How To Get More Out Of The Mass

I got up too late this morning to go to Mass. I intended to go to Mass at 5:30, but the Bishop was celebrating the Confirmation Mass at 7pm, so the 5:30 was cancelled. So I decided to spend some time in Adoration. At the chapel, there was a brochure with the title, How To Get More Out of the Mass. I figure if I give the author credit, I can copy it here. It is printed by Our Sunday Visitor and was written by Michael Dubruiel. I think it is a very good lesson for those of us who love the Mass but sometimes get:

• Bored, and are waiting to be "entertained".
• Sitting in judgement of those around us.
• Daydreaming about what we'll do later in the day.

THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Second Vatican Council taught that, for Catholics, "Taking part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, is the source and summit of the whole Christian life; they offer the divine victim to God, and offer themselves along with it."

This concept of offering ourselves at Mass may be foreign to us. But without this attitude, we are likely to find that we are not "hungry" enough to enjoy the Eucharistic banquet that Our Lord has called us to share.

Our S. A. C. R. I. F. I. C. E.

Here are nine concrete steps to help us get more out of the Mass by focusing on the sacrifice we can offer with Christ:

S erve--Obey the command that Jesus gave at the first Eucharist.

At the first Eucharist, Jesus did something unexpected. He rose from the table and began to wash the feet of His disciples. The He told them: "I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you". (Jn. 13-15)

Bringing at attitude of service to the Eucharist is a way to fulfill Jesus' command. Rather than coming with an attitude of "what can be done for me" at Mass, we imitate Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve...and we ask, "How can I be of service to the Lord at this Eucharist?"

A dore--Realize the great gift God is offering us!

We encounter the "real" Jesus at the Eucharist. We hear God's Word proclaimed in the Scriptures, and we receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior. Spending time adoring the real presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist outside of Mass can help us to better appreciate the intimate encounter that we are privileged to have with Him at every celebration of the Mass, when we become living tabernacles. Adoration helps us to approach him in a devout way and experience the great love that He has for us, as He comes to us in Word and Sacrament.

C onfess--Believe in God's power to make up for our weaknesses.

Focusing on the image of Jesus on the cross should remind us of how much God loves each of us, and horrible price of our sins. Think of the words that Jesus spoke from the cross:

• "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:24), expressing forgiveness.
• "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" (Lk. 23:46), proclaiming trust in God.

If we want to get more out of the Mass, we need to be humble: we realize how we fail to live up to the great gift of God's love we have been given. We confess any serious sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Mass, and we place all of our trust in God's mercy and love when we publicly proclaim at the Eucharist that we "believe" in Him.

R espond--Function as a member of the Body of Christ.

At the Eucharist we become one with Christ, and He promises: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you". (Jn. 15:7)

We "abide in Christ" by the way we respond while at the Eucharist.

Every celebration of the Eucharist provides us with a variety of ways to respond to Christ in the way we pray, sing, and move with the community. Some of these require sacrificing our personal tastes and likes for the good of the whole (maybe you don't like the choice of music, or find it difficult to offer a sign of peace to those next to you). When we participate fully in the Eucharist by our responses, we keep in mind that we make up the one Body of Christ.

I ncline--Listen intently to the Word of God.

Inclining our ears to the Lord is one way of offering the sacrifice of our thoughts, in order to first listen to what God has to say. It puts us into a posture of readiness. When we hear, "A reading from...," we raise our level of attention, because the God who created the universe is about to speak to us through the Scriptures.

F ast--Bring a hearty appetite to the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist, we are fed with the Bread of Life. As with any meal, having a hunger for the main course greatly enhances our experience. Fasting creates a hunger for the Lord.

I nvite--Open ourselves to a relationship with Jesus.

When Our Lord walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, at one point He "appeared to be going further." The disciples invited Him, "Stay with us" (Lk. 24:29). This is the perfect sentiment to foster in our lives not only throughout the Eucharist, but at all times: we open our hearts to an encounter with Jesus.

C ommune--Become one with Christ.

Jesus revealed God as a communion of divine Persons--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He invited His followers to be a part of that communion. He told them: "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (Jn. 14:18-20).

