Babbling on
Day 6 of Lent, #2 reflection. Continuuing on the Matthew 6 kick...
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
The theme is the same - do the right thing for the right reasons. But what struck me in particular is verse 7, which I've seen translated a few different ways (http://bible.cc/matthew/6-7.htm) One of the major criticisms I've heard from non-Catholic Christians who attend a Catholic mass is that it is too rote, too structured, and too hard to follow for an outsider. The thing that I love - the comfort and familiarity of the same pattern repeated everywhere, is the very same thing that seems unwelcoming to newcomers. And this verse could particularly be aimed at Catholicism. It's too easy to mindlessly repeat the words without reflecting on the meaning. And for all of R.C.'s rules, sometimes it's too easy to check the boxes without putting in much soulful effort. (Hence the reflections)
In college Father Scanlon gave a great homily where he broke down the "Our Father". Ever since that mass, I can't say the words "Forgive us our trespasses/As we forgive those who trespass against us" without thinking more deeply about it. "As we forgive those" - right, I can't expect God to forgive me if I'm not willing to let go of my petty grievances. So before I come before Him, I really need to get my own house in order.
And another thought - repetitive prayer has some great benefits. I have a very hard time calming my mind and getting it to focus on just one thing (SQUIRREL!). Sliding into that pew and picking up the thread of the prayer, beginning the chantlike words of the Nicene Creed, that helps to center me, to switch gears.
I'm not even going to get into the stand up, sit down, kneel! kneel! kneel! aspect of the mass. It is what it is, so I does what I does. (Speaking of my A.D.D., this blog was all over the place. But at least I did it :))
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
The theme is the same - do the right thing for the right reasons. But what struck me in particular is verse 7, which I've seen translated a few different ways (http://bible.cc/matthew/6-7.htm) One of the major criticisms I've heard from non-Catholic Christians who attend a Catholic mass is that it is too rote, too structured, and too hard to follow for an outsider. The thing that I love - the comfort and familiarity of the same pattern repeated everywhere, is the very same thing that seems unwelcoming to newcomers. And this verse could particularly be aimed at Catholicism. It's too easy to mindlessly repeat the words without reflecting on the meaning. And for all of R.C.'s rules, sometimes it's too easy to check the boxes without putting in much soulful effort. (Hence the reflections)
In college Father Scanlon gave a great homily where he broke down the "Our Father". Ever since that mass, I can't say the words "Forgive us our trespasses/As we forgive those who trespass against us" without thinking more deeply about it. "As we forgive those" - right, I can't expect God to forgive me if I'm not willing to let go of my petty grievances. So before I come before Him, I really need to get my own house in order.
And another thought - repetitive prayer has some great benefits. I have a very hard time calming my mind and getting it to focus on just one thing (SQUIRREL!). Sliding into that pew and picking up the thread of the prayer, beginning the chantlike words of the Nicene Creed, that helps to center me, to switch gears.
I'm not even going to get into the stand up, sit down, kneel! kneel! kneel! aspect of the mass. It is what it is, so I does what I does. (Speaking of my A.D.D., this blog was all over the place. But at least I did it :))
That passage (and different translations of it with similar themes) has always been one of the most difficult parts of the New Testament for me to reconcile with modern religions of almost any denomination.
ReplyDeleteI've always interpreted it to mean that prayer is (and should be) a conversation between you and God; any public display of it is done for YOUR benefit, not for His, since He already knows what you need.
How then, do I reconcile things done "for the glory of God", such as cathedrals, with this passage. Even modern churches often have an undercurrent of opulence (stained glass, which is relatively cheap now, was used in churches because it was expensive and showed how rich and powerful the congregation was). Doesn't this passage essentially imply that your relationship with God is private, and thus public acts or proclamations while not necessarily bad, are unnecessary?
Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.
Maybe the point of opulent cathedrals is that they don't bear the mark of any one person but the collective show that the congregation thinks this place is the most important to them? Still, all that money could be spent funding God's work elsewhere. My aunt and uncle's church in Maryland was this little white wooden deal. Kind of like where you got married. That place was always so serene.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, my church here is shiny and new, and it's one of the things that attracted me to it. It was a sign to me that the congregation was invested and engaged. Of course, it doesn't need to be spectacular to give that impression, just well maintained...