Random Thoughts on the Mass

As I was perusing through my blog posts, I was awestruck (again) by the Trinitarian mural (posted at the bottom of my blog). This is a representation of what occurs at every Mass.

Can you imagine the immense change in us if we approached Mass the same way?  I am so guilty of attending Mass (and Adoration) with distractions: rehashing the prior day's or weeks' events; reviewing the agenda for the day or week to come; mulling over a conversation with a loved one or friend; focusing my attention on a child or family sitting in front of me; or being distracted by people talking behind me during Mass (*shudder* - one of my pet peeves).  I allow these distractions to infiltrate my mind, which in turn, diverts my attention from the most awesome transpiration being manifested directly in front of me - God's Love!

There is a story about a husband and father coming home after work.  As he walks down the sidewalk toward his front door, he stops in front of a small tree. He gestures taking something off around his neck, like a person would be taking off a necklace, and he places it on the tree, then continues up the sidewalk and into the house.  The next morning, as he leaves the house for work, he again stops by the tree.  Instead putting something onto the tree like he had done the prior evening, he takes something off the tree and places it back around his neck, then proceeds to go to work.  One day, a friend of his came home with him.  He again stopped in front of the tree on his way into the house, gestured pulling something off of him and placing it on the tree, then proceeding to enter the house.  Once inside, his friend asked him why he stopped by the tree and what he 'placed' on the tree.  The man stated that when he comes home, he leaves all of his worries, frustrations, and obligations from work on the tree.  He can not bring those things with him into the house and into his family.  As he leaves for work the next morning, he shoulders those work responsibilities he left on the tree and returns to work.

My task, as I see it, is the same as the husband/father as I enter the Church.  My duties, agendas, and responsibilities in my life need to be shelved before I enter for Mass.  It's not that God does not care about these things. It is more about how my love for God needs to be in the forefront of my mind, as the Altar is at the front of the Church.  I can only imagine how this would change my perspective of Mass.  Rather than being distracted, could I actually see and comprehend and believe that everything and everyone is connected at Mass?  Would I be able to envision my loved ones who have died joining with the Priest, Christ, and His Sacrifice?  Would I be able to fully understand that the Angels and Saints are joining us, packing the Church from floor to ceiling?  Would I be able to relax and just 'be' in front of God for an hour and praise Him?

Friday, I had to travel to Parma after work to visit a coworker whose father had died recently. While at the funeral home, he introduced me to his family.  His father's last moments were doing things he loved.  His father played cards with a group in the morning, ate lunch, then played another game of cards after lunch. He had a few moments, so sat down in a common area by the fire.  When he did not show up for dinner, the staff and friends searched for him, finding him sitting in a chair by the fireplace.  He had quietly passed away.

What do I want my last moments to be?  As Jesus had stated, we do not know the day nor the hour. Therefore, every moment must be focused on Him. If I bring my baggage, frustrations, and needs into Mass, what would my last moments be focused upon?  Do I really want to look back and know that work and inconsequential 'things' were more important than the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?  This gives me a whole new perspective as I enter the Church.  This Sunday, these will be placed on a bush or tree outside the doors of the Church, allowing me to enter with one focus - Him.

Listening - the Lost Art

A Priest that I know often sends an email to several people asking for feedback on his sermon idea for the following Sunday. This Sunday's homily is on 'Listening'. Here were my thoughts:

Listening.... it's becoming a 'lost art'

The thing about listening - is that I have to stop talking in order to listen.
Listening to God - I have to stop telling God what I want before I can hear what He wants for me.

And sometimes, listening means that I have to accept criticism - even from the Church (ecclesial & Magesterial). Lately, many Priests are receiving criticism from parishioners & Bishops for speaking the Truth about what the Church teaches and how we, as children of God, should live our lives. My take on this - the Priests and Bishops are our Shepherds. They are the ones that are trying to save our souls so that we can live with the Holy Trinity, the Angels, the Saints, our Heavenly Mother in the next life - in Heaven. Without them, we would be lost.

And if a Priest told me something that I need to work on and I am offended - actually, I should be thanking God for him being here to guide me so that I can become holy. If I am offended - that leads toward pride, which is not of God. This also means that I need to listen ... really listen to what God is telling me through that Priest.

