruction, and with the “house of the Lord,” the dwelling place of God. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, it’s Passover, and Jews from all over the Roman Empire have streamed to the holy city; they long for a king who will bring the peace of the pruning hook and plowshare—of agricultural abundance, not of the Pax Romani, maintained by the sword. Enter Jesus, who comes as a gentle king, who, if one reads further in Matthew 21, is healing “the blind and the lame” in the temple (21:14). It is this Jesus who comes to the Elect on this day to “heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the [their] hearts.”

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Sources Referenced

Catholic Rites Today: Abridged Texts for Students, edited by Allan Bouley. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992.

https://journeytobaptism.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2021/04/Rites-Booklet-2024-07021745.pdf

Banner Photo

Christ Enthroned in the Heavenly Jerusalem: Christ is flanked by archangels, with an empty space representing Lucifer’s vacated position. From left to right, the five archangels are: Uriel holds the sun; Michael is a glorious figure in armour; Gabriel bears the lily of the Annunciation; Chemuel (Camael), the angel of the Sangreal, stands next him with the sacred cup; and Zophiel (Jophiel), to his left, holds the moon. Mosaic at the St Paul’s Within the Walls, an Episcopal church in Rome, Italy, 1885.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Enthroned_in_the_Heavenly_Jerusalem,_St_Paul%27s.jpg
http://romananglican.blogspot.com/2014/09/st-pauls-within-walls-episcopal-church.html

christ-pantocrator-mosaic-inside-cathedral-monreale-christ-pantocrator-mosaic-inside-cathedral-monreale-near-palermo-sicily-102073695

Enlightenment in Advent: End of the Church Year Readings

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If one were to utilize Advent as a season leading to the rites of initiation culminating in baptisms and incorporation into the Church’s life on Epiphany or the Baptism of our Lord, then, as Rhoda noted last week, the period of Enlightenment and Purification could begin on the second to last and last Sundays of the church year, the latter being Christ the King/Sunday of the Fulfillment. These Sundays are, as Rhoda also observed, appropriate times for Calling to Baptism or for the Call to Continuing Conversion (Baptismal Living) since the Gospel readings for these Sundays possess common themes about living faithfully as a disciple of the Lord Jesus in the End Times. Christ the King Sunday would serve particularly well for the ritual of handing on the creed to the Elect.

So, what are these themes on the final two Sundays in the Lukan year, series C, and how might the Elect and the entire church be shaped toward baptismal living by these texts? I will focus on the Gospel readings since they are determinative and for the sake of space. [We are following the texts in Lutheran Service Book. Generally, they are the same texts as the RCL and the Roman lectionary].

2nd to last Sunday in the Church Year

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is Luke 21:5-28 which attends to Jesus’ words about the coming of the Day of the Lord and the signs that will indicate its coming. While wars and rumors of wars abound throughout history, in Jesus’ words those are not signs of the end. Rather, it is the “signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (vv. 25-27) that will be the harbinger of the End. Then, Jesus says to his disciples, “But watch yourselves…stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (vv. 35, 37). Perseverance is a central character of the Christian disciple.

On this Sunday of Enrollment in the final period of baptismal preparation, the Elect would be called to repentance in light of the Days that are coming. The church would call them to trust in the Lord because their redemption is drawing near. Election into the period of final preparation for baptism entails an awareness of where earthly and human history is headed. Baptism into Christ means that the disciple lives with these coming days in view and with a trust in the Lord that impels them to persevere in hope and in witness of that hope to the world.

Last Sunday in the Church Year/Christ the King/Sunday of the Fulfillment

The Gospel reading for Christ the King Sunday is Luke 23:27-43 which is part of the Crucifixion account, including the mocking of Jesus and the conversation of the two criminals crucified with Jesus. At the center of this reading are the words of the penitent thief and Jesus’ response, “And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (vv. 42-43). Jesus reigns over the sinful and evil ways of His rebellious creatures on the throne of His cross, dispensing the good gifts of His kingdom—His mercy and grace. The kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God are like night and day.

