“THE CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY” (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM)

Introduction

This document of 4December 1963, entitled “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” is a documenton “The Constitution on The Sacred Liturgy” promulgated by Pope Paul VI. It is primarily meant todraw believers, and beckon all the faithful to join Christ in the act of worship in glorifying the Father, preparing and making the people of God a holy and living temple of the Lord, a dwelling-place for God in spirit, to the measure of the fullness of Christ.This document is divided into seven chapters. In this paper we shall, therefore, summarize each chapter in a liturgico-theological manner.

Chapter one, spells out the general principles for the restoration and promotion of the Sacred liturgy. In this text, the Council Fathersexhort that through the liturgy, God“wills that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” For in the liturgy, we encounter the Word made flesh, our bodily and spiritual medicine: The Mediator between God and Man (SC, 5).More so, Christ willed that the work of salvation should be propelled via the sacrifice and sacraments, around which the liturgical life revolves (SC, 6).For He is present: In the sacraments^__In the sacrifice of the mass both in the person of the minister and especially in the eucharistic species; In his word, through the Holy Scriptures; In the singing and praying, and so on (SC, 7). This then indicates that the liturgy then is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. And by this, it further shows that the earthly liturgy we partake, is only but a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims (SC, 8).

In the liturgy, especially through the Eucharist, theCouncil Fathersremind us that grace is poured forth upon men for their sanctification and for the glorification of God. But for it to produce its full effects, it is necessary that all the faithful, should be led to that full, conscious and active participation (which is the aim to be considered before all else) in liturgical celebrations, which is demanded by the very nature of liturgy (SC, 14).

With great care towards a general restoration of the liturgy itself, the Council Fathers through the lens of SacrosanctumConciliumaccredit that the liturgy, is made up of both unchangeableelements divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. In this rich description, both texts and rites, should be drawn up so as to express more clearly the holy thing which they signify (SC, 21-22).

To this effect, the Council Fathers convey to us “the great importance of the Sacred Scripture in the liturgy.” For it is from it, that lessons are read and explained in the homily, and psalms are sung. From it, the prayers, collects, and hymns are draw their inspirations, and that actions and signs derive their meaning (SC, 24). These, presupposes that liturgical services are not private functions, but are the celebrations of the church which is “the sacrament of unity^__ the people united under their bishop”. This shows that liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the church, and also touch the individual member of the church in various ways, especially in their role of liturgical services (SC, 26), which should be made manifest in carrying out all and only those parts which pertain specifically to their office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the liturgy (SC, 28).

Thus, in a bid to foster a more unified and flourishing liturgical life and service, especially among a local church, the Council Fathers, postulates “the use of Latin language, and vernacular.” The latter, may be widely used, and so frequently be of great advantage to the people. However, it can be made effectiveonly with the approval and admission of the appropriate ecclesiastical authority, having carefully and prudently consider it worthy, together with and the other elements from their traditions and culture that might be admitted (SC, 36-40).

Chapter two, explores the most Sacred mystery of the Eucharist. Here, the Council Fathersbegan by re-echoing that: At the Last Supper, on the night Jesus was betrayed, he instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust his beloved spouse, the church, as a memorial of his death and resurrection. Thus, this means that when present at this mystery of faith, the faithful should not be there silent spectators, rather in a single act of worship, they should partake in the SacredAction with devotion and full collaboration, especially during the masses, viz.the liturgy of the word and the Eucharistic liturgy; and more importantly, on Sundays and holy days of obligation, which are celebrated with the faithful assisting, via the readings, homily, common prayer or prayer of the faithful, and so on (SC, 49-54). More so, the Council Fathers re-emphasise the reception of holycommunion under both kinds; that it may be given to all Christ faithful, with the approval of the bishop, determined by the Apostolic See (SC, 55).

Chapter three, concentrates on the other sacraments and the sacramentals. To begin with, the Council Fathers in congruence with the Church, clearly states that the purpose of the sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick) is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of Christ, and, primarily to give worship to God. These sacraments, are also signs which instruct; propose faith; and also by words and object, nourishes, strengthens and expresses this same faith. This is why they are also called sacrament of faith; for they confer grace and in the very act of celebrating them, they most effectively dispose that faithful to receive this grace of profit. To this end, the faithful should with utmost importance, strive efficaciously to understanding the sacramental signs, and should eagerly frequent those sacraments which nourish the Christian life (SC, 55).In addition, to better equip the faithful, the Church has instituted sacramentals. These are Sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the Church’sintersection. By them, the faithful are disposed to receive the chief effects of the sacraments; and in various occasions in life are rendered holy, for the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals, sanctifies in almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, which isits source and power(SC, 60-61).

Chapter four, dwells on the divine office, which is the public prayer of the church. In this chapter, the Council Fathersunderscore the doctrinal teaching that Jesus Christ, High Priest of the New and Eternal Covenant, took human nature, and introduced into this earthly exile that hymn which is sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. This hymn, which is a source of piety and a nourishment for personal prayer, is the celebration of the divine office; a ceaseless engagement in praising the Lord(SC, 83).More so, the divine office is planned in way that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God. For this reason, this song of praise is to be correctly celebrated primarily by the clergy or by the lay faithful in an approved form (SC, 84). More precisely, all who partake in the divine office are not only performing a duty for the church, relatively, they also share in what is the greatest honour for the church^__ Standing before God’s throne in the name of the church (SC, 85).In consonance, the clergy, more than the lay faithful, should enthusiastically engage in the celebration of the divine office. By so doing,through this prayer life, his pastoral ministry would thrive, effectively and fruitfully. Nevertheless, the Fathers of the SacredCouncil, aware of the existing circumstances and barriers, admonishes that Lauds as morning prayer, and Vespers as evening prayer, are the two hinges on which the divine office turns. So, it must be seen as the principal hours and are to be celebrated as such (SC, 89).

            Chapter five, explores the celebrations of the liturgical year. In celebrating the saving work of Christ in a SacredCommemoration on certain days throughout the course of the year, the Holy Mother Church designates that once a week, precisely on Sunday (the kernel of the whole liturgical year), she keeps the memory of the Lord’s resurrection, a day of joy and of freedom from work. This is a traditionhanded down to us from the apostles, which took its origin from the very day of Christ resurrection. More so, once a year at the Sacred triduum of Easter, the blessed passion and resurrection of Christis celebrated. This simply implies that in the course of the year, the church unfolds the whole mystery of Christ from the incarnation and nativity, to ascension, to Pentecost, and finally to the expectation of the blessed hope of the Christ coming.Also, incelebrating the mysteries of Christ, the church honours the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a special love.Also celebratedin varieties are: Advent; Christmas; Lent; special solemnities (e.g. Of a principal patron of a town); the memorial days of the martyrs and saints; commemoration of the faithful departed, and so on.

