Music Suggestions | Holy Week 2018

Music Suggestions for Holy Week
March 25th - March 31st 2018

Our Music Suggestions for Holy Week have now been posted to our website.
Click the link below access. 

http://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/liturgy/planning-music-for-liturgy/

From Conflict to Communion

An Ecumenical Service to Commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

‘Abide in me as I abide in you’ is a phrase from the Gospel of John that was read by the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Ross Bay, during a service presided by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland, the Most Rev Patrick Dunn, and Assistant Bishop of the Lutheran Church in New Zealand, Rev Jim Pietsch, at the Catholic Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph on 31^st October.

Carlo David

It was an ecumenical service that gathered religious leaders and lay faithful from all denominations across Auckland to commemorate 500 years since an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther wrote a list of 95 statements about contrition, repentance, divine forgiveness, indulgences and papal authority which subsequently led to the division of Western Christendom known as the Reformation. Five centuries later, after a series of wars, excommunications, and inquisitions, an Anglican Bishop was able to stand in the ambo of a Catholic Cathedral and proclaim the words of John’s Gospel that reminds the Christian family that abiding in Christ, as the true vine, is the essence of their faith. It was a significant event; one that will hopefully usher a new era of ecumenism based on mutual respect and trust. The service was not simply an appreciation of our reconciled diversity but a celebration of Jesus Christ who unites us.

The highlight of the commemoration was the commitment of Catholics and Lutherans to grow in communion guided by the Five Imperatives. Catholics and Lutherans committed themselves to:

·         Always begin from the perspective of unity and not from the point of view of division in order to strengthen what is held in common even though the differences are more easily seen and experienced.

·         Let themselves continuously be transformed by the encounter with the other and by the mutual witness of faith.

·         To seek visible unity, to elaborate together what this means in concrete steps, and to strive repeatedly toward this goal.

·         Rediscover the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ for our time.

·         Witness together to the mercy of God in proclamation and service to the world.

Although the imperatives were primarily for Catholics and Lutherans, the presence of other church leaders, like the Anglicans, Methodists, Wesleyans, Presbyterians, and Salvation Army, shows that the principles are applicable in all ecumenical dialogues.

Through ecumenical dialogues, relationships among Christian Churches had developed significantly since Luther’s 95 theses were first published in 1517 and Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism- Unitatis Redintegratio, set in motion the Catholic Church’s strong effort in working towards unity among the followers of Christ. The 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation affirms how far we’ve come in our ecumenical efforts but also challenges us to continue this pilgrimage towards Christian unity always filled with the light and truth of the Gospel and faith in the triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

DUNEDIN HAS A NEW BISHOP

Pope Francis has appointed Father Michael Dooley as the new Bishop of the Dunedin Diocese. 
Bishop-Elect Michael will be the seventh Bishop of Dunedin and succeeds Bishop Colin Campbell who has served in this role for almost 14 years.

The President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) Bishop Patrick Dunn said, “Father Michael’s affinity with the people of the Dunedin Diocese and his long service to the region of Southland and Otago make him the ideal successor for this role.”
"I congratulate Bishop-Elect Michael on his appointment and my prayers are with him as he prepares to take up leadership of the diocese,” commented Bishop Dunn.

Born in Invercargill in 1961 to parents, Joseph Dooley and Mary Hogan, Michael was educated at Heddon Bush Primary School and Central Southland College.  After completing an engineering apprenticeship as a fitter and turner, he went on to do a Bachelor of Theology at Otago University and a Master of Theology at Melbourne’s College of Divinity.

Father Michael Dooley was ordained on 13 December 1989. From 1995, he has served as a member of the Priests Council and was a Parish Priest for over 10 years in Southland and Otago.  The Bishop-Elect was a Director at the Holy Cross Formation Centre in Mosgiel and held the role of Formator and Spiritual Director at Holy Cross Seminary in Auckland,
In 2016, Bishop Colin Campbell appointed the then Father Michael to the role of Vicar General for the Dunedin Diocese.

Bishop Campbell remarked, “I know that the people of the Dunedin Diocese will warmly welcome the announcement that they now have a new bishop. I have had the pleasure of working with Michael and am delighted with his appointment – his pastoral roles and extensive experience in serving God as a parish leader, formator and spiritual guide have prepared him well for the position. May God bless him and guide him as he takes up this role.”

