Dorothy Day on Motherhood and the Mass
Tomorrow the Church in Australia celebrates both Mother's Day and Respect for Life Sunday. This year Dorothy Day has been chosen as patron because she experienced both the pain of abortion and the joy of birth. The following is from her writings:
"No human creature could receive or contain so vast a flood of love and joy as I often felt after the birth of my child. With this came the need to worship, to adore."
"A woman does not want to be alone at such a time [when giving birth]. Even the most hardened, the most irreverent, is awed by the stupendous fact of creation. No matter how cynically or casually the worldly may treat the birth of a child, it remains spiritually and physically a tremendous event. God pity the woman who does not feel the fear, the awe, and the joy of bringing a child into the world."
One of Dorothy Day's great loves was the Liturgy. She had this to say concerning the Mass.
"There is also the attempt by some priests to reach the young, to make the Mass meaning to the young (educated, middle-class young) where novelty is supposed to attract attention but which, as far as I can see, has led to drawing these same young ones completely away from the 'people of God', the 'masses', and worship in the parish church."
"Penance seems to be ruled out today. One hears the Mass described as Sacrament, not as Sacrifice. But how are we to keep courage unless the Cross, that mighty failure, is kept in view? Is the follower greater than the master? What attracts one in a Che Guevara and Ho Chi Minh is the hardships and the suffering they endured in living their lives of faith and hope."
"We have to leap into faith through the senses - from the natural to the supernatural - and I was drawn to the Church in my youth because it appealed to the senses. The music speaking to the ear, the incense to the sense of smell, the appeal of colour to the eye, stained glass, icons and statues, the bread to the taste, the touch of rich vestments and altar linens, the touch of holy waters, oils, the sign of the cross, the beating of the breast."
These last words remind me of a few lines from Newman.
"He has shown us, that to come to Him for life is a literal bodily action; not a mere figure, not a mere movement of the heart towards Him, but an action of the visible limbs; not a mere secret faith, but a coming to church, a passing on along the aisle to His holy altar, a kneeling down there before Him, and a receiving of the gift of eternal life in the form of bread. There can be no mistaking His own appointment. He said indeed, "He that cometh to Me shall never hunger;" but then He explained what this coming was, by adding, "He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." If then a man does not seek Him where He is, there is no profit in seeking Him where He is not. What is the good of sitting at home seeking Him, when His Presence is in the holy Eucharist?"
"No human creature could receive or contain so vast a flood of love and joy as I often felt after the birth of my child. With this came the need to worship, to adore."
"A woman does not want to be alone at such a time [when giving birth]. Even the most hardened, the most irreverent, is awed by the stupendous fact of creation. No matter how cynically or casually the worldly may treat the birth of a child, it remains spiritually and physically a tremendous event. God pity the woman who does not feel the fear, the awe, and the joy of bringing a child into the world."
One of Dorothy Day's great loves was the Liturgy. She had this to say concerning the Mass.
"There is also the attempt by some priests to reach the young, to make the Mass meaning to the young (educated, middle-class young) where novelty is supposed to attract attention but which, as far as I can see, has led to drawing these same young ones completely away from the 'people of God', the 'masses', and worship in the parish church."
"Penance seems to be ruled out today. One hears the Mass described as Sacrament, not as Sacrifice. But how are we to keep courage unless the Cross, that mighty failure, is kept in view? Is the follower greater than the master? What attracts one in a Che Guevara and Ho Chi Minh is the hardships and the suffering they endured in living their lives of faith and hope."
"We have to leap into faith through the senses - from the natural to the supernatural - and I was drawn to the Church in my youth because it appealed to the senses. The music speaking to the ear, the incense to the sense of smell, the appeal of colour to the eye, stained glass, icons and statues, the bread to the taste, the touch of rich vestments and altar linens, the touch of holy waters, oils, the sign of the cross, the beating of the breast."
These last words remind me of a few lines from Newman.
"He has shown us, that to come to Him for life is a literal bodily action; not a mere figure, not a mere movement of the heart towards Him, but an action of the visible limbs; not a mere secret faith, but a coming to church, a passing on along the aisle to His holy altar, a kneeling down there before Him, and a receiving of the gift of eternal life in the form of bread. There can be no mistaking His own appointment. He said indeed, "He that cometh to Me shall never hunger;" but then He explained what this coming was, by adding, "He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me." If then a man does not seek Him where He is, there is no profit in seeking Him where He is not. What is the good of sitting at home seeking Him, when His Presence is in the holy Eucharist?"
posted by Lactantius at
8:13 pm
1 Comments:
"He has shown us, that to come to Him for life is a literal bodily action; not a mere figure, not a mere movement of the heart towards Him, but an action of the visible limbs; not a mere secret faith, but a coming to church, a passing on along the aisle to His holy table, a kneeling down there before Him, and a receiving of the gift of eternal life in the form of bread."
Thank you, Jude. I want to write that out and place it in my missal. You should make us all little holy cards! I'm so thankful to be passing over in the best way, my puritanical-ness...
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Anonymous, at 10:36 pm
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