AS099 Ask Sister podcast recorded live on January 19, 2012. Sponsored by aNunsLife.org ministry. Topics include: Mass fracas over word changes in liturgy, unruly use of church rules, finding a spiritual mentor, does God have plans for the world, and more!

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Ask Sister podcast is a live podcast where you have the opportunity to engage with us and ask questions about nuns, prayer, religious life, or pretty much anything in between!

Here are some of the topics we addressed in this Ask Sister podcast:

• Why are some people vehemently upset about the changes to the Mass? Jesus is still Jesus in the Eucharist — isn’t that why we go to Mass anyway?
• Can I be a sister if I am not a conservative Catholic (or in other words, have a problem with strict applying of rules in the church)?
• Where to find a spiritual mentor when it seems there’s not one anywhere nearby.
• What are God’s plans for today’s world?

Do you have a question for us? Contact us http://anunslife.org/contact/and, using your computer, record your question on voice mail. Be sure to give us your first name and city from where you are calling. We’ll play your message and respond on the Ask Sister podcast. You can also comment below. In whatever way you contact us, please know that your last name, email address, and any other private information will be kept confidential.

On this holy feast day we have a guest blogger, Regina Heater …

When I first went back to Mass – to the Easter Vigil – after a time when I was deeply, deeply wounded by people whom I trusted and loved and depended upon – I cried through most of the Eucharistic liturgy. It felt like coming home, and it felt like I just might heal after all.  And yet, as I went to receive Communion, at that Mass and the ones that followed, I would wonder – what exactly did I believe? Was I accepting Transubstantiation? Consubstantiation? Mere symbols? When I bowed with the priest, as the words triggered memories of bells rung by altar boys (how I wanted to ring those chimes!), what did I believe? Was it Christ? Was it bread? Was it blood? How could it be bread yet God? Doesn’t that defy physics? Does it matter? What did everyone around me believe?

And yet. I could not deny that there was something - something - Real and Present with me in the ritual. I used to think that what made Communion special was the community, gathered to commemorate together the Lord’s sacrifice.  I’ve participated in some beautiful rituals – con-celebrating the blessing of the elements, (the setting from the Iona Community is particularly wonderful), distributing the elements, singing the common songs (One Bread, One Body… Let Us Break Bread Together), celebrating World Communion Sunday with breads from many nations. Amazing, wonderful rituals.

And yet. In my heart, deep within my soul, I yearned for something more.  I learned in time that it is a combination of the gathered community and the Real Presence of Christ in our Eucharist that is the more I sought. It is knowing that our Eucharistic feast is merely a prelude for our experience of the Eucharist in the world.  At Mass, we experience the Real Presence of Christ; outside of Mass, we are Eucharist for the world. We aren’t merely bringing Christ to the world, we ARE the Presence of Christ to everyone we meet. We are holy and living sacrifices.  We are the bread, we are the cup, we are what brings nourishment and refreshment to the world. We are the instrument of grace to people around us, even as our commemoration of the Eucharist is a means of bringing grace to us. We are, literally and figuratively, the Body of Christ.

We sing a song at my church that begins with the Agnus Dei and transitions to a beautiful prayer about communion.  It is called “Lamb of God/Taste and See,” composed by Tom Kendzia. I often find myself humming it after Mass, sometimes through the week. It is a reminder to me to give thanks at all times, that God is Real and Present with me and with all those around me.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord,
oh taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Let the lowly hear and be glad, let us glorify his name,
together let us praise God’s name.

Glorify the Lord with me, together let us praise his name;
from my fears God has set me free.

Hi Sister Julie,

If I told you the complete story how I found this web site you would laugh! Let’s just say I was on Amazon looking for some books about the question below which lead me to St. Teresa of Avila, then here. God bless the internet!

To put my question in context, I will briefly explain its origin. I grew up Catholic (parochial school, altar boy, etc) and have had a persistent calling since early adolescence. Regardless, I shelved my spirituality during the teen years. Now 34, it’s growing again.

I am hoping you could recommend a source to help me have a deeper understanding of the Eucharist and what it means during mass. I have a Catechism and I think I understand the literal meaning-from a 30,000 foot view, but sense a huge gap in spiritual connection. I’ve been praying, begging, consulting, and have been attending mass stubbornly in spite of lack of “scope” in my understanding. I am not hoping for a mystical experience (I don’t think that highly of myself!), but a greater respect and awareness of what happens during mass. Hopefully my request isn’t laced w/unrealistic expectations of you, but I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t hidden from most people and that you may have encountered this search before-maybe personally? Am I approaching this incorrectly? Could it be a matter of 100% faith, regardless of depth of understanding or feeling? Sometimes I think God hides things from me so I don’t screw it up-you know, like heavenly Special ED. I’m not whining-just eager.

Thank you for sharing your time,
Dan

Dear Dan, I was delighted to read your comment, both because of how you found me and because of the way you explained your experience and desire. I also hear a bit of myself in you.

You well expressed that sense of being attracted, drawn in by something that is incomprehensible, something that doesn’t easily yield its secrets, yet is compelling nonetheless. I guess it’s no wonder why many of the truths of our religion are called “mysteries of faith”! But because it’s a mystery doesn’t mean we have to solve it or figure it out but to embrace it. Live into the mystery. Allow it to embrace us. (I’m a big fan of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Rahner’s theology of Holy Mystery, so I had to get a little of that in.)

That being said, there’s lots we can do to better understand things like the Eucharist and what’s happening at Mass. Though these are more intellectual exercises, they affect our spirit and faith and help us grow in our relationship with God and the people with whom we worship. One of my favorite books on the Mass is Joe Paprocki’s book Living the Mass. Another thing that I have personally found helpful is praying with the Scripture passages about the Last Supper. Sister Barbara Reid, OP, has a nice piece in “Scripture from Scratch” (2002) on the Last Supper.

Ultimately, the words of one of my IHM nuns keeps ringing in my ears as I think of how to respond to you: “Ride the saddle easy.” I know, not the most spiritual saying, but fitting I think. When you are at Mass, remember that the whole liturgy is a celebration of dying and rising, of bread and body broken, of wine and blood outpoured. It’s in the people praying around you, in the priest and liturgical ministers, in the wood of the pews and the glass of the windows. Give in to that sense of dying and rising, being broken and made whole. You are participating in the very life of Jesus the Christ!

Ride the saddle easy: don’t try to make a mystical moment happen or expect a clear understanding of what is going on. The experience of the Eucharist at Mass and in other incarnational moments in daily life will draw you into a fuller meaning. And, as I noted above, a little spiritual reading never hurts!

Blessings to you, Dan. My prayers are with you.