Pomp & Circumstance No More

Going through the Vatican a couple of times makes it clear: this costs big bucks. It is all so beautiful, and the placards describing the Roman statues, paintings, and tapestries tell of popes that collected all of this. I have a collection of political campaign buttons, and I keep Snapple caps for kicks... not as expensive! I love going through these remarkable structures, which hold so many beautiful artistic depictions of the Bible, of Christ, and the saints that have come before us. They truly are magnificent.

One of the major complaints about Roman Catholicism is that the Church has too much ritual, is not vibrant, and is out of touch. I think that one of the three (the last one) is a fair complaint, and it is slowly changing.

Roman Catholicism is steeped in ritual and tradition. What we see today is a collection of sacraments and celebrations (and much more) that are rooted in the early Church, centered around the act that Jesus chose to have us remember Him by. This certainly is a celebration of life, putting off that which holds us back, and moving forward. Don't get me wrong, every parish and church is different. Some have more lively music, or a priest that connects well with parishoners. A vibrant Church is not always found in the pews, but in the world!

A printed mass booklet might list a "celebrant", but the Eucharist is celebrated by everyone together. The sacrifice of the Mass is "ours" as we hear the presider pray over the species during prompting us to "pray that my sacrifice and yours might be acceptable to God, the almighty Father". Rediscovering what it meant to celebrate mass was a major part of my recent RCIA process. I challenge each of you to go through the Order of the Mass and ask yourself "What am I doing here, what does this mean, and why is it important". Make mass personal, as it is already communal. The dismissal my home priest uses is quite fitting for the theme of the faith BEING Church: "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life".

While some people only see "pomp and circumstance" in the Church, there is much more good occurring than bad. The course for lay animators is a perfect example. Anger with the highest Church authorities over times when we feel they are out of touch does not mean we cannot live to be the change we would like to see! We must go in peace, and bring peace. We must glorify the Lord by living the Gospel in our various ways of being Christian and being Marist. For our group during these weeks, that means empowering laypeople to better understand their call and Christian vocation to serve others.

Certainly the days of crowing popes, collecting statues of Roman athletes, and selling salvation is long gone. The beautiful cathedrals of Rome, Krakow, and various large cities of our world are not going anywhere. If we can glorify God through our Christian faith by our way of LIVING change, we bring into the beautiful ornate Churches a new meaning. What some see as excess is being transformed as our world changes. St. Peter's is as holy with two or three inside as a small church in the United States. We must understand why we believe, and act on that.

To be a Christian is to serve. To bring equality, to bring peace, to bring justice, to protect, to provide, and to live gratefully. It is not enough to know the Mass, it is not enough to know the Scripture, it is not enough to go through the various processes. As Mary went in haste to Elizabeth, we must go in haste to the places that need any form of help we are able to. Each of us as we are called. So we leave behind "pomp" and we "read the signs of the times" via "circumstance".

Thanks be to God for change.

-Luis

What is a lay Marist? What is a prophet? What is a mystic?

Days 3 and 4 were so jam packed, that I’ve waited a day or two (losing track of time here) to write about them. We heard from 3 Marist Brothers on the following themes: Presence of laypeople: new beginning, bring together on mission, and dimensions of the charism. Br. Emili, Br. Joao, and Br. Antonio worked through these topics with us during these days.

Br. Emili took us through a historical narrative of how laypeople have become present in the Marist Institute. The language he used made it clear that laypeople are a part of it, and are contributing to a shared future.  A clear starting point was Vatican II, where the Church spoke increasingly about laypeople as an active part of its body.

The “crisis”, as he described it, of diminishing numbers of vowed religious is “providential”. Some might ask why? Br. Emili made it clear that there is a need for the Institute to move forward “Going in haste” as Mary did to a “new horizon”. So although there may be fewer brothers, there is no shortage of hope for the future.

Throughout his comments, the theme of “togetherness” continually came up. The rising up of lay Marists in provinces worldwide is not a safety plan for helping the Marist Brothers as the number of brothers decreases. It is a genuine response to a call, a sense of belonging, and a settling into the place that they feel is right for them in the Church.

