Part II
With the Creed - well, it would be too long for me to show where I show emphasis there. Which brings me to my next point.
At Mass, I wonder truly if Priest or Parishioner really does much but “go through the motions” in blind senseless repetition. It is obvious that to almost everyone who bothers to attend Mass - because perhaps it makes them feel better or more holy, the Priest and Parishioner alike are too easily “losing focus.” This is not becuse of the words, but because of the lack of enthusiasm for what is going on. Even the Priest themselves take their own role for granted, when in fact, let’s look at what is happening. In our Midst - an event greater than any rock concert from the night before, or charming scientific space launch, or nice story on your evening news, is something so great that it is even greater than the Star above Bethlehem, the Transfiguration itself with Elijah, Moses, and the 3 Persons of God together within the Earth’s Atmosphere. If Catholics - the ones reminded to turn their cell phones had any real appreciation for what is happening at the Altar, they would grab their cellphones, run outside, and call the local TV station to get a crew down to film the event of the miraculous appearance within ordinary unleavened bread and wine of Jesus Christ - as He is today on Earth, in direct contact with He as He is beyond the farthest star of the Universe He helped co-create, in heaven. The Sacred Liturgy, in words, is magnificent. But here, too, it is mumbled with senseless repetition. “We lift them (our hearts) up to the Lord …it is right to give Him thanks and praise.” Interesting to hear these words mumbled, but rarely in any Congregation of Catholics are they said with conviction as if they are said with any authentic meaning.
So my challenge to you all - each and every one of you - is to get ahold of a copy of the Mass as it is said wherever you are in print form. Study the words - each and every word - as if you are reading it for the first time. And then next Sunday, at Mass, go there not softly mumbling the words out of repetition. Rather, loudly praise God from the bottom of your heart, with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind. The Rosary and other Catholic prayers are not such good ideas, I think in the end, because they make us insensitive to the words we are saying, leaving us with an activity that is useful only for keeping our idle minds and souls from drifting elsewhere - which they do, anyway. When you pray, pray as the Father taught us. Everything else is a bonus, but with the Mass - the ultimate form of Prayer - pay attention to every syllable - every word - every punctuation mark, and read and understand what you out of repetiton have been blathering without heart or soul like a blathering idiot. “Get into” the Lord by really “getting into” the words at HIS Mass.
The Lord wants our attention with all of our heart, mind, and soul. The heart is our body - our emotions … created by quite recyclable chemicals that will return to dust. But while alive, some emotional investment is good. Our mind means our focus factor, for sure. Why think about NFL or sex or particle physics when our attention is supposed to be on the Lord? If we are distracted by something on Earth, just thank God that God created the object of our distraction, and the limits of our minds that allow us to so easily lose track.
Primarily we are to pray through our souls. How could Terri Schiavo, with some a terribly disfigured body and mind pray? Believe me, without the distracting throughts or hormones, she could pray better than any of us ever could. The soul is where we should channel all of our prayers, and we should always live with our souls over our minds, and our minds over our bodies.