Christ Encounters of the Liturgical Kind
Growth: Cultivated in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The seed has been planted, you are a field in which he grows.
Genesis 42: 8, 9 - LXX - English
ἐπέγνω δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν.
καὶ ἐμνήσθη ᾿Ιωσὴφ τῶν ἐνυπνίων αὐτοῦ ὧν εἶδεν αὐτός
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· κατάσκοποί ἐστε κατανοῆσαι τὰ ἴχνη τῆς χώρας ἥκατε.
The Samaritan Woman ~ John 4: 4-42
Today's Story ~ This
changes
everything! ~ 990 words.
Like so many days before, my mom dragged me out of bed this morning to attend Sunday Mass. I don't really see the point, though. Why should one day of the week be any more special than another? Why can't I just worship God whenever and wherever I choose? Is there something wrong with worshiping God upon the mountains or in the forest somewhere? I don't understand why the Church requires us to gather each Sunday at a local parish.
Oh well, off to Church we went. As we drove there, I thought to myself: "Again, this will be just another wasted hour of my weekend! It's not like anything ever changes. Everyone just shows up to get enough water to satisfy their weary souls for the week. We will all return to do it all over again next Sunday. Isn't there a better way?"
Well, it turns out that there is. As Catholics, our worship service is divided into two parts. The first part is known as the liturgy of the Word. A couple of scripture passages are typically read along with a concluding homily. The liturgy of the Eucharist follows next. Our parish priest, however, informed us that the liturgy of the Word would be celebrated differently today. A small group of monks and nuns had come into our city from a distant monastery in order to buy and sell some goods. He had earlier heard about the peculiar form of liturgical chant and song that is routinely performed within their community, so he asked if they would be willing to bless us with an introduction to their particular style of worship. Graciously, they accepted the invitation and led us during the initial liturgy.
Usually, a lector reads the scriptures and a psalmist chants the psalm in sequential order but our visitors did things quite differently. They would take turns singing different parts of the assigned readings to one another as they quite literally turned the sacred texts into a dialogue between the bridal Church and Christ. I don't think any of us had ever seen or heard such a thing, but we were transfixed by how fluidly they flowed together as they intermixed the scriptures in a spontaneous and creative manner. This is difficult to explain, but they remained completely faithful to the biblical texts while simultaneously re-enacting them in our midst by using modern themes and language.
As they did this, I felt an urge to pick up the lectionary to read the words for myself. I decided to preview today's Gospel reading while they continued to work with the preparatory readings. As I carefully read the individual words, I began to contemplate their meaning. Soon, I found myself in a dialogue with a voice coming from somewhere deep within myself. It was as if I was living within the text itself, for I now found myself at the well.
The voice said to me, "Give me a drink."
"But lord," I protested, "how can you - a great and holy God - ask for a drink from me?"
He answered, "If you understood the moment in which you find yourself and if you knew the voice speaking to you, then you would have asked of me and I would have given you a unique gift that satisfies to the uttermost."
With some disbelief, I replied, "Lord, I live in the 21st century with all its modern creature comforts and entertainment. Am I really to believe that you are greater than the American Dream?"
He countered, "Life is more than big mansions, expensive cars, and a fat 401K. Those pursuing such things will never be satisfied, for there is always something greater that exists just outside of their reach. Those pursuing my gift will always be satisfied, for a tree of wealth will grow inside their homes and it will meet all of their needs."
I enthusiastically exclaimed, "Now you are talking my language! By all means, give me this gift! I will graduate high school soon and I certainly do not want to work in fast-food all my life!"
He admonished me, "Withdraw into yourself. Call on your husband and come back to this place in the text."
Perplexed, I protested, "But I don't have a husband!"
He replied, "You have said rightly, for you have five husbands and the one now with you is not your husband."
Suddenly, I fell into what could only be called a trance-like state. I briefly found myself outside my grandparents' house. I felt the wind blow across my body as it brought over a faint smell. I saw the pie sitting in the window and I heard my grandma say that it was for me. So, I tasted its sweetness. Then, the trance ended.
I answered, "Lord, it's clear to me that you know all things. Our ancestors have worshiped in parishes like this for centuries now but some say that we should be worshiping in spiritual communities like that of our visitors."
He answered back, "Put your faith in me, daughter of Eve, for the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither in this parish nor in the monastery. Those within your parish worship what they do not understand, but those in the monastery worship what they understand, for salvation originates in the House of Judah. But the hour is now coming on account of those who genuinely worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks the ones who worship Him. Spirit is your God, and the worshipers of Him are obligated to worship in spirit and truth."
Growing in understanding, I responded, "I know Messiah is coming, the one being called Christ. So long as he comes, he will make everything known to us."
To my utter delight, he responded, "I am the one speaking to you."
With that, our visitors concluded their enactment of today's readings.
Author's Note ~ The
Samaritan
Woman & Lectio Divina. ~ 220 words.
I have retold the story of the Samaritan woman from her perspective, but I left both the gender and geographical location ambiguous to emphasize the universal application of the story. I decided to introduce the ancient art of lectio divina by emphasizing the dialogue that takes place as one interacts with sacred scripture through prayer.
Hence, a historical man, Jesus, is no longer at a well in ancient Samaria talking to a historical woman about her specific domestic situation of having been married to five different men. Eternally present, Jesus is understood to be the Word of God speaking to us from within the heart as we interact with the sacred words recorded in scripture.
Also, the visitors from the monastery not only allude to the disciples being sent into the city but they also represent Jesus breaking into the status quo of our lives. I chose to portray my main character as a young, devout, but bored cradle Catholic. This allowed me to introduce the two liturgies and it gave me a credible witness to work with.
In general, the purpose of this first story is to introduce the subject of spiritual growth and what it means for the seed of God to grow within us. This will help prepare us for the subjects of discipleship, worship, & community.
Documentation &
Additional
Resources
Image information:
Theotokos of the Sign, Websource: Joyce Rabbat
Bibliography:
The Temple and the Church's Mission, by G. K. Beale; InterVarsity Press, 2004; GoogleBooks
The Drama of Doctrine, by Kevin J. Vanhoozer; Westminister John Knox Press, 2005; GoogleBooks
Eat This Book, by Eugene H. Peterson; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006; GoogleBooks
The Roots of Christian Mysticism, by Olivier Clement; New City Press, 1995; GoogleBooks
The Spirit of the Liturgy, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger; Ignatius Press, 2000; GoogleBooks
Sacred Drama, by Patricia Wilson-Kastner; Augsburg Fortress, 1999; GoogleBooks
Letter and Spirit, by Scott Hahn; Doubleday, 2005; GoogleBooks