On the announcement, Bishop-Elect Michael said, “I have been blessed to serve in ministry as a priest in the Diocese of Dunedin and I now take on this role as a bishop very aware of my need for God’s help and thankful for the support of so many wonderful people over the years and into the future.”

Bishop Campbell will continue on in the role of Administrator of the Diocese, until the Ordination and Installation of Bishop-Elect Michael.
In recognising Bishop Campbell role as Dunedin’s Bishop for almost 14 years, Bishop Dunn commented, “he has been a compassionate and selfless leader, very much loved by his clergy and people,” he said.

“I thank him for his untiring service and long-standing commitment to all those in his diocese. We bishops have also greatly appreciated his wisdom and experience at our conference meetings.”

Gospel Reading | Thursday 22nd February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel Reading | Wednesday 21st February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to St. Luke.

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel Reading | Tuesday 20th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to St. Matthew.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

"If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel reading | Monday 19th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel Reading | Thursday 15th February 2018

A reading from the holy gospel according to St. Matthew.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply, 
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 

The gospel of the Lord. 

Ash Wednesday | Gospel Reading

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew.

Jesus said to his disciples:"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel Reading | Tuesday 13th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark.

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod."
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
"Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?"
They answered him, "Twelve."
"When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?"
They answered him, "Seven."
He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

The gospel of the Lord.

Children's Liturgy of the Word Resources

RESOURCES FOR LEADERS OF CHILDRENS LITURGY OF THE WORD

Have you checked out our online resources for Leaders of Children's Liturgy of the Word?

Click the link below to go directly to our website where you will find preparation materials and liturgy outlines for leaders.

http://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/liturgy/liturgy-of-the-word-with-children/preparation-material-and-liturgy-outlines/

Gospel Reflection | Monday 12th February 2018

Gospel Reflection.

Monday 12th February 2018

By: Marcelles Amiatu

Friends, in our gospel today, the Pharisees appear to be disturbed and jealous by what Jesus is saying and doing. The Pharisees appear to be so disturbed by Jesus' actions that they demand some ‘heavenly’ sign to indicate that his authority comes from God.  But Jesus refuses to give in to their request. They will not get a sign on their terms.

The Pharisees were blind. Here they were asking Jesus for a sign, not realizing that the life of Christ was a sign of God's loving presence among us. In the immediately foregoing passage Jesus has just fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. The signs are there in abundance but the Pharisees cannot see because they do not want to see. Their blindness is a central theme to this part of Mark, as we shall see.

We too need to be aware of our own blindness and our failure to see the ‘signs’ of God’s love operating in our everyday lives. Sometimes we can get so caught up in our pride that we too become blind and start testing and questioning the Lord when things don't go our way.

Gospel Reading | Monday 12th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark.

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.

The gospel of the Lord.

Why We Restored | Sian Owen

Why we Restored

by Sr. Sian Owen

The most common queries received by the Auckland Diocese regarding the Sacraments of Initiation concern Confirmation.  Specifically the timing of the reception of the Sacrament.  The questions are often accompanied by comments such as “they’re too young and don’t understand it” or “it’s not the correct time for them to commit”.

Since the mid-1990s, the policy of the Diocese is that we follow what is known as the “restored order” for the Sacraments of Initiation.  It was a decision made after a great deal of consultation and theological reflection in light of Second Vatican Council. Setting the scene for this revision of Confirmation, the Council wrote:

The rite of Confirmation is to be revised, and the intimate connection which this sacrament has with the whole of Christian initiation is to be more lucidly set forth.                                                           Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 71

Prior to the changes children baptized in infancy continued to receive Confirmation several years after First Eucharist. This meant that Confirmation’s "intimate connection … with the whole of Christian initiation" was not evident and Confirmation was sometimes seen as the candidate making an ‘adult’ commitment or receiving a reward for participation in a programme.  This does not reflect how the Council understood Confirmation.  Confirmation is about initiation not vocation or commitment. Further, confirmation like all Sacraments is gift not a reward for good behavior or programme participation.

Restoring the order of the Sacraments of Initiation also places the reception of First Communion at the climax of Initiation into the Catholic Church. Full participation in the Mass will be seen, as it really is, the:

centre and culmination of the whole life of the Christian community.                                                            Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church, 30:2

… the other sacraments … are linked with the holy Eucharist and are directed towards it. …  The faithful, already marked with the sacred seal of Baptism and Confirmation, are through the reception of the Eucharist fully joined to the Body of Christ.                                                                                       

Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, 5

Historically the sacrament of Confirmation has not always been seen as part of initiation. It certainly was in the early centuries, when the anointing with chrism and the laying on of hands were integral parts of the sacramental action that began at the font and reached its highpoint at the Eucharistic table.


