19th Sunday after Pentecost 7.10.07 The Mass
Think of it, that somewhere in the world at any given time a Mass is being offered.
Each Mass is an outpouring of God’s love on the world, so there is from the rising of the sun to its setting a constant giving and receiving of God’s love in the world.
There is a lot of bad stuff happening too, of course, but it is good to know the Mass is there, holding us above water so to speak.
If it were not for the Mass the world would have disintegrated a long time ago. We are worse now than at the time of the Flood, but the constant appeal to God’s mercy buys us more time. This much tells us how important it is that we offer Mass, and as many as possible take part in it.
The more taking part and the more part they take – the better. It is not just a matter of coming inside the door. We can be physically present but absent in spirit or heart.
To come to the Mass, to take part in the banquet, requires that we be fully engaged in what is happening here, and fully committed to whatever is required.
The offering of the bread and wine symbolises our desire to offer ourselves to God. We offer the Son to the Father, but we cannot do this in an impersonal offhanded sort of way. To make such an offering requires that we be involved in it.
(Like if I gave you a present which I had bought – is different from handing you a present from someone else. We are offering Christ to the Father not as though it were someone else doing it, but I/We, fully engaged in the process.)
This partly addresses the question of who is offering the Mass. It is not just the priest, as though the congregation is not involved. If you were at Mass and just watching as a spectator, the offering would not be yours.
The congregation is not the audience; you are taking part in this. You are jointly offering with the priest. The priest has a cultic role which is unique to him, but as far as the spiritual sentiments and aspirations involved, the Mass is just as much yours as his.
There is not a lot of physical movement in a Mass for the congregation, but the movement of the heart and mind is meant to be intense.
It is like getting married all over again, each time you come to Mass. You are being asked to sign your life away each time. Father, I offer you Your Son, and with Him, because it is my offering, I offer myself, and all that I have and am.
That’s all done without leaving your seat! Because there is not much movement or obvious activity it might be easy to miss what is happening. One could just go through the motions and shuffle out of the church as one shuffled in.
No commitment or engagement whatsoever. It happens too often.
Partly it is ignorance of the Mass, partly a fear or refusal to engage. Simply too much trouble to take God that seriously.
This determines whether we are actually AT the banquet or not. How awake or asleep we are, how alert, how interested, how likely to change anything about our lives.
It is not as easy as we might have thought. It never was a matter of just turning up to Mass. We have to be switched on, both in heart and mind, and then the power of God can work change in us.
Not as easy as we thought, but what blessings if we take the invitation as fully as it is given.
