Nick Wagner - Latest Comments

Re: Liturgy of the Word (Jan. 25)

Puretapatio — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:32:02 -0000

Hello Nick! Just a quick comment about your class in ILM... I don't usually use the word "LOVE" when I really like something, but I just got to say that I LOVE YOUR CLASS!!!! Although I'm pretty behind in my reading, I'll try my best to catch up to you guys. MGBYA!!!!! (May God Bless You Always) :-)

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:39:55 -0000

Yay! I'm glad Kavanagh is making a little sense to us! Thanks for sharing your analysis of the liturgy, Sally. Liturgy really does change us. Keep up the great work.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:37:34 -0000

Hi All. The following is from Sally:
____________________________________________________

“Behold the Lamb of God”


“behold him who takes away the sins of the world”


“Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb”

The reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark, 1:14-20
struck me. There was John, standing with two of his disciples, and as he
watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God”. These words are said
each time the priest elevates the host and the chalice. For me, this is what
the celebration of the Mass is about. It’s about all of us gathering together
to listen to God’s word and His love for us and we, in turn, express our love to God through the Eucharist. But in order to make this celebration
“successful’, good liturgy is required.

Aidan Kavanagh
(thanks largely in part to Nick’s explanation of what Kavanagh meant) was right when he wrote that “what results
from a liturgical experience is a deep change in the very lives of those who
participate in the liturgical act”. I,
for one was changed by what I have witnessed this past Sunday’s 12:15 PM
Mass at my parish, St. Victor’s Church.

There was full, conscious and active participation from the
assembly and I will give it a total score of 17. The liturgy of the Word and
the liturgy of the Eucharist flowed really well. Everyone participated in the
singing of the songs. The presider, lector, the liturgical musicians and the
altar servers all came well prepared. The assembly was fully engaged in the
readings and the homily. The prayer of the faithful followed the set structure
of praying for the church, the world, the oppressed and the community. A
special intention was also mentioned for whom the Mass is offered. The only
hitch I saw was the lack of uniformity in the posture after receiving
communion. Some knelt , some continue to stand when they return to their pews.

I went home feeling energized, refreshed and “blessed to be
called to the supper of the Lamb”.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:32:10 -0000

Hi Diane. Thanks for all these great thoughts. The one that jumped out at me was your dislike of dealing with people who complain about things going wrong. Same with me; I hate that. That's one of the roles of leadership, though. We have to figure out how to help folks like that have a better experience. I usually fail at that leadership task.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:27:16 -0000

Hi Jay. What a wonderful reflection on God's love for us! Thanks for thinking about this and sharing your thoughts with us.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:26:09 -0000

Hi Arlene. Wonderful job on the berakah prayers! Thanks for sharing your thoughts even though your week has been difficult. I'm also glad to hear you were able to keep the four liturgical arts in mind during your assistance with the family. See you tonight!

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:23:50 -0000

Hi Denise. Thanks for sharing this beautiful description of your liturgy. I love the image of being called home to dinner. As I said to Joyce in an earlier post, sometimes having the tools to evaluate liturgy helps us see the beauty in it more clearly. Great job!

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:19:01 -0000

Hi All. The following is from Diane:
_______________________________________________________________________

I am truly enjoying our classes. What began as a puzzle to
me, is steadily becoming clear.

My prayer is simple
O merciful and loving Father, who awaits quietly and faithfully, always close
to us, ready to steady our hearts and minds
You sent us your only Son out of pure love for us, for our salvation
And to restore our souls with your peace and grace so we can trust the path you
have set for us.
May Jesus, our savior, guide us each day on our journey of life.

