It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming!
It may be a few days late, but I love this video. It exemplifies the rich African-American preaching tradition: the cadences of Martin Luther King, Jr, the fire of Jesse Jackson, and the power and hope in the black Christian community.
(HT: Dr. Tom Neal)
Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday
I try to read these words every year on Holy Saturday, and they sear me every time. They come from an ancient sermon, written by an unknown writer, and refer to that part in the Apostle's Creed where Jesus descends into Hell.
According to Church Tradition, after dying on Good Friday Jesus went there in order to preach to the dead, thereby liberating all the holy men and women held captive (the Catechism has a beautiful section describing the scene.)
This homily specifically recounts Jesus' interaction with Adam, the Second Adam encountering the First. Read these words slowly and somberly and experience the hope of redemption:
"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.
‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."
Interview with Msgr. Charles Pope – Blogging, Preaching, and Doubling the Size of Your Parish
What if your pastor stood up next Sunday and said he wanted to double the size of the parish within one year? That's exactly what happened at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic parish in Washington DC, a predominantly African-American parish. Monsignor Charles Pope made that bold challenge last September and then got to work.
He trained forty parishioners to evangelize door-to-door, had another forty stay at the church and pray, and then asked forty more to cook meals for everyone upon their return. The whole program was a success. They visited more than 1,500 homes and drew many people back to the church.
Msgr. Pope is known for more than his parish work, though. His popular blog at the Archdiocese of Washington website is read across the world and his dynamic preaching inspires countless others.
Msgr. Pope recently sat down with me to talk about blogging, preaching, evangelization, and the unique experiences of serving in an African-American Catholic parish. Watch, stream, or download the interview below:
Audio
Download the mp3 here (16 minutes)
Topics Discussed:
0:57 - As a priest, why is blogging so valuable?
2:05 - The main advantages of blogging
3:07 - Prayer and liturgical life in African-American communities
4:14 - Preaching in an African-American parish
6:15 - What advice would you give to homilists and speakers?
8:31 - Practical preaching and evangelizing
11:13 - How can parishes become more evangelistic?
13:45 - Obedience to Christ
Excerpts
Q: Why is blogging so valuable?
The main advantage is that people speak candidly. They share ideas. They feel free to share conversations among themselves and me. Of course the downside is that people can get a little harsh when we're not actually in person with somebody, and they sometimes write things that are harsh or more critical than necessary. But even that is rare.
Q: What is preaching like in an African-American Catholic community?
In the African-American tradition, a lot is expected from the preacher and that's really helped me grow in my preaching skills....The people show up on Sunday morning and I tell you what: they expect something to happen. They expect the Holy Spirit to show up. And sure enough he always does....Also, I'm never preaching alone. In the black tradition of preaching there's what's called "call and response". It's a really active participation by the folks in the congregation. Certainly I take the lead, but they're shouting out "Amens" or affirmations or head bows or the hands go up. There's a real interaction which assists me in knowing that I'm reaching or connecting.
"One great tragedy is how little many Catholics expect of their faith--and from their relationship with Jesus Christ...Many people put more faith in Tylenol than they do in the Eucharist." - Msgr. Charles Pope
UPDATE: John Norton, Editor at Our Sunday Visitor, shared some of his own reflections on Msgr. Pope's bold evangelistic efforts. Read them here!
Be sure to follow Msgr. Pope through the Archdiocese of Washington blog.
And if you liked this interview, check out my other discussions with people like Fr. Robert Barron, Christopher West, Bishop Christopher Coyne, Marc Barnes, Dr. Michael Barber, and Lisa Hendey.
Be sure you don't miss future interviews by subscribing to The Thin Veil via feed reader or email.
How do you think Catholics can become better evangelists?
Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday
I try to read these words every year on Holy Saturday, and each year they sear me at the deepest level. They come from a sermon called "An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday", which was penned by an unknown writer.
The words refer to the part of the Apostle's Creed that describe how "(Jesus) descended into Hell." According to Church Tradition, after dying on Good Friday, Jesus descended to the depths of the dead to preach His message to them, liberating all holy men and women held captive in past centuries (there's also a beautiful section in the Catechism describing this scene.)
This ancient homily specifically recounts Jesus' interaction with Adam; the Second Adam encountering the First. Read these words slowly and somberly and be filled with the hope of redemption:
"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.
`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.
‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."