Entering into this communion with Jesus is never a solitary act. If you want to get more out of the Eucharist, you will offer yourself, "die to yourself", and enter into communion with Christ as you receive His Body and Blood, and as you worship with His Body, the Church.

E vangelize--Share the Lord with others.

At every Mass, we experience something to be shared with the world. The word "Mass" is derived from the Latin dismissal ite missa est, which literally means, "Go, you are sent." The Communion that we experience with Our Lord at the Eucharist sustains and prepares us for a mission--to bring Christ to the world!

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When I got home tonight, there was a "thank you" card from Father Brandon for the letter I sent him (see my post of April 17th). It was handwritten and very nice to receive. It pretty much made my day.

Real Super Heroes

I sometimes wonder if one of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to me is the gift of precognition. I don't say this as a matter of pride, just as curiosity. It is just weird that, as I said in a couple of earlier blogs, there are times when I will be thinking of something deeply and then I'll hear a sermon or some other speaker say something that is spot on what I've been thinking about.

When I woke up this morning I wanted to go to my usual 6:30 Mass, but I remembered I had a meeting in Fresno, so I decided to wait and go to the 5:30 in Lodi when I returned. Anyway, as I have said so often before, the days I drive to Fresno or Bakersfield are the days I have plenty of time to ponder things--usually my faith. Today was no different.

I no sooner got out of my driveway when I was thinking about my blog tonight and I had the idea to write about one of the greatest gifts Jesus left us on Holy Thursday--the priesthood. Here's where my statement about being precognitive comes in: On my way home, I'm listening to the radio and they say that Pope Benedict has declared this next year (beginning June 19th) "the Year of the Priest", and that he has plans to name St. John Vianney the patron saint of all priests, not just parish priests. It was a very pleasant surprise to hear this, because I think it just may help sway more grace-filled young men like Fr. Ware and others in our diocese into this blessed vocation. This move by our Pope is also a good one in that it serves notice that "yes, we had a problem with a small percentage of the men who abused their gifts, we have apologized, we are making reparations and have perfomed pennance, and it's time to get back to doing the tasks that we were commissioned by Christ to do".

When I was a kid (and even now) I loved comic books. Like all kids (I hope I wasn't strange) I wanted to be a super-hero because they could do really cool things and helped people simply because that's what heroes did. But I knew it was just pretend and nobody really had super powers.

Today I finally realized that I've known actual super heroes all of my life. Think about it. Most of the time, they're just mild mannered shepherds. Then when they are celebrating Mass or hearing confessions or administering one of the other Sacraments, they allow Christ to take over their actions and they actually ARE in personae Christe, or in the body of Christ. While in this "altered" state, they can't leap tall buildings or outrun trains, but they can do MUCH, MUCH MORE! They (through Christ) confect the Holy Eucharist, forgive sins, anoint the sick and lead people closer to God! Take a hike, Superman! I'll take a good priest any day.

Good priests are not going to fall off of a tree. I've heard of a lot of different ways that Bishops are coming up with to get young men interested. On church in Bakersfield has the prayer for vocations on the front cover of their missalettes and are said after every Mass. Another couple of churches have perpetual adoration chapels. A church in Modesto is concentrating on an all-male altar server program in the hopes that it will encourage the boys to a vocation. I think all three of these programs are good ones. Spending an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament at least one time per week is going to be my commitment.

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS
O Lord, my God, You renew the Church in every age by raising up priests outstanding in holiness, living witnesses of Your unchanging Love. In Your Plan for our salvation You provide shepherds for Your people. Fill the hearts of young men with the spirit of courage and love that they may answer Your call generously. Give parents the grace to encourage vocations in their family by prayer and good example. Raise up worthy priests for Your Altars and ardent, but gentle servants of the Gospel. Give the Church more priests and keep them faithful in their love and service. May many young men choose to serve You by devoting themselves to the service of Your people. Amen.

Thoughts on daily Mass

I have so many things I wanted to talk about this week, but I really don’t have the time or the patience to write them all down. I’ll try to tackle a few of them though.

