Many years ago, I helped initiate a woman who had been married to a Catholic for many years. She had helped to raise her children as Catholics. Even when her husband was away on business, she was with their sons in the pew each Sunday and saw to it that they were present for all religious formation. She had been a fixture in the parish for so many years that most folks were surprised to learn that she had not been, in fact, a lifelong Catholic.

At the Easter Vigil celebration, I looked over at her after her baptism. I saw that she was standing on the altar platform without her fancy high heels. Later I asked her why she was in her stockinged feet. She said that she had been in that worship space hundreds of times. But that evening had been very different. She slipped off her shoes, she said, because, "Now, I understood that I was standing on holy ground."

Hardwired for ritual
We are hardwired for ritual. Look at family bedtime routines, the important order of brush-teeth-read-story-say-prayerskiss-goodnight, and heaven help us if we get it mixed up! Observe the orchestration of birthday parties. Or even better, look at family Christmas traditions. (Open gifts after Midnight Mass vs. early morning? Oldest child begins first or youngest? One person at a time or wholesale paper-flinging?)

Even if we didn’t have a grandmother who told us in no uncertain terms that "This is how we do things, dear," we know. We know on some DNA level that there are certain moments and experiences that must be observed ritually. The woman who took off her shoes in the worship space during the Vigil knew that something profoundly different had taken place. She knew that what had happened required a response on her part.

Years ago, Life magazine sent photographers out around the globe to document life-cycle rituals. What did they discover in families, tribes, clans, entire countries? From the most primitive cultures to the most advanced, the arrival of a baby is cause for celebration and feasting. It cannot be viewed as ordinary, this new life. Neither can death be ignored, nor the crossing over into adulthood or the taking of a spouse. What the research showed is that we know, deep down, that we are connected to one another and we gather instinctively for support and encouragement, as well as celebration.

Many people ask about joining the Catholic Church because they have experienced a Catholic funeral or a wedding and are struck by the richness of our ritual life. They may not understand what we did, but they want to "come
and see." We can use the events and rituals of everyday life to help them--and
ourselves--enter into fully active and conscious participation in the ritual life of the church.

Connect ritual with everyday life
Here, for example, is one way to help any age group identify the essential elements of the eucharistic celebration. Ask a group of young people or adults to describe the Thanksgiving feast from their childhood or as it is presently celebrated with their families. Pull out as many details as possible. (Some possibilities: turkey and all the trimmings, grandmother’s lace tablecloth, polished silver, football games, remembering past Thanksgivings, extended grace before eating, who cooks what, calling out-of-town relatives, sending folks home with leftovers and new memories.)

Then show how what we do with our families is echoed in the Eucharist. We engage in storytelling of days past (Scripture readings and songs), pray for those in need (Prayers of the Faithful), use special dishes and linens (liturgical environment), remember those who are no longer with us, make note of what is important to us (Creed and Eucharistic Prayer), share a special meal (bread and wine), and send people home with new memories or ideas (dismissal).

Ask questions that tap into people’s stories. Consider birthday parties, getting ready for bed, what happens when someone dies, and preparing for Christmas. Then connect the stories and elements to ritual and liturgy as we experience it in the church. The technique can be used with inquiry, catechumenate, any adult formation, or children’s catechesis.

When we begin with what people know, with their hardwired understanding of who we are and what we do as families and friends, we can make crossovers to the ritual actions that bind us together as God’s people. TP