The Dismissal is “the concluding part of Mass when the congregation is sent out to the world.” (From Bertram, J & Edwards, R 2009, A Simple Glossary of Catholic Terms, London: Catholic Truth Society: www.cts-online.org.uk). It would be futile to explain the history of the formula rather than focusing on its meaning.
In the past, when the congregation was told to go out to the world, it might have been understood as being sent to those who were lost. The Christian community, the followers of the true way, would be sent out to look for the lost sheep and the sheep that had never belonged to the flock and bring them to the right shepherd. Even if this is a wrong way of understanding our mission in the world, it is a much better way of understanding “life after Mass” than going and holding jealously on the graces gained from our Eucharistic celebrations.
When one is sent out after Mass, it is in order to go and share the graces one has gained from that Eucharistic Celebration. In other words, it is to bring that Mass to others, not convincing them that our way is much better than theirs, but to make sure that if there is anything we learnt from our gatherings it may also serve them.
During our Eucharistic celebrations, we experience a heavenly moment where we enter full communion with God. Sometimes we are tempted to remain there and pitch tents for the Lord like in Mark 9:2-10. The dismissal reminds us that this heavenly experience should be brought to others. People who love, they usually enjoy sharing whatever they believe will bring happiness and joy to others. Christians are supposed to be loving people and be enthusiastic in sharing what they gain from their Eucharistic celebrations…
Sharing supposes giving and receiving: the dismissal, as well as it sends us out to give, it also invites us to be willing to accept the good others might offer to us. In other words, it reminds us that we are a much bigger family than the one gathered in our assemblies and that we need to go out and live peaceful and harmoniously with those who do not belong to our Church.
In a few words: the dismissal sends us out to the world to share the graces bestowed on us, at the same time inviting us to be willing to recognise their reflections outside our cycles.
So, let us go forth and bring the Gospel to the beautiful world created by God who sends us into it.
"not convincing them that our way is much better than theirs" - surely the Church exists to evangelise (cf Pope Paul VI: Evangelii nuntiandi, 14)? Of course we need to be loving and gentle in sharing our faith with others, especially recognising the seeds of truth and love that God has planted in others whatever their current beliefs - and even learning from them. But still, the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church and we're called to share that aren't we?
ReplyDelete"inviting us to be willing to recognise their reflections outside our cycles."
ReplyDelete??
This post seems out of sync with Godzdogz. It's...mushy. And I hope "INEZGOUSA01" is not one of the friars' nom de plume...
The fullness of truth is only in God. That is why we humbly do not see ourselves as equals to God. Truth was there before our Mother church was there because God was there.
ReplyDeleteOf course INEZGUSA01 is a friar (OP to be precise)
Mushy, you are right... as a human being of course; not perfect. Ha ha ha)
Have a nice week.
INEZGUSA01 (Gustave Ineza OP)
So what did Jesus mean us to do when he commanded us "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." ?
ReplyDeleteIt is true that Jesus said that and we do that. However, our brothers and sisters who belong to other Christian churches also believe that Jesus sent them out to do the same. And probably the Muslims also do believe they have to convert all the "infidels" to the "right" faith... With this, if we do believe that people should only be converted to our faith, we will start war (or crusades if you want) and who really needs crusades in these times? That is why the theologians have a major task to find a better way of understanding what Jesus meant and how to apply it to our time: and remember: Jesus never told his disciples to baptize those people in the Catholic Church! He died belonging to Judaism and few years after his death his disciples' religion was still Judaism! That is why we should understand that baptism beyond a particular Church and manage to live together with others sharing the good fruits of different faiths.
ReplyDeleteBut, did you know that Jesus was never a Christian?
Have a nice evening
Br Gustave Ineza
Br. Gustav, I must respectfully take great umbrage with your reasoning here.
ReplyDeleteOf course God is the Truth, and thus it is the Truth that holds the Church, and not the Church that holds the Truth, per se. And of course Jesus was never a "Christian". He is the Christ. It is therefore rather quite asinine to say that the Christ was not a Christian--Jesus didn't follow Himself; He leads us. We are Christians precisely because we follow Christ--the Way, the Truth, and the Life, without whom no one comes to the Father (cf. John 14:6).
Further, arguing that our task of evangelisation will of necessity lead to wars (or crusades) is as unfounded as the woman who accused me of teaching children about the martyrs of our faith was tantamount to encouraging them to become suicide bombers.
Spreading the message of the Gospel and faith in Jesus Christ through loving discourse and (hopefully) persuasive arguments when necessary is not going to incite wars. (And incidentally, the Crusades were defensive wars that, at least in intention, were to defend the Christian people of the Holy Land from the violence of Muslim invaders. How noble the actions were in carrying out those intentions is neither here nor there, since the Crusades were never about conversion to Christianity, and reference to them as a reason to reinterpret the Great Commission is simply disingenuous.)
Finally, returning to the statement that Jesus wasn't a Christian, this completely misses the point that He came specifically to build a Church (Matt 16:18-20). That Church, amply attested by the historical record, is the Catholic Church, which is why, after 24 years in Evangelical Protestantism, I converted to that Church 7 years ago.
