Greetings in Christ, all! It is our first Sunday of Lent and I want to do something with you that I do every year at whatever parish I have been serving. Basically, it’s a little bit of what I call “Liturgical House Cleaning.”
What is this House Cleaning? A little bit of a guide to our worship to help us tighten up the way we pray together, to make sure we are all reading from the same playbook. As Catholics, we pray Mass a minimum of once a week together. Part of the challenge lies just in that: we get used to the extraordinary and we let some things slide that are important that we be conscious of. So, with that in mind, let’s walk through it.
Please note that it is not a failure to sometimes not be able to do something. There are some Masses where I simply can’t genuflect every time I am called to. In those instances, I do a profound bow. Some of the things we are required to do simply can’t be done because of age or injuries. Just keep in mind the old axiom: Do what you can, not what you can’t.
So, with that, let’s get right to it and start with Genuflection. First, when we walk into Church and get ready to go into our pew or seat, we look toward the tabernacle and we genuflect. To genuflect is to put one knee on the ground in adoration and one knee up in readiness. I invite us to do this action prayerfully and slowly. Take your time, pause at the bottom of the genuflection. Doing so is simply using our body to remind ourselves that we are in the presence of the living God.
Before Mass we try to balance being friendly and happy to see each other with a kind of restraint that allows those who have settled in to pray quietly. Those who are praying quietly, don’t fret about the folks just getting in, focus on your prayer and don’t worry about policing anybody.
During Mass there are two places in particular where adding your loud, clear voice helps: singing and responding. As a priest, when I say “The Lord be with you” and your response is loud and full of life, it absolutely sends my soul to the heavens! Give all you can in your singing and in your responses.
During the readings you have the option of listening to the readings or following along with them in a book. I do not believe one is better than the other. The key is to enter as best you can. In terms of the homily, just pray to suffer through it with the dignity and grace befitting a child of God.
In regard to the Creed, I want to use the fact that we pray it together as an opportunity to share what to do when we get to a part of the Mass where we struggle. For me, the Creed can be a real challenge…it’s just one of those parts of the Mass where I tend to have a hard time focusing. It’s a strange thing to say, but it simply doesn’t feel as prayerful as the rest of the Mass. Because of that, I really try to challenge myself by saying it with particular devotion: I do the opposite of what I feel and I find it’s really bearing fruit.
When you find a part of the Mass where you struggle to pay attention or you struggle with why we do it the way we do it, go after it by praying it as much as you can. Do some research, find out the why. Such practices can really help us.
When we start taking up the collection, we are entering the second part of Mass: the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In this part of the Mass, we focus primarily on two things: joy and reverence. We are filled with awe and joy at the gift the Lord gives us here and our actions and postures speak those things to us.
Once we finish praying/singing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” (this is called The Sanctus), we kneel and we stay kneeling until we get to the Our Father. We do this as a reflection of awe: we are astounded that God invites us to the Last Supper and this awe is informed by our understanding that we really don’t deserve this, by any human measure.
When we pray the Our Father together, I’ve noticed both Parish families tend to hold hands. If this is your practice, please note that the people around you might not share that practice and it doesn’t mean they don’t like you or are mean, it just means they would rather not hold hands at that point. The instructions the Church gives us at that point are that we should place both of our hands together and some people would rather do that.
At peace time, we remember that we are not “making peace with each other,” we are celebrating that God made peace with us! That’s why we say “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” Good stuff!
In communion line, we stay as prayerful and reverent as we can. We save our greetings for after Mass. If we receive on the hands, please make “a throne” with your hands. Place your non-dominant hand on the top and your dominant hand on the bottom. Receive, step to the side and consume. Making a cup with your hands is not preferred as it makes it too easy for the host to fall. If we receive on the tongue, please make sure to hold your chin up, open your mouth wide and extend your tongue. Again, this makes it easier to distribute without the host falling. The Church asks us not to “intinct” the host. This means we avoid the practice of receiving the host, carrying it to the cup and “dipping” it.
If we bring a friend or family to Mass who is not able to receive communion, simply let them know that, if they get in the communion line with you, they should cross their arms over their chest when they come to the priest. This will prevent us from accidentally giving communion to someone who doesn’t know what it is or how reverently we are to receive it.
Other random things:
Be nice to parents with kids. They are our future and need our prayerful support, not judgy looks. Kindly offer to help an overwhelmed parent if you want; that will mean a lot to them.
If someone is sitting next to you and seems lost, don’t hesitate to hand them a guide or open to the right pages in the book. Welcome them and, if you are feeling bold, invite them to sit next to you next week.
Finally, know that I am grateful with all my heart for the joy of praying with you. To see your beautiful faces all together when we pray lifts me up and reminds me of why I love being a priest. Pray that we priests serve you well. Pray that God rescue our Church from these dark times. Pray that more and more people come to know the love and joy of Our Faith. Pray to be a Saint.
All my love,
Fr. Joseph J Krupp