A lay Marist, in this sense, is any person who feels connected to the ideas and values that comprise the Marist charism. This person wants to and does connect with the Institute and other like minded Marists to live our this charism as individuals and a community. This is by no means a FULL definition. It is my reflection.

The concepts of being prophets and mystics came up during Br. Emili’s remarks as well. This theme that came up during the 2013 General Chapter, was also present during the II International Marists In Mission Assembly in Nairobi. What does this mean? A prophet is not a fortune teller or person that sees into the future. In the Marist world, I believe a prophet to be someone who examines the contemporary moment, evaluating needs and circumstances. They have foresight (not the same as telling the future LOL) and use that to lead a community through this moment. To be a mystic would mean to have a deep awareness of one’s own life, spirituality, and relationship with God. It is a call to greater contemplation.

So what is the call from this session? In short: generate strategies that promote and accompany the vocational journeys of all Marists. That’s a paraphrase from the slides and my notes. While the presence of laypeople has been with the Marist Institute for decades, the amount of people who are Marist has grown tremendously. How do we become even more a part of the fold, to grow and be formed as lay Marists?

That’s a BIG question which differs from province to province… based on needs. So that’s the bigger question? What are the needs of lay Marists in the US, so that they can continue to be formed, live out their Christian vocation in the world, and share the Marist charism in their workplaces and families?

“What structure or form does this take?” was asked several times. Br. Emili did not answer this directly, in order not to impose on people’s plans or impede their own work. He did say that we needed to be led by the Holy Spirit in each of our provinces to create whatever is needed for that province. So identification of the various needs and desires of lay Marists in the United States seems to be a key.

More to come.

-Luis

Day 3 Lay Marists in Rome

Day 3 in Rome.  The last two days have been challenging, thought-provoking, and fun.  As Luis mentioned in his post, Wednesday’s topic was the role of the laity in the church today and how that applies to us as Lay Marists.  I was struck by Claudio’s example of the feeding of the five thousand with 5 loaves and 2 small fish.  So often, we concern ourselves with fears regarding our sometimes limited resources and the struggles we undergo to develop them.  Claudio reminded us that the disciples would have put a lot of time into catching the fish and baking the loaves, yet all of their work seemed not to have been enough to feed the people.  He pointed out that Jesus didn’t focus on the resources; instead he looked at the needs of the people and, though his grace, the needs were abundantly met.  A good reminder for all of us in the current realities of our schools.

After a long day, we headed out after dinner to the neighborhood gelateria.  At first it was just Luis and me, but by the end there were at least 30 of us at the shop, enjoying the lovely evening and good company.  Although there are many languages spoken in the group, we all seem to manage somehow.  It’s interesting that Spanish seems to be the unifying language – so I’m getting in a lot of good practice!

Outside of the large sessions, we have smaller group discussion as well as dialogues with another participant for a different region.  My partner is Ruth Hihiru of the Solomon Islands.  We have found that, although our lives and work situations are quite different, we have much in common, including our love of flowers, shopping, and a good laugh.  Here is a picture of us on our evening stroll through a nearby park.

This morning we enjoyed a wonderful presentation by the Superior General of the Marist Brothers, Brother Emili. With him, we traced the history of lay people in collaboration with the Brothers and dreamed a bit about the future.  So much to think about and so much to be excited about!

Day 2 - What does the Church Say?

Hello! It is Day 3 of the course, but I’ll share the experience of Day 2 with you in this post.

We heard from Claudio Betti, a professor of international relations at a university in Rome. He is also a member of the Community of San Egidio, better known as a lay community that he says has 50-70,000 members. The community is based in Trastavere, Rome, but has communities worldwide. They have a special focus on the poor.

Today’s topic was “Current theology on the laity”. Claudio did not speak directly about Church teaching on the laity, but more about how laypeople in the world are working as members of the Church, and as Church.

Let me pause in describing our day to offer some ideas of what I see as the current theology of the laity. Having graduated college studying religion and theology just 3-4 days ago, I’m eager to share my theological prowess! Only kidding. In all seriousness, the topic of the laity in Church teaching is actually quite interesting.

