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Alright. Firstly, my "church warning" applies. I'm not out to convert the masses....I'm posting this to keep a record of my growth as a writer. I doubt many of you read about this in my blog, so I'll do a short recount. At my church, I participate in what we call "youth masses". (I'm Catholic, in case you're wondering.) Anyway, someone wrote a letter to the local Catholic newspaper saying that youth masses are bad. I wrote a letter back. Then another man wrote another letter saying that youth masses are disobedient. I wrote a letter back saying that they are not disobedient. Most recently, a woman wrote an article, and I will post it here for reference:
Love Church
In her letter, Jacqueline (my last name) (6/13) states she is hurt because people have ignored her questions and ideas about co-authoring sermons. When a letter is published people are free to disagree with what is said and to challenge the ideas put forth. This is not done to be hurtful and should not be taken personally.
As far as co-authoring sermons, I direct Ms. (my last name) to Canon 767, 1-2, 4: Among the forms of preaching, the homily is preeminent; it is a part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or to a deacon.
This is also discussed in the "Intstruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest" (aside from me: yes, that's really the name of the pamphlet, lol) issued by the Congregation for the Clergy, (Practical Provisions 3, 1, 5): "The homily, therefore, during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, must be reserved to the sacred minister - priest or deacon - to the exclusion of the non-ordained faithful...This exclusion is not based on the preaching ability of the sacred ministers or their theological preparation, but on that function which is reserved to them in virtue of having reserved the Sacrament of Holy Orders..."
So, in my opinion, it is wrong for you as a lay person to co-author a sermon - yes. It is disobedient - again, I would have to say yes.
There isn't anyone I know who is trying to kill the spirit of youth. Rather, it is our goal to get more and more youth to love the church, and the church in all of its grandeur and glory - not the watered down version that some people would like to see. We don't "fear change" - we just know what we have been blessed with and are tired of people trying to change the church to suit their own personal agendas.
Ms. (my last name), if you take nothing else from this, please remember that people have been trying to change the church for over 2,000 years and it has yet to "collapse." The church - the Body of Christ - will still be standing long after you and I are gone.
Okay, so that's her letter. Now, MINE. ;D
Obedient Love
I now understand that opposition to youth masses is not really that, but opposition to taking the homily away from a priest.
I understand what it means to write letters to the editor, and that generally, these letters are debate and should not be taken personally. However, when a person tells me that the way I live out my faith is disobedient to God, Jesus, teachings of the Catholic Church, saints, the Ten Commandments, and everything that is holy, I can’t apologize for taking it personally.
In her letter, (woman's name) quoted Church Law, which can be summarized to this: the homily is to be delivered by an ordained priest or deacon. I think that there’s confusion as to how homilies are delivered at youth masses. This is probably because people who disagree with them have never attended them. Our homilies are not delivered solely (nor even mostly) by youth. When we plan homilies, we sit down with a priest and discuss Sunday readings and come up with subject ideas. Is there any church law that says a priest or deacon can’t get ideas from his parishioners?
The ordained not only steer the planning of homilies, but they are still the focus of the homily. When youth are involved in the homily, they interject with questions to help the priest deliver. We don’t go up and single-handedly deliver our interpretation of the Word of God – it’s merely a conversation. The priest is still in control of what is being presented to the congregation. In many of our homilies, we plan the general ideas, and the priest writes all of the teaching parts by himself. It’s the right of priests and deacons to deliver homilies. There’s nothing that says others can’t help.
Not only can we help priests, we’re called to do it. In her letter, Mrs. (her last name) quoted Canon 767, and I’d like to quote Canon 766. “Laypersons can be admitted to preach in a church or oratory if it is necessary in certain circumstances or if it is useful in particular cases...” I believe that a youth mass is a particular case in which laypersons preaching is useful. In 1982, a group of bishops produced a document titled Fulfilled in Your Hearing, which regards homilies. The document states “the proclamation of the Word of God is the responsibility of the entire Christian community....” Canon 767 says homilies are to be delivered by priests. Canon 766 says laypersons can preach. It is undoubtedly the right of the ordained to be responsible for a homily, and undoubtedly the responsibility of the layperson to preach. If both are being done at the same time, it undoubtedly follows Church Law.
I can assure you that I love the Church in all of its grandeur. I know that the youth involved at our youth masses take our faith as serious as adults. We also regard Church Law as seriously as anyone else, and, to the best of my knowledge, have yet to break it.