The ritual flow of my parish is different at every mass, but the foundation is
basically the same. My mass the 11 am in the Gathering Hall.
This sacred space for me is without the usual environment of Stations of the
Cross, Sacristy, narthex, Tabernacle, but it is inviting, the presence of God
is truly felt once the mass begins. I have always been drawn to the richness of
our Catholic faith, for example, from the first procession to the dismissal by
the priest. I do not feel that the rituals are too rigid. It is only when the
person or persons become too rigid in implementing the rituals that the ritual
is disrupted. The presence of God is lost or overshadowed. What I mean
specifically is this, each mass, at times has little "hiccups" that
can disrupt the flow.
How these disruptions are handled by the coordinators of the mass is key in
keeping a prayerful and grace filled mass. Besides, if the missal is not at the
appropriate place for some reason, a paten is missing, this can be fixed in a
quick and quiet manner.

For me, anything having to do with incense makes me a little uncomfortable, but
that is my own lack of confidence. The ritual itself is beautiful, especially
now that someone from my parish has enlightened me to the key points of using
incense. The smoke is a prayer to heaven, the smell of the incense and the soft
clicking of the chain holding the thurible all combined set up an experience of
sacred ritual.

Our class in designing ritual comes at a key period in my own parish as the
worship coordinators for the 11am have steppped down leaving a big hole. They
were usually the sole leaders at this mass for many years. Having to fill in at
the last minute as sacristan, Eucharistic minister, or lector because people
were too shy to sign up. Yes, the mass did happen, but there were moments of
anxiety before and during the mass. Thankfully, over the past few days, a few
parishioners have stepped up to set up a Yahoo group where set schedules will
be placed to list, a month before, who will be on for which volunteer spot,
such as lector, worship coordinator and Eucharistic minister, greeter, and
usher. I am so grateful for this opportunity to implement what I have learned.
A truly teaching experience.

What I enjoy about the Mass is the peace and grace I feel listening to the
readings, saying the prayers, and singing. What I do not enjoy and what pushes
me away is the attitude some people express when things go wrong. If the
communion lines start going in the opposite directions for some reason it is
not the end of the world, the key is that every one invited to partake in
receiving the sacred Body and Blood can. Certainly you would not want this to
happen every week, but what is important is that each individual received in a
sacred manner.

Music is very important to me, and it is another form of praying. I feel more
comfortable practicing the songs beforehand to prepare, just as I would if I
were a lector proclaiming the Word. It enhances the spirituality of the mass
for me. I believe more singing during the mass makes it more spiritual.

I personally feel being a coordinator for a large mass is an honor, where I am
a part of a sacred celebration, but not the center of attention. In a smaller
group, I prefer a calm, and peaceful celebration. I look forward to learning
how to celebrate these different settings appropriately.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Denise Purvis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:39:52 -0000

Jay,
Thank you for sharing your profound thoughts. I am always impressed by your love for our God.
Denise

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Rose Lue — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:30:35 -0000

I have a few things to share:
1) After our first session, I was starting to understand what liturgy is and how the mass is important to our faith. I was feeling very positive about everything that I will surely learn from the class. I was thinking that if I was ever asked again to join our liturgy and spirituality council, I'd be ready. Then, I met with Linda that Friday for my one on one before graduating and I was asked if I'd be interested in helping plan our graduation mass. I said yes, confident that this class would prepare me for the task. I told Linda that if I had been asked prior to this class, I would have said no. And then the following Friday I was asked to join our liturgy and spirituality council starting Fall. So, thank you, Nick, for giving us a foundation to take on leadership roles in our community related to our faith life.
2) In our reading, it talked about how it'd be a good idea if people in the back of the church lined up first for communion so that there'd be a feeling of coming together as one. In our parish, we used to do that and then recently (in the past few years) we changed it to front to back. I wonder what the logic was in changing it. One thought I had of why starting from the back was a good idea was so they can start lining up while the EM's got ready since they'd have a longer walk to get to the front. I'm now thinkig of asking our Dir of Liturgy why we changed.
3) I had forgotten about the you-who-do-through prayer which we learned on year 1 or 2. I was amazed how you can put it together with our random post-it notes. Here's my stab at a prayer:

Lord, God our Father,
you sent us your son Jesus
to lead and guide us into a closer union with you.
Help us remember Jesus' story of calling disciples to share in this mission.
Be with us today and always as we answer your call.
We ask this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Rose

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Olegario J. Lara — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:14:12 -0000

   I have been thinking a lot about Nick’s lecture concerning the re-creation of our love relationship with God during mass. It is a very profound and comforting thought knowing that each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He created us because He loves us and He truly knows our hearts. God wants us to re-create a loving relationship with Him and that is why He sent his only begotten Son to establish the Kingdom of God. Jesus has shown us through our liturgy how to love God. This is amazing and so simple. God has shown us how simple it is to love Him.

