Relclaiming the Royalty in the Mass
The new translation of the Mass offers us the perfect opportunity to relearn the hidden treasures in the majestic meaning of the Mass. The most royal thing we can do as a Catholic is attend the Mass. But, it doesn’t always feel, look, seem, or sound royal. That is precisely why I challenge you to Reclaim the Royalty in the Mass for yourself, for others and to give Glory to God in the Highest.
In these long winded posts, I will attempt to shed light on the little things we miss in Mass everyday. But first, get rid of the guilt...
I plead guilty?
The main guilt many of us have about the Mass is that we just aren’t feeling it. Therefore, we don’t fold our hands. We don’t respond, or open our books to sing. We may leave early with Communion still in our mouths, or worse we may just stop coming all together.
The devil’s first tactic might be to make us feel like we just must not be holy. Ever felt this way? "The girl levitating next to me must be really holy, I'm just not made of that “saint material” because I just don’t really “like” Mass. I could never levitate. Oh well...just 20 more minutes to go..."
His second tactic might be to keep discouraging us from trying to participate. He tries convincing us that a different type of service would help us to “get something out of it.” He may propose to us that this old school ritual isn’t in touch, that the Church doesn’t care, maybe that it’s just some requirement that should have died a long time ago.
I could go on and on. You name a struggle you have had with Mass and he’s tried it on a million other souls.
In my opinion, one of satan’s most basic tricks is taking advantage of a disinterest or a guilt he has planted within us and distracting us so that we never choose to become educated. We miss the sheer majesty of many things because of this, including the Mass. Therefore, before reading this post disregard any guilt you may have about your boredom, feelings, insufficiencies or failures when it comes to the Mass. Those aren’t important. This is my attempt to bring a royal mindset back to the most Majestic event that has ever happened on earth. The fact is: we are certainly unworthy of an invitation to this event. Yet, we are invited anyway, then made worthy by a Merciful King. Sorry, but that trumps your feelings of guilt.
Reclaiming by Relearning
My 7th and 8th grade students were shy to admit that they thought Mass was boring...(not a hard guess), but once they got it out there the discussion was easy. They were sure it was their own problem and a sin that they weren’t automatically pumped about the Mass. It was a grand relief when their “holy” religion teacher wasn’t mad and actually had felt the same way. ("You weren't born liking sitting still, being quiet, and listening to long speeches!?!?! No Way Miss L!!!") But, when they were allowed to admit their lack of enthusiasm (or even desire to be in a Church) they gushed forth their pure desire for an understanding of the Mass, exposing the truth that they all had a natural draw to the Mass after all. On student put it this way: I wish I could just get it to "click". I think I could be really holy if it all would "click".
And yet, even with a desire to understand the Mass more, we all cop out. Whether we are advocates or practicers of the "gangsta genuflection", the "wipe yo face" sign of the cross, or the "free nap time pious look" during a long Eucharistic Prayer, we all have felt a little awkward at Mass or frustrated at Mass. My students would be quick to admit they just feel like it's bad to fake it when you don't feel like it's real yet (Key word: yet), they feel like they are being hypocrites.
("Deep Seated" Analogy Time)
Hopefully, you would not feel bad for walking into your grandmother’s home and not sitting in a chair she has never allowed anyone to sit in. You would just do it trusting that the owner of this house must have some profound reason that she prefers no one to use the chair. She clearly must still value the chair, or else she would have removed it from the room years ago and replaced it with something that would be more sensible for sitting in. You may be relieved that you never sat in the chair when you find out years later that that was your grandfather’s favorite chair. From this everyday “recliner throne” he would tell his old farm and war stories, watch only the positive news, preach his fatherly teachings to his children in the evenings, entertain his grandchildren with old records, and doze in and out of conversation. He was the perfect match to the old woman sitting in the identical adjacent chair. That chair was never suited for another, and was a reminder to your grandmother every day that her 60 year marriage partner is still with her in her house in the empty moments.
You didn’t know why you respected the chair, or why you awkwardly avoided it, it may have even annoyed you at times, but there was a reason, and a good reason at that. And, you certainly wouldn't call yourself a hypocrite for respecting a rule that you didn't understand.
So, “Fake it till You Make it.” Popular saying, yes? Also, a great motto for Mass. Strangely enough I imagine God is okay with us praying this prayer:
“God I will be reverent, but I don’t get it. I will fake it till You make it. Jesus, make me understand.”
Super Fans.
Three of my friends had always dreamt of attending a Cold Play concert to witness their favorite musicians at work. They couldn’t wait for the experience of seeing these talented celebrities in the same room (though a very large and very crowded event center of a room). They were outrageously worked up dancing, singing and going crazy. Later, when an attendant in the arena walked through the nosebleed section, she noticed their extreme excitement and offered the lunatics front row seats to the show. This was an effort to help get the rest of the humongous audience even more in the spirit for the grand Opening Act. They were also the perfect fans for the shots from the concert that would show up on the live music video. It's a smooth publicity move to situate your most devoted, and zealous fans in a position to influence the rest. The hope would be that their energy would be caught in an epidemic fashion by the rest of the crowd and create an even more memorable experience for all fans.
We are all capable of being like these “superfans” with the power to inspire others around us to check in to the experience they are about to miss. (Maybe we could fill in those infamous front row seats that Catholics religiously leave empty...I'm definitely backseat junkie). But, first we have to look up and around to find the truth behind the big words, the strange rituals, the old art, and the exhilarating Mass aerobics (sit, kneel, stand, repeat)
As we gather for Mass, we get our whole hearts and minds ready. Not for an amazing concert, or a famous band, but for our Step into Heaven. Christ the ultimate celebrity is coming! That’s a fact. Do we act like it? How do we get ourselves truly excited about something we do all the time...something that is so hard to grasp?
The more we understand about the Mass, and the stronger our relationship with the owner of the House, the easier it will be to get excited for the Sacrifice that is about to happen. But, we all have to start somewhere.
NEXT POST: Pregaming the Mass--Mass Preparation, genuflection, fasting, etc...
No comments:
Post a Comment