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Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord:
Many parishes will have initiated new members into the
Church at the Easter vigil ceremonies. What happens to them now? This
post-Easter period of the RCIA journey is known as the ‘Period of
Post-baptismal Catechesis’ or ‘Mystagogia’. The following quote from the
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults suggests several ways in
which new members of the Church can be more closely incorporated into
parish life during this period: “This is a time for the community and
the neophytes (‘neophytes’ is the title used to refer to the newly
initiated during the Easter Season) together to grow in deepening
their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives
through mediation on the Gospel, sharing in the Eucharist, and doing the
works of charity.” I will look at how parishes can make their new
members feel welcome and included through the celebration of the
liturgy.
The key is clearly the Sunday Masses of the Season of
Easter. Every effort should be made to have the neophytes and newly
received present each week, preferably as a group but at different Mass
times, so that during the season every member of the parish community
has contact with its new members on as many occasions as possible. By
now, the newly initiated will be more at home in the liturgy and more
comfortable with being the center of attention, so it should not be
difficult to arrange for them to sit in the front rows of the church
with their godparents, families and other supporters during the Sundays
of Easter.
The newly initiated should be intentionally included in
the homily and the General Intercessions, not just for a week or two
after the Easter Vigil, but on each of the seven Sundays following, up
to and including Pentecost. These new members of the parish can begin to
take on some roles in the liturgy according to their charisms, such as
bringing up the bread and wine in the procession of gifts, or reading
the petitions during the Prayer of the Faithful.
Some of the newly initiated could be invited to offer a
brief reflection on the journey of faith that they have been traveling.
These could be delivered personally before the finial blessing at Mass
or printed in the parish bulletin.
The parish’s celebration of the Pentecost Vigil can be
fruitfully used to help its new and not-so-new members recall the joyful
Easter Vigil celebration that was held seven weeks earlier. The
Sacramentary provides special texts for the Vigil, several readings from
which to choose, and a solemn blessing. This is a time to use again the
symbols of fire and to have a blessing and sprinkling of holy water.
In one sense, Christians spend their entire lives in
mystagogy as they reflect on what it means to live in Christ. Let us
pray for the Odiase Family: Friday, Philomena,
Tai, Ken and Lucky; Brittany Corbin, Kayla Corbin, Teresa Holley, Chyna
and Christian Bradely, all those baptized
this Easter and for ourselves, that we may come to see Christ more
clearly, to follow him more nearly and love him more dearly day by day
during this season of Easter until we are sharing fully with Jesus in
the eternal life he gained for us through his cross, death and
resurrection.
Happy Easter! Alleluia! Alleluia! Let’s give our minds
and hearts to the Lord!
Father Joe |
