All of us can probably say that coming to Mass is often an “adventure”. Getting ready, dreading that there may not be enough gas in the car, will the children be on their best behavior? will people be coming into the church with their Starbucks? will people be getting up and going to the bathroom at all times? and how about all those folks who arrive super late to Mass? And, could it get any worse if the “church police” appear on the scene of the crime?
I think I get the general picture, coming to Mass can often feel like a “hazardous journey”, even more than an “adventure”. Sometimes, I too, just want to stay in bed.
A couple of thoughts filter into my mind. The first is that Mass, no matter what, really is worth it! It is a most sacred moment that takes place in a most sacred place. It is about how God has established a covenant of love with all of us and through this sacred meal we recover the salvific action of Christ in the brokenness of his body on the cross and the breaking of the bread. It is
an incredible awe-filled event that puts us in touch with the sacred and allows us to deepen that sense of how sacred we all are, so much so that we are able to see the sacred everywhere. It is an extraordinary moment for extraordinary people. A people who are willing to renew the covenant with the amen of Eucharist participation. In so doing, we embrace a disciple way of life: Heroic, faith-filled, joy-filled, love-filled. But, of course, this does not enter our consciousness all too easily.
The second thought that comes to my mind, and related to the first, is how the Eucharist event goes so much against the grain of popular surroundings. Dominant society insists that our lives be governed by a preference for all things “light”, and this is a sad occurrence. How sad it is that relationships be “light”, no commitment no real passion, no love, and no willingness to sacrifice. For so many, it is quite the same thing to curse as not to curse; that everything is a matter of opinion; that it is ok if I’m not religious because I am “spiritual”. It all stinks of narcissism. You knock on that wall and it is hollow, you know it will never be a load-bearing wall.
And so, it seems, this “attitude light”, slips into all that is important, including coming to Mass.
No question about it, it is a challenge, it’s complicated and there are no quick solutions. Many never had the opportunity to grow up with a sense of the sacred. Of walking into church and knowing that this was consecrated ground. No need to be told not to bring drinks, no need to be told to sit in place, no need to be told not to lose reverence by walking out of the church just as
the scriptures are being read. Many, as a matter of fact, have not been baptized. Catechesis is needed evangelization is needed, good examples are needed. Then, many of us just get tired and weary. It’s always working, work and work. The weariness levels everything, what used to be important seems to wane,
It’s quite a challenge! One step at a time, no looking back, looking towards the future. Thy kingdom come!
Father Francisco Gómez, S.T.