August 2017

Gazing Heavenward: The Great Eclipse and Eucharistic Adoration

We can use this year’s eclipse to assist us in (re-)introducing the experience of Eucharistic Exposition and Adoration to the faithful.

by Fr. Jeff Loseke

This past Monday’s solar eclipse was a unique event that drew together people from across our country to share in the rare experience of seeing the sun obscured by the moon from one coast to the other. Everyone in mainland USA (save northernmost Maine) was able to experience at least a partial eclipse. The “promised land” for eclipse watchers, however, was to be in the path of totality. More than merely darken the sky, a total eclipse promises viewers a glimpse of the sun’s corona, which cannot be seen under ordinary circumstances by the naked eye. In fact, only when the moon completely blocks out the sun’s light is it safe to gaze heavenward toward the sun without damaging one’s eyes.

The entire experience of this year’s eclipse was fascinating to me, as it provided a deeper reflection on the longing of the human heart to witness the majesty of sights so far beyond it. How amazing it was to see people make “pilgrimage” to the path of totality as they joined “in communion” with others to experience an event that consisted of “contemplating” the sun from our place on earth! Though not a religious or spiritual event at all, the day’s news nevertheless overflowed with testimonies of the wonder, awe, tears, and excitement people felt as they shared and experienced this eclipse.

We can use this year’s eclipse to assist us in (re-)introducing the experience of Eucharistic Exposition and Adoration to the faithful. Like the solar eclipse, when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration, people are given the opportunity to make pilgrimage to the church, to join in communion with God and each other, and to contemplate the Son from our place on earth. Just as one is able to look directly at the sun’s glory when veiled by the moon, so too is one able to look upon the Son of God’s glory when veiled under sacramental form. In order to experience the eclipse, one need only sit and gaze. Similarly, in Eucharistic Adoration, one is invited simply to be in God’s presence and gaze at His Sacrament. The eclipse plunged viewers into darkness in order to see the sun’s corona; likewise, only in the darkness of faith does one fully recognize the divine crown of Christ in His Sacrament. Unlike the eclipse, however, Eucharistic Exposition allows us to contemplate the Son’s glory more than for a few minutes of totality and more frequently than once every several years or even decades. Therefore, we should be looking for ways to increase opportunities for Exposition and Adoration in our parishes. It is our hope that just as our bodies and skin are changed when we put ourselves in the light of the sun, our parishes themselves will be changed the more we put ourselves in the direct light of God’s only Son.

The Reverend Jeffery S. Loseke is a Priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and is currently the pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Gretna, Nebraska. Ordained in 2000, Fr. Loseke holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm in Rome and is working to complete his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in interdisciplinary leadership through Creighton University in Omaha. In addition to parish ministry, Fr. Loseke has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, taught high school theology and college-level philosophy, and has been a presenter for various missions, retreats, and diocesan formation days across the country.

Art: The Attainment: The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Perceval by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1895-96 (Wikimedia Commons)

Charity: Divine Love Poured Out

Divine Revelation has shown us that God is a free and total outpouring and exchange of charity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What is more is that He has destined us to share in this great and mysterious exchange of divine love!

by Fr. Jeff Loseke

When most people hear the word charity, they probably associate it with donations for the poor, such as food, clothing, toys, money, and so forth. Others probably think of worthy causes, nonprofit organizations, and tax-deductible donations that help those in need. The problem with these ideas is that they reduce charity to seasonal or occasional acts of goodwill that are drawn from one’s excess resources. Charity, then, becomes a thing—and an optional one at that.