The church calls the Elect to make the cry of the penitent thief their own: “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Today, every day is the time of decision, the time to walk in the ways of the kingdom of the Lord. This final period of Enlightenment prepares them for baptism and baptismal discipleship, for living in the kingdom of the Lord. And the Lord will answer that cry, as he did for the penitent thief. At their baptisms the Elect will become participants in paradise, in the kingdom of God. As they receive the Apostles’ Creed from the church, they make that cry their own. They acknowledge the lordship of God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. The Elect live in the eternal today of God’s Kingdom. “It is on the cross that Christ has inaugurated his reign and opened the way to the kingdom. Henceforth, to everyone who turns to him and says: ‘Jesus, remember me,’ he will respond, ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise’” [Days of the Lord, volume 6 (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1991), 325].

Thus, the Elect enter discipleship in the latter days as they are enrolled into the period of Enlightenment during Advent. Because Jesus reigns through His cross and resurrection, it is, in the words of the Roman preface for Christ the King, “a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.” That is the kingdom of the Lord into which the newly enrolled Elect begin to take their place.

Scrutines of Lent 2019 (9)

A Ritual Journey: The Third Scrutiny

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The Third Scrutiny follows the Second Scrutiny on the Fifth Sunday in Lent. As we saw with the first two scrutinies, the intent of the Third Scrutiny is for the elect to “renounce sin and evil and profess faith in the Triune God at their baptism” (Guide for Celebrating Christian Initiation with Adults, 58). The pattern is the same:

  • Readings from Series A (John 11: The Raising of Lazarus, pointing the elect to the new life received through their dying and rising with Christ in their baptisms)
  • Homily (which includes exploration of the meaning of the scrutiny)
  • Silent prayer by the presider, sponsors, elect, and the assembly
  • Intercessions for the elect
  • Exorcism Prayer
  • [Psalm/Hymn/Song]
  • Dismissal of the elect

The Third Scrutiny, through the Gospel text of the Raising of Lazarus, emphasizes that only in Jesus can they receive true “life in the face of death” (Guide, 60). Each of the scrutinies in the RCIA includes two sets of intercessions and two sets of excorcism prayers. Set “B” better highlights the Gospel reading of the raising of Lazarus and the theme of death and new life in Christ. This is reflected in the following texts among others: “acknowledge Christ as the resurrection and the life”; “become like Christ by baptism, dead to sin and alive for ever in God’s sight”; and “the Eucharistic food, which they are soon to receive, may make them one with Christ, the source of life and resurrection” (RCIA Study Edition, 105-106). The exorcism prayers further open up these themes. As one of them prays,

“Lord Jesus Christ, you commanded Lazarus to step forth alive from his tomb and by your own resurrection freed all people from death. We pray for these your servants, who eagerly approach the waters of new birth and hunger for the banquet of life. Do not let the power of death hold them back, for, by their faith, they will share in the triumph of your resurrection, for you live and reign forever and ever. Amen (RCIA Study Edition, 108).

Once again the presider calls the elect and the assembly to pray silently and so to examine their lives and repent in light of the authority of the Lord of death and life. Like the previous two scrutinies, the elect are focused on enlivened faith in the Triune God and are directed toward their liberation from sin, evil, and the power of satan through their enlightenment in their baptism into Christ Jesus.