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I try to go to Mass every weekday morning—and Sunday, of course. I like the 6:30am Mass, because it is usually over by 7am and I can go to work and not feel like I am late. If I could find a Mass on Saturdays that fit my work schedule, I would attend every day. I love the Mass so much. I can’t say I have always loved it. In fact, there were Sundays that I only went because of the obligation every Catholic has to attend. But now I find that I feel sad when situations arise and I am unable to go.

And because I go every day, I have the opportunity to experience the Mass in several different churches, which helps to keep the celebration “fresh” and my love for the Eucharist grows more each day. It’s also a chance to see that the Catholic faith is alive and well. I have been attending daily Mass for almost two years now and I have seen the number of parishioners at the weekday Masses grow by leaps and bounds. For instance, while in Bakersfield I usually go to St. Francis of Assisi church. When I started going there about 2 years ago there were probably 20-30 people at Mass. Now there is probably 50-60 every day! And they have 2 Masses there each day.

The other thing I find interesting about attending different churches is that each one has it’s own “personality” as a parish. Some are aloof, some are really friendly—some have “fire and brimstone” preaching and others have “feel-good” preaching. What makes it really interesting is that God seems to speak directly to me in each homily no matter which church I go to.
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I receive the Eucharist only on the tongue. I have never received in the hand. And I think I’ve only received the Precious Blood out of the chalice just once in my entire life. I never felt worthy enough to actually hold the Eucharist, and I have a phobia about sharing the chalice with dozens of other people. Since it is His Blood, one would think that He would not allow any germs to go from one person to the next, but it still concerns me. I don’t think my hands will ever be clean enough to actually hold the Body of Christ—which presents a problem to me in that I have seriously been considering becoming a Eucharistic Minister. I have felt a call recently to ask Father if he needs help in distributing Communion to the sick and elderly in the hospitals and convalescent homes. St. Bernadette’s, where I go to Sunday Mass most weeks has a shortage of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and the plea in the weekly bulletin sounds almost desperate. But my feelings of unworthiness are holding me back. I guess more prayer is in order.
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After proofreading the previous two subjects it brought to mind another experience I love—and I don’t know why. Twice, while in Bakersfield I have been able to go to Mass on Saturday morning. The only church to offer a Saturday Mass is Sacred Heart. The priest there weighs probably about 325 pounds and it seems like he has a hard time getting around. But what I like is that he dispenses Communion by intinction. He has the Precious Blood in a little shot-sized cup in the middle of his (I can’t think of the proper name of the bowl or dish the Eucharist is distributed from right now, so I’ll call it a “plate”) plate. When you approach him and either kneel or bow profoundly, he announces, “The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ”, dips the Host into the “chalice” and places it on the tongue. For some reason, both times I have received it this way, I felt more of Christ’s presence and more emotional—but it could just be the novelty of it. I don’t know. What I do know is that I felt as though Christ's love was burning in my heart longer than usual after Communion.
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I have a few other things I wanted to write about, but I have a lot of work to do, and I can’t spend any more time on this blog. Maybe next week. As a teaser, though, a couple of things I wanted to write about were my sin of pride (which I hope to confess tomorrow), my inability to go to confession last week (although I really did try—twice!), and a billboard that I saw advertising a local non-Catholic Christian church that displays a cross without the Corpus—and why I feel it’s important as Catholics to remember that although He is risen (Alleluia!) we still need a reminder of the pain and suffering he endured for us.

decor of prosapia (Latin)*

I thought I would title this blog today in Latin just for fun. The translation is at the end of the blog. But the fun comes in trying to see if you can figure it out by the substance of my entry today.
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I finally got to sleep in this morning! I've been waking up at 4am and on the road by 5am all week so I could get to work in Merced by 6:30. Merced isn't far enough for me to spend the night, so it's about an hour and a half there, then a 9-hour workday, and another hour and a half back home. I was worn out by Saturday.

Marilyn is the one who had to get up at 4 this morning so she could take Sarah to the San Francisco airport. She's on her way to Costa Rica! She enrolled in a two-week "immersion" class in Spanish. It's different from the class she took in Ecuador a couple of years ago in that this is with a private tutor 8 hours a day for 12 days. The course is geared more toward the type of Spanish she will need to deal with her clients. She is getting her regular salary, since it is for work, but we had to buy her flight and accomodations. She's worth it!