This also goes for the Laity - it is our jobs to help guide others toward holiness. It's not just the Priests - we, as the ecclesial Body of Christ, need to listen to what Christ, the head of this Body, is telling us.


But listening has become very difficult to do -
I get up in the morning, I have the radio on. I eat breakfast at the computer, reading the stories for the day. I get to the train, conversations of others are overheard and the stops are announced. I get to Tower City, music is playing. I get to work, the phones are ringing, meetings are held, cell phones and pagers are going off, emails are read, etc. I get home around 7pm and eat dinner in front of the TV, family and friends call, friends come over, neighbors chat.... we have become such a 'turned on' society that we 'turn off' listening because it happens every minute of every day.

When do we actually MAKE time to pray? When do we MAKE time to listen to God?
Without a synthetic connection to God - like email, pager, phone, TV program - He is tuned out because we can't stand silence. And silence is what is needed when we talk to God.



Your thoughts?

Introductory & Penitential Rites

For one of my Bible studies, I had to research the Introductory Rite and Penitential Rite.
Here is some of what I learned.

• Objective Truth to the Mass: that by Divine Power, through the instrumentation of the Priest, acting in persona Christi, bread and wine are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

The graces we receive from this Sacrament depend on our receptivity, our disposition, and our readiness to receive them.

• We receive grace to the extent that we are prepared to receive.
• We must be in a state of grace to receive Holy Communion (not be conscious of any mortal sins).
• If we receive worthily (in a state of grace), along with the Body & Blood of Christ and many graces, we also receive numerous blessings, including the gift of our redemption.
• We must purify our soul before receiving Holy Communion

Introductory Rite


Entrance Procession:
Represents our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem.
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey, he processed through the streets to shouts of joy & victory. The crowed, who held palm branches, welcomed Him in song (once a year this is presented liturgically on Palm Sunday)



For centuries the Priest would arrive at the steps of the Sanctuary and recite Psalm 42 along with the altar boy: ‘Introibo ad altare Dei. Ad Deum qui lactificat iuventutem meam.’ Our Lord and King is about to enter the Sanctuary in order to defeat evil, sin and Satan once again. The entrance procession is a time for joy & victory, for our salvation is near!

• Upon entering the Sanctuary (of Jerusalem), the Priest and ministers genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the Tabernacle and make a profound bow toward the altar.
• The Celebrant, Concelebrating Priests, and Deacons then reverence the altar with a kiss.
• The altar, which takes central importance in the Sanctuary, has always been the greatest sign for Christ, whose body became the altar upon which He would sacrifice Himself to the Father. It is the focal point of the Holy Mass.
• The altar may receive the first incensation (3 others may follow during the Mass). The incense prepares the altar for sacrifice and may be used in any Mass.
  
  

Following the Sign of the Cross

Congregation is greeted through Sacred Scripture (epistles of St. Paul)

Priest: “The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”
- or -
“The grace and peace of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you”
- or -
“The Lord be with you”

Bishop: “Peace be with you”
By virtue of his office as Vicar of Christ, recalling the inaugural words of Our Lord to his apostles after his resurrection. (John 20: 19 – 23)

Congregation responds: “And also with you” (or more precisely translated, ‘And with your spirit’)

This completes the first dialogue of the Mass, expressing reciprocal conversation between Christ, the head, and the Church, His Mystical Body.

Penitential Rite

From the beginning to the end, Mass is a prayer, the highest prayer known to mankind. Mass teaches us how to pray.

In the Penitential Rite, we are in the midst of a conversation on prayer
The primary movement of prayer in the Mass is one of humility. In imitation of Christ, the Son of God, who humbled Himself to become man; take upon Himself our sins; undergo the Passion, crucifixion, and death on our behalf, we must humble ourselves.

The Church seeks to imitate the humility of Christ by first recognizing our sins and acknowledging the fact that we are sinners in desperate need of God’s abundant mercy.

• We pause, examine our conscience in silence, and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
• Recall individual sins
• Become aware of our overall need for forgiveness and mercy for the sins that we have committed and the good we have omitted, which we may have forgotten.
• Prepare our souls to abandon our old sinful habits and seek the grace and mercy that God has prepared for us in receiving his Body and Blood in Holy Communion.

Penitential Rite does not grant absolution for mortal sins. It does help us to receive forgiveness for our less serious sins, venial sins, which are forgiven when we receive Holy Communion with humility and love. (GIRM, 51)

One of 3 Prayers will be led by the Celebrant:

Confiteor:
“I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters,: that I have sinned through my own fault (Strike breast) in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do. And I ask Blessed Mary, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

This is prayed as a community, confessing that we are guilty of sins in thought, word, and deed.
We seek the intercession of:

Blessed Mary, Ever Virgin, who was conceived without sin and remained sinless throughout her life

The Angels, who battle with Satan and defeat evil

The Saints, who were sinners like us, but cooperated with God’s grace and mercy to defeat their own sinfulness and persevered in holiness of life

Members of the Church Militant (the pilgrim Church on earth) (“and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.”)

Kyrie Eleison:
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison
(Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy)

This litany is the only surviving vestige of the Greek language remaining in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.

Comes straight from the Gospel.
A great healing by Christ is preceded by the humble cry of a beggar, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Matthew 15:21
Mark 10: 46 – 52
Luke 17: 13

This is where we find ourselves at the beginning of Mass – a poor beggar in need of mercy.This is why we approach the throne of our Heavenly Father in humility from the very beginning.



Instead of the Confiteor and Kyrie, Two other Prayers could be led by the Celebrant

Priest: [These or similar words] "My brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins."
[Pause for silent reflection]
Priest: "Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy."
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: "Lord, show us your mercy and love."
People: And grant us your salvation.
Priest: "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life."
People: Amen.

-- OR --

Priest: [These or similar words] "My brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins."
[Pause for silent reflection]
Priest, Deacon, Cantor or Choir: "You were sent to heal the contrite (or any other suitable invocation): Lord, have mercy."
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest, Deacon, Cantor or Choir: "You came to call sinners (or any other suitable invocation): Christ, have mercy."
People: Christ, have mercy.
Priest, Deacon, Cantor or Choir: "You plead for us at the right hand of the Father (or any other suitable invocation): Lord, have mercy."
People: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
People: Amen."





Sprinkling Rite (Can be said at all Sunday Masses, Saturday evening Masses, and Holy Days of Obligation)

On Sundays, it is commendable that the rite of blessing and sprinkling holy water ("Asperges") should take the place of the penitential rite of the mass . . . so that the faithful may perceive the baptismal significance of this popular sacramental.

A holy water vessel and sprinkler (Picture) of ample proportions are easier to clean and to use. Water may be blessed in this vessel at the rite of the blessing and sprinkling at the beginning of a Sunday Mass.

A reasonably deep "bucket" with a moveable handle is more convenient. The sprinkler may take the form of a brush or of a hollow, perforated ball, perhaps containing a sponge. But the pocket-size sprinkler conveniently used in pastoral situations does not seem appropriate for celebrations in a church.


Priest: "Dear friends, this water will be used to remind us of our baptism. Let us ask God to bless it, and to keep us faithful to the Spirit he has given us. [Or similar words of introduction]"

Option A:
Priest: "God our Father, your gift of water brings life and freshness to the earth; it washes away our sins and brings us eternal life. We ask you now to bless this water, and to give us your protection on this day, which you have made your own. Renew the living spring of your life within us and protect us in spirit and body, that we may be free from sin and come into your presence to receive your gift of salvation. We ask this through Christ our Lord."
People: Amen.

Option B:
Priest: "Lord God almighty, creator of all life, of body and soul, we ask you to bless this water: as we use it in faith forgive our sins and save us from all illness and the power of evil. Lord, in your mercy give us living water, always springing up as a fountain of salvation: free us, body and soul, from every danger, and admit us to your presence in purity of heart. Grant this through Christ our Lord."
People: Amen.

Option C (during the Easter Season):
Priest: "Lord God almighty, hear the prayers of your people: we celebrate our creation and redemption. Hear our prayers and bless this water which give fruitfulness to the fields, and refreshment and cleansing to man. You chose water to show your goodness when you led your people to freedom through the Red Sea and satisfied their thirst in the desert with water from the rock. Water was the symbol used by the prophets to foretell your new covenant with us. You made the water of baptism holy by Christ's baptism in the Jordan: by it you give us a new birth and renew us in holiness. May this water remind us of our baptism, and let us share the joy of all who have been baptized at Easter. We ask this through Christ our Lord."
People: Amen.

