I didn't get entertained at Mass

     Is that title appalling?  Is it on the verge of blasphemy?  But there have been times when I've come to Mass with that attitude, expecting the priest, the music/singing, the prayers or something else to keep me interested.  If that didn't happen, then I thought, "I didn't get anything out of Mass," or "Mass was boring."
     That is not the purpose of Mass, or any Liturgical celebration.  We come to Mass to praise, worship and glorify God as a community.  We also assemble to help build up each other's faith.
     Some people might say, "I can meet God anywhere, so why should I go to Mass?"  Actually, we should meet God wherever we are, and that must be part of our daily lives.  The Mass is not for us to meet God just so we can get something, it is so we can give of ourselves (time, talent, treasure and effort) to encourage and support each other on our faith journey.  And what we receive, the most important parts, are in Word and Eucharist.
     My wife and I were planning to take our Michael to a movie (in the late '90s).  Some reviewers wrote that it would not be as entertaining with the same type of action as another movie.  Those reviewers were trying to make a comparison that one movie wasn't worthwhile because it didn't follow the supposed standards of another one.  But each had their own style and offered some unique things.
     Do we compare the Eucharistic celebration at Mass in the same way, to some unrelated things?  Do we have certain expectations based on activities/events in other parts of our lives?  We need to be participants, not spectators, to find something(s) that become important to us to have a better connection and experience.
     Our attendance at Mass is a privilege (sometimes referred to as our obligation).  It is so we can share a meal, in remembrance of the sacrifice that Jesus made.  It is our joining together for this occasion to receive Holy Communion, and to become a holy communion.
     That is why the cross is an important part of our faith.  It is the joining of our humanity and God's divinity (the vertical beam) and uniting us as sisters and brothers in Christ (the horizontal beam).  And the two beams are linked together showing us that our relationship with God cannot be separated from that with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
     God never meant for us to develop our independence and strive for more of it.  It has always been inter-dependence that Jesus taught, relying on each other.
     Independence leads to separation, while inter-dependence bonds us together as one community, people and Body of Christ.  Any entertainment is for the short term.  The benefits of our full conscious active participatation -- at Mass and more -- are for the longest term.  It is ours as God has offered, it is eternal-izing.
     These connections have taken my faith experience from awful (wanting to minimize God in my life) to Awe-Full (wanting to maximize God's presence in my life).  Jesus invites us, "Come and See!"

Mass is meant to be a shared experience.

Pause-ibilities have great benefits

     The Pause, excerpted from Come to the Feast by Fr. Richard N. Fragomeni.
     Let's begin with a paraphrased portion of a short story by Keith Davis, called "The Pause."
     Worry and work had prevented a stressed and pressured executive from doing any serious Christmas preparation, even shopping.  But in his line of duty, he had helped a woman in the company with personal problems, and she and her family expressed their gratitude several times.
     On the afternoon of the Christmas party, she came into his office with a "Merry Christmas," and a series of gifts.  He opened two or three gag gifts and then one box that was empty.  She explained that she knew he was too busy, and she was offering him a pause.  Just some blank time and space.  She said he needed a pause.
     He reflected years later that he had never forgotten the gift, and it was the gift he cherished most that Christmas.  It was the one he used most often.  He knew his life was full, and he needed some leisure time, but he never bothered to take it until he received this beautiful gift.

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     We too need to take a pause, all of us.  Life has a way of speeding by us, if we let it.  We have full schedules, overloaded task lists, homework galore, and you can probably add more of your own items.
     Our spiritual life can use the refreshment of a pause too.  Can we sit down and talk with God for a few minutes or even one minute.  God wants us to build up that relationship.  No matter where we are, we can talk to (and listen to) God.
     Each of us will have some different ways to connect with God, but the important part is that we do something to get closer to God.  God waits for us to take the first step.  The pause-ibilities are up to you!

Professor of my faith

   No one knows my faith better than I do (and God, of course).  Sure there are people who know more about faith than me.  And there are people who know more about religion than me.  Still, no one but God knows more about my faith than me.
   Someone who is knowledgeable about a subject can get to a point where they can proclaim it before others.  My faith has been just such a subject.  God has led me to where I can stand before others and share about God in my life.  One of the ways we do that is when celebrating together at Mass during the Profession of Faith?  We are "Professors," proclaiming about the topic that connects us -- our faith.
   I think that God also calls us to go beyond that community and be a professor of our faith in other areas of our lives.  At this point you might be thinking, "Me, a professor?"  You are already doing just that, because a "Catechist," is one who shares their faith.  Whether you are a Catechist Leader in a class, an Aide, or a Helper in some other capacity, you are sharing your faith.  Even if you are not involved in catechesis, living the faith is sharing it too.  It is in your words and actions that Jesus reaches all in this ministry (children, youth, adults).  When we open ourselves up to God's way we will be shown the steps to take.
   Anytime we look ahead at a large task, it can seem overwhelming and scary.  If we look back at something we've accomplished its easy to identify the small steps it took for completion.
   Coming out of high school I wanted to be a newspaper reporter.  I had no idea that God had other opportunities in mind when I studied Journalism in college.  None of our experiences ever gets wasted.  The communications skills I've developed in that training have been valuable in the job market as well as in ministry at multiple Churches.
   When I came to my current Parish (in Aug. 1992) I had no experience working with children in a Religious Education capacity.  Through God's and peoples' guidance I realized that being a Catechist is not just about teaching religion or faith, rather it also includes sharing my faith (and you sharing yours too).  Then the children/youth/adults connect what they learn to their own faith; Faith is not taught, it's caught!
   The exciting part about professing my faith is that I caught it, and I want to share what I caught.  The faith that I caught has shown me the great love of God, and that gives me hope.  There is a Quaker song called "How can I keep from singing?"  The chorus is "No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I'm clinging.  Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?"
   Keep clinging, and keep singing!