            Chapter six, adds to this great document the inestimable value of the Sacred Music. The musical tradition of the church, is a treasure of great worth, greater than any other art. This is so because as aunion of Sacred music and words, it forms a necessary and integral part of the liturgy. On this, the Fathers of the SacredCounciladvocate the use of SacredScripturesbecause by so doing, the people of God are marvellously increased in their power and ability to preach Christ. Thus, Sacred music, is to be seen as a holy and closely connected liturgical action.Though, thiscan be achieved whenever a. This Sacred action is to be accompanied by chants (especially Gregorian),so that all the faithful can contribute assiduously to that active participation which is rightlytheirs; b. Importance is attached to the teaching and practice of music in formation houses and catholic institutions; c.There are people of a particular locality, who have their own ecclesiastical approved traditions and musical instruments.

            Chapter seven, centrifuges around SacredArt and SacredFurnishings. In approaching this text, the Council Fathers confirm that SacredArtby nature, are directed towards expressing in some way the infinite beauty of God in works made by human hands. In this same purview, the Church, has always praised the works of artists who in accordance with the religious laws of Sacredness, help promote faith, morals and Christian piety (SC, 122). However, it should be noted that since the church has not adopted any particular style of Art as her own, bishops (with the help of his diocesan committee on SacredArt), should endeavour to encourage and favour truly SacredArt and Furnishings (buildings, vestments, altars, eucharistic tabernacles, etc.)that beautifully brings to the task, the due reverence and honour, and ipso facto,serve the dignity of worship (SC, 123-124).

Conclusion

In summary, we have been able to delve into this documents of seven chapters, written by the Council Fathers, and promulgated by Pope Paul VI; and to a great extent, pointed out that in and through the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, “the work of our redemption is accomplished.” And also, that it is through the liturgy especially, that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and real nature of the true church.

Fr. Albert Leo, CPPS

Precious Blood Missionaries

How to write a homily?

     

  SERMON PYRAMID 

Have I memorized the outline? Gone through it aloud? Did I speak the whole thing aloud? How involved am I in it? Is there a place for vitalizing? Am I excited with it?

11. Prepared Delivery

Are there illogicalities in my sermon? Is it dry and concentrated though logical? Are there clumsy, complex, dull wordings? Any sentence, illustrations, quotes unnecessary? Have I to hurry through to finish?

10. Revision

While preparing have I talked directly to people? Was the preparation a dialogue? Did I see the reactions of the congregation in imagination? Who are the various sorts of people to listen? What would they get out of it? Is it personal and conversational? 

9. Visualizing People

will the type be large enough?  Plenty of space? Have I sued capitals, underlining and symmetrical position of words? Will I turn or slide the paper? Do I have proper furniture, microphone clock to check? Any distracting material to be removed from pulpit?

8. The Mechanics

Workout my sermon on my head? Or write it down? The advantages and disadvantages of writings?

7. Composition

Where the whole sermon or any of its parts have too little or too much? Which parts are likely to lack interest or clarity where should there be cutting or strengthening? Are minor matters given major times? Should I leave out anything, which is repetitious or redundant?

6. Proportioning

What is the structure for the best use of material? What is the Chart on sermon’s progress? What are the main and sub points?

5. Full Outline

What are the possible ideas? From my own thinking, experience reading, research and discussion? From contacts, journals, and newspapers?

4. Accumulating Ideas

What the development might be? How to enter into and end the sermon? Is an original sort of conception possible? What does anybody need to hear?

3. Rough Outline

What do the reading really mean? How they can be interpreted what do commentaries, versions dictionaries say?

2. Bible Research

Stating the purpose: General purpose: what is my specific goal? What does the congregation need to hear?  What do Bible readings say? What is most prominent in people’s mind? What is the special feature of liturgical season?

1.Picking the Theme

HOW TO WRITE A HOMILY?

The writer of the homily has to Scripture texts and reflected on the needs of his people. From these two sources he has decided what particular aspect of the general theme should be the message in his homily. Now he begins to think of the Human approach in presenting his message.

1.      First Stage: Human Approach

He starts from a real life experience that corresponds in some way to the scripture event. It may be an incident or just a remark or a quotation from some author or any simple little fat that reflects the human values recognized inn the scripture readings. This not only gets the attention of the listeners but they can relate to it. In this way he is laying the foundation on which he is going to build.

2.      Second Stage: Anthropological Constant (Globalising)

An incident in itself may not appeal to the whole congregation. The preacher must show the universally accepted values contained in it so that each and every person may identify with them. We all have the same human nature so that this stage can easily be carried out. Unfortunately many omit it and take away from the force of their communication.

3.      Third Stage: Revelation

Now we have to throw the light of revelation on these human values. We can use the readings the people have just listened to (without just retelling the parable or the incident contained in them). We can also use the teaching of the Church, council documents, t4adition and lives of the saints, the content of the liturgy etc. these should be a core of doctrine in every homily. Without this we can fail into the fault of mere moralizing. We now go on to draw out the implications of this doctrine for our daily living. (Moralising is giving a series of ‘dos’ and ‘donts’ in the abstract).

4.      Forth Stage: Consequence for Daily Living

We link up God’s revelalito0n with the situation in which our people find themselves. As far as possible we talk in concrete terms about the Christian response Christ is asking them here and now.

5.      Fifth Stage: Link with the Eucharist Celebration

A little thought makes it easy to link our homily with the Eucharist. The homily is intended to help them towards a more meaningful celebration. Since the Christian life is the living of the Paschal Mystery and the Eucharist is the celebration of this same mystery the link is easily made. We show them how to live the Mass in the particular aspects treated of in the holily.

To Sum up:1. Start from life-- from a real life experience that corresponds to Scripture                     event. Analyze its human value, its meaning on human   level.

2.                  Shed light of Scripture on this human experience draw out significance of this; its bearing on our situation.

3.                        Draw out what this implies in daily life, showing how the mystery of salvation which we celebrate and in which we share in the liturgy of the Sacrament gibes new life and calls for Christian living (Avoid mere moralising).

