God’s Steadfast Presence and the Stewardship of Divine Worship
As a loving Father, God longs not only to provide for us from afar, but to remains visible to us in tangible form, even after he ascended body and soul into heaven. Aware of our need for spiritual nourishment during our earthly pilgrimage, he promises us the perpetual benefits of his atoning sacrifice on the Cross: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35) Many of earth’s cheap thrills leave us feeling as desolate and hungry as ever, but Christ’s overflowing generosity never weans or fades.
One might ask, if we can find our fulfillment only in Christ, why has the Church spent so much money building beautiful churches and outfitting them with beautiful statuary and other furnishing? There is a temptation in our profit-driven, efficiency-driven climate to view the beautification of the liturgy as a sort of squandering or folly. But, lest we think the pursuit of beauty in the worship of God is a waste, let us not forget the Judas Iscariot made this same accusation of Mary, sister of Lazarus, as she began to anoint Jesus’ feet with perfume: “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” (John 12:5) While this seems like a legitimate question, you will know from the rest of the above passage that Christ rebuked Judas rather than Mary!
There is a general tendency in Catholic theology to reject the notion of “either/or” statements, but rather to favor “both/and” statements: Jesus Christ is both human and divine, God is both merciful and just, Mary is both virgin and mother, etc. Following suit, we Catholics are called both to give generously to the poor and to offer our first fruits in the right worship of Almighty God. And our God who has given us these duties will also provide us—or, has already provided us—the means to do both, for our God is a God of abundance and not of scarcity. In the same way that he rained his manna on the wayfaring Israelites in the desert, he continues to make provisions both for our spiritual needs and for our material needs.
Our parish has historically been committed to “the Way of Beauty,” that is, to the use of beautiful objects as a mean of providing a tangible encounter with a God that we cannot see. While our ancestors could have constructed a modest pole barn, they gave of their resources to construct the grand buildings in which we presently worship. When we walk into these spaces, their beauty works calm our everyday anxieties and heighten our spiritual senses.
While we ought to be grateful to our ancestors for these inherited treasures, we cannot merely enjoy them with idle complacence, but we must make sacrifices to carry on their good work. While the brick and mortar has been assembled, we must remember that right worship of God depends on more than physical goods. Divine Worship demands not only a sacrifice of treasure, but a sacrifice of talent and time.
As we approach the beginning of a new program year, I would strongly encourage you to give prayerful thought to ways you can contribute to our preeminent mission of worshipping God. In order to maintain and bolster the beauty of our liturgies, we are in need of more ushers, sacristans, lectors, and altar servers. Furthermore, as Director of Sacred Music, I am always looking to welcome new talent into our choirs. In whatever capacity we may serve, let us actively strive to give God not merely the “leftovers” of Cain, but the first fruits of Abel!
Sam Backman, Director of Sacred Music