Scrutines of Lent 2019 (9)

A Ritual Journey: The Second Scrutiny

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The Second Scrutiny follows the Presentation of the Creed on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. As we saw with the First Scrutiny, the orientation and purpose of the scrutinies in the modern RCIA is for the elect to “renounce sin and evil and profess faith in the Triune God at their baptism” (Guide for Celebrating Christian Initiation with Adults, 58). The Second Scrutiny follows the same pattern as the first:

  • Readings from Series A (John 9: the man born blind, seeking to illuminate the lives of the elect)
  • Homily (which includes exploration of the meaning of the scrutiny)
  • Silent prayer by the presider, sponsors, elect, and the assembly
  • Intercessions for the elect
  • Exorcism Prayer
  • [Psalm/Hymn/Song]
  • Dismissal of the elect

The Second Scrutiny according to the account of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind emphasizes to the elect the ways in which blindness might affect them and where they need the light of Christ “so that they might see the truth” (Guide, 60). The intercessions over the elect highlight the following: “God may dispel darkness and be the light”; “lead them to Christ, the light of the world”; and “That our elect may…acknowledge God as the source of light and the witness of truth” (RCIA Study Edition, 97). The exorcism prayers further open up these themes. As one of them prays,

“Father of mercy, you led the man born blind to the kingdom of light through the gift of faith in your Son. Free these elect from the false values that surround and blind them. Set them firmly in your truth, children of the light forever. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen (RCIA Study Edition, 98).

Silent prayer calls the elect, and the assembly, to self-examination and repentance in light of the themes enunciated in the scrutiny texts. It leads them toward enlivened faith in the Triune God who pours himself upon them in their baptismal enlightenment. Like the First Scrutiny, in this second instance the elect are directed toward their liberation from sin, evil, and the power of satan.

12-02-2018 Advent 1 Rite of Acceptance (44)

A Ritual Journey: Anointings of the Catechumens

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Several weeks ago we had discussed various rites and practices that can supplement the catechumens’ primary experience of the Sunday liturgy of the Word. During the period of the catechumenate these can include: Minor Exorcisms; Blessings of the Catechumens; and Anointings of the Catechumens. We focus on the last of these in this post.

Anointing the body is undoubtedly foreign to many Lutherans. Unfortunately the medieval approach to the anointing of the sick devalued it to the point that it had become a rite only associated with death. As a result, anointing in general was never a primary practice within Lutheranism. Yet anointing—as a symbol of the pouring out of God’s Spirit upon the people of God and of the Spirit’s cleansing, healing, and restorative power—is a powerful symbol. It has significant biblical precedence with the anointing of prophets, priests, and kings in the Old Testament and the anointing of Jesus in the New Testament.

Anointing has been associated with the rites of the catechumenate since at least the fourth century. There are the pre-baptismal anointings in the period of Enlightenment (which we’ll discuss in Lent) and the post-baptismal anointings. But anointing can be done anytime throughout the catechumenate whenever desirable and helpful.

Anointing during the period of the Catechumenate is intended to convey through the Word the power of the Spirit for strength to engage in spiritual warfare. Martin Luther, in his 1523 epilogue to his new baptismal rite, indicates that spiritual warfare is one of the primary tasks of the church whenever someone is baptized: “Remember, therefore, that it is no joke to take sides against the devil and not only to drive him away from the little child, but to burden the child with such a mighty and lifelong enemy. Remember, too, that it is very necessary to aid the poor child with all your heart and strong faith, earnestly to intercede for him that God, in accordance with this prayer, would not only free him from the power of the devil, but also strengthen him, so that he may nobly resist the devil in life and death” (Luther’s Works, American Edition, Vol. 53, 97). The rite of anointing during the catechumenate provides a means for the church to enter into that spiritual battle. The RCIA indicates that the intent of anointing in this period is to symbolize the catechumens’ “need for God’s help and strength so that, undeterred by the bonds of the past and overcoming the opposition of the devil, they will forthrightly take the step of professing their faith and will hold fast to it unfalteringly throughout their lives” (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 52). It symbolizes the pouring out of the Spirit through baptism and the Word throughout faith formation which strengthens the catechumen to renounce sin, evil, and the devil. As Shawn Madigan indicates it symbolizes “the Holy Spirit taking over one’s own spirit of egotism, violence, injustice, or whatever needs to be healed, strengthened, or overcome” (Shawn Madigan, Liturgical Spirituality and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 36). The anointing text in the RCIA, while not as strong as Madigan’s symbolic meaning indicates (see Madigan, Liturgical Spirituality and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 38), points toward the power of Christ in the battle against all evil: “We anoint you with the oil of salvation in the name of Christ our Savior. May he strengthen you with his power, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen” (RCIA, 54). These catechumenate anointings function as a precursor to the exorcisms in the period of the enlightenment in preparation for the change of lordship that comes in baptism.