MANAGEMENT OF THE VOICE WHILE  PREACHING

A few hints may be profitably borne in mind.

1.      Do not begin on too high a key. One is particularly apt to do this in the open air, or in a large and unfamiliar church, or when much excited. It is wonderful how difficult a speaker finds it to lower the main key on which he has once fairly stated. He may become aware of it in three minutes and make repeated effort to correct the mistake, but in most cases he will fail, and when impassioned passages come, in which the voice must rise, it will rise to a scream. Every one has often witnessed this process. It is, of course, not impossible to change the key, and this should be carefully attempted when necessary. But the great matter is to avoid beginning wrong. Tenor voices, it obvious, are especially apt to begin too high.

                        

            We must not begin on a high key, and yet the text should be distinctly heard. The difficulty thus arising when the audience is large may be overcome by stating the texts slowly, distinctly and, if necessary, a second time, and by projecting the voice, instead of elevating it.

2.      Do not suffer the voice to drop in the last words of a sentence. Though it must often sink, returning to the general pitch of the discourse. It must not fall too suddenly or too low. It is not uncommon for the last words to be quite inaudible.

3.      Never fail to take breath before the lungs are entirely exhausted; and usually keep them well filled. This will generally be done without effort in extemporaneous speaking; but in recitation and reading it requires special attention. Moned says: “ For this purpose, it is necessary to breathe quite often, and to take advantages of little rests in the delivery.”  A speaker must not gasp in his breath through the mouth but breath through the nostrils, regularly and steadily. He must keep the head and neck in an upright posture for the sake of breathing freely as well as for other reasons; and there must be nothing right around his throat.

4.      Look frequently at the remotest hearers, and see to it that they hear you. If particular persons anywhere in the room have grown inattentive, they may often be aroused by quietly aiming the voice at them for a moment.

5.      Let there be variety-of pitch, of force, and of speed. Monotony is utterly destructive of eloquence. But variety of utterance must be gained, not by assuming it from without, but by taking care to have a real and marked variety of sentiment, and then simply uttering each particular sentiment in the most natural manner. Emphasis requires much attention. In speaking, a correct emphasis will be spontaneous whenever one is fully in sympathy with his subjects.

For the rest, let rules alone, and think not about your voice but your subject and those on whom you wish to impress it. Except that when some marked fault has attracted attention or been pointed out by a friend, care must be taken to avoid it hereafter.

PERSONALITY OF THE SPEAKER: IMPLICATION

           

The qualifications we have received are very demanding. Such goals may not be realized in our lifetime, but they none the less serve as goals which the sprit of God can help implement so that we may be more effective in filling the call of God.

            The ingredients of a speaker combine to make up what the rhetoricians have traditionally called ethos. Note the well-known comments of Aristotle regarding ethos.

Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible. We believe good men more fully and more readily than others; this is true generally whatever the question is and absolutely true where exact certainty is impossible and options are divided. This kind of persuasion, like the others, should be achieved by what the speaker says, not by what people think of his character before he befits to speak. It is not true, as some writers assume in their treaties on rhetoric, that the personal goodness reveals by the speaker contributes nothing to his power of percussion; on the contrary, his character may almost be called the most affective means of percussions he possesses.

Twenty-five centuries of history note seriously altered this conclusion. The possibility exists that Aristotle was wrong in assuming that ethos is the most powerful of the three means of persuasion, but modern experimentation does support the conclusion that ethos contributes to persuasiveness.

            For our purpose it is helpful to note that ethos is of two basic types:  antecedent ethos which is the role title, position that a man brings into situation, and manifests ethos, which is what the man actually projects in the speaking situation.

            Even if a man has no antecedent’s ethos to speak of, he may earn status with his hearers during his message or address. Ethos may also be altered in adding to being created. The dress, voice, manner perceived sincerely, the introduction given to the speech all these have their effects upon changing the speaker’s ethos.

           

Contemporary studies of ethos have settled on the following elements in defending this concept operationally: 1) Expertness 2) Trustworthiness 3) Personal Dynamism. It can be argued with empirical evidence as support that the personal life and character of the preacher does have its impact. And the things that have been said in homiletics textbooks for many years are basically true, there must be integrity, the man who says one things and does another cannot be trusted, and the man who loves the good life does another have a claim to listeners. Integrity breaks down when there is separate existence of the house of life and the house of doctrine.

           

A significant form of preparation for preaching is preparation of the preacher. Effectiveness in the pulpit is indeed tied to the life, the integrity, the Christian character of the man, which declares the gospel. Good men are of their message and will be heard.

THE PREACHRERS’ QUALIFICATIONS

1. PIETY: Piety is a quality of soul. It is moral earnestness rooted in a continuing experience of fellowship with God. It is reverent devotion to the will of God. It is not a pose that is struck. It is not suture but moves with the glow and warmth of the Christian grace. It is not otherworldly in any sense of proud withdrawal from human interests but mingles with life in the strength of Christian virtues. It is not weak but heroic and is the inspiration of the heroism, which is the “brilliant triumph of the soul over the flesh”. It is spiritual reality that entertains no simulation, and spiritual realism that recognizes and challenges the moral and spiritual enemies of life. It is not too much to say that this quality of spirit is the prime requisite to effectiveness in preaching. It inspires the preacher himself with ardent zeal, and keeps the flame alive amid all the icy indifferences by which he will so often be encompassed. It gains foe him the good will and sympathy of his hearers, the most ungodly of whom will fell that devout earnestness on his part is becoming and entitles him to respect. And to this is promised the blessing of God upon the labors, which it prompts. Much false theory and bad practice in preaching is connected with a failure theory and bad practice in preaching is of piety in the preacher. Just rhetoeucal principles as well as other and far higher consideration imperative require that a preacher of the gospel shall cultivate personal piety. It is bad rhetoric to neglect it. 

2. NATURAL GIFTS: The preacher needs the capacity for clear thinking, with strong feelings, and a vigorous imagination; also capacity for expression, and the power of forcible utterance. Many other gifts help his usefulness; these are well nigh indispensable to any high degree of efficiency. Each of these can be improved almost indefinitely, some of them developed in one who had not been conscious of possessing them, but all must exist as natural gifts.

3. KNOWLEDGE: There must be knowledge of religious truth and of such things as throw light upon it, knowledge of human nature in its relations to religious truth and of human life in its actual conditions around us. It was a favorite idea of Cicero that the orator ought to know everything. There is of course, no knowledge, which a preacher might not make useful. We may thankfully recognize the face that some men do good who have very slender attainments and yet may insists that it should be the preacher’s lowest standard to surpass, in respect of knowledge, the great; majority of those who hear him, and it should be the sacred ambition to know all that he can learn by lifelong and prayerful endeavor.