In many areas of the Church, especially east of the Mediterranean, this pattern has continued up to the present, for children as well as adults. In these communities, adults and infants are still initiated into the Catholic Church through the unified celebration of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.

A different custom developed in Rome and other western countries where the 'Roman rite', became established. Here much value was placed on the direct involvement of the bishop in the act of anointing and laying on of hands. As the Christian population grew, this element of initiation - what we now call the sacrament of Confirmation - became separated from the rites of Baptism and Eucharist, as it took bishops months, if not years - to get round to confirming all the new Christians. Coupled with this, the developing doctrine of original sin and high infant mortality caused people to want to have their babies baptized soon after birth, and so Easter initiation became less common.  Baptism happened soon after birth, Confirmation when the Bishop came.

As a result Confirmation gradually lost its sense of connection with initiation. Since people in the Middle Ages did not have access to historical records to help them understand the sacrament's original meaning, they gave it meaning according to their own practice and experience. So, Confirmation became a sacrament to strengthen Christians emerging from childhood as 'soldiers of Christ', or to mark a stage reached by young people in their knowledge of Church doctrine.

In response to the Reformers the Council of Trent (1545-63) restored Confirmation to its position between Baptism and Eucharist. However, these sacraments were dealt with as stages in a process of education. First Eucharist was not received until the early teenage years. In 1910 Pius X, seeking to revitalize the Church, decided that young Catholics should be able to receive Communion earlier to ensure they had greater access to the grace and strength of the Eucharist. He brought First Communion back to the age of discretion, but since no one really appreciated Confirmation as an initiation sacrament, it was not considered part of reviewed process.  Confirmation once again found itself out on a limb, with people having to give it a meaning of its own.

Vatican II placed Confirmation once again in its rightful and traditional place, completing Baptism and leading to Eucharist.  The Auckland Diocese follows Vatican II’s direction in its policy.  As a diocese, we recognize that Confirmation is not a sacrament of adult commitment to the Church. An adult commitment to Jesus and the Church is expressed through full active participation in the Eucharist and apostolic life of the Church.  This does not happen at a single moment but is a lifelong pilgrimage of faith.  A pilgrimage that starts at baptism and continues right through life.  

Gospel Reading | Friday 9th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark.

Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis. 
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd. 
He put his finger into the man's ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")
And immediately the man's ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly. 
He ordered them not to tell anyone. 
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it. 
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well. 
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel Reading | Thursday 8th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark.

Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.

The gospel of the Lord.

Gospel Reading | Wednesday 7th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.” 

When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Waitangi Day Reflection

Waitangi Day Sermon

Marcelles Amiatu

Today our country celebrates Waitangi day.

178 years ago today, the leaders of two peoples,
Maori and Pakeha negotiated and signed a document for all to live as one. To love one another.

Our gospel today talks about love, it talks about covenant. Jesus in today's gospel says:

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Love each other as I have loved you. That pretty much sums up our sermon for today.

Jesus in our gospel this morning is explaining to his disciples how their joy and their lives may be completed and fulfilled by remaining in his love and loving each other. Jesus is painting a picture for his disciples so that they may come to understand his "Treaty" the Treaty of Jesus, the covenant of Jesus, the command of Jesus. To love one another just as he loved us.

The main point of our gospel this morning is clear. The picture of the intimate union, relationship of believers with Jesus. The disciples lives depended on their union, their relationship with Christ.

The Treaty was intended by Great Britain to be an exchange of sovereignty in return for a guarantee of the authority of the chiefs and the protection of Mäori land and resource rights.

When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed 178 years ago, two people became one.

For the people to live as one, a covenant was needed so that each party would continue to look-out for each other - to supply for each other, and to love each other.

Just as the Treaty of Waitangi serves as the founding document of our country, and is central to New Zealand law. The treaty of Jesus serves as a reminder for Christians to keep his commands, to abide in him, and to love one another as he loves us.

So because of the Treaty of Jesus, there is this gift, of being one with God just as the Treaty of Waitangi brought to peoples together. But do your best to preserve this gift. Keep this Treaty of Jesus a living gift.
.
Just as we do our best to preserve the Treaty of Waitangi we must also do our best to preserve the Treaty of Jesus as a living Treaty and work toward it’s full and final settlement.

