5 Minute Theology: Stational Churches

There is an ancient practice of offering mass at particular churches on particular days

of the liturgical year, which goes back even to the late second century, that is, the

late 100s, not long after the death of the last apostle.

And as is often the case, since we learn about its formal practice at that time, it probably

grew from an informal practice that existed even earlier.

This practice took on a special penitential character during the 40 days of Lent, and

the three Sundays leading up to Lent.

It is practiced today in the city of Rome after being revived not long ago, and is imitated

in many places throughout the world.

While this is not strictly speaking a theological topic in itself, the practice and its antiquity

serve to illustrate the apostolic origin of several Catholic doctrines and practices,

which many non-Catholics mistakenly believe to be later inventions.

Such critics often attribute to Constantine, certain obviously ancient Catholic doctrines

and traditions which are impossible to ignore, and thus conclude that they aren't real Christianity,

but only the practices of a new fake church that was the product of Constantine in the

early 4th century.

But centuries before Constantine and the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the Pope,

who is the successor of Peter in the Bishop of Rome, and as we already showed in a previous

episode, had a unique importance and authority, would make a pilgrimage to the various tombs

of the martyrs in the city, and offer mass at the place of their relics and in their honor.

It is not endowed and is a fact of the historical record that mass then had the same basic structure

as today, and was believed to be the true sacrifice of Christ on the cross represented

as we believe today.

Just read the apostolic fathers and apologists, like Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarb, Clement

of Rome, Justin Martyr, and many others.

To offer mass near or upon the relics of the saints shows the apostolic origin of belief

in the intercession of the saints and the holiness of their relics.

The procession or pilgrimage to the churches, especially during Lent, showed the penitential

character of this practice, as the Pope at least and often others would make this trip

barefoot, and it was often accompanied by a strict fast until after mass.

This shows that the tradition of performing penances and self-denial to grow in holiness

goes back to the very beginning of the church, and as we said in the episode on redemptive

suffering, it is already mentioned by the earliest documents of the New Testament, the

letters of Saint Paul.

We also can see a fascinating display of the process of the development of the liturgical

tradition, since elements of these early stational liturgies made their mark on the text

of the liturgy, which can be seen even today, most clearly in the celebration of the traditional

Latin mass.

Because when Christianity was legalized and churches were then able to be built in Rome,

the processions were made to these particular churches, and not just the catacombs or sites

of martyrdom, and these churches were built in honor of the martyrs and other saints.

This is to the lives or patronage of these saints, in some cases, made their way into

the mass, or affected the choice of scriptural readings to be used for that mass.

Even today, if you look at a 1962 missile, for most masses throughout the year, you will

see a stational church listed, and many times you can see how that saint is alluded to in

the character of that day's liturgy.

For example, the Thursday after Ash Wednesday was celebrated at the church of San Giorgio

or Saint Giorgio, and the gospel always used is the healing of the centurion servant, since

Saint Giorgio is the patron of soldiers.

The mass of Thursday in the third week of Lent is celebrated at the church of St.

Cosmos and Damien, and the collect or opening prayer of that mass mentions those two saints,

even though it's not their feast day.

It would take you very much by surprise if you weren't aware of the stational church.

The mass of Saturday of the third week of Lent is celebrated at the church of Santa Susana,

and sure enough, the reading is the very lengthy telling of the story of Susana in the book

of Daniel.

The fact that this reading of Daniel about Susana was included in the liturgy so early

on, is also an insight into the process of determining which books were considered canonical

or inspired, since the story of Susana is rejected by Protestants from the book of Daniel.

Because counterintuitively, they have recourse to certain specific Jewish canons of the Old

Testament, rather than early Christian ones.

There are many more things we could glean from the rich and fascinating history of the

stational churches, but we'll just conclude with noting how, stepping back from the

particular doctrines and practices we've already noted, we can see the general incarnational

principle at work.

Our faith, like Christ, is embodied in the world, in words, in sacraments, and in practices

like pilgrimage's, veneration of relics and fasting.

The stational church pilgrimage is a wonderful display of all this.

Our faith is not merely lived in our head through theologizing, meditating, and contemplating.

It has to flow into our bodies as well, in our penitential and devotional practices.

We are men, not angels, and Christ came to save man in a human way.

One need only participate in a practice like a fast or a pilgrimage to know how beneficial

these can be to our spiritual lives.

And to leave out such practices is to ignore the beautiful fact, taught by St. Paul, that

we are to offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice.