After the English Masses this weekend, parishioner Vanessa Bell will be at a table promoting the Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus which is associated with Blessed Mother Maria Pierina de Michelli. Which prompts some reflections.
As opposed to liturgy, which is the prayer of the entire, united Body of Christ, a devotion emerges from the spirituality of an individual or a specific group of Catholics. While all Catholics are called to participate in the Mass, the sacraments, and are invited to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, not all Catholics are called to, for example, reflect on the Holy Face of Jesus. But some Catholics do feel this call, and for these Catholics something like the Holy Face of Jesus is a particularly helpful pathway to closeness with the Lord. The same could be said about consecrations, or Taize music, or charismatic prayer, or reading dense theology, or any other number of expressions of Catholic spirituality: intended for some, but not for all.
As a parish priest, I have an odd relationship to devotions. On the one hand, I am charged specifically with the liturgies of our parish, so my primary focus is not on devotions but on the Mass, sacraments, and Liturgy of the Hours; that is, I, more than anyone else at the parish, have the task of promoting the universal prayers of the Church. On the other hand, all Catholics are called to be devoted to God, meaning individual devotions are important for our parishioners, and I also have the responsibility as the pastor of this community to make sure people have access to a panoply of devotions to help them grow closer to Jesus. The problem is that if I push individual devotions (especially if they are my personal favorites), I risk universalizing them in a way that is inappropriate (because only the liturgy is intended for everyone); but if I do not push individual devotions, how will people learn about all the different ways a Catholic can pray?
I was, then, very thankful when Vanessa approached me about promoting the Holy Face devotion, because this seemed like exactly the way devotions should spread at a parish: not through the priest, who is responsible for all parishioners, but through an individual who is particularly passionate about this or that devotion. I did the research to make sure that everything was in accord with the teachings of the Church, and then invited Vanessa to be present herself to talk about this devotion and why it is important to her.
I highlight all of this because it is one more instance of what I mean when I talk about charisms. The Holy Spirit calls each of us to specific missions, certainly, but also to specific prayers. When the Holy Spirit calls an individual (as long as I can discern that it is an authentic call, in line with the teachings of the faith), my responsibility as a pastor is to try to empower and encourage, not to get in the way. The Holy Spirit works through each of the baptized, not just the pastor or parish staff, and I hope we can continue to find opportunities for the baptized to bring forth and showcase the call of the Spirit in their lives.
Fr. Moore 