"Peace Be With You…" {Part 1}

When my two younger brothers and I were little, on Sundays it became a competition to see who got to sit in the two outside seats in the middle row of the family minivan on the way to Mass. The last one to the car would, inevitably, be stuck in the middle seat, where you were subject to poking and teasing from not one sibling, but two. (Of course, now that they’re both taller than me, this ceases to be an issue, as I am simply always the default middle seat passenger.)

Inevitably, our morning car scuffles, no matter how trivial, occasionally carried into Mass. Who got to sit next to mom and dad? Who didn’t? And thus, the atmosphere among the siblings was sometimes tense walking into church. Always, though, the Sign of Peace served to diffuse any leftover hard feelings. Even from a young age, I saw how key this action was in preparing me for the Eucharist.

Now, I am much more aware of the deeper significance of the Sign of Peace. In John 14:27, Jesus encouraged his disciples:“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”After Jesus’ death and resurrection, in John 20:19, he returns to his friends in their state of fear and despair and reveals himself as the same Christ who died on the cross, the Son of God, the One who consistently acts in and fulfills his character:“Peace be with you.” This is the peace we share at Mass.

The Sign of Peace falls in between the “Our Father,” where we ask the Lord to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” and the sharing of the gift of the Eucharist. Thus, the Sign of Peace is a continuation of our preparation to receive peace from the Our Father. It serves as the gesture of forgiveness among the congregation that we promise during the Lord’s Prayer as well as a symbol of Christ’s forgiveness that will allow us to approach the altar to receive Jesus’ Body and Blood with clean hearts. During the Eucharistic prayer, we then implore the Lamb of God to share his peace with us. It is all one continual prayer.

During the 2005 debates of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist, a question arose regarding whether or not the Sign of Peace as we know it appropriately accomplishes what it is meant to in the Mass. The Congregation for the Divine Worship and the discipline of Sacraments began to examine this issue, and the Vatican released a Circular Letter entitled “The Ritual Expression of the Gift of Peace at Mass” in July which addresses the bishops of the worldwide Church. View the text of the Circular Letter by clicking on the link on this page.

In this Letter, the Vatican explains that the Synod of Bishops discussed the “appropriateness of greater restraint” in the gesture of the Sign of Peace, “which can be exaggerated and cause a certain distraction in the assembly just before the reception of Communion.” The Letter emphasizes the importance of the Sign of Peace, however, especially in a world in such great need of peace, and recommends that bishops around the world consider whether changes be made to the way they currently express the Sign of Peace in their diocese. For example, hugging might be appropriate in one area, where shaking hands might be appropriate in another, where nodding or bowing might be more effective in others.

The Letter makes it clear that all churches should avoid “abuses such as” a song during the Sign of Peace, the movement of the congregation from their original places in the church, and the departure of the priest from the altar to share the Sign of Peace with the congregation.

What would changes to the Sign of Peace mean for the Notre Dame worship community, the Catholic Church of America, and the greater worldwide Church? What specific purposes does the Sign of Peace serve, and how does it go about accomplishing these goals?

Next week, we will continue our discussion of the Sign of Peace, examining these questions and others. I will share my own experiences with the manifestation of peace at Mass both from home in Portland, OR and here at Notre Dame.

In the meantime, what does the Sign of Peace mean to you? How would significant changes to the form alter this meaning?

PFATW: Let's Talk Zen

This post is the first installment of four in my Prayer From Around the World (PFATW) series. I will be participating in and reflecting on Campus Ministry’s four Prayer From Around the World events this year. Check out a sneak preview of all PFATW experiences here!

The first PFATW event was Zen Meditation, which occurred last Thursday and was organized and led by the Mindfulness Club of Notre Dame. The event was scheduled to take place in the Meditation Room in CoMo, but there were so many of us there that it had to be moved to the larger lounge on the first floor. What an awesome problem to have!

Zen has its roots in Buddhism, and is more philosophical than religious. Zen is necessary to attaining enlightenment. Enlightenment occurs when one attains liberation from samsara, the repeating cycle of life, death, and rebirth characterized by suffering. There are lots of tactics used to center oneself during meditation, including a koan, or a short saying used to break the meditator free of thought, which is used in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Another school of Zen Buddhism is Soto, which rarely uses koans. Instead of a saying, Soto utilizes a specific object of focus during meditation. On Thursday, we explored the Soto type of Zen by focusing on our breathing while meditating.