   In our human brokenness we love incompletely. Our human insecurities, fears, jealousy, envy and pride inhibit us from loving others as God loves us. We can never love each other as God loves us. Regardless of this idea, God hasn’t given up on us. He tells us to love others as He has loved us. Is this possible as human beings? Maybe God doesn’t expect us to succeed but to try, knowing that we will fail many times and possibly come to know His love as the only true and ever lasting love.

   Taking it one step further, I don’t believe God is a judge. Why would he give us our beautiful liturgy if He wants to judge us? He would have given us a celebration of condemnation not a celebration of love. Our liturgy reflects only a truly compassionate, forgiving and LOVING God.

   I believe that God understands and accepts that we are broken human beings and that we are tarnished by original sin. We cannot save ourselves. We need God’s salvation and love. The part of ourselves that we try to hide away and not show to others is clearly known by God. The worries we carry each day are worries God knows we have. The insecurities and fears we stuff down everyday of our lives are familiar to God. God has seen it all and He knows it all. Regardless of our faults, He never restricts our access to the liturgy but encourages our participation. Why would God do this?

   This is my thought. When we re-create our love relationship with God at mass we are also re-creating our loving relationship with each other. I believe this is why God asks us to loves others as He has loved us. It is simple to love God but harder to love ourselves and others. We need to be forever remind of His saving grace and LOVE and also try to choose love.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Arlene H. Quiogue — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:41:11 -0000

This has been an especially difficult week
for me with the death of a couple of old friends. Since our last class, I suddenly found myself
called upon (only a day before) to help prepare and serve at one of their
funeral masses. Mindful about the four
liturgical arts (word, environment, movement, and music) and trusting in God
that this is all part of His plan, I did my best to contribute to the liturgy and
help a family through this difficult time.

For my friends (Gene C. and Lupe R.) who have gone home to the
Father and on today’s 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I wrote two berakahs. Please join me in prayer:

Loving Father,

you have sent your only Son to give us new
life.

Welcome into Your kingdom our brothers and
sisters who have died in your friendship.

We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ,
the Cup of Our Salvation.

Glorious God,

You created us in your own divine image and
created this world with every living creature in it.

Enlighten us with Your Truth that we may
respect all life and not destroy it.

We ask this in the name of your son Jesus
Christ, the Light of Life.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Denise Purvis — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:47:12 -0000

Joyce, what am beautiful prayer!

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Denise Purvis — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:46:11 -0000

First off, I’d like to say
that I really like the format of this class.
I appreciate the way we all have an opportunity to share and participate.

The ritual flow of the mass I
attended at St. Catherine this weekend was especially smooth. I thought that since I was looking more
critically at the mass, I would find things that didn’t flow. Instead, I was impressed by how well it did
flow, from the welcoming announcements to the closing song. The opening song, Rain Down (OCP) was well done and rousing. The congregation was familiar with the song,
and participated in singing. At the
mass, there was Children’s Liturgy of the Word, and the children were dismissed
prior to the first reading. The priest
said a wonderful prayer of blessing, and while the children were leaving the
church, the first lector moved up to the ambo, so that when the congregation
turned around, they were ready for the reading.

The homily, said by our
deacon, tied in both of the readings and the Gospel, and spoke about the message
of repentance. Deacon Phil made a
beautiful metaphor of the nets of the fishermen being the Kingdom of God. We are the fishermen, and we are challenged
to bring others to the kingdom by spreading the Gospel message of Jesus’ love. The Offertory song was Many and Great by Ricky Manolo (OCP) and tied in the homily with
the preparation of the Eucharist we were about to receive.