In a post Vatican II Church, we have recognized the powerful ministry of the lay faithful in the world. From increased visibility in the liturgy, to entire communities of lay faithful, to helping administrate on the parish level… laypeople have a role in the Church.

Of course, we understand Church to be the following: all the baptized faithful who hold faith in Jesus Christ. That is the short version! In the case of lay Marists, we have the interesting connection to the faith in which we live the Gospel by being Marist. This charism, or gift of the Holy Spirit, has been cultivated in the life of all who call themselves Marist for almost 200 years (in 2017 we will celebrate the Bicentenary).

With incredible foresight into what the future of the Institute will look like, the Marist Brothers are seeking to increase focus on lay Marists, helping cultivate those gifts of their life and faith that they bring to the table. This course is a perfect example. This is not to say that lay will “take over” or “replace” Marist Brothers. It is a recognition of our shared single vocation: to be Christians in this world. Claudio Betti highlighted this shared single vocation in his remarks.

While the Second Vatican Council gave us a lot to hold onto happily by recognition of the laity, it also got a few things… in my opinion, wrong. For instance, Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church), speaks of the laity as more connected to the “secular world” or “temporal affairs”. To put it simply: lay, religious, and the clergy live in the same world, work many of the same jobs, and live in different yet similar ways. 50 years after the Council, we continue to read the “signs of the times” as Pope John XXIII did and move forward. It is my strong belief that we shouldn’t dwell on what we feel is wrong with teaching, but live in a way that is true to our spiritual selves and the Gospel.

Back to some of today’s remarks to from our presenter. Claudio drew some connections from the narrative of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes. The disciples said to Jesus “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” (MT 14:17). For our changing Marist world, a decrease in the number of brothers does not mean a decrease in the evangelization that happens in our schools or Marist communities. Rather, it means a move forward together toward “a new beginning”, as we have heard in recent international gatherings and on the local level.

What might this mean for the U.S.? Maybe it means having a more organized method to help form and accompany lay Marists who are growing in their Christian life. I hope to come home with a lot of information on how that might happen. I won’t say much about that… so that we can revisit this later.

I leave you with a question: What are our needs in the US for lay Marists?

Peace! -Luis

Arrival and First Day

Hello! It seems like a long time since Lindsay and I arrived in Rome. In actuality, its about 10:30 on Day 2 of our trip. After a plane ride from Newark to Rome, it hit me: I'm spending two weeks here.

There was a recent fire at the Rome airport, so passport control was a 90 minute wait!
I can't begin to tell you how jam packed the waiting area was... but somehow we got through. Then the baggage claim was chaos, with bags from 5 flights strewn about. We found our bags and searched for a sign that said "Marist". Finally we found one and got our ride to the General House.


This place is a true beauty. The center of operations for the Marist Institute is gorgeous, and it also feels like home immediately. Hospitality, presence, and the charism seem to emanate from most every Marist location I have visited. This was no different.

Main chapel at the General House

After unpacking and getting settled in, Lindsay and I took the metro to Ancient Rome. The Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Fontina di Trevi (which has no water in it right now), the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. What a DAY! We certainly burned off whatever we ate on the plane.

A wild arrival experience was transformed into a wonderful day. It just took some adaptation. This is essentially what we see happening all over our Marist world: adaptation. After the Second International Marists In Mission Assembly, this course was planned to help lay animators more deeply understand how to establish formation programs back at their home provinces. Taking a look at the current theology of the laity, more deeply understanding the partnership between lay and brothers, as well as promoting the awareness of Marist laity are just a few of the objectives of this course.

The Marist charism is something lived out by brothers and lay. The Institute is adapting, and I am so excited for what that means. People of all backgrounds, professions, and geographic locations are called to live out the Gospel. Marist spirituality and our charism is the way we carry out this call. All people who identify as Marist share in a unique way. We each bring something different to the table... and we are all seated around it. Let's keep eating!

Until next time... Luis.