Since this is a rite of the Word it could be performed by a pastor, but also by a lay catechist within a congregation’s catechumenate. It usually takes place within the context of reflection on the Word, usually after a homily in a service of the word. Traditionally the oil used is simple olive oil, not perfumed in any way, although there would be no prohibition in Lutheran circles for using some form of perfumed oil. The order of the rite in the RCIA is a) a prayer of exorcism (grounded in Luke 3, Jesus’ preaching in Nazareth), although other prayers of exorcism in the RCIA could be used; b) the anointing text spoken over all the catechumens (although it could be spoken over each catechumen individually; and c) the anointing of each catechumen traditionally on the breast (breastplate of righteousness) and/or both hands. Other parts of the body could be anointed at the request of the catechumen. Often the forehead is added to or substituted for the breast. It would be good to consider the use of the Lord’s Prayer in the rite if it is not used at any other point in the service. Consideration might be given to allowing the catechumen to name any weaknesses, sins, or struggles, either silently or aloud, or to consider the use of some right of confession. A blessing can conclude the rite.

The catechumen enters into a spiritual battle with sin, evil, and satan when they engage faith formation. The rite of anointing embodies the spiritual strength that comes from the Spirit through the Word to engage that battle with faith, hope, and strength.

12-02-2018 Advent 1 Rite of Acceptance (1)

A Ritual Journey: Blessings of the Catechumens

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The period of the catechumenate immerses the catechumens in the gospel Word that leads to faith and Christian life. As we have seen, celebrations of the Word of God—in addition to ongoing catechetical instruction—feed and structure that immersion, along with various ritual acts that apply the Word to the lives of the catechumens. These include: Minor Exorcisms; Blessings of the Catechumens; and Anointings of the Catechumens. We turn this week to the Blessings of the Catechumens.

These prayers of blessing provide ongoing strength for the conversion journey. They can be used at the conclusion of any Celebration of the Word, during catechetical sessions, or as frequently as desired for the benefit of the catechumens. The RCIA indicates that these blessings should be prayed over all the catechumens as the presider extends his hands over them. Then the presider may lay hands upon each of the catechumens in silence, applying the words of the blessing to each of them. Of these acts of blessing the Guide for Celebrating Christian Initiation with Adults indicates,

“As with the Word of God, blessings are meant to stir in us remembrance of all the good that God has bestowed upon us throughout history. This stirring of memory prompts us to ask in faith for more. Blessings, then, are an act of faith—an act of faith for the Church and an act of faith for the catechumens” (Guide for Celebrating Christian Initiation with Adults, 49).

They root the catechumens and the church nurturing them to faith in the remembrance of God and His mighty acts of salvation. They point the catechumens toward the mighty act by which God will incorporate them into His rule and reign: the baptismal flood of rescue and renewal.

The RCIA provides nine distinct blessing prayers that each focus on different aspects of the journey toward conversion including the battle with sin, evil, and Satan; strengthening of faith; equipping for life in conformity with the faith; and understanding the Word, among others. The first prayer blessing (A) is general in application:

“Lord, form these catechumens by the mysteries of the faith, that they may be brought to rebirth in baptism and be counted among the members of your Church. We ask this through Christ our Lord” (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 48).

