Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

     When I was in seminary, the Director of Liturgy (now a newly consecrated bishop!), on more than one occasion would give us nitpicky know-it-all seminarians a reminder on How-To Mass. It was simple, ‘when you attend Mass, simply attend Mass’. He meant by this, that we were not to worry, critique, criticize, correct, double guess, or review the goings on of the church & ministers of the day. As we simply attended Mass, we were asked to sing the songs, not call into question who or why this song was chosen – especially as opposed to another. We were not asked to put the lyrics of the songs through an Inquisition – all of our hymnals were approved for use by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) – as is our Gather hymnal by GIA. Does that mean you will like every song selected? No. Does that mean every song in our hymnal or any approved hymnal is the most beautiful, artistic, theologically sound? No. What it really means is just open the hymnal and your mouth and sing. Join in the Liturgy, the united voice & work of the People to pray & praise God with the voice & breath that God gave you. There are most certainly times & places to discuss the best music & hymnals, but at Mass is not one of them. At Mass, if you really want to How-To the Mass, you simply Mass. You are present. You participate. You partake of the Mass. You simply attend the Mass.

     Honestly, ‘simply attending’ can be an amazing act of faith & perseverance & surrender & holiness. Entering into the Mass is no easy endeavor. Getting past ourselves is one of the great challenges of prayer & worship. It is hard not to wonder, am I doing this right? What are they up to or doing? Why did they sit there? Who are they? I like (or don’t like) how they decorated the church. It is an act of surrender to receive the readings, the music, the décor as honest aides to encountering the Lord God, all as an offering on the altar of sacrifice with Christ the Lord.

    Yes, I mentioned décor. We are blessed by a very talented & dedicated group of parishioners who make our church look so very lovely, especially during the seasons of great liturgical importance – Christmas & Easter. There is a small group of dedicated people who clean the church every week – bathrooms, pews, sweeping & moping, window washing – so our space is inviting & warm. Flowers, plants & altar cloths are set & cared for. They do a wonderful job. If sometimes it's not to your taste, be thankful anyway that it is done with care & concern for God’s Glory. Feel free also to help join the team that provides the environment for us all to How-To Mass.

    And this is what my seminary Director of Liturgy was getting at. When we come to Mass, it is important that we have quality music, environment, and preaching (ok well, 2 out 3 isn’t bad!). They are worthy of attention, but not during the Liturgy itself. Those things really do assist us to worship God, but in a more passive way. They create the needed space of encounter. Yet, they ought not to replace God or distract us from His holy work. Without a doubt, there is much variety in all these areas among our various parishes. Some churches are grand. Others are plain. Some have 100-year-old pipe organs, others an upright piano. Yet, the Mass is so much more than the art or architecture or instrument. Remembering this, helps us to How-To Mass here with devotion. I am all too aware that many Catholics are Roaming Catholics more so than Roman Catholics. And that the roaming is encouraged by music and preaching and décor and proximity. And people often roam around looking for Mass the way they want Mass, the music the way they want music, the preaching that they want preaching, and proximity to what they will be doing after Mass. That is about the very definition of the DIY Mass attitude these Pastoral Notes are aimed at addressing.

Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, who worshiped God, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries