In our last post on the 4th century mystagogical catecheses, Rhoda explored the multivalence of the kiss of peace and the Eucharistic liturgy. In this our truly final post on the Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation, I’ll explore the nature of communion, participation in the body and blood of Christ, as reflected in the mystagogues. Ambrose […]
A month ago, this email from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship landed in my email box, asking that I “help us spread the word about this opportunity.” It may be too late for our readers to consider applying for a grant that is due June 15, but it’s not too early to start the […]
As the end of our 50 days of Easter feasting approaches, we also are reaching the end of this series on fourth-century mystagogical catechesis. Today I (Rhoda) will share a few literary gems from Cyril of Jerusalem and Theodore of Mopsuetia on the Eucharist. First, the commentary of Theodore of Mopsuetia on the kiss of […]
In our last post on the 4th century mystagogical catecheses, Rhoda explored the enriching images grounded in Jesus’ own baptism: being anointed by the Spirit and chosen as God’s child. We were going to turn to the third part of the rites of initiation, the Eucharist, today. But I (Kent) can’t miss the opportunity to […]
Last week Kent wrote about the post-baptismal anointing in the West (with Ambrose as our source) and its ritual connection with the coming of the Holy Spirit. This week we’ll look at an earlier stratum of baptismal anointing from East Syrian and Armenian sources. In the 1970s liturgical scholar Gabriele Winkler broke new ground in […]
In our last post on the 4th century mystagogical catecheses I (Kent) mentioned that among the primary biblical images for baptism is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The patterns for pre-baptismal and post-baptismal anointings vary across regions (Rome had two post-baptismal anointings, other places only one pre-baptismal anointing). All of these anointings unpacked symbolically […]
We are pleased to share with our readers information about an upcoming workshop led by the Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, which is part of Concordia Seminary’s Faculty Led Workshop series. Dr. Filipek shares our passion for adult faith formation and partnered with us for our online conferences in 2020 and 2021, serving as a breakout […]
Kent and Rhoda had an engaged group of pastors, deaconesses, and laity attending their seminar on adult faith formation at the Institute of Liturgical Studies, held at Valparaiso University, their alma mater. There were both those with extensive experience in using faith formation practices and those who were neophytes to their use. The Rite of […]
The images are many but the reality is one. Three weeks ago in this series on the ancient mystagogy, Rhoda led us into the multivalence of the baptismal images. Baptism is both tomb and womb in the mystagogy of Ambrose and Theodore. It also adoption and cleansing and the pouring out of the Spirit (more […]
Several decades ago, one Wednesday evening after a particularly difficult session with a singularly unruly class, the devout lay woman and long-time teacher for fifth- and sixth-grade confirmation instruction at our church had had enough; she quit. Feeling called (reluctantly, like Jonah) to step into the role and finish the school year, I took up […]