Another example is the fourth blessing (D) which prays that the catechumens may grow in understanding truth and be free from falsehood:

“God our Father, you have sent your only Son, Jesus Christ, to free the world from falsehood. Give to your catechumens fullness of understanding, unwavering faith, and a firm grasp of your truth. Let them grow ever stronger, that they may receive in due time the new birth of baptism that gives pardon of sins, and join with us in praising your name. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.” (D)

The pastor’s use of the blessings throughout the catechumenate period leads catechumens to understand communion with Christ as an ongoing act of and participation in blessing. To be in Christ is to be blessed to participate in the life of the Triune God and to participate through Christ in the life of the Triune God is to be blessed. This life of blessing is finally realized at the eschaton when God establishes in full His rule and reign. As Shawn Madigan contends in Liturgical Spirituality and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults:

“Blessings are a form of praise and petition that reveal and bestow the power of the new creation in Christ. The Christian vision of the eschaton that is here, but not yet fully, suggests that blessings have a role to play in bringing the ‘not yet’ into the ‘now.’ When Christians bless, they remember that God has already blessed all creation in Christ and continues to bless all people through the Spirit. Christian blessing is intended to affirm and strengthen the experience of the mystery of joyous communion in Christ that is beyond what we can hope or imagine” (Shawn Madigan, Liturgical Spirituality and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, 35).

The prayers of blessing are the mantle God provides covering the catechumens in the Word as they make the journey from their old lives into new life in Christ.

Redeemer Giving of Candle at Baptism 2019

A Ritual Journey: The Rites of Faith Formation

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This week I am beginning an ongoing exploration of the rites of faith formation. In order to explore the rites that can be used as a central experience of faith formation, I need to outline the structural process of the catechumenate. So, for those for whom this may be an elementary review, my apologies. As a holistic experience of faith formation, the catechumenate employs a variety of things to facilitate conversion and form the life of faith, all of them experiential in nature: individual mentoring, small group discussion, acts of service, lecture, reflection, journaling, corporate and personal prayer, fellowship (especially over meals), shadowing the baptized, preaching, and ritual action. Of the liturgical rites Roman Catholic priest Ronald Lewinski says, “These liturgical rites flow naturally from the spiritual formation and catechesis that is offered…. [They] are integral to the whole process of conversion and initiation” (An Introduction to the RCIA, Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2017, 21). The liturgical rites mark a catechumen’s journey through faith formation as they gradually cross the threshold into life in Christ within the assembly of God’s people.

As I noted in a previous post, Diana Macalintal outlines two catechetical paths in faith formation that are interdependent but distinct: the Ritual path and the Catechetical path. The Ritual path is the formation that happens through the crossing of the various ritual stages that the catechumen experiences. They focus on the gradual transition of the person in terms of their order/place within the Christian community: from inquirer to catechumen to neophyte. Formation happens through the Word and ritual action in the liturgies of the church. The second path she labels the Catechetical path. This path is less structured and attends to the level of faith instruction in the Word that the individual person has received. A congregation ideally nurtures both paths in order to have a vibrant catechumenate.

The Ritual path is composed of four periods and three transitions between those periods. [Welcome to Christ adds one additional transitional rite near the end of the post-baptismal mystagogy]. I’ll use the terminology of both the Roman Catholic Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the Lutheran Welcome to Christ: Lutheran Rites for the Catechumenate (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1997), divided by a slash.

  • Period #1: Evangelization and Precatechumenate/Inquiry
    • Transition #1: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens/Welcome of Inquirers to the Catechumenate
  • Period #2: Catechumenate/Inquiry [Welcome to Christ doesn’t distinguish precatechumenate and catechumenate periods]
    • Transition #2: Rite of Election for Initiation/Enrollment of Candidates for Baptism
  • Period #3: Purification and Enlightenment/Preparation for Baptism
    • Transition #3: Rites of Initiation at Easter Vigil: Baptism, Sealing (Chrismation/Confirmation), Lord’s Supper/Baptism and Communion at the Vigil of Easter
  • Period 4: Post-Baptismal Mystagogy/Baptismal Living
    • Transition #4: Affirmation of the Vocation of the Baptized in the World

That is the basic outline of the Ritual Path. In coming weeks I will examine the rites associated with each of these periods and rituals. If you are interested in a copy of a particular rite from one of the resources email me either through FormingLutherans.org or at burresonk@csl.edu.

