Assumption

On the Assumption we attended the Cathedral of the Assumption in Penang. One bishop, five priests, at least a dozen servers, plus innumerable ushers, readers, ministers, singers, instrumentalists, and a congregation of at least a thousand. Five glorious mysteries of the rosary, with readings, each in a different language (English, Tamil, Chinese, Tagalog, Malay). Then mass in the same five languages (plus Latin and Greek of course, which makes seven!). It is such a breath of fresh air, for those of us who normally live in a land where cynicism and secularism seem to threaten the Church at every corner, to be somewhere where, despite the threat of real persecution, the faith truly thrives. If any of you ever feel disheartened about the state of the Church in the West, let me tell you some of the impressions I am left with out here:

- The Church truly is catholic. Here people of (at least) five different races can share the Word and share the Eucharist, and can celebrate their common faith together despite the fact that they do not understand each other's languages. Babel is foiled, and the promise of Pentecost fulfilled, here in the Church.

- The Church truly is evangelical. At the Assumption we heard a total of nine passages of Scripture proclaimed, not to mention the magnificent tissue of biblical texts which make up the liturgies of the Rosary and the Mass. And as we prayed, the youth of the world was converging upon Madrid, where the Pope's message this year is:

Christian faith is not only a matter of believing that certain things are true, but above all a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an encounter with the Son of God that gives new energy to the whole of our existence. When we enter into a personal relationship with Him, Christ reveals our true identity and, in friendship with Him, out life grows towards complete fulfilment.

- What makes the Church both truly catholic and truly evangelical is sometimes precisely those things which, to us, can often make her seem mundane and workaday. Because we are used to reciting the ancient texts of the liturgy over and over each week, and hearing certain passages of Scripture over and over for certain feast days, when today we heard them in Tamil and Chinese and Malay it did not matter whether we knew those languages. We understood what everyone was saying because we knew those texts. And so people of some five different races were able to pray together, with one mind, though not understanding each other's tongues. It reminded me of that wonderful comment by Irenaeus of Lyons:

For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Church? To which course many nations of those barbarians who believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition. Those who, in the absence of written documents, have believed this faith, are barbarians, so far as regards our language; but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are, because of faith, very wise indeed.

- The Assumption? The Child who rules all nations with an iron sceptre invites us to stand with His Mother, adorned with the sun and the moon and the crown of twelve stars. All we need say is, like her: Let it be done according to your will; and then we will know that our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord, for the Almighty has done great things for us. My favourite hymn from the Assumption mass could have been written by that Mother; we sang it in Tagalog:

Ang himig Mo, ang awit ko, lahat ng ito'y nagmula sa Iyo.
O Diyos, O Panginoon, lahat ng biyayang aming inampon, aming buhay at kakayahan,
ito'y para lamang sa 'Yong kalwalhatian.

Your hymn, my song, all these are from you.
O God, O Lord, all the blessings that we borrowed, our lives and talents,
are for the greater glory of Your name.

N.