Amen! And if we can’t change society at least change ourselves.
Precisely. “Think Eternity, Act NOW.”
I make sure that even if everyone else is responding like an automaton I at least say the responses with feeling and thoughtfulness and mean every word of 'em.
Sometimes I sound like a robot because I am concentrating so much on what is happening. Like when you’re really imagining the events in the Rosary, you’re getting the most out of it, but I doubt anyone else would get much out of listening to you. Other times I am more aware of what other people are doing and I like to belt out the Creed, really sing that Amen, etc. Fortunately for the rest of you, my singing is only fully audible in the cry room.
I listen to the readings and pray along silently with the priest as if my life depends on it - because the life of my immortal soul does!
That’s the way to do it. If someone’s having trouble getting excited about Mass, I suggest try reading all the readings in advance. If you have time, even stop and think about how they apply to you. If you have beaucoup time, you might imagine what kind of homily you’d like to give that day. Then you’ll appreciate the one you get all the more.
And you know what - the more I come to adopt this attitude the less it matters what the people around are doing or not doing. You and I can be John and Mary, at the foot of the Cross giving our hearts and lives along with Christ’s even if the rest of the crowd is jeering at Him.
What really brought that home to me was those Bud McFarlane novels they give out at
www.catholicity.com for free. In one of them, a character named Buzz is stuck in some church out of town and he doesn’t like the church, or the priest or the parishioners very much at all. Then he reminds himself that he’s not there for THEM, he’s there to be with Jesus. I’ve been to some really wierd churches but thinking about that puts things into perspective. The last time I left a mass was when a priest held up a host that looked like a giant chocolate-chip cookie - but I wasn’t bored, just a little scared.
The commandment says ‘keep the Sabbath holy’, not ‘keep it holy only if you feel the need’. And Jesus said ‘do this in memory of me’, not ‘do this if you feel like it’.
That’s very true. The thing people have to remember is what they are REALLY doing there. When you are at Mass, singing your “holy, holy, holy”, you are worshipping God with all the angels and saints. There was only one sacrifice - and you’re at it. There is only one high priest - and He’s there in front of you. Really then, there is only ONE MASS - and nomatter what you are seeing around you, you are really at that one mass, with all the angels and all the saints, in the presence of the Creator of the Universe, and He’s asking you to let Him be the best friend you’ll ever have, and then to just say, “well…I dunno, Jesus. The dude next to me doesn’t look very enthused…gimme a few weeks to think about it…later days…” It’s just silly.