Palm Sunday 2019 (219)

Lifelong Disciples: The Congregation Training Ground

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Throughout her book Your Parish is the Curriculum Diana Macalintal has emphasized that formation of the catechumens through the catechumenate happens in the life of the parish. In chapter 3 she discussed the ways that the assembly is involved in the rites of the catechumenate. In chapters 4 and 5 she turns toward the “The Curriculum for Making Disciples” and how “Parish Life is the Syllabus.” If it hasn’t been clear, it is now apparent that the catechumenate is focused on creating lifelong disciples, people who live by faith and show forth the fruits of faith. And the best way to learn to live that life is by watching, hearing, and doing that life with the congregation as it lives it. That’s why apprenticeship is the primary model for formation in the catechumenate. It is an apprenticeship with Jesus through his body, the church. The congregation is the training ground for new disciples, disciples making disciples. The catechumenate is not only about knowledge of the faith, but also about the living of that faith. It trains disciples in the Christian life.

In order to learn the church’s lifestyle (and each congregation has a unique way of living the faith, which is why it is important for everyone who wants to be a disciple in that congregation journey through the catechumenate), the Roman Catholic RCIA outlines four disciplines that are the curriculum:  Word, Community, Worship, and Witness. I believe all four are central to a Lutheran conceptualization of the life of faith. The Word (Incarnate, proclaimed, and written) is at the center of the apprenticeship. It is the opportunity, as Macalintal puts it, “to meet Christ and his friends” (75). Catechumens (along with their sponsors) should gather at the divine service every Sunday to hear the Word, and also attend other opportunities to explore the Word such as Bible studies, devotional experiences, etc… This encounter with the Word entails breaking it open for the catechumens so that they see their daily lives through the Word. Macalintal provides the outline of such faith sharing through the Scriptures (75-77). Other forms of breaking open the Word include the African Bible study method, lectionary-based discernment, ritual-based discernment, and visualization discernment.

Encountering the Word takes place within the Community. Arthur Carl Piepkorn referred to this as the Life of God in the Life of the Parish (a seminal article in The Church: Selected Writings of Arthur Carl Piepkorn). Meeting Christians in the community is the second part of the curriculum. Thus it is incumbent that the parish be a hospitable place, welcoming inquirers and catechumens into its life together. Only by interacting with the members of the parish do the catechumens learn how to live in hope and how to forgive.

The third component of the curriculum is Worship, both the Sunday assembly and the other opportunities for worship in a parish throughout the week. Only through attending these do the catechumens learn to pray and worship. The dismissals in the Sunday gathering, after the service of the Word, are continuations of worship (not primarily instructional times). They allow members of the parish to lead the catechumens into breaking open the Word through faith-sharing that flows from the Word.

The last component of the curriculum is Witness. By joining the parish’s events and activities the catechumens learn how to witness, to proclaim the gospel in words and actions. Hopefully, they learn the priority of bearing witness to a life of faith and hope in Christ Jesus toward the poor and those at the edges of the assembly and society.

When a catechumenate immerses the catechumens in the parish’s life, then parish life becomes the syllabus for the catechumenate. It is a hands-on course as the catechumens do what Christians do day-in and day-out, week-in and week-out. Macalintal refers to this as Upside-Down catechumenate. In other words, it’s not the usual way that the catechumenate is done. The usual way entails trying to recruit volunteers to enact the activities of the RCIA which are all focused in the RCIA itself. In the Upside-Down catechumenate, catechumenate meetings are less frequent, but sponsors are immersing the catechumens in parish activities on a weekly basis. Through this the catechumens meet the assembly and learn how they believe and live the faith. Macaltinal examines bulletins from large and small Roman Catholic parishes to demonstrate the myriad of activities in a parish on a weekly basis, aligning with the four disciplines, in which catechumens might immerse themselves (even in small parishes).