Proclaiming the Truth doesn't incite violence. It's the Truth that sets us free.
Wow, I am happy my brother Gregory is contributing to the debate... I am happy to know that you followed my conversation with my (anonymous) friend!
ReplyDeleteI am sure all Christians followed Christ (but he still was Jew and belonged to Judaism, and his disciples too for sometime after his death: that is why they had trouble trying to bring in their community Gentiles because they did not think Jesus wanted them to start a new religion.)
The fact that they came to talk about themselves as Christians and then became later a Church, it was because of different events that made them read the Gospels(actually write: because the Gospels were written much later)and understood that Christ is their foundation as a new religion.
There are many things we attribute to Jesus when those were not really his major concern: like the choice of the 12 apostles... Using that to prove that Jesus did not want women to be ordained when actually Jesus chose 12 JEWISH men to sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel [Mt 19:28 (no one uses that to explain why all priests are not Jews today!! Because that was important in the choice of the twelve.)]
Historical record can not justify the right Church: 2000 years are like 1 day in the eyes of the Lord. I am happy you chose to join the Catholic Church because you found truth there... Does it mean you found lies in the Evangelical Protestantism? If we say yes, we won't avoid crusades; we might be civilized people, but we can't easily control the reactions of others...
So, what is truth? Jesus himself did not answer that question when he was questioned by Pilate in Jn 18:38.
Truth can only set us free when we understand it well. We might also be enslaved by semi-truths and not consider the bigger picture.
But the main question here (in the article) is about going out and sharing with others and accept to hear from them and taking any good thing we might get from them; do you think this is possible?
Sorry, I talked too much.
Don't you see that when crusades wanted to deliver they actually also aimed at extending the influence, the authority of the Church? A crusader would not go to war firstly for the people living in the Holy land but for the Church.
ReplyDeleteI guess St Francis of Assisi who wanted to do it peacefully did a much better thing. I strongly believe that crusades were a big mistake and a dark spot in the history of our Church (same thing with the Inquisition).
Sorry, I thought the one commenting was Br Gregory OP. It seems it is not. My apologies to Br Gregory OP.
ReplyDeleteA nice Saturday to all
Gustave OP
lol No, I'm not Br. Gregory! I was wondering at your immediate warm reception!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Apostles not being sure whether Jesus wanted them to start a new religion, hence being unwilling to immediately welcome Gentiles into the community without Judaising them, was notably overcome by a vision from Jesus Himself to St. Peter. That the Church grew and developed in its understanding of itself and its mission does not negate that it was indeed established by Christ.
The fact that they wrote and read the Gospels in terms of the beginnings of a new event with Christ, and the establishment of a new Church by Him did indeed come about through much prayer, reflection, and various events--but in viewing the history of the Early Church solely from a materialistic, historical standpoint, you're excluding the fact that one of the reasons that they did indeed come to view themselves as The Church was through the ongoing revelation of Christ to them, through the Holy Spirit.
The reason we don't make the claim that Jesus chose twelve Jewish men to be Apostles is that they themselves went on shortly after the welcoming of Gentiles into the Community, to ordain Gentile men as priests, deacons, and bishops. On the other hand, never were women ordained to such roles in a sacramental sense.
2000 years as a drop in a bucket to God doesn't really negate the historical record argument much. As for finding lies in Evangelical Protestantism, essentially, yes. At least, I found errors--significant errors as to the interpretation of the Gospel and salvation. That is not to say that there is much that is good and true in Evangelical Protestantism--but I've discovered that what is good and true there, is equally good and true in Catholicism--and more besides!
And whether or not I can control another's reaction has nothing to do with whether proclaiming the Truth causes Crusades. You're putting the cart before the horse in that argument. One's reaction to the Truth might be violent--but it is not the Truth that causes the reaction, but their disordered love for the error or lie that they currently beleive. And Jesus Himself tells us that all error and lies spring from the Devil, the Father of Lies. If we simply allow the lies to persist because we fear a violent reaction to the Truth, then what, exactly, does the "P" stand for, in O.P? Was St. Peter Martyr afraid? Was St. Dominic himself?
Jesus didn't answer the question of What is Truth? from Pilate, because the question was not asked from a sincere desire to learn the Truth, but as a cynical sneer at a mock trial at which truth was being perverted and The Truth was about to be Crucified. But Jesus did answer the question--only not when Pilate asked it.
As for your final question (in your first comment to me), absolutely we can go and share with others, and learn from others. We can respectfully dialogue through our differences and embrace the truth in each other's lives. The point I'm making is that this does not necessitate a denial of Christ's truth, or that He established a Church that is the pillar and foundation of the truth (cf. 1 Tim 3:15). St. Peter tells us that evangelisation must always be done with reverence and respect, and St. Paul admonishes us to speak the truth in love. The difficulty that I, and the other anonymous commenters above, had, was that you seem to want to deny that we have any reason to want to lead others to the Right Shepherd. But if Jesus is the Good Shepherd, it necessarily means that there are bad shepherds--or worse--that people need to be warned about or protected from. This is the purpose of evangelisation--and evangelisation done in a spirit of love that does not compromise the Truth will not start wars or create disunity. The disunity is already there--only the Truth can unite.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Crusades, and the Inquisition, I would seriously consider really looking into the actual history, the primary sources, of both events in the history of the Church, before blanketly stating that they were absolute dark spots in our history. I'm not saying that either event was pure and good in all aspects, but much modern and revisionist history has made them out to be far more heinous than is actually the case.