            Piety furnishes motive power; natural gifts; cultivated as far as possible, supply means; knowledge gives material; and there remains.

4. SKILL: This does not refer to style and delivery but also to the collection, choice, and arrangement of materials. All who preach eminently well and the same thing is true of secular speakers will be found, with scarcely an exception, to have labored much to acquire skill. Henry Clay became an accomplished orator by diligent cultivation of his natural gifts. In an address to some law students at Albany towards the close of his life he mentioned that during his early life in Kentucky, he commenced, and continued for years, the practice of daily reading and speaking upon the contents of some historical or scientific book. These off hand efforts were made sometimes in cornfield, yet others in the forest and not infrequently in some distant barn with the horse and the ox for my auditors.

            We are told that the Indian orators were known to practice their speeches beside a clear pool as mirror.

VERBAL DELIVERY

1.RATE:

                         The normal speaking rate is between 125 and 190 words per minute. A reduction in listen-ability begins somewhere above 200 words per minute. Speakers should strive to be rapid enough to show vitality and yet slow enough to be certain; there is distinct articulation and comprehensibility. A proper rate is one that is both varied and sufficiently rapid to insure interest in the sermonic movement. As a congregation increases in number and the acoustics become more difficult, the rate should be slow and down to accommodate that particular situation.

2.VOLUME:

                         Some speakers prefer to shout in and attempt to add emphasis. However, when a sermon is simply an extended shouting session, there is no emphasis art all. Sometimes a decrease in volume will give the desired emphasis. Unfortunately, it is too seldom used. Any change in pave or pattern will help a speaker to achieve a measure of emphasis. And of course we should not confuse volume with unction.

3. TONE:

                         A frequent fault of pulpit men is the so-called preachers tone or ministerial melody. This strange-glass voice is characterized by a habitual pitch tone, that is, it “makes statements sound like questions, the preacher gives a rising inflection at the end of indicative sentence just as he would with interrogative sentences.”

4. EMPHASIS:

                         There is a verbal form of underlining know as emphasis though which we stress important words and subdue those that are less important. Newkrik Lamar’s very helpful book, how to speak the written word, says that able communicators have generally avoided two pitfalls common to public speakers: Overdramatic speech and colorless speech. One, they have discovered is as bad as the other. Triumphed-up enthusiasm is readily detected. Audiences feel embarrassed in the presence of such speakers. They are trouble by the experience so much that they frequently, feel contempt for the charlatan. When this occurs in the pulpit it is especially heinous. Falseness in delivery marks the sermon with questionable ness. Frequently, falseness arises out of noble intentions. The preacher wants the people to be enthusiastic about his message, but when he finds no natural enthusiasm within him he restores to fabrication. The results are reciprocally disastrous. On the other hand, he becomes an actor (of the method school variety) instead of a person whose method is an indigenous whole characterized by verbal and naturalness.

GESTURES

            The language of the gesture is important. Many distinct and meaningful signals may be sent via the gesture. Generally, they should be omitted during the opening moments of the sermon because people are not yet prepared. They must first warm to the message and the messenger. Once the preacher and parishioners are involved in the sermon, gestures are very appropriate with in the total communicative process. One textbook on preaching says:

            There are four-conversasional gestures, so-called because they are the basic hand and arm movements from which all other gestures are derived. The index finger gesture is one of location and mild emphasis. The clenched fist denotes dramatic ad strong emphasis. The palm-up gesture reflects affirmative and ever pleading emotion. The palm-down gesture displays disapproval, rejection, or contempt. Descriptive gestures, which are variations and communications of the conversational actions, are as infinite as the moods they communicate. 

            Gestures are very easy for some, and very difficult for others. Whatever you do, make certain that your gestures are natural. Avoid these titled extremes of elocutionism. This is no place in a manuscript to record the appropriate gesture. If it comes, fine. If it does not come, well and good. They should not be tacked on. They should flow very naturally from a wholehearted involvement with the message being shared.

            What are the qualities of good Gesture? They certainly ought to be definite. Either makes a gesture or do not make it. There is no value to half with hands or flailing of the arms is always distracting. This king of perpetual motion is simply a nervous churning of the sir. Those who practice such gymnastics are advices to put their hands on the pulpit until they learn control. The ‘face fondlers’, ‘tied tightness’, and ‘pants jokers’.

            Gestures should be characterized by variety.  It is very easy to fall into some comfortable pattern in which you use the same gestures again and again. A thoughtful critic, church officer, or faithful friend should be regularly consulted to discourage if there is anything that needs attention. I once heard of an eccentric professor who, when his lecture approached a high point, would make a circular gesture in the air. And once he hit that point, he would puncture the circle with his pointed finger. Rather than being helpful, this move was looked upon by the class as rather humorous division from the otherwise dull lectures. Variety, not predictability, is essential. 

            Gesture ought to be properly timed. A gesture that is either premature or late confounds than confirms truth. Gestures, in summery, must flow naturally from the material as an indigenous part of the preacher’s total expression of truth.

EYE CONTACT

            Preaching is a form of conversation. It necessitates an awareness of the listener who is being addresses. When the congregation is viewed simply as blurred mass, the preacher is too wrapped us in his own thoughts and manuscripts of his listeners. Stevenson and Dielhl say:

When you talk with people look at them, one by one and see what they are saying back to you pantomimically. Keep yourself in dialogue with your listeners. Some ministers address their small congregations as though they were vast concourses of two thousand people. The late Charles H Spurgeon is said to have addressed two thousand people as though he were speaking personally to one man.

            Because the preachers are not caring on a soliloquy, they are to look people in the eye, not simply staring but seeing them so as to discover what their reactions are. The goal is more mental directness than more physical directness, a relationship with the listener, which makes him feel that the speaker is thinking of him and talking personally to him. This goal is difficult to achieve for the manuscript-bound preacher. According to one study, as would be expected, audience do prefer maintenance of good eye contact in a face-to-face situation.

