Catholic Car Wash

CCW Episode 5 - Liturgical Gestures

catholiccarwash@lifeisaprayer.com (Jeff Geerling) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:30:00 +0000

'Liturgical movement' is a very, very misunderstood term in the Catholic Church. What is meant by this 'movement' is the array of gestures and motions made by the faithful during authentic Catholic liturgies.

Many cite the 'spirit of Vatican II' as allowing for such things as liturgical dancing, interpretive dance homilies, etc., but don't understand that the liturgy of the Roman Rite does not have provisions for this particular kind of movement.

Rather, authentic liturgical movement is more subtle—typically smaller gestures on the part of the faithful which instill in the faithful the humility and faith they celebrate in the liturgy. Take, for example, the movement of a genuflection. A Catholic will bend his right knee and bow his head down to reverence the Blessed Sacrament (the Eucharist) that is present upon entering a Catholic Church.

Another example is the Sign of the Cross: A Catholic will begin and end prayer by signing himself—moving his arm in a certain way—with the cross, which is the humble sign of Jesus' death. A final example is the profound bow made during the mention of the Incarnation (during the communal recitation of the Nicene Creed), and just before the reception of Holy Communion. This sign, similar to genuflection, represents our humility before the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and upon mention of his Incarnation—when he became one of us to die for us and restore our dignity!

Liturgical movement, in its full and true sense, is essential to the Liturgy. Let's make sure we use movement correctly, so as to create a fitting disposition before the Lord!

CCW Episode 4 - Marriage and Celibacy

catholiccarwash@lifeisaprayer.com (Jeff Geerling) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:19:09 +0000

Well, I'm back from my honeymoon, and so I finally have some time to finish up this episode, which I recorded the day after I was married in St. Louis, MO.

In this episode, I look at the relationship of the Catholic Sacrament of Marriage and how it relates to the call to Celibacy that is requested of those who are called to the vocation of Holy Orders in our Church. I have a good idea of what both vocations/sacraments require of a man due to the fact that I was in the Seminary studying the call to celibacy for five years before getting married, so I thought I'd share a few observations.

As a Seminarian, I knew that I had a calling to embrace celibacy, for a very special reason: Instead of committing my love and devotion to one human person, and then a small family, I would commit my love and devotion to the entire Church, with Christ as the head of the Church. This would mean that I could have time to comfort the sick and dying, distribute the Sacraments, and help the Church in a special way, without ever neglecting family obligations. You give your human sexual desires over to the Church, and in return, you get to image the divine and sacrificial love Christ has for His Church in a very unique way.

As a married man, I now can 'feel' the love I have for my wife in a very different way than I felt my love for the Church as a seminarian. There is a physicality to this love—I can touch my wife, and see a very clear image of her (I can even snap a picture of her on my iPhone!). The same goes with the rest of my future family. The loving relationship is visibly present, and, while it mirrors the love Christ has for His Church, it's a different kind of love.

I don't mean to say that celibate love is a higher vocation than married love... but I can definitely see the meaning of Ephesians 5 in a whole new light!

CCW Episode 3 - The Sanctus Bells

catholiccarwash@lifeisaprayer.com (Jeff Geerling) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

"A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful. According to local custom, the server also rings the bell as the priest shows the host and then the chalice." (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, IV - para. 50)

The 'Sanctus Bells' (I mistakenly called them 'Consecration Bells' in the video, so sue me ;-) are a very poignant reminder of the spiritual reality taking place at three specific points during the Eucharistic Prayer:

The Epiclesis, or the coming of the Holy Spirit (when the priest has his hands over the gifts to be consecrated).
The display of the Most Holy Eucharist (when the priest holds up the now-consecrated host).
The display of the Most Precious Blood (when the priest holds up the blood of Jesus in the chalice).

It is sad that the traditional sanctus bells have gone out of use in many parishes, as they are a sharp reminder to parishioners who are not quite paying attention to stand at the ready for the beautiful mystery unfolding on the Altar in front of them! Now, the Sanctus Bells are not required, but many (myself included) have a particular fondness of this gentle reminder to look to the Altar and see Jesus, physically present in the Church!

CCW Episode 2 - Intro to the Camry

catholiccarwash@lifeisaprayer.com (Jeff Geerling) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:50:14 +0000

In this episode of Catholic Car Wash, Jeff introduces you to his 2007 Toyota Camry, dent, VATICN license plate, and all!

CCW Episode 1 - Introduction and Crucifixes

catholiccarwash@lifeisaprayer.com (Jeff Geerling) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:53:00 +0000

In this inaugural Catholic Car Wash episode, Catholic blogger Jeff Geerling introduces himself, and talks about the importance of having a Crucifix present in different places you live, work, and drive, so as to be reminded of the healing power of Christ's suffering and sacrifice.

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Catholic Car Wash

CCW Episode 5 - Liturgical Gestures

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CCW Episode 4 - Marriage and Celibacy

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