I have taught high school students for 10 years (Old and New Testament) I can tell you what lights the faith in teens and others. It when they realize those they hear about in the Bible were not perfect. When they see Peter in all his glory. When instead of being a book you are read it becomes a book you slip inside and watch happen. This leads to everything meaning more including Mass. It is taking those stories we know so well most ignore them in Mass… like the Prodigal Son, Everyone knows it right… wait. the Father (God) what was He doing? Watching for his son… everyday… waiting for him to finally come back to him. when He saw his son what did He do? He RAN to him, rich men in those times did not run… they sent servants to run…and he celebrated his son’s return… God. or What was Jesus’ day like when He did the loaves and fish miracle? Why was he in the boat, alone? He was grieving John the Baptist having his head cut off and brought to Herod’s daughter on a silver platter (where the expression came from), Notice in the story, where is Jesus? Who is the face of the miracle? He quietly had his disciples go and gather food, behind the scenes he Blesses the food and sends, the Apostles out. They are the face of Jesus to the crowd. Later he sends the Apostles out in the boat while he prays alone, into a storm, on purpose. Why?
How about after Christ rises on Easter? Peter, the denier? Christ comes and does he speak to Peter first? no… He doesn’t speak to him the first time, or the second appearance either…So next we see Peter, head Apostle one day, now?? Peter goes fishing? Why? He thought he had messed. He denied Christ over a charcoal fire to a little girl for the third time. Peter figured he was done and needed to get on with life. with his old job, fishing. Jesus shows up.3rd time . shows Peter that he knows where the fish are… and Breakfast… over a charcoal fire. So many fish… they needed help to pull in the nets. Jesus? Peter, go get the fish. Peter brings the net, and fish… alone. As Jesus asked… He was able…He trusted No thinking just did. 3 questions do you love me. Peter is Peter… he gets testy with the third question… to Jesus… GOD… For all his faults Peter trusted often, without thinking of the outcome. doesn’t want his feet washed… Jesus explains Peter now wants a full sponge bath. oh, washing feet? why? muddy streets where animals do what they do (unlike the circus, no pooper scooper). Jesus washed poop off their feet (ceremony was to make sure no one tracked poop into the houses, it was normally done by servants as a housekeeping practice).
To make Mass mean something those attending need to believe, to see, to understand the truth and beauty of the Faith, of Jesus’ life. That the last supper was a meal eaten every year for the entirety of Passover. Like Jews today, they knew what was suppose to happen. They were faithful Jews. Jesus changes thing as they get to the 3rd cup… They must have been shocked… not excited, shocked… what is He doing… He has had too much wine… It was not OH look… Jesus is giving us his body… It was a first. And Catholics today get to receive the same body.
Mass is shifting in some parishes to be more about community than Jesus…“I wanna hold your hand” Our Fathers, run and say hi, totally missing the meaning of the handshake of peace and how it symbolizes leaving you gift at the alter to make peace with those you were not loving… not about how popular you are and how many hands you can shake… and the newest… Hey, if the Priest can do it so can I hand gestures… Look at me… I am so Holy… watch my outward sign… that proves I have no clue what the priest is doing… what it means… as I copy him… cause I am just as important as he is… We forget Jesus every time one of those actions happens… when you think of yourself in Mass or worse others, you are ignoring Jesus. When Mass is about “Me” and what I do and what I get out of it you are missing the point of the Mass. Yeah, Jesus is there all the time, all around us…got it. But at the alter, after the prayer when that knew hits the ground… Jesus is right… there… you can point at Him, you can feel him. Once that is understood, that He is there and He is there for YOU, Mass becomes not a burden but a chance to spend time with Jesus. As you walk up to the altar to receive try thinking, I get to hold God, I get to have him in “Me” with each step. That is the Jesus relationship we need to foster. One where we all come together for one reason to focus on 1. and that one is not “Me”. Those who are 30 - 60 are in the gap in teaching the faith… the day by day Jesus Christ Superstar Religion classes did not prepare us for Mass. They were rebelling from the Baltimore Catechism’s rote memorization. Those adults need to be taught what they misse - basic church history. what did the services of the early Christian’s look like? The Didache shows how close what we do now is what was done when the Apostles were alive.
When one learns the Catholic Mass goes back to when they would kill you for being Catholic and so you gathered in tombs to worship. and took home a hunk of the Eucharist to feed on each day (Our Daily Bread) When one hears of the miracles that you can see today concerning the Eucharist… that is what causes Mass to be more than an obligation. Short cuts are just smoke and mirrors… If the focus is on “me” instead of Him, then making the Mass more exciting is a move away from the very center of our Faith. It is not having a Mass worthy of attending. It Better to focus on having them understand why they are at Mass rather to focus on making it more “fun” for all.