            Speaker ought to gaze adequately toward each listener successively or toward well-spread representatives listeners when the audience is too large for contact with each individual. One should avoid looking downward, out the windows, or over the listener’s heads. Too much concentration on certain sections or individuals, while ignoring others should be avoided. One man whose messages are thoughtfully prepared and generally well delivered, gazes over the listeners heads to the back of the sanctuary. Although the truth he shares is important, one senses remoteness in the interchange. The electric spark, which should leap between pulpit and pew never, occurs when no eye contact is affected. The speaker should strive for a balance between blankness of expression and an intensity of eye contact created by starting. Adequately pause for a second or two with a listener, and then move to others. On the other hand, rapid eye movement, which is shifty and darting, which does not stay long enough on any individual, gives an impression of anxiety.

            Certain mechanical hindrances to eye contact should be cared for. Eye, glasses sometimes glare, especially when lighting is at a bad angle. Unbalanced or other wise inadequate lighting, a difficult angle between the pulpit and the pews, or placement of the speaker at too great a distance form the audience all these contribute to the problem. When there is a lack of eye contact a barrier is crated. People should inspire us; look at them in ordered that they may do it. Eye contact gives the speaker an opportunity to interpret the effect of what he says. Sensitivity to interpret the effect of what he says. Sensitivity needs to be developed-it will serve you well. Give everyone the impression that he is important and that you are interested in communicating with him.

 Fr. Albert Leo

Precious Blood Missionaries

God of My Life – A Prayer

I should like to speak with you, my God, and yet what else can I speak of but you? Indeed, could anything at all exist which had not been present with you from all eternity, which dint’ have its true home and most intimate explanation in your mind and heart? Isn’t everything I ever say really a statement about you?

On the other hand, if I try shyly and hesitantly, to speak to you about yourself, you will still be hearing about me. For what could I say about you except that you are my God, the God of my beginning and end, God of my joy and my need, God of my life?

Of course you are endlessly more than merely the God of my life – if that’s all you were, you wouldn’t really be God at all. But even when I think of your towering majesty, even when I acknowledge you as someone who has no need of me, who is infinitely far exalted above the lowly valleys through which I drag out the paths of my life – even then I have called you once again by the same name, God of my life.

And when I give praise to you as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, when I confess the thrice holy mystery of your life, so eternally hidden in the abysses of your infinity that it leaves behind in creation no sign that we could make out by ourselves, am I not still praising you as the God my life? Even granting that you had revealed to me this secret of your own inner life, would I able to accept and realize this mystery if your life had not become my life through grace? Would I be able to acknowledge and love you, Father, and you, eternal Word of the Father’s heart, and you, Spirit of the Father and the Son, if you had not deigned to become through grace the triune God of my life?

But what am I really saying, when I call you my God, the God of my life? That you are the meaning of my life? the goal of my wanderings? The consecration of my actions? The judgment of my sins? The bitterness of my bitter hours and my most secret joy? My strength, which turns my own strength into weakness? Creator, sustainer, pardoner, the one both far and near? Incomprehensible? God of my brethren? God of my fathers?

Are there any titles which I needn’t give you? And when I have listed them all, what have I said? If I should take my stand on the shore of your endlessness and shout into the trackless reaches of your being all the words I have ever learned in the poor prison of my little existence, what should I have said? I should never have spoken the last word about you.

Then why do I even begin to speak of you? Why do you torment me with your infinity, If I can never really measure it? Why do you constrain me to walk along your paths, if they lead only to the awful darkness of your night, where only you can see? For us, only the finite and tangible is real and near enough to touch: Can you be real and near to me, when I must confess you as infinite?

Why have you burnt your mark in my soul baptism? Why have you kindled in me the flame of faith, this dark light which lures us out of the bright security of our little huts into your night? And why have you made me your priest, one whose vocation it is to be with you on behalf of men and women, when my finiteness makes me gasp for breath in your presence?

Look at the vast majority of people, Lord – excuse me if I presume to pass judgment on them – but do they often think of  you? Are you the first beginning and last end for them, the one without whom their minds and hearts can find no rest? Don’t they manage to get along perfectly well without you? Don’t they feel quite at home in this world which they know so well, where they can be sure of just what they have to reckon with? Are you anything more for them than the one who sees to it that the world stays on its hinges, so that they won’t have to call on you? Tell me, are you the God of their life?

I don’t really know, Lord, if my complaint is just or not – who knows the heart of another person? You alone are the reader of hearts, O God, and how can I expect to understand the heart of another when I don’t even understand my own? It’s just that I can’t help thinking of those others, because – as you well know, since you see into the depths of my heart, O hidden God from whom nothing is hidden – often enough I feel in myself a secret longing to be like them or, at least, to be as they seem to be.

Lord, how helpless I am when I try to talk to you about yourself! How can I call you anything but the God of my life? And what have I said with that title, when no name is really adequate? I’m constantly tempted to creep away from you in utter discouragement, back to the things that are more comprehensible, to things which my heart feels so much more at home that it does with your mysteriousness.

And yet, where shall I go? If the narrow hut of this earthly life with its dear, familiar trivialities, its joys and sorrows both great and small – if this were my real home, wouldn’t it still be surrounded by your distant endlessness? Could the earth be my home without your far-away heaven above it?

 Suppose I tried to be satisfied with what so many today profess to be the purpose of their lives. suppose I defiantly determined to admit my finiteness, and glory in it alone. I could only begin to recognize this finiteness and accept it as my sole destiny, because I had previously so often started out into the vast reaches of limitless space, to those hazy horizons where your endless life is just beginning.

Without you, I should founder helplessly in my own dull and groping narrowness. I could never feel the pain of longing, not even deliberately resign myself to being content with this world, had not my mind again and again soared out over its own limitations into the hushed reaches which are filled by you alone, the silent infinite. Where should I flee before you, when all my yearning for the unbounded, even my bold trust in my littleness, is really a confession of you?

What else is there that I can tell you about yourself, except that you are the one without you whom I cannot exist, the eternal God from whom alone I, a creature of time, can draw that strength to live, the infinity who gives meaning to my finiteness?  And when I tell you all this, then I have given myself my true name, the name I ever repeat when I pray in David’s Psalter, Tuus sum ego. I am the one who belongs not to himself, but to you. I know no more that this about myself, nor about you, O God of my life, infinity of my finiteness.

What a poor creature you have made me, o God! All I know about you and about myself is that you are the eternal mystery of my life. Lord, what a frightful puzzle a human being is! He belongs to you, and you are the incomprehensible – incomprehensible in your being, and even more so in your ways and judgments. For if all you dealings with me are acts of your freedom, quite unmerited gifts of your grace which knows no “why,” if my creation and my whole life hang absolutely on your free decision, if all my paths are, after all, your paths and, therefore, unsearchable, then, Lord, no amount of questioning will ever fathom your depths – you will still be the incomprehensible, even when I see you face to face.