As I said, I woke up this morning at 7am (which, compared to the rest of the week was "sleeping in") because I wanted to get in the shower and be ready to take Mom to Mass before Alicia or Lorenzo got in there. When I got out of the shower, I was greeted by Lily (of course Alicia was holding her), who was smiling, cooing and giggling at everything. What a joy she is to have around! I thank God for her every day. I know she's going to be grow up to be special. She can't help it. Her Mom and Dad are pretty special, too.

Alicia said she was glad I was getting done early because she and Lorenzo and Lily were going to go to the 10 AM Mass and it takes a while for all 3 of them to get ready. I am so happy they are getting Lily started off on the right footing, spiritual-wise, as well as Lorenzo still showing a zeal for the faith.

When Mom and I were at Mass, I was watching a guy sitting across the aisle who was alone. An acquaintence asked him where his family was, and he said he had to work this morning and he was going to meet them in a few minutes. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later a woman and two young daughters showed up. The youngest rushed up to the guy and with great enthusiasm said, "Hi, Daddy!" He and his family acted like it was the first time they had seen each other in weeks! It was really heart-warming to see the love they exhibited for one another.

I took Mom to lunch then did a little bit of shopping for her before I had to start my trip to Bakersfield for a couple of days. The drive usually seems long, but I got caught up in a lot of the special programming Immaculate Heart radio was playing for Divine Mercy Sunday, and before I knew it, I was there. I think I said (or should I say "sung") 3 chaplets today!

When I got to Bakersfield, I was really hungry again. I wanted to eat some Mexican food, but I didn't want to go clear across town to my favorite restaurant, so I went to a little "homey-looking" place just down the street. I was curious why there were so many cars in the parking lot, and soon found my answer when I open the front door. It was packed! And the music was LOUD! A mariachi band was doing it's best to keep me from hearing myself think. But I stayed anyway--the crowd was made up of honest-to-God families! Abuelos, Abuelas, Tias and Tios, Mamas and Papas, ninos and ninas. And all were laughing and having a great time! I looked over at one table and there was the patriarch making the sign of the cross and leading his family in grace! And no one was staring or acting as if this was unusual! (Try doing this in a McDonald's!)

The marachis were done at 7pm, then karioke started! You haven't experienced karioke until you've heard it in Spanish and geared to families! I thought I was on an episode of Telemundo without the skimpy clothing! What a great end to a long day! It was fun!
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Have you figured out the title of my blog yet? The events of the day from the time I woke up until I was finally in my hotel room all reminded me of *"the beauty of family". I'm sure glad I got my "Lily" fix this morning! I'm going to miss her until I see her again on Thursday.

Corporal works of mercy are alive and well in the children of St. Anne's

I thought I would post, as my blog today, a letter I have sent to St. Anne's school for brightening Mom's (and my) day last week.
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Dear brethren in Christ,

On Holy Thursday last week there was a knock on my mother’s door. She is 90 years old. She had taken a tumble earlier in the week and was very sore and bruised not only physically, but mentally, too. Because even at her age, she is still very mobile and active and when she was restricted from leaving the house due to soreness and pain, it took a toll on her usual zest for life. She was quite “blue”.

She answered the door, and there stood Joey Long and another young man (his brother?) with a bag of cookies that he presented to her saying that he heard she was under the weather (how he found out is still a mystery to me) and thought that some cookies at Easter would cheer her up. He handed her the bag that said, “Happy Easter from Joey Long, 3rd Grade”. My mother waved to Joey’s mother who was waiting in the car for Joey to complete his mission of mercy and love.

I arrived at my mom’s home at about 5 o’clock as I had promised to take her and a neighbor to Mass and she related the story to me. Although she was in no shape to attend Mass that evening, she encouraged me to go anyway, so I met with her neighbor and the two of us went as planned.