In Christ,
(Not Br.) Gregory
Dear Gregory,
ReplyDeleteI like what you said:"...absolutely we can go and share with others, and learn from others. We can respectfully dialogue through our differences and embrace the truth in each other's lives...". and I think it would be pointless to go further discussing this matter because I think that we agree on the most important things.
Christ the King of peace, love, humility and wisdom will help us understand his mysteries.
When you come to Oxford, we should go out and have a nice beer and we will continue our discussion...
Of course you will pay for the drinks (I made a vow of poverty, remember).
Cheers and happy Feast
Brother Gustave,
ReplyDeleteI should love to travel to Oxford for the sole reason of raising a pint with you! Of course, I live in Canada, so nailing down a specific date for our discussion might be a little tricky!
I'm hoping to travel to Dublin for next year's International Eucharistic Congress. If that plan comes to fruition, I'll certainly cross the channel and visit Blackfriars (as well as, perhaps, my own brother who's studying, to my shame, at Cambridge!).
God bless,
Gregory
Para 94 of the recently published Africae Munus might help to emphasise the point that Fr Gustave has made:
ReplyDeleteThe Synod Fathers highlighted the complexity of the Muslim presence on the African continent. In some countries, good relations exist between Christians and Muslims; in others, the local Christians are merely second-class citizens, and Catholics from abroad, religious and lay, have difficulty obtaining visas and residence permits; in some, there is insufficient distinction between the religious and political spheres, while in others, finally, there is a climate of hostility. I call upon the Church, in every situation, to persist in esteem for Muslims, who “worship God who is one, living and subsistent; merciful and almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, who has also spoken to humanity.” If all of us who believe in God desire to promote reconciliation, justice and peace, we must work together to banish every form of discrimination, intolerance and religious fundamentalism. In her social apostolate, the Church does not make religious distinctions. She comes to the help of those in need, be they Christian, Muslim or animist. In this way she bears witness to the love of God, creator of all, and she invites the followers of other religions to demonstrate respect and to practise reciprocity in a spirit of esteem. I ask the whole Church, through patient dialogue with Muslims, to seek juridical and practical recognition of religious freedom, so that every citizen in Africa may enjoy not only the right to choose his religion freely and to engage in worship, but also the right to freedom of conscience. Religious freedom is the road to peace.
Here I found a reflection written by my former Radio Director in Johannesburg (he is a Dominican father) on www.radioveritas.co.za :
ReplyDeleteCatholic and Muslim
In his book, Like the Flowing River, Paulo Coelho wrote that he was once talking to a Catholic priest and a Muslim over lunch. When they were served each helped themselves except the Muslim who was keeping his annual fast. After lunch one of the other guests in the restaurant remarked: “You see how fanatical these Muslims are! I’m glad you Catholics aren’t like them”. “But we are,” said the priest. “He is trying to serve God just as I am. We merely follow different laws”. Then he remarked: “It’s a shame people see only the differences that separate them. If you were to look with more love, you would mainly see what we have in common and half the world’s problems would be solved”.
Isn’t it true. The things that separate us are usually our differences. The media reports on some conflict between certain groups of people and we conclude with a generalization in condemning one side. The same could be said of the political differences between people, or racial differences. So easily we fall into the trap of blaming others or making some nonsensical conclusion as Paolo Coelho wrote about. Here in South Africa these little programmes, for example, were once upon a time done by mainly Christians. Now we have people of many different religious groups sharing a thought for the day. You might not know much about one or other group but in the end you have to say that we really do have much in common and that we are each trying to serve God in our different ways. What we need to have is an openness to the truth being expressed and you’ll be sure to learn something about that human nature we all share. I remember once receiving a note from a lady who wrote to me after one of these programmes saying that I should not waste a moment in speaking about Jesus. Yes, indeed, But there are many who are not Christians and I don’t wish to alienate anyone. I hope and trust that my mention of Jesus, or an incident from the gospels, will encourage and lead to life. In the same way, I can also be inspired by my Muslim brother or sister’s message. This was one of the incredible fruits of the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s – having an openness to all people of goodwill. As a Catholic I am proud of this particular stance and this teaching has opened my world to so many people and different beliefs – not diminishing my own faith in the path I have chosen. This was the way Jesus lived – no one was excluded from his ministry.
So today, you and I are going to be rubbing shoulders with people of different persuasions. Let’s look at what unites rather than at how we differ. It starts with a smile, a good word and above all with not condemning or generalizing. You’ll be amazed at how much we have in common.
From me, Fr Emil Blaser, God bless you and have a wonderful day.
From: http://www.radioveritas.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=332:listen-on-dstv-online-or-on-your-cell&catid=49:daily-reflections&Itemid=119