The challenge for us as Kiwi’s. Today all celebrate the Treaty of Waitangi. But what are we doing about the Treaty of Jesus today? Is it just an event some 2000 years ago, or do we need to make it our own today? Do you need to acknowledge that we are God’s taonga, confess the ways that we have lived apart from God, and decide to step back under God’s tino rangatiratanga? Do we need to commit ourselves to keeping the Treaty a living document, and work together toward full and final settlement? Such is the Treaty of Jesus and the beauty of one people and faith.

Ki te ingoa o te Matua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu.
Amene.

Waitangi Day Readings

First Reading

Isaiah 32:15-18

¹⁵ until a spirit from on high is poured out on us,
    and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.

¹⁶ Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
    and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
¹⁷ The effect of righteousness will be peace,
    and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
¹⁸ My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
    in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

Psalm 84:9-13

9 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;

 give ear, O God of Jacob.
 10 Turn your eyes, O God, our shield;
 look on the face of your anointed.

11 One day within your courts

 is better than a thousand elsewhere.
 The threshold of the house of God
 I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.

12 For the LORD God is a sun, a shield;

 the LORD will give us his favor and glory.
 He will not withhold any good
 to those who walk without blame.
 13 O LORD of hosts, how blessed
 is the man who trusts in you!

Gospel Reading John 15: 9-12

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Gospel Reading | Monday 5th February 2018

+ A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark.

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.

The gospel of the Lord.

Six Principles of Liturgy - David Haas

by Judith Courtney

Above: David Haas

On October 10^th, David Haas breezed into Dunedin. After presenting a total of nine workshops in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland, he flew out of Auckland on October 16^th leaving behind a trail of warm hearts, large smiles, pondering minds and enthused liturgists and pastoral musicians.

Prior to his week in New Zealand, David had been keynote speaker at the Australian Pastoral Musicians Conference, a biennial Conference, held this year in Perth and attended by 350 delegates from all over Australia with a light sprinkling from New Zealand. Watch out for the 2019 Conference in Melbourne.

David used threads of many textures to weave his rich tapestry of talks. As one, nearly eighty year old friend remarked after his visit to Auckland, – “what a talented man. I knew he could write music, but he can play and sing and tell stories and make us laugh – I don’t think I have ever laughed so much in my life. And he taught us so much.”
Five minutes after beginning his presentation in Auckland, David had 150 people singing in three parts about “the blessed gospel which shall be mine.” And then led us beautifully into prayer.

In the first of his three presentations in Auckland, David identified six principles of liturgy. Those six principles, mingled with a little of my own reflection, follow below.

…. ‘how do we keep the experience of Jesus strong in our communities and in our lives?’

The first principle: 

Liturgy is a celebration of faith and stands on middle ground between experience and catechesis. As David rightly pointed out, we don’t know much about Jesus; the Gospels don’t provide a full biography. But the people who walked with him, the people in the first Christian communities had an experience of him. Years stretched out from the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection and people pondered his promise to return. As the wait continued, the problem they faced was, ‘how do we keep the experience of Jesus strong in our communities and in our lives?’

The answer of course, was to celebrate a ritual, as we do for birthdays or anniversaries – to keep the experience strong in our lives. The ritual they celebrated was the ritual Jesus gave them on the night of the Passover; “take and eat, this is my body broken for you.” Liturgy was a response to experience. It “was never seen as how you got to know what Christ was– it was how you celebrated the Christ you already knew.” Necessarily, catechesis followed. While the liturgy remembered the experience, catechesis was the lifelong learning that sought to understand what the experience meant.

With this understanding in mind, it is easier for us to see that it is not possible to talk about the theme of any given Mass. That every Mass we ever celebrate always has the same theme. The ‘theme’ of every Mass is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus – the Paschal mystery.

Today, the experience people bring with them to Sunday Mass varies greatly. People attend for a great many reasons and not all will have had a conversion experience in their lives, not all will have encountered Jesus. Parish musicians, as leaders of sung prayer, are naturally challenged by this dilemma. How do we achieve the goal of full participation when people are present for a vast variety of reasons?