A Christian, however, must approach charity not as a something but as a Someone. Saint John’s first letter attests to the fact that “God is love” (4:8) and that “love is of God” (4:7). In the original language of this letter, the Apostle uses the Greek word agape to describe this kind of love that is divine in origin. The Greek language possesses several different words for love, making the author’s choice to describe God in terms of agape most significant for us. Agape suggests a love that is unconditional and freely given. Traditionally, this has been rendered in Latin as caritas and then into English as charity. This revelation gives our understanding of charity an entirely different dimension: God is charity, and charity is of God (cf. 1 John 4:7-8). We realize that God is selfless, unconditional charity that seeks to pour out Himself for the good of another. Theologically, this divine outpouring is referred to as kenosis, and it remains a central—if not the most central—characteristic of who God is. Indeed, Divine Revelation has shown us that God is a free and total outpouring and exchange of charity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What is more is that He has destined us to share in this great and mysterious exchange of divine love!

God has invited us to share in the eternal banquet of His charity (cf. Revelation 19:7-9). The question remains: How do we respond? At the Last Supper, Jesus connected His own Sacrifice on the Cross to the ritual of the Passover and told His disciples to “do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). By commanding His disciples to perpetuate His Sacrifice through the Holy Eucharist, Jesus invited them into the participation of His total outpouring of charity. To further demonstrate His desire for them, He gave His disciples an example of charity as He washed their feet and said to them, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:15). Our response to God’s charity to us is a charitable return of ourselves to Him and to each other. Our gift of self must not be occasional or seasonal. It must not be limited or conditional. It must be continual and relational. We have been called to love as God loves, and that means that we must lay down our lives for others (cf. John 9:15-17). Charity is not an option for the Christian. Charity is a way of life.

Art: The Attainment: The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Perceval by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1895-96 (Wikimedia Commons)

A Faith Rooted in History

Through her living Tradition, the Church has preserved and handed down the Sacred Scriptures, the teachings of the Apostles, and the mode for celebrating the Sacraments.

by Fr. Jeff Loseke

As a seminarian in Rome, I used to lead English-speaking pilgrims on a faith-filled tour of St. Peter’s Basilica on a weekly basis. One of the highlights of the Vatican Basilica is the magnificent dome, which rises 448 ft above the floor. It is set directly over the main altar, which itself is set directly over altars from the 7^th to the 12^th centuries on the crypt level of the basilica. These altars themselves are situated directly above another monument from the first century that marks the gravesite of the Apostle Peter. The ancient Roman cemetery that lies beneath St. Peter’s Basilica was unwittingly preserved by Emperor Constantine, when he buried the cemetery in order to create the foundation for the first church built over the site of Peter’s tomb. Excavations carried out between 1939 and 1949 unearthed the ancient cemetery once again and confirmed the Church’s memory that the basilica was indeed built directly over the Apostle’s grave.

As we trace the history of the Church back through the centuries, we are reminded of the truth of St. Paul’s words in his first letter to the Corinthians that the Christian faith has been—and continues to be—passed on from one generation to the next through the lived Tradition: “For I handed on to you… what I also received” (15:3). Through her living Tradition, the Church has preserved and handed down the Sacred Scriptures, the teachings of the Apostles, and the mode for celebrating the Sacraments. In a word, the Church of today continues to do what the Church of the first century did: “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts of the Apostles 2:42).

Because 2,000 years separate us from the days when Jesus Christ walked among us in the flesh, the Christian of today can be tempted to doubt the authenticity of what has been passed down through the centuries by the Church. In fact, this temptation formed, in part, the impetus for the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago—that the Church had fallen off the rails and was in need of a complete overhaul. This is why knowledge of history is so important if we hope to stand strong in the true faith! The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us as part of our human history (cf. John 1:14; Matthew 1:1-25). Even more, Jesus promised that He would remain with His Church until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20), that the Holy Spirit would keep her always in the truth and free from error (John 16:13), and that the power of hell shall never prevail over the Church (Matthew 16:18). Now it is our turn. We must be open to receiving the deposit of faith as it has been passed down to us by the Church for centuries. In this way, we ourselves become a part of the living history of the Church. Then, and only then, do we participate in its authentic transmission to the next generation of believers. Truly, “we hold this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7) and so we must take great care with it.

Photo: St. Peter’s Basilica, Dome, 2014 (Wikimedia Commons)

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