We tried out zazen, sitting meditation, as well as walking meditation: sitting for ten minutes, walking for ten, and sitting for ten. We crossed our legs one in front of the other while we were sitting, and while we were walking we did so with the image of kissing the ground with every step. Slow. Deliberate. Intentional.

Anyone who has tried out meditation knows that it is hard, unless you are some sort of superhuman – or you have had loads of experience. My thoughts wandered, my eyes drooped, my head bobbed. My attention span, which I typically consider fairly long, lasted for approximately five seconds, which felt like an hour. There is something extremely freeing, though, amidst the struggle of “just sitting.” Or “just walking.” Something prayerful and sacred.

My exposure to Zen Buddhism reminded me how important it is to take time for meditative and contemplative prayer. Prayers of meditation and contemplation are often difficult to engage in, especially when schedules are crazy busy and we do not take the time to “pencil it in” on the calendar, but they are equally as important as having active conversations with God.

Our leader encouraged us to keep in mind that there is beauty in imperfection. She repeatedly stressed the importance of trusting in ourselves. Meditation, taking time to “just be,” whatever shape that takes, can make all the difference in the world regarding our faith and our sense of self awareness (and sanity) while going throughout day to day life. Let’s start with five minutes of simply focusing on breathing, and go from there.

If this is a type of prayer you're interested in exploring, check out Weekly Mindful Meditation every Thursday from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in the Meditation Room in CoMo (Room 102, immediately left in the main hallway)!

Spiritual Playlist

I have no idea how in the world it suddenly became October, but somehow I already find myself dreading that which is looming right around the corner…midterms. I don’t know about you, but whenever I have lots of stress present in my life, whether it comes in the form of exams or other life events, I make a playlist.

This week, I’ve pulled together a spiritual playlist of some of my favorite contemporary worship music. My hope is that these songs will serve to uplift and inspire us both now during the craziness of preparing for midterms and later, when we’re in need of some spiritual nourishment. Join me in contemplating these seven songs in a prayerful way as a break from the business of everyday life this week. Click on the song titles below to listen, and enjoy!

TUESDAY: Beloved - Tenth Avenue North

God is a God of invitation, not manipulation. He pursues us with a relentless sort of gentle wooing: "You're my beloved; lover, I'm yours…You've been a mistress, my wife, chasing lovers that won't satisfy. Won't you let me make you my bride? You will drink of my lips, and you'll taste new life."

WEDNESDAY: Lord, I Need You – Matt Maher

(Click here for an acoustic version featuring Audrey Assad. A breathtaking example of worship through music.)

"Lord, I Need You" captures the beautiful strength that accompanies a weakness before and dependence upon God. May we call on God’s strength every day, especially during the middle of the week. “Where you are, Lord, I am free. Holiness is Christ in me…Every hour I need you…”

THURSDAY: Hold Us Together - Matt Maher

Because who could ever have enough Matt Maher in their lives? “And love will hold us together, make us a shelter to weather the storm…” As we near the end of the week, may we remember that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, and that our brothers and sisters are ours, as well. “The whole world will know that we’re not alone.” This relates to our examination of kinship.

FRIDAY: Restless - Audrey Assad

Happy Friday! Amidst the excitement of Friday, find some time in your day to slow down and rest in the Lord. Let’s contemplate God’s working in our lives as we reflect back on our weeks and look forward to the weekend.  “Oh, speak now, for my soul is listening. Say that You have saved me. Whisper in the dark…You are the keeper of my heart.”

SATURDAY: Oceans - Hillsong United 

(Check out this acoustic version)

This song is a fabulous addition to a walk or run – perhaps looping the lakes for those on campus! This is one of my all-time favorites. It reminds us how utterly mighty our God is. How blessed we are to have His unfailing grace to call upon: “Your grace abounds in deepest waters. Your sovereign hand will be my guide. Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me, You’ve never failed and You won’t start now.” May we have the courage to allow the Spirit to “lead [us] where [our] trust is without borders.”

SUNDAY: How He Loves – David Crowder Band

As the weekend comes to a close, let us humble ourselves in awe at the greatness of God’s love. God is not obligated into action; He acts because He loves.“And we are His portion, and He is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes. If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.”

MONDAY: Greater - MercyMe

And finally, this fantastic song is the perfect beginning to a week. "Bring your tired…shame…guilt….pain…don’t you know that’s not your name? You will always be much more to me…You are holy, righteous and redeemed." God is good, and we are loved beyond our wildest imagination.

Please add your own favorite songs to our Spiritual Playlist in the comment section below!