But if you were not incomprehensible, you would be inferior to me, for my mind could grasp and assimilate you. You would belong to me, instead of I to you. And that would truly be hell, if I should belong only to myself! It would be the fate of the damned, to be doomed to pace up and down for all eternity in the cramped and confining prison of my own finiteness.

But can it be that you are my true home? Are you the one who will release me from my narrow little dungeon? Or are you merely adding another torment to my life, when you throw open the gates leading out upon your broad and endless plain? Are you anything more than my own great insufficiency, if all my knowledge leads only to your incomprehensibility? Are you merely eternal unrest for the restless soul? Must every question fall dumb before you, unanswered? Is your only response the mute “I will have it so,” that so coldly smothers my burning desire to understand?

But I am rambling on like a fool – excuse me, O God. You have told me through your Son that you are the God of my love, and you have commanded me to love you. Your commands are often hard because they enjoin the opposite of what my own inclinations would lead me to do, but when you bid me love you, you are ordering something that my  own inclinations would never even dare to suggest: to love you, to come intimately close to you, to love your very life. You ask me to lose myself in you, knowing that you will take me to your heart, where I may speak on loving, familiar terms with you, the incomprehensible mystery of my life. And all this because you are love itself.

Only in love can I find you, my God. In love the gates of my soul spring open, allowing me to breathe a new air of freedom and forget my own petty self. In love my whole being streams forth out of the rigid confines of narrowness and anxious self-assertion, which make me a prisoner of my own poverty and emptiness. In love all the powers of my soul flow out toward you, wanting never more to return, but to lose themselves completely in you, since by your love you are the inmost center of my heart, closer to me than I am to myself.

But when I love you, when I manage to break out the narrow circle of self and leave behind the restless agony of unanswered questions, when my blinded eyes no longer look merely from afar and from the outside at your unapproachable brightness, and much more when you yourself, O incomprehensible one, have become through love the inmost center of my life, then I can bury myself entirely in you, o mysterious God, and with myself all my questions.

Love such as this wills to possess you as you are – how could it desire otherwise? It wants you yourself, not your reflection in the mirror of its own spirit. It wants to be united with you alone, so that in the very instant which it gives up possession of itself, it will have not just your image, but your very Self.

Love wants you as you are, and just as love knows that it itself is right and good and needs no further justification, so you are right and good for it, and it embraces you without asking for any explanation of why you are as you are. Your “I will have it so” is love’s greatest bliss. In this state of joy my mind no longer tries to bring your forcibly down to its level, in order to wrest from you your eternal secret, but rather love seizes me and carries me up to your level, into you.

When I abandon myself in love, then you are my very life, and your incomprehensibility is swallowed up in love’s unity. When I am allowed to love you, the grasp of your very mystery becomes a positive source of bliss. Then the farther your infinity is removed from my nothingness, the greater is the challenge to my love. The more complete the dependence of my fragile existence upon your unsearchable counsels, the more unconditional must be the surrender of my whole being to you, beloved God. The more annihilating the incomprehensibility of your ways and judgments, the greater must be the holy defiance of my love.

And my love is all the greater and more blessed, the less my poor spirit understands of you.

God of my life, incomprehensible, be my life. God of my faith, who lead me into your darkness – God of my love, who turn your darkness into the sweet light of my life, be now the God of my hope, so that you will one day be the God of my life, the life of eternal love.

Fr. Albert Leo

Precious Blood Missionaries

Life after Death

.“In Death final choice is followed by particular particular judgment and the subsequent Heaven, Hell or Purgatory entered in the Bodily Selves that we are which will be completed at the day of Resurrection with the same body we had on earth. This is what we mean when we say in the creed: “I believe in the Resurrection of the Body and the life everlasting.”

Introduction

Eschatology is not an appendix to theology but something that should permeate all of theology. Eschatology means the study of the last things. Every Christian must be ready to face these last things namely death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell, Resurrection (The story of Blessed Pope John Paul XXIII – page 1, Para 1).

Death

Every human has to face the first reality in his life is  death

Passive Death and Active Death:

            Man is not undergoing passive death, that helplessly undergo death like animal, but an active death, that is with conscious act of will accepting death when it comes; accepting it as part of human condition.

Animals also eat, drink, sleep and reproduce. Human beings also do the same, but qualitatively different. There is something humanness about it. So the death of a human being also cannot be exactly like an animal.

The Final Choice:

            The special mark of human death is the free choice or the final option it consists;a final choice ‘for’ or ‘against’ God.  As Karl Rahner and Ladislaus calls, it is decision ‘for or against Jesus’.

This final choice takes place neither before death nor after death but IN death.Since death is a process.Because before death we keep on changing our choices and options and so after death it is impossible to make choices.

All the human beings have this choice .In his book ‘Life after Death’ Raymond Moody says that even person in a prolonged coma (aware of things happening), or person shot dead or by heart attack (brain dies later) or even whose brain blastered (decision making effect by spiritual element not by fleshly element) have a chance for this final option. For detail refer page 11 (a, b, c, e).

Why all have choice?

Because it is human death, not like the death of an animal. The freedom of the human is respected. Earlier decisions also help a person in his final choice, as a tree falls on the side to which it is inclined.

Particular Judgement:

            When will particular Judgment take place?

            Immediately after death. Earlier Fathers of the church thought that soon after death one is going to a special temporary place, till the judgment.

·         St. Iraneus: special temporary place (FEF 259) (refer in detail).

·         Tertullian: Go into Hades temporarily (FEF 351).

            But some fathers implied in their teachings about particular judgment.

The famous legend of Scales of good deeds and bad deeds – by Ambrose

Council of Lyon II – speaks about reward and punishment follows death immediately (N. D. 26). (Please refer page 20 No.B) – have a summarized view.

Church Teaching

            The important teaching that affirmed the view ‘immediately’ is the document ‘Benedictus Deus’ by Benedict XII (ND 2305) (For more detail please refer pg 43, C).

So if one goes to heaven or hell immediately then there should be a judgment given before that.

Scriptural View:

OT -     many passage refer tojudgement such as Eze 5:7; 7:3Ps. 7:7; Hos 5:3.But no explicit reference to particular judgement.

