A Word from Your Pastor October 21

“I have a question.”  This was the beginning of a conversation with a young man I saw just outside the church.  “We do the Sign of the Cross at the beginning of Mass.  And then we do the Sign of the Cross at the end of Mass.  Does that mean that the Mass is one big prayer?”

“Exactly!” I responded.  “And you dip your hand in the Holy Water at the beginning of Mass so you can do the prayer, and then again at the end of the Mass so that you can take what you have done out to all the world.”

The insight of this young man is worth our pondering.  So often, folks fail to realize just what the Mass is and treat it as if it is a commodity.  Some who choose not to come to Mass will say, “I don’t get anything out of it.”  Prayer is about a relationship with God and His Church.  The Mass is the Prayer of Jesus Christ in union with His Body, the Church, addressing the Father, Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth.  When we enter into that Prayer, we become part of the very flow of the Faith, Hope and Love that keep the Universe in motion. 

Folks can wonder why the world’s problems are not being solved.  We have a Savior, Who has promised to fill every longing of our heart.  We are not able to find solutions because we fail to enter into the true flow of things.  St. Padre Pio said: "It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." 

We are now halfway through our annual October Count.  So far, the numbers are down for attendance at weekend Masses once again.  Many who could be with us are not.  The Mass, which is the source and summit of the life of the Church is undervalued.  What is the solution?  We who are present must pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see how our witness to the truth and power of the Mass can be shared more effectively.

In the months ahead, our Second Graders and Eighth Graders and others will be preparing for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation.  May we all strive together to become a more effective witness to the gift of the Sacraments in our lives as Catholics.