Just as Father was saying the
introductory prayer for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the children came back
into the church. They were quiet with
their voices, but you could hear their feet running back to their parents. I was reminded of being called home for
supper when I was a child myself. How appropriate
it was that they arrived back just at that moment.

The Communion song was Here at this Table (OCP). The refrain was sung while the Eucharistic
Ministers were still on the altar receiving communion. It was a wonderful introduction to the
Eucharist we were about to receive.

After the closing
announcements were made, our pastor again tied in the metaphor spoken about in
the Homily. The Closing song was Sing of the Lord’s Goodness (OCP), and
again, reinforced the message that we are to go out into the world and spread
the Gospel message.

I was impressed by how the
music was not only beautiful, but supported the readings and the overall flow
of the mass. I know it doesn’t always
work out this way, but I thought it was especially nice since I was paying
attention to everything. Overall, great
mass!

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Nick Wagner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:31:37 -0000

Joyce, that is just awesome! You made my whole day.

Re: ILM Liturgy Track

Nick Wagner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:28:05 -0000

Hi Diane. You picked up on the same idea as Jay--the connection between the physical and the spiritual. The signs and symbols make the invisible, visible. And you make a great point about our willingness to listen to God's voice. Sometimes the message is not clear, but well-celebrated liturgy attunes our hearts and our ears to better hear how God is calling us to act.

Re: Liturgical Leadership (Jan. 11)

Nick Wagner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:23:59 -0000

Hi Rose. I don't know if there is a way to get kids to want to go to Mass. I never wanted to when I was a kid. My mom just made me go. But now I'm glad she did. With teens and adults, I think it is different. The liturgy should be beautiful enough and powerful enough that it makes them want to be there out of more than obligation. That is the challenge for us as liturgical leaders. How do we design our parish liturgies to be attractive like that?

Re: Liturgical Leadership (Jan. 11)

Nick Wagner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:21:09 -0000

Hi Joyce. Learning how to evaluate liturgy is a two-edged sword. It is true that you will start to see a lot more of the mistakes and less beautiful parts of the liturgy. But you will also begin to appreciate a lot more of the nuance and intricate beauty of the liturgy as well. And best of all, you will know what to do to help your parish celebrate better and better worship!

Re: Liturgical Leadership (Jan. 11)

Nick Wagner — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:18:52 -0000

Hi Jay. You really express the connection between the physical and the spiritual well. As you point out, it is the physical signs and symbols that allow us to express what is in our hearts. Thanks for a good reflection that helps us all think.

Re: Designing Ritual (Jan. 18)

Joyce Billings — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:05:51 -0000

When ever I have been asked to lead a prayer I panicked. I would surf the internet looking for something that was appropriate. I never really felt I could just off the top of my head for fear that I did not know what I was doing. Well that is all over. Now that I know the simple "you who do through" format I feel like I could write a prayer for any situation and enjoyed writing this one for class.

God, of all creation you have called us together in your name to guide and support one another in our journey as liturgical ministers. Open our minds to the wisdom and knowledge you wish us to learn and give is strength to inspire others in our parish to become leaders so they may know and love and serve you. We ask this through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Re: Liturgical Leadership (Jan. 11)

Rose Lue — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:18:26 -0000

One of my goals for this course is to gain a greater understanding of liturgy to the point of looking forward to going to mass and missing it when I don't go. Also, I want to be able to pass on this understanding to my children and anyone else who is bored by mass and are only there because they are being made to go (my kids) or they feel it's a sin if they don't go.

I don't know what my parish's mission is. I have a copy of what the vision is and wonder if it's the same as mission. Celebrating relevant and inspirational liturgies is in our vision and I think my parish, in general, makes the mark. The liturgy does change though depending on the presider, choir, assembly, etc. It has a life of it's own. And, amazing how it takes a lot of coordination from a variety of people. The exercise we did in class drove this point in for me.