If we want catechumens to become lifelong disciples, then they need to be incorporated into the faith community. The best way to do that is let the congregation’s life be their training ground in the faith.

Redeemer Rite of Election with Sponsor 2019

An Apprenticeship in Faith

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As we saw in our last post, Diana Macalintal in Your Parish is the Curriculum explores the optimal ways in which the Roman Catholic catechumenate—Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)—functions. That entails the Christian community serving as God’s premier agent of fostering conversion and incorporating new Christians into the community’s life together. In chapters 1 and 2 she expands on that theme by exploring how faith formation matters to the entire community (chapter 1) and how the RCIA is the responsibility of the entire parish.

One of the challenges for the Roman Catholic catechumenate, and a potential challenge for faith formation among Lutherans, is that it will be seen as only “for” the catechumens and that the primary agent of formation is the RCIA group, the RCIA leaders, or even just the pastor. Macalintal seeks to debunk this notion by arguing compellingly that faith formation matters for all Christians because baptism is at the center of the catechumenate and baptism matters to all Christians. Baptism changes whose we are, who we are, and how we live. As a result of baptism all Christians are in mission. In other words, we are called upon daily to discern how we are to live in response to our baptism. She encourages asking the following questions out of our baptismal identity: “How am I responding to God’s gift and living out the mission this gift gives me? How can we strengthen our faith as a response to God’s call? And how do we teach others to respond by faith and take on the mission of Christ in the world?” (Your Parish is the Curriculum, 18)

Formation to live out this baptismal identity comes not primarily through “head” knowledge but through experiential knowledge. As she says, “We learn by doing, especially by praying” (18). This experiential learning comes through participation in the community of Christ, especially through the assembly’s gathering for worship. Through the corporate liturgical experience catechumens and neophytes are drawn into life with Christ. They receive the eyes needed to see the world as God sees it and perceive the Triune God’s story as being brought to completion for and in His creation. Everything that the church does flows from its corporate worship and catechizes everyone in the body of Christ. As Macalintal indicates, “Catechesis is helping believers open their hearts to encounter the living Christ active in the church” (21). When baptism matters in this way then the baptismal community—the parish—matters, because it immerses all into Christian life within the community. In this way the catechumenate is an apprenticeship in faith and in the life of faith led by the parish that responds to God’s living voice; encounters Christ’s mercy among those who receive and offer forgiveness; turns to the Father in prayer; walks with and serves those in need (27).

Since faith formation is such an apprenticeship, faith formation IS the responsibility of the entire parish, as Macalintal argues in chapter 2. This doesn’t require any special expertise or involvement on the part of members of the parish. They just do what they normally do as Christians, but recognize that they are witnessing at all times to the catechumens and neophytes. They are asked to give attention to how they live as Christians so as to best model a life of faith that flows from the gospel. In this sense, as Macalntal notes, the catechumenate is not a program, but a family. Catechumens are becoming part of this family. The church, by conducting a faith formation apprenticeship, is incorporating them into this way of conversion and faith. They learn to love Jesus through the love of Jesus’ family and learn to love Jesus’ family from the love of Jesus which they experience. Through the congregation God is drawing the catechumens into a community of love and forgiveness (38). In a traditional Roman RCIA there are many who can and do take on particular, intentional roles in faith formation: Pastors, a Catechumenate Director, Ambassadors of Welcome, Coordinator of Sponsors, Sponsors/Mentors, Catechists, Meal Coordinators, and others. But ultimately all of these people serve to connect catechumens to the people of God. That is the primary encounter through which they are formed for Christian life. The entire Christian (Lutheran!) parish apprentices catechumens, the newly baptized and confirmed, and one another into being disciples of the Lord Jesus.