So, yeah. I think I proved my point. She quoted church law and I think she did it to scare me off, but I used it right back at her, :P Tell me what you think, ^_~
Love Church
In her letter, Jacqueline (my last name) (6/13) states she is hurt because people have ignored her questions and ideas about co-authoring sermons. When a letter is published people are free to disagree with what is said and to challenge the ideas put forth. This is not done to be hurtful and should not be taken personally.
As far as co-authoring sermons, I direct Ms. (my last name) to Canon 767, 1-2, 4: Among the forms of preaching, the homily is preeminent; it is a part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or to a deacon.
This is also discussed in the "Intstruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest" (aside from me: yes, that's really the name of the pamphlet, lol) issued by the Congregation for the Clergy, (Practical Provisions 3, 1, 5): "The homily, therefore, during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, must be reserved to the sacred minister - priest or deacon - to the exclusion of the non-ordained faithful...This exclusion is not based on the preaching ability of the sacred ministers or their theological preparation, but on that function which is reserved to them in virtue of having reserved the Sacrament of Holy Orders..."
So, in my opinion, it is wrong for you as a lay person to co-author a sermon - yes. It is disobedient - again, I would have to say yes.
There isn't anyone I know who is trying to kill the spirit of youth. Rather, it is our goal to get more and more youth to love the church, and the church in all of its grandeur and glory - not the watered down version that some people would like to see. We don't "fear change" - we just know what we have been blessed with and are tired of people trying to change the church to suit their own personal agendas.
Ms. (my last name), if you take nothing else from this, please remember that people have been trying to change the church for over 2,000 years and it has yet to "collapse." The church - the Body of Christ - will still be standing long after you and I are gone.
Okay, so that's her letter. Now, MINE. ;D
Obedient Love
I now understand that opposition to youth masses is not really that, but opposition to taking the homily away from a priest.
I understand what it means to write letters to the editor, and that generally, these letters are debate and should not be taken personally. However, when a person tells me that the way I live out my faith is disobedient to God, Jesus, teachings of the Catholic Church, saints, the Ten Commandments, and everything that is holy, I can’t apologize for taking it personally.
In her letter, (woman's name) quoted Church Law, which can be summarized to this: the homily is to be delivered by an ordained priest or deacon. I think that there’s confusion as to how homilies are delivered at youth masses. This is probably because people who disagree with them have never attended them. Our homilies are not delivered solely (nor even mostly) by youth. When we plan homilies, we sit down with a priest and discuss Sunday readings and come up with subject ideas. Is there any church law that says a priest or deacon can’t get ideas from his parishioners?
The ordained not only steer the planning of homilies, but they are still the focus of the homily. When youth are involved in the homily, they interject with questions to help the priest deliver. We don’t go up and single-handedly deliver our interpretation of the Word of God – it’s merely a conversation. The priest is still in control of what is being presented to the congregation. In many of our homilies, we plan the general ideas, and the priest writes all of the teaching parts by himself. It’s the right of priests and deacons to deliver homilies. There’s nothing that says others can’t help.
Not only can we help priests, we’re called to do it. In her letter, Mrs. (her last name) quoted Canon 767, and I’d like to quote Canon 766. “Laypersons can be admitted to preach in a church or oratory if it is necessary in certain circumstances or if it is useful in particular cases...” I believe that a youth mass is a particular case in which laypersons preaching is useful. In 1982, a group of bishops produced a document titled Fulfilled in Your Hearing, which regards homilies. The document states “the proclamation of the Word of God is the responsibility of the entire Christian community....” Canon 767 says homilies are to be delivered by priests. Canon 766 says laypersons can preach. It is undoubtedly the right of the ordained to be responsible for a homily, and undoubtedly the responsibility of the layperson to preach. If both are being done at the same time, it undoubtedly follows Church Law.
I can assure you that I love the Church in all of its grandeur. I know that the youth involved at our youth masses take our faith as serious as adults. We also regard Church Law as seriously as anyone else, and, to the best of my knowledge, have yet to break it.
So, yeah. I think I proved my point. She quoted church law and I think she did it to scare me off, but I used it right back at her, :P Tell me what you think, ^_~
Re: Wow
And I'm not trying to smear the woman in any way....she did write a good letter. She's just a little misguided, ^_~