NT-      also have no explicit references, but implicitly we can say, Lazarus and Dives (Lk 16:19-31), parable of watchfulness.Lazarus was taken immediately to heaven, he was on the bosom of Abraham. Rich man also was immediately taken. Mt 5:22 “you will be liable to judgment.”

Some Opinions:How long it will take?

            Some say it is not God who judges, but after death one sees in a flash all of one’s life, thoughts and actions and judges oneself.  God is only confirming the judgement.

            But in reality it is not I who judge but God only judges.  God rewards with joy and punishes with reluctance and the human being perceives that the judgement is right and just as he sees the whole life as in reality it was.

If we had made a choice for God IN death, then we will be given Heaven. If our choice is not for God, then go to hell. When we made a choice for God there is a little problem, still our Love is not full, so there is Purgatory Maturation.

Heaven:

            Descriptive definition: “Heaven is a sensed, intimate, personal and social, eternal happiness and a continuous thrill of being plunged into the throbbing, infinite, loving life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit without any obstruction.  It is happiness gifted by the Father and the Holy Spirit in and through the Son, Our Lord and Brother Jesus Christ.  A life of loving communion with the B.V.M., Angels and all the Blessed”.

            To be with God is joy, peace, harmony.

Scripture:

Old Testament

·         Mystical Psalms: Longings of the human heart for the intimacies of God’s presence.

·         Israelite thinks of God residing in his heavens (Deut 10, 14) Is. 64:1.

·         Psalms of theophany: Ps. 16:2; 36:5-10; 73:23-26.

New Testament

            Heaven is given us as gift in and through Jesus Christ.

Mt. 25:34, 46, 7:22ff – Jesus Christ is the one who admits people into his Father’s kingdom.

Lk 23:43 – Paradise is to be with Jesus Christ

Images in the NT

1. Vision of God: Vision of God is a relation between a subject and a subject, a familiar dealing between God and a human being.

2. Festival lights: The birth of Jesus is connected with light (Lk 2:9+32), Jesus light of the world (Jn 1:4-5+9, 3:19, 8:12, 9:5, 12:46), Transfiguration (Mt 17:2), Flash of light from heaven (Act 9:3).  In heaven we behold God who is light and we would be bathed and penetrated by that light.

3. Temple of Splendour / Heavenly City / Bride Jerusalem

            Temple is the meeting place of God and human being.  Jesus himself is presented as the Temple because in Him God and human meet (Jn 2:19-22).

2 Cor 5:1-10 – dwelling place with Lord

Rev. 4:1 – symbolic description line with OT images

Rev. 21-22 – Climax Reality. The intimate relationship.  God and human beings share a common life.

4. The “Touch” of God – The intimate tender nature of the relation and contact with God in heaven.

Can we see God in Heaven? We can see God through the eyes of Glorified Humanity of Jesus.        

Theological Reflections:

1.      Do the Blessed in Heaven seen the Divine Essence?  It is more than vision.  It is intimate relationship, we are plunged into the Trinitarian life.

2.      Know completely God when we go to heaven would be impossible.  Every moment will be new.  We come to know more and more about God.

3.      Degrees / Differences in the enjoyment of the individuals.  Only accidental differences.  God’s offer of love and life is always full.  It is only our reception that varies.

4.      Able to recognize others.  Yes, we still keep our personal identities.

Hell (ccc 1033 – 37)

            Descriptive definition: “It is the voluntarily chosen definitive loss of everlasting life and communion with God and Blessed”. There is hell and its punishment is immediately after death and particular judgement.  Controversies and diverse opinions revolve mainly around the nature of hell.

Two opinions opposed to Hell:

1. Universalism: Somehow all will be saved in the end. Reasons for this is insistence on the universal salvific will of God.  Origen’s theory of APOKATASTASIS favoured this.

2.  Annihilationism: After biological death, the lost would be annihilated forthwith. There is no resurrection for them.  Jehovah witnesses held this.

We would like very much there is no Hell.but Scripture says there is Hell.

Scriptural Evidences

Old Testament

Concept of ‘Sheol’ – This concept has been influenced by the thought patterns of people in the Middle East.  In the beginning it was considered to be dark cavern below the earth, to which went all who die, both good and bad.  There they led a shadowy, sleep existence (1 Sam 28:3ff (v. 18), Job 7:9-10; 10:21-22; 14:12-14; 17:13-16; 30:23; Ps. 88:3-6; 28:2; 30:9; 6:5).  This concept underwent a significant change (2^nd and 1^st Century BC).  The Septuagint translated sheol by the Greek words ‘Hades’.  The Jews began to distinguish two parts in the Sheol-Hades.  The upper part was for the good who began to enjoy some joy, whereas a lower part which came to be known later as Gehenna was a place of unending punishment for the lost.  II Mac 7:9, 14, 23, 29.  Jesus descent into hell (cf. 1 Pet 3:18-19; Mt 27:50-53).  Gehenna is normally understood in OT as a valley situated in the South of Jerusalem (Hinnom valley) witnessed the abomination of child sacrifice to Muloch (2 Kg 23:10; 2 Chr 28:3; Jer 7:30-32).  In Is. 66:24 as the place where all the dead bodies of rebels against God would be thrown and the place where the worm and fire would last.

New Testament:

            Gehenna hell is mentioned in Mt (7 times), Mk (3 times), James (once).  In parables and discourses of Jesus this term is recurring.

Parables:

·         Mt 13:24-43    :           Wheat and the cockle

·         Mt 13:47-50    :           The Net

·         Mt 22:1-14      :           The Wedding feast

·         Mt 25:14-30    :           The Talents

·         Mt 25:31-46    :           The Last Judgement

·         Lk 16:19-31    :           Lazarus and Dives

Discourses:

·         Mt 5:22           :           For sins against chastity the liability is hell fire

·         Mt 5:28           :           Sins against chastity

·         Mt 9:42-48      :           Scandalizing simple people

·         Jn 1:4, 11:25; 14:6       The one who rejects Jesus would land himself in darkness of death.

·         Rev. 20:15       :           Those who are not in the book of life – thrown into the lake of fire

St. Paul – Rom 2:8 – wrath and fiery; Phil 3:19 – destruction; 2 Thess 1:6-10 – Eternal destruction.

The Teaching of the Fathers of the Church:

-          Ignatius of Antioch – the one who corrupts, by his evil teaching, will go to unquenchable fire.

-          St. Justin – Eternal punishment, eternal sentence of fire.

