| AD ORIENTEM
AND ORDERING YOUR PRIVATE WORLD
I can count on two hands how many times I've attended Mass in Extraordinary Form or ad orientem (the priest facing East, to the altar, back to the people), versus populum (facing the people). I'm not here inviting controversy or disparaging Novus Ordo. But as I get older, I am more mindful of how we, as an entire civilization, are not pining for more of the same, but for greater depth of the Some.
IN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS, we are suffering from emotional and mental maladies largely because, in thinking truth is whatever we feel, we are anchored in ourselves. We are adrift.
THAT'S WHY JESUS CHRIST ENTERED THIS WORLD. He is God's unsurpassed gift of Himself. He awakened us from our amnesia to Himself, Whose we are. Accordingly, as with any other gift, this promise for healing, restoration, strength, and overall wholeness requires that we receive this Gift in accord with the Giver.
HERE'S SOMETHING non-Catholics and, unfortunately, too many Catholics don't understand: The physical matters. Gestures matter. Words matter. How we worship matters. Because God Himself took on matter.
Written in 1936, "Liturgy & Personality" (Dietrich von Hildebrand) masterfully describes the intimate connection between God's design for worship (liturgical) and our overall interior health. In the simplest form, as God is the Supreme Value, our health is realized in the degree to which we rightly respond to this Value. In every circumstance.
Thus, in response to a crying child in the middle of the night, or stopping at a light, or matters dating, marriage, and sexuality, we are responding directly to values that partake of the Supreme Value. God. Not as we might have Him, but as He is. Not as we might want, but as He desires.
HOLY MASS, God's supreme gift of Himself from the beginning, invites all the faithful to embrace His way for our most intimate, meaningful connection with Himself.
RESONANCE. Theologian Fr. William Most speaks of "somatic resonance." As we are body and soul, our physical world directly and intimately resonates with our inner reality. Thus, even though a small child may not comprehend the gestures of Mass, they still greatly matter. By forming our children to observe them (particularly with an ever-increasing understanding of the Who and Why), there is a "resonance" with the soul.
Every great gift is only as good (for us) as is our receptivity. The incredible, transformative gift of Jesus Christ poured out in every Mass presupposes our being forged to rightly receive. Mass is the primordial occasion for our appetites, attitudes, feelings, emotions and physical responses to be rightly ordered to their objective end: God Himself. Not simply in Mass, but overflowing into every other part of our lives. This right response of heart, mind, body and soul is the only path for our flourishing. All else will result in languishing.
AGAIN, WE ARE A PEOPLE in great need of rightly ordering our lives to God in Jesus Christ. While not my purpose here, such non-conformity (indifference or simply mediocrity) is at the heart of gender/identity confusion. And every other confusion. It is at the heart of disordereed desires. And so much languishing.
In His Son, Jesus Christ, through Holy Mass, God is offering so much more.
SO, JUST BACK FROM MASS, I was particularly moved at the height of the Eucharistic Prayer. Having endeavored to present the totality of my life in the bread and wine transformed into the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, my proverbial all was elevated in the Consecrated Host (Jesus) as the priest, in the person of Christ (in persona Christi), prayed: "Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever." (Per Ipsum)
WHAT INCREDIBLE SYMBOLISM it has always been, and is, for all the faithful, uniting the entirety of our lives in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ behind the priest, lifting it all to the Father.
I'M GOING OUT ON A LIMB in suggesting that while ad orientem is permitted, indeed, normative (the first post-Vatican II General Instruction of the Roman Missal, issued in 1969, implicitly assumes the ad orientem posture, see sections 107 and 115), such proper, physical response could do much in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls being more rightly ordered to Him who made us for Himself, Who is LORD of our depths.
Please join us in more fully seeking to live the transformation we profess. Beyond programs and events, dare to discover Jesus Christ in missioned friendship. We believe that together we can profoundly impact this world for now and future generations. We have a big vision to make our missioned friendship-building capacity all the more available. Please partner with us in prayer and financial support.
God bless you!
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| Greg & Stephanie Schlueter,
Image Trinity | Mass Impact
Feedback welcome: Greg@MassImpact.us
If you are a grandparent and interested in helping give wings to a Catholic grandparent movement seeking to reclaim and form our children and grandchildren for the Kingdom: GO. We very much welcome your partnership right now. More to come!
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| | AN URGENT APPEAL:
Our nonprofit movement has been making a significant impact on marriages and families. We are so grateful for the prayers and support of monthly partners whose generosity currently covers about 50%. This mission would be so blessed to reach 100%. Thank you so much for your consideration.
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We would be so grateful for your partnership.
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EPISODE 425: FRIENDSHIP ON A MISSION
AIRING LIVE ON ANNUNCIATION RADIO AT 2P SATURDAY WITH ENCORE 8P SUNDAY.
We are about friendships on a mission. In this first video episode, we bring you to our Live IT Room, the epicenter of the Schlueter Civilization, where fights are fought, relationships are reconciled, prayers are prayed, games are played, gifts are enhanced, and saints are forged. We discuss the incredible, transforming impact of Christ's presence in friendships and community with specific reference to our weekly "Restoration Small Group" with the Hohlers, McDonaghs, and Reinharts.
Also in this episode, we do a deeper dive into the Gospel:
Faith like a mustard seed. (Mk 4:26-34)
And we discuss these consequential news stories from The Loop (CatholicVote.org)
- Russell Brand: Vote Trump To Save Democracy
- Lawyer Outlines Paths SCOTUS Can Take On Abortion Pill
- Analyst Confronts Pro-Abortion Myth
- ADF To Score Companies On Religious Freedom
- Psychologist Warns Against Giving Kids Smartphones
- Columnist Smears Sacred Heart As Symbol Of ‘Right Wing’
- Pew: Voters Turning On ‘Trans’ Agenda
Be challenged. Be encouraged. Be blessed.
♣ A vital partnership with Father John Riccardo's Rescue Project: Home Edition amplifies our commitment to bringing the Father's Heart into homes. This collaboration serves as a beacon of hope, offering refuge, healing, and renewal to those seeking a deeper connection with their faith. (CatholicRevival.us)
♣ At the core of our mission is the Live IT Gathering Guide, a weekly commitment for families to grow together. United with other families on the same journey, we form a robust network of support, fortifying each other in our collective mission to build the Kingdom of God. (ILoveMyFamily.us) Get our Live IT App with all the things! (MassImpact.us/APP)
♣ #1 NEW RELEASE ON AMAZON! My first book and ebook, "The Magnificent Piglets of Pigletsville" (Our Present-Day Plight Wrapped in a Fairytale) is available in paperback, hardcopy, Kindle, Audible, Audiobook and iTunes. In the depths, beyond the shallows of politics, is our deepest aspiration for belonging and becoming, which takes place on a battlefield. ORDER See the book-movie trailer at Squigglesprout.com.
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