During the Gospel reading at the Mass, I was moved to tears at the following passage:

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35-35)

I remember thinking to myself, “Joey Long and everyone who is responsible for teaching him the love he showed my mother tonight —from his parents, to his teachers and his family—must be true disciples of Christ.”

From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my mom, I thank each and every one of you who have sown the seeds of love and mercy in Joey’s heart and especially Joey. I will remember each of you in my daily rosaries for the rest of this month as a small repayment for the joy you gave Mom that day.

With warmest regards and the love that is Christ,

Steve Farnsworth

God so loved the world......

I heard a good idea the other day from a priest during a homily--I can't remember who it was, but the idea was still a good one. He said he knew of a good and holy priest who was terrible at remembering specific people and the petitions they wanted him to pray for. So he would write them down in a notebook and place the notebook on the altar every day when he said the Mass. He said he could feel confident that God would read the book for him. Eventually, the notebook got so thick he had to start another....

I'm thinking about doing the same thing, except that I will carry the notebook with me and hold on to it while saying the rosary. Do you think that's an effective way of making sure I'm not making empty promises when I tell people I will pray for them, then forget to?
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Gospel means “Good News.” I find that’s pretty ironic during Holy Week. There are accounts of sadness, betrayal, pain, suffering, and eventually a very horrifying death. Every year during this week it’s hard for me to admit that I, through my sins, have a share in the reason why Jesus had to suffer and die.

This is also the time of the year when they show the television epic “Jesus of Nazareth”. While the movie has some flaws and takes a few liberties for the sake of entertainment, it has some moments that really make me reflect on my faith. I especially like the way it presents the parable of the prodigal son. The “righteous” Jews (the disciples) would not mingle with the friends and relatives of the tax collector, Matthew. They even tried to dissuade Jesus from consorting with them because of their questionable character. Jesus said to Peter (and this is the message that seemed to drown out all of the other dialogue for me), “I have not come to save the righteous, but those who are lost to the Father”. His disciples (including Peter) remained outside, because they still didn’t seem to get the message. Then Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son. At the end of the parable, Peter finally understood the message and entered the house of Matthew and embraced him as a long lost brother. I still cry when I think of the love that was shown in this scene.

I have a CD of Mel Gibson’s, “the Passion of Christ” (what Catholic doesn’t?). I can only watch this movie once a year for the sheer violence and gore. It makes me reach my limit of what I can watch. I weep over the suffering I have put my Lord through. The only solace I have is I know the hope that Easter Sunday always brings.

Which brings me to another topic. The word “hope”. When I say my rosary, I begin with the Apostle’s creed and the Our Father. The next three prayers are Hail Marys for an increase in the virtues of faith, hope, and love. Father Corapi was giving one of his lectures on the rosary and suggested taking just one word that is important and meditating on it. The other day, I thought, “What is ‘HOPE’?”


The best definitions I could find in the dictionary were these:
To place trust; rely
To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence
To believe, desire, or trust.

The word is not to be confused with a “wish”. A wish might or might not materialize. When we hope, we have a confidence that what we look forward to will be realized. We hope for our salvation, because we TRUST in the mercy of Christ and we have CONFIDENCE that our hope is founded in that trust.

One last meditation for the blog this week. I was listening to Steve Ray, a converted Baptist minister on the radio today. He is very good at tying the Old Testament to the New. He was asked about the significance of the Crown of Thorns that our Lord endured after being scourged. Also, he was asked about Christs’ carrying of the Cross. He suggested the following passage from the Old Testament that was, in a way a prophesy of the New Testament:


Genesis 22:1-13

Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Ready!" he replied. Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you." (Relate this to John3:16)

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him. (Relate this to John12:14)

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you."

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. (Isn’t this, similarly, what Christ did? He carried the wood on His shoulder to the site of the Sacrifice)

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?" "Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." (And He did, in the form of His Only Begotten Son) Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD'S messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son." (Then, centuries later, God would send His OWN Son to us out of love to complete this Sacrifice—Give glory to God!)
As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. (In my mind, a “thicket” can be construed as “thorns”. The ram was not caught by a leg, or his body, or a foot-- He was caught by his HEAD—hence a “crown” of thorns!)