Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Lectionary: 299

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.

As his final evening passed into night and the fatal hour approached, Jesus prayed to his Father for the Church, "that they may be one just as we are one." 

Perhaps the oldest and most fundamental question in philosophy concerns "the many and the one." If America is divided today between conservative and liberal opinions, much of the controversy concerns whether the nation stands together as one or finds its true mission in promoting individual liberties. Are we many individuals or one nation? If we must do both, how is it possible? 

The Roman Catholic Church also struggles with that question. Are we many disciples of Jesus or one Church?

I grew up in an era that leaned heavily toward creativity and the free expression of the individual. In the 1960's, my mentors, young priests, were breaking free of a rigid observance of the rubrics. Some regarded the Mass as a personal expression of their love of God, an artistic event which they offered before their congregations. 

Pope Saint John Paul II, coming from behind the Iron Curtain of Communism, called for greater discipline among the artistic priests; and the German theologian, Pope Benedict XVI, maintained that direction. But, as any teacher will tell you, it's easier to relax discipline than to tighten it, and energetic private devotions threaten to overwhelm the Church's liturgy.  

I cringe when a Mass presider offers two, three, or more homilies during "his Mass." Some speak at length, telling us what we already know, that today is Sunday. Do they think with many words they will be heard? 
Others lead as if the congregation is not in Church, finishing the Sign of the Cross with Amen, and even the greeting with, "And with your spirit."
I wonder, "Why am I here if you're going to take my parts?"

Still others like to throw in a Hail Mary during the Mass, or some other private prayer. It seems to me that this personal devotion, so much on display, gets in the way of his leading us in prayer. 

But anyone who has attended my Mass will certainly point out some of my own idiosyncrasies which have startled and bothered others. Even a strict obedience to the rubrics may be nothing more than a demonstration of one's slavish adherence to The Rules. 

Can one disappear among the many, and trust the Priestly People to worship God with one heart and mind and soul? At the end of his Seven Story Mountain, Father Louis, (known to the world as Thomas Merton) exulted in wearing the Trappist habit and being indistinguishable in a gathering of monks. But his individuality often stuck out like a sore thumb among his confreres.

There is always that tension between the liturgy which is the entire church praying as one, and devotion, which means nothing if it's not energized by personal energy and expression. Liturgy invites everyone to forget their personal preferences; they must find meaning and deep satisfaction in the words, songs, and gestures that others have made to express our faith. But liturgy can become overwhelmingly rote, and its meaning may be lost in the weeds of rubrics. Only the most devout will be edified while the majority is bored to tears. 

Beyond the issue of liturgy, there is also our belief. I like to remind people that, "Catholics don't have a choice; we are told what we believe." 

And we study intensely to learn our faith. If we discover something we disagree with in the Catholic tradition, we ask the questions and do the research to find out where we're wrong. We struggle to learn the deep truth which may be hidden to our cultural preferences. 

Yes, men and women stand equally before God, but without the differences which set them apart no one can complete the wholeness of their being. Similarly, there can be no Church without priests. Nor is the world saved if no one is set apart. 

The mystery of one and many is resolved only in the Trinity. The many become one by fidelity to, and love of truth It is a challenge, a threat, and a blessing as we hear the Lord pray, "that all may be one."