ROAMIN'
CATHOLIC

ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
February 2004

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ST. MARTIN OF TOURS, SAN JOSE

Lovable and Embraceable

On the Saturday prior to the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I attended the 6:30 p.m. Mass in the chapel at St. Martin of Tours parish in San Jose. The Mass is advertised on the Dignity USA website, which invites people to worship with the Emmaus Community -- "a faith community within a pastoral ministry by the Diocese of San Jose to Catholic lesbian and gay persons and their families." A woman in the rectory informed me the Mass was not sponsored by the parish but by the diocese of San Jose -- which schedules the priests for that particular Mass. She said the parish was merely a "good location" for the Mass.

At St. Martin of Tours, the tabernacle resides in the corner of the chapel. The altar table was covered by a purple knit cloth, on which resided four lit Advent candles. Behind the altar table a large window revealed the interior of the main part of the Church. About 25, mostly older people, attended, only four of them were women.

In response to a short introduction, a young priest, the white-albed and purple-stoled Rev. Jon Pedigo from St. Julia Billiart Parish Community in San Jose, declared, "I guess that means I'm on," then led us in several verses of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." Father prayed that we would welcome Jesus into the world, not only as a child, but into our hearts. We chanted the kyrie from Gregorian Mass XVI.

A layman read from the prophet Micah, then led us in the responsorial psalm -- to which the congregation responded as blandly as if they were half asleep. A woman read from Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, which contained the statement, "By this 'will' [the Father's], we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ for all." Father read the gospel passage of Mary's visitation to Elizabeth.

Father began the homily by commenting on the epistle. "This sense of our bodies being holy vessels," he said, "is very important.... It is the affirmation of the goodness of creation and the human person." Without any reference to the negative aspects of human nature, Father claimed that the Incarnation was "the most powerful affirmation of our personal lives we could possibly have. God didn't make a mistake. God doesn't make junk. What God made was a human person, in history, in a time, in a place -- and that's you." Each one of us is a "universe unto him or her self. We are also the enfleshment of God."

Father taught us that God's entering history enables us to reclaim the original blessing of creation. So, when Mary, "filling the room with possibility," met Elizabeth, St. John the Baptist stirred in Elizabeth's womb by the "possibility." "We have that possibility too -- in our bodies, in our histories," affirmed the priest. "This seems to me, utterly and absolutely, a redemptive act for anyone who is a sexual minority, because it is an affirmation of the self, of your creation. And if the Church community in our formulations don't get it right -- its not your fault. It's no one's fault. It's the inadequacy of us as an institution to claim the Incarnation. The inadequacy of our doctrines that cannot touch the grace that each human person is. The inadequacy of the verbalization of what it means to be grace-filled. So, we kind of need to let go of those old tapes, the old stuff that we might have about, you know, 'the-church-did-this-to-me,' 'God-did-this-to-me.' Things happen in history, a time, a place -- that's the chance God takes when He becomes flesh. That's the chance that we take when we become real."

Father informed us that enfleshment is also about the cross and that "enfleshment is also the brokenness that is suffered by each human person who dares to love." Suffering happens, according to Father, because human beings don't love perfectly; "something happens because we can't accept that we are gift."

Father assured us that Christmas is not just about a baby in a stable -- "it's about each creation of God called human beings -- the blessing of who each of us are. It's important to understand that when God became flesh, it changed all the rules. It changed everything. That's the good news."

Father laughed and then said, "this good news obviously hasn't reached certain ears in Rome, but that doesn't prevent us from celebrating what we know to be true by the testimony of our own lives."

The priest then invited the congregation to share the blessings of their own lives by naming a person, city or place with which they associate, in which their "body has been made alive, an affirmation of your incarnation." After various people shared, the priest asked that we pray for the Church, the Holy Father, Bishop McGrath, local presbyters, those active in ministry, the enfleshment of peace, the end of military aggression, and the end of the occupation of Palestine. Others contributed their own petitions.

Father then prayed for people "who cannot accept themselves as a blessing -- that they receive the Good News in their hearts, that they know they are lovable and embraceable, and that they are truly the enfleshment of God's Word."

Father recited a prayer which asked that God "attend to our needs" and "constantly seek to affirm us" and bless us.

We then sang "Creator of the stars and Night," in a feeble manner, probably due to unfamiliarity with the song.

Two men brought up the gifts: the bread on a precarious flat dish, and the wine (which looked like white zinfandel) in a glass vessel.

The "Holy Holy Holy" was from Marty Haugen's Mass of Creation, and we remained standing for the second Eucharistic prayer. Father reverently bowed low after the consecration.

We held hands, forming a large circle to recite the Our Father.

For the kiss of peace, it seemed everyone attempted to offer each and everyone else a sign of peace. Some men opened their arms to give me a hug, but I just stuck out my hand, which they shook amiably. The hug-fest lasted for two full minutes.

Father chanted the simple Latin Agnus Dei melody from the Tridentine Requiem Mass. For the Ecce Agnus Dei, Father recited, "behold God's Holy Truth for God's Holy people. Blessed are those who are called to share in the supper of the Lamb."

After we recited the Domine non sum dignus, Father announced mockingly that "the bishop made this rule" -- Father then chuckled -- "who apparently now is a health expert. [Yet] everyone shakes hands in shopping malls, at schools, and at Church." The priest seemingly dispensed with the "rule," which he never got around to articulating. "If you wish to take the cup, Rich is going to be right here [gesturing to his right side], so come on up."

Many received from the chalice, and many kneeled after communion. There was no communion hymn.

After Father announced that the Mass was ended, he asked if anyone still needed to do Christmas shopping. Several people raised their hands. We then closed by singing, "People Look East."

Announcements followed the recessional. I picked up a Dignity USA newsletter on the way out.

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