Redeemer The Scrutinies #1 2019

Your Parish IS the Curriculum

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That’s the title of a book by Diana Macalintal published by Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minnesota. Macalintal is one of the founders, along with her husband Nick, of TeamRCIA.com, A Roman Catholic group promoting best practices in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA. The RCIA, for those who may be unfamiliar, is the restored faith formation/catechumenate following on Vatican II. So, in these blog pages over the coming weeks we’ll turn from Paul Galbreath’s consideration of Baptism at the center of the church’s life to Macalintal’s practically-focused consideration of how the life of a parish is the curriculum for the catechumenate, or, as the subtitle says, RCIA in the Midst of Community.

Affirming that your parish is the curriculum grounds the basic recognition of why there is faith formation at all: it is for incorporating a person into the life of the Body of Christ. And that person is incorporated into a specific Christian community that lives together in a particular place at a particular time. The person being incorporated comes to know Christ in and through the life of that community gathered around Word and sacraments. But it is the community that mediates that relationship to the neophyte (whether unbaptized, baptized, or confirmed). Thus, the parish IS the curriculum.

That’s why the catechumenate/faith formation/RCIA is not a program. It is the facilitator of budding relationships in the Body of Christ. It births the incorporation of new people into the community. It is saying yes to a lifelong new relationship between the Body and this new person on the threshold of the church.

That’s why Macalintal begins her introduction with a story about Rocio, who “stumbles” onto the steps of their Newman Center, and how relationship with her transforms both her and those involved in the RCIA. Questions exchanged between them—from Rocio: What does it mean when you put your hand in that water and touch your forehead? From the RCIA folk: What do you hope for? Long for?—led to gradual change on Rocio’s part so that she became a catechumen, continuing to ask discerning questions: Who is Jesus for you and why does he matter to you? (4). And all that led to Rocio’s ultimate change: Baptism. As Macalintal, says at the Easter Vigil “the new Rocio standing before us, drenched with life and gleaming with light, was a completely brand new creation” (6).

But, because the catechumenate births new relationships, Rocio was not the only one changed. She changed the members of the RCIA team and the Newman Center parish. “[They] had become more faithful and true as Christians…had become more attentive to the Spirit’s work…had grown deeper in their love for one another and in their faith in Christ…In that font [they], too, with Rocio had been recreated into a more visible and merciful face of Christ” (6).

All that happened not because of the programmatic or catechetical elements of the RCIA, as important as those were. It didn’t happen because the teaching was utterly compelling, even though it often was. It happened because Rocio “was consistently embedded (a good description for a neophyte, or “new plant) into the ongoing life of the community beyond the RCIA group” (8). It happened because the Holy Spirit was at work through the Word in relationship with the entire Body of Christ incorporating Rocio into the life of the community. Rocio had planted roots beyond the RCIA. The catechumenate “enhanced the deeper learning of the Christian way of life that she was already living with her friends within the Christian community” (8). For us Lutherans that means our catechumenal practices, catechesis and forms are not the end, but simply part of the broader incorporation of a person into the life of our Christian community.

That is why the parish Is the curriculum. What the hoped-for new member of the Christian community is learning is the life of Christ within the life of the parish. Not an introductory class, not a catechetical program, not an introduction to the community’s structure and programs. They are learning to live in Christ as Christ lives in the life of this community.

Thus, all the members of the parish, all the baptized, are teaching the catechumens and neophytes. Their words and actions model living life in Christ. The catechumenate simply seeks to immerse them in that life, to birth relationships, to lead them to Jesus alive in their midst. In the rest of the book Macalintal will give a vision for how to do just that.

For the catechumenate, your parish is the curriculum. Faith formation opens the doors and the windows so that the neophyte can see and enter into that life.