Like Jay's comment, I am moved by the readings in Music in Catholic Worship (paragraphs 1-9). I do think that the change in the Roman Missal refreshed liturgies for me in the sense that I am paying attention more to what we say at mass. I am beginning to reflect more on what we say at various parts of the mass, including what the priests say. Prior to the new Roman Missal, I think I pretty much went on auto-pilot and didn't get to mean what I say.

Really looking forward to the class and the readings. Thank you!

Re: Liturgical Leadership (Jan. 11)

Joyce Billings — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:46:06 -0000

I have to say that I agree with you that once you use the
evaluation form to score a liturgy you do not look at liturgies the same
anymore. One part of my parish mission statement is “To help each other grow in
the understanding of our faith; To celebrate this faith in liturgy”. The most recent directive from the
pastor is that mass must be completed within one hour. We often have difficulty with the
length of mass but more often it is due to stating late, a very lengthy homily,
or an extra guest speaker that stretches the time. I understand how important
it is to be mindful of everyone’s time but how can we possible understand or
celebrate our faith if we are watching the clock. With all this in mind my
friend and I gave the mass we attended an 11. Maybe about one fourth sang the opening. However, that
increased when the projected the Gloria. Using technology is currently a
disagreement with many musicians who do not see the point. After reading the
section on the “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy - #34 …the rites should be
marked by a noble simplicity, they should be short, clear and unencumbered by
useless repetitions.” Not so the case this weekend, when even the commentator
had trouble getting through the prayers of the faithful. I most disappointing part
of the mass was the Eucharistic Prayer. The practice of keeping the mass at an
hour I feel had a specific impact for this priest on this portion of the
mass. He rushed by moving on to
the next prayer before the congregation completed their response. This along
with the new language left the community disconnected to this most important
part of the mass. I feel the even though we have the new language printed on
cards, and in the missals the overheads would help with participation. There was about 30 seconds of silence after
communion and little happens around the social justice teachings in my parish. I
have to say that going through this evaluation process and thinking about the
four components of mass we discussed last week has helped me see the potential
for full active participation by everyone at the mass and I have high hopes
that we can do a better job than we do now.

Re: ILM Liturgy Track

Drewdiane — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:09:51 -0000

I was unable to evaluate my usual Sunday Liturgy this past weekend as I was traveling. I did however evaulate the morning mass I attend. We have a full choir and a pianist every morning, but only one reading. Despite this, the liturgy fulfills the active, conscious participation of the mass, although it is shorter.
I feel the parish mission of providing a prayerful, grace filled environment is fulfilled, however I could only give a 2 regarding the General Intercessions.

Re: ILM Liturgy Track

Drewdiane — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:56:22 -0000

Hi everyone: What a wonderful first class! I left feeling very empowered to really achieve my goal of getting a better understanding of liturgy and how my role at my parish and my own spirituality can deepen.
The readings I felt went hand in hand in understanding our mission as ambassadors of Christ through his church and it's people. The order of the readings gave me clarity and I was better able to map out my own goals. I enjoyed reading Constitution on Sacred Liturgy, especially ...that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the Priest and his Body which is the church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; that no other action of the Church can equal it's effectiveness by the same title and by the same degree." I also enjoyed reading Music in Catholic Worship. I attended mass at a different catholic church and came away appreciating the music at each of my own parish masses. After reading "Built of Living Stones" the passage that struck a cord for me was "Just as Christ invited those who heard him to share in his personal union with the Father through material signs, so Christ leads the Church through these same signs in the liturgy from the visible to the invisible. As a result effective liturgical signs have a teaching function and encourage full, conscious and active participation, express and strengthen faith, lead people to God."

In the homily this weekend at the catholic church I visited I truly enjoyed the message to listen to God's voice. You do not necessarily have to know what God whats you to do, but your willingness to listen and go forward. I guess that is where I found myself now. I truly enjoyed our first class together, our team work, the sense of true fellowship that evolved as we put our efforts together for one purpose.

Re: Liturgical Leadership (Jan. 11)

Olegario J. Lara — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:07:03 -0000

Hi Denise,

Thank you for being a minister serving Jesus Christ and teaching others to hear their call to ministry. You are truly a blessing to our community!