[After blessing the water, the priest moves through the church sprinkling all of the people while an antiphon or other song is sung. When the sprinkling and the song is finished, the priest concludes this rite as follows:]

Priest: "May almighty God cleanse us of our sins, and through the Eucharist we celebrate make us worthy to sit at his table in his heavenly kingdom."
People: Amen.

[This rite is commonly celebrated during the Easter Season, but may also be used at other times. When it is used, the Penitential Rite is omitted, and the Mass continues with the Gloria (on most Sundays and solemnities) or with the Opening Prayer (during Advent and Lent, and on weekdays).]

The Penitential Rite has become one of my favorite parts of the Mass. I know that I do not deserve what God is about to give me, but I also know that HE can make me whole again.

Vision of Faith

'This picture is the mural in the dining room of Holy Trinity Monastery in Baltimore, Maryland. It represents what the eye of faith sees when people gather to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Christ is the victim offered to the Triune God on the altar that joins heaven to earth. Mary is present as she was on Calvary. The light of grace emanates from the Spirit to enliven the faithful and all creation. The saints and souls of the faithful departed are under God’s mantle and in His embrace.'

Every time I look at this picture, I see more detail. It reminds me of how closely we are all linked, not only here on earth, but also the souls in purgatory, heaven, and yes, even in hell. And just imagine all of the angels praising God around the altar as well. To know that we have this at EVERY Mass still astounds me. I am unable to fathom the immense love that God brings to us and yearns for us to feel and hold in our hearts. I get little snippits of this love in odd moments - a butterfly, a little child, the sky during a storm, the sunset, a smile, and laughter.

I have come to cherish these moments because they have helped me during the rough times, times of trial and tribulation. This weekend was one such lasting moment - one that I will cherish close to my heart forever. On Friday night before dinner, Fr. V. said the blessing and asked that the Holy Spirit come upon all of us and our conversation. Yes, He came. He was definitely there with all of us, in all of us. Even Mass on Saturday night and Sunday morning meant so much more. Even though we all went our separate ways, back to our daily lives, in Mass, we are still all united.

Can you hold, please?

Hello?

Hi, how was your day?

Who is this?

It's your mother! What do you mean who is this?

Oh, hi. Was'up?

What's up? How was golfing?

I'm not here, leave a message.

My nephew recently bought a new cell phone and created the above (in red) as his voicemail message. My sister had heard him set it up. When she called him a couple days later, she had forgotten the set up and started talking as if he was live. In fact, we've all fallen for his message. Teenagers! *grin*

We have become so dependent on being 'connected' through technology (cell phone, text messages, email, voicemail, call-waiting, caller-id, web-cam, and even blogs), that we have actually become disconnected. We are constantly using technology to talk to each other that person-to-person contact is becoming a rarity. For example, I rely heavily on the computer and email at work due to the nature of my job. I am also contacting my customers via phone. In other words, I am in constant contact with my customers through technology. I find even the meetings I attend are becoming shorter, time-wise, and packed with so much information that it is often difficult to get beyond the meeting agenda. It can become so easy for me to only use email and my computer rather than the phone (which voicemail itself can become annoying) or personal visit.

Gone were the days of visiting others in their offices or even at lunch or after work. Even if we try to use the phone to contact other agencies or companies, many companies will try very hard to prevent customers from connecting with a live person and we get stuck in automated voicemail hell.

Can you imagine if God answered our prayers through automated voicemail? It may have options such as this:

To request prayers, say 'Supplication'

If you need specific help with your life, say 'Subvention'

If you are seeking general help, say 'Assistance'

If you need comfort, say 'Consolation'