The second principle: 

Liturgy is an action of the church. “It is about we, not me.” While personal prayer and private devotion are both important they are not what the liturgy requires of us. At Mass “we surrender our private devotion to the community, to the Body of Christ.” The primary minister of the liturgy is the baptized, gathered assembly. This is at the centre of God’s covenant with us. God says, I will be your God and you will be my people and not, as Haas points out “your series of individual personal relationships.” It is a cause for concern, perhaps even lamentation, that understanding on this point is still so limited. Haas reflected on times he had been asked on street corners if he had a personal relationship with Jesus. His thinking response is “we have a personal relationship with Jesus when we see Christ in one another.”

… it is essential that people are then well formed and well prepared to take up their role in liturgy.

The third principle:  

Liturgy requires a community of ministers. Liturgy does not take place in a void. Rather, liturgy arises from the midst of a community. Indeed, “liturgy springs forth from the gifts of the community.” Those gifts need to be encouraged and drawn out but it is essential that people are then well formed and well prepared to take up their role in liturgy. The various ministers need ongoing formation to understand the function and importance of their role as a part of the whole.

Once well trained, the ministers will recognize that good liturgy takes work, and that good liturgy is always beautiful liturgy. Liturgy must always be as beautiful as we can make it, for when it is beautiful, when we have laid the groundwork carefully, the Holy Spirit finds the entrance. God is found in beauty. 

The fourth principle:

Liturgy is ritual prayer. We have street language. We have office language. We may even have home or beach or school language. But we also have ritual language and it is different. In the liturgy, we don’t say “‘sup’ bro?’’ we do say “the Lord be with you.”  We don’t say “is everything ok?” we say “peace be with you.”

We use symbols. Symbols have layers of meaning. They are purposefully ambiguous. It is this layering of meaning, this ambiguity which leads us to wonder and to prayer. Short, confident explanations come as abrupt interruptions on the pathway to wonder. Perhaps in this regard we could be like Jesus and follow a question with a question - keep the wonder alive!

To be truly potent, symbols need to be lavish. It is challenging to believe that one is plunged into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus when a teaspoon of water is poured over the head of the one being baptized. Lavish symbols lead to a more potent experience, a more prayerful encounter, a more clarion response to the call to turn once again and live in the light. Our conversion is never finished.

Above: David Haas workshop 2017.

The fifth principle:

Music in the liturgy is ritual language. Words have more power when they are sung. Music is not an optional extra – music is an integral part of the liturgy, and every musician is aware of the power of music to move the heart.

“We don’t sing at the liturgy. We sing the liturgy.” Each piece of music used in the liturgy has a place and a function. The entrance hymn fosters the unity of the community gathered. The Gospel Acclamation announces the Gospel. The Holy, Holy allows us to join our voices with the saints and angels. Understanding the purpose of each piece of music makes us conscious of the effectiveness and appropriateness of our decisions.

The purpose of liturgy … is not liturgy.

 
The sixth principle:

The purpose of liturgy is not liturgy. To understand this, take a glimpse at that song we sing at the end of Mass, sometimes called the ‘closing’ song. Mass does not have a closing song, it is not mentioned in the missal. The liturgy is not supposed to feel finished. We are supposed to feel, if we are supposed to feel anything, – sent. David mentioned one parish he knew of which did not talk about Mass. They talked instead about the “sending ritual.” The purpose of the liturgy is eta missae est – being sent!

David chided us mildly when he said “it seems really prevalent here, that you have three or four Masses a weekend and they’re led by different groups, who play different Mass settings, have different music and use different repertoires.” He added that sometimes, in his experience within a parish, people from one music group or choir don’t even want to talk to people from a different music group or choir. People can too easily develop the idea that this is “their” Mass. This is a challenge for us. We are on the road to unity and anything that appears divisive, separatist or private is an obstacle. Does this sound like your parish? Maybe a combined Christmas BBQ for all involved in music might be a first step toward building that earnestly desired unity.

Finally, he suggests, we should not dwell too long on our success in preparing and carrying out good, successful or beautiful liturgies. The question that should remain with us is, “are we better Christians? Are we helping to show people who Jesus is?”

There is much that can be said about his brief visit here. He will be remembered for his warmth and his wit, his ability to mix the serious with the hilarious, his ability to pepper his talk with relevant personal stories and experiences, but perhaps most especially for his ability to speak with deep passion, conviction, knowledge and love about the liturgy and leave us with a desire to know more, do more and be more.

Thank you David Haas for your visit. Thank you for dropping by on your return to Minnesota. Thank you for the wave of inspiration, enthusiasm and desire your visit has generated.