-          St. Iraneus – everlasting fire, damned forever.

-          Tertullian – special fire like volcano

-          St. Hippolytus – fiery worm that does not die

-          St. Gregory of Nazianzenus – Hell fire is a punishment and does not purify .

-          St. Augustine, Pope St. Gregory the Great – defend immediate punishment

-          Origen – hell is freely chosen person makes a choice.  He speaks of possibility of restoring the choice.  For him eternal punishment is not these.  He questions eternal punishments nature because he believes in universal restoration.

Church Documents:

Lateran IV (1215 A.D.)          Perpetual punishment

Lyons II (1274 A.D.)              Immediately to hell

Ferrara – Florence (1439 A.D.)           Immediately to Hell

CCC 1033 – 1037       Punishment

            In general the Church documents avoid using hell and fire, they are not so evidently found.

Theological Reflection – Karl Rahner

            For Rahner, after life we become part of cosmos.  Both good and bad in a special relation to the whole of cosmos since we still have the inner bodily dimension.  Good would move them to thank and praise God with whole creation while the very same thing would hurt the lost.  The reason for this strange thing is that these things would be pointing to the God whom they have voluntarily rejected.  For Rahner hell means those who have lost the sense of being with God.

How long will somebody in Hell? Is there fire in hell? What are the images used for Hell? (please refer Text Page 33-35)

The Maturation in Purgatory:

           There is no proof for existence of Purgatory in the scripture. We have texts could be accommodative. The most frequent Text is 2 Mac 12:39-45.But this text is not accepted by Protestant and jews since the original of the book in Greek.

Scripture: 2 Mac 12:39-45 – Judas Maccabeus makes a collection and send to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice in NT 1 Cor 3:10-15.  Super structure put on the foundations laid by the Apostles, which superstructure would be tested by fix.  This fix is not referring purgatory at all, but it is testing credibility.

Teachings of the Church:

            There is difference in the emphasis between east and west.  The West emphasized the aspect of satisfaction for sins committed (satispassio),(Pain must be extracted. Punishment due to the sins were left behind to be paid by Satispassio) East emphasized the aspect of purification and maturation.( what is done in the purgatorial state is continued to be accomplished by the Holy Sprit) (Refer Lyons II, Florence; The Council of Trent, Vatican II etc) pg. 23-25, Come Lord Jesus Come.

Suffrage – Meanings for all prayers, Hoe suffrage helps them those who are in Purgatory( Refer Page No.24)

Theological Reflections:

1.      Karl Rahner – Purgatory is a process of maturation.  This maturation does not mean growth in glory or merit.

2.      Card. J. Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) – Encounter with Christ the Risen Lord.  The individual would realize all the sufferings he / she had inflicted on the Mystical Body of Christ and feel ashamed and guilty.  At the same time that individual would experience forgiveness flowing from the head of the Mystical Body to the truly good, biologically dead person, however imperfect he or she may have been living on this earth.

3.      Fr. Joseph Francis – we have to get out of selfishness and self centredness.  We cannot enter heaven even if we have a little bit of selflessness.  According to him purpose of purgatory.  Once our fleshly bodily dimension (external dimension) is torn away, our inner bodily self, which has inborn desire for God fly towards God.  Due to lack of proper maturity, lack of perfect love, we experience intensely the pull but cannot reach the Trinitarian persons of our longings.  This is the suffering could be compared to an intense fire.

Resurrection:

            When Jesus comes with power in parousia all the dead and living will raise. Then there will be the final judgment – there who make choice for God will have life full of joy harmony and peace, and they will get their same body like Jesus and mother Mary.

Scriptural View:

O.T: Dan 12:1-2 – First reference to resurrection.  All the other we find previously are about resuiciation (1 Kg 17:17-24; Eze 37:1-14)/

2^nd reference – II Mac 7:9ff – The widow and her seven sons.

N.T.: We see it is belief of Pharisees

Did Jesus believed? Yes he himself spoke about that.

Jesus also warns against interpreting resurrection in any grossly biological sense (Mt 22:23-33).

Paul’s teaching about resurrection is clearly explained in 1 Cor 15:1ff.For Greek people it is difficult to believe in the resurrection. Because, they follow the philosophy of Plato. According to that, (entering again soul into the body is the punishment). But resurrection means coming back to the body so Paul makes argument. ( Refer Pages 50-51)

            He speaks about progressive resurrection that initial resurrection is experienced in paschal experience of death and resurrection at Baptism.  This process completes at Parousia.

            In Rom 8:15-27, II Cor 5:5; Eph 1:14 speaks about pneumatological aspect where resurrection is seen as an ongoing process.

            The justified person has received Holy Spirit as guarantee (the arrabon) as the first installment in the process of transformation from death to life.  This transformation go on day by day according to our lower level co-operation with God’s grace, the higher level and comes to completion at the last day.

The Body we have in Resurrection

            Death was traditionally described as separation of body and soul, by the Western Christian circle, due to the influence of Plato’s philosophy.  But today the Christian anthropological understanding is, “the body and soul are not two independent things in a temporary union, but now understood as bodily self, which does not exclude the immortal soul, nor it excludes the bodily dimension, which is essential for a human being to be a human being”.  So at death, only externally extended body dissolves.  Individual’s identity remains even after biological death through internally extended body.

So bodily self is persisting even after biological death.  In the resurrection we will get back the external bodily dimensions because resurrection means the repossession of a glorified, external bodily dimension.  The sameness of the body will be never absent.  For example rubber stamp – though we use after many years image is same, though ink and paper is different.

            There are various arguments concerning that body

-          Some argue for perfect corporeal identity based on 1 Cor 15:53-54

-          Some others for partial and non-material body – 1 Cor 15:50

-          Others for spiritual body – a body perfectly submissive to the movement of the spirit and under the perfect control of the spirit.

Possible characteristics of the body:

I. Pohle – The vegetative functions would case.

V. De Broglie – possibility of vegetative functions would be present without any dependence or need or craving for them.  Because Jesus after his resurrection ate fish, breathed on the apostles and they touched him.

Four qualities of that body – that reveals dominance of spirit over the body (1 Cor 15:42-44).

i)                    Impassibility – no suffering, sickness, death, pain etc., - It is not dependant

ii)                  Splendour – beauty and radiance – controllable at will.

iii)                Subtility – Docile to Spirit and enjoy compentiability.

iv)                Agility – not restricted to space and time.

 Fr. Albert Leo

Precious Blood Missionaries