To request a miracle, say 'Methionyl­glutaminyl­arginyl­tyrosyl­glutamyl­seryl­leucyl­phenyl­alanyl­alanyl­glutaminyl­leucyl­lysyl­glutamyl­arginyl­lysy­glutamyl­gycyl­alanyl­phenyl­alanyl­valyl­prolyl­phenyl­alanyl­valyl­threonyl­leucyl­glycyl­aspartyl­prolyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­glutaminyl­seryl­leucyl­lysyl­isoleucyl­aspartyl­threonyl­leucyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­alanyl­glycyl­alanyl­aspartyl­alanyl­leucyl­glutamyl­leucyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­prolyl­phenyl­alanyl­seryl­aspartyl­prolyl­leucyl­alanyl­aspartyl­glycyl­prolyl­threonyl­isoleucyl­glutaminyl­asparaginyl­alanyl­threonyl­leucyl­arginyl­alanyl­phenyl­alanyl­alanyl­alanyl­glycyl­valyl­threonyl­prolyl­alanyl­glutaminyl­cysteinyl­phenyl­alanyl­glutamyl­methionyl­leucyl­alanyl­leucyl­isoleucyl­arginyl­glutaminyl­lysyl­histidyl­prolyl­threonyl­isoleucyl­prolyl­isoleucyl­glycyl­leucyl­leucyl­methionyl­tyrosyl­alanyl­asparaginyl­leucyl­valyl­phenyl­alanyl­asparaginyl­lysyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­aspartyl­glutamyl­phenyl­alanyl­tyrosyl­alanyl­glutaminyl­cysteinyl­glutamyl­lysyl­valyl­glycyl­valyl­aspartyl­sryl­valyl­leucyl­valyl­alanyl­aspartyl­valyl­prolyl­valyl­glutaminyl­glutamyl­seryl­alanyl­prolyl­phenyl­alanyl­arginyl­glutaminyl­alanyl­alanyl­leucyl­arginyl­histidyl­asparaginyl­valyl­alanyl­prolyl­isoleucyl­phenyl­alanyl­isoleucyl­cysteinyl­prolyl­prolyl­aspartyl­alanyl­aspartyl­aspartyl­aspartyl­leucyl­leucyl­arginyl­glutaminyl­isoleucyl­alanyl­seryl­tyrosyl­glycyl­arginyl­glycyl­tyrosyl­threonyl­tyrosyl­leucyl­leucyl­seryl­arginyl­alanyl­glycyl­valyl­threonyl­glycyl­alanyl­glutamyl­asparaginyl­arginyl­alanyl­alanyl­leucyl­leucyl­lysyl­glutamyl­tyrosyl­asparaginyl­alanyl­alanyl­prolyl­prolyl­leucyl­glutaminyl­glycyl­phenyl­alanyl­glycyl­isoleucyl­seryl­alanyl­prolyl­aspartyl­glutaminyl­valyl­lysyl­alanyl­alanyl­isoleucyl­aspartyl­alanyl­glycyl­alanyl­alanyl­glycyl­alanyl­isoleucyl­seryl­glycyl­seryl­alanyl­isoleucyl­valyl­lysyl­isoleucyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­glutaminyl­histidyl­asparaginyl­isoleucyl­glutamyl­prolyl­glutamyl­lysyl­methionyl­leucyl­alanyl­alanyl­leucyl­lysyl­valyl­phenyl­alanyl­valyl­glutaminyl­prolyl­methionyl­lysyl­alanyl­alanyl­threonyl­arginyl­serine.' [Tryptophan Synthetase. Formula C1289-H2051-N343-O375-S8]

If you would like to thank and praise God, say 'Thanksgiving' and we will immediately direct you to one of God's angels.

Yet, this technology has been a blessing. It enables people from other cities, states, and countries to contact each other. Friends and family who are thousands of miles apart can talk and see each other like never before. Through a web-cam and microphone, the internet connects father to son, daughter to mother, and husband to wife. Even those away at war can connect with loved ones back home. Before technology was prevelent, this contact was only through 'snail mail' letters and photographs. Technology has provided the means to create a smaller world, so to speak. But it has also created a crutch for those working or living in the same city or even neighborhood. It has provided a way to communicate without connecting.


Prayer is our person-to-person connection to God. 'The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is He who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; His asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.' (CCC 2560) The Catholic Church heavily relies on person-to-person contact, which God desires each and every day. Prayer is what keeps us connected to Heaven. In fact, the Mass is actually a very long series of prayers, thus one reason (but not the main reason) why some call it 'Heaven on Earth.' Mass teaches us how to pray...contrition, listening, praising, thanksgiving, and requesting are all part of the Mass.

Our prayer keeps us connected with our Lord and Savior, and He will only accept person-to-person calls. A friend of mine asked me about my email address, what 'kneemail' meant. 'Knee mail' is prayer. My 'prayer-mail' to God on my knees. It is my direct contact with the One who made me and desires to know me, personally. I am certainly glad that God desires a personal relationship with each one of us. Can you imagine trying to request a miracle through the automated voicemail.? *grin*