{"id":170992,"date":"2015-11-07T17:42:47","date_gmt":"2015-11-07T23:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=170992"},"modified":"2015-11-09T13:47:11","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T19:47:11","slug":"mass-as-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/mass-as-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass As Gift: Receiving The Father’s Love"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Young

Source: Lightstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Here\u2019s the point: we don\u2019t need to ask for more <\/em>grace. We need to be open<\/em> to the grace God gives.<\/p>\n

Were you ever part of the \u201cMass Is Boring\u201d Club? There were some requirements for membership. You were not supposed to pay attention to the readings in Mass. You were supposed to mumble the responses, not speak them. Any song singing above the volume of lip singing was right out! Do you remember that membership? It also involved a slack moral life.<\/p>\n

Membership in the Mass Is Boring<\/em> Club took you away from other good things with subtlety. If Mass is boring and God is not really involved in my life, I might as well get in the driver seat. I might as well decide to neglect prayer, confession, all that religious stuff that messes with my conscience. Follow this line of thought for a little longer. Eventually, I become closed to what God as Father has to say to me. Eventually, I so idealize and idolize myself as the One who knows best. It was bound to happen. I mean, look at the club I joined, \u201cMass Is Boring.\u201d Who does that while knowing the consequences?<\/p>\n

Clearly, I judged<\/em> Mass to be bad, or at least not beneficial. That<\/em> kind of judgment presumes<\/em> I know what is best. That kind of judgment often gives me<\/em> the permission to create my own spirituality. It is like saying, \u201cI know I am not the author or creator of my own soul, but I am going to live like I know what\u2019s best for that-part-of-me (the soul) which I know least about.\u201d It might sound silly, and I\u2019m okay with that. I\u2019m okay with this stuff sounding silly because I know I\u2019m not the only one who once had membership in that club.<\/p>\n

Can you see how a small presumption or judgment affects the way I deal with a bigger<\/em> part of my life? Can you see that the interior decision to label Mass as boring influences the way I relate to God? It is from this starting point that so many of us attempt to build a sound spiritual life. It is from under this rock we work to connect with God in a close and intimate way.<\/p>\n

\"Body,

Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ<\/p><\/div>\n

That\u2019s why the point is not to ask for more<\/em> grace, but to be open<\/em> to the grace God gives. All that talk about God continually loving us and holding us in existence is true. Part of that truth implies that he communicates himself to us in the present moment. It is my responsibility and yours to learn to receive<\/em> God\u2019s love. We don\u2019t need to wrestle it out of him or create the perfect formula. In fact, he has fully<\/em> disclosed and revealed his love to us in Jesus Christ. Were we only to turn to Jesus, we would learn to receive his love.<\/p>\n

Mass As Gift: Receiving The Father\u2019s Love<\/p>\n

There are three ways I hope to get across that Mass is Gift and that it is the place to receive the Father\u2019s love. (1) Docility, (2) Dialogues and Responses, (3) Encounter. Number two is an element of number one, and the point of these points is to help us encounter God and to be open to him.<\/p>\n

First, we must learn docility. Docile comes from a Latin word that means to teach. If one is being docile it means one is being taught<\/em>, or at least is ready<\/em> to be taught. Think about the catcher in the baseball game. Does the catcher lazily squat behind the batter and give zero percent of his attention to the game? It is possible to not pay attention, but that would cost him his health. In this real and analogous way, we must have docility of heart. I am receptive<\/em> and attentive <\/em>to what goes on in Mass. I may have an autopilot button, but Mass is the improper place to use it.<\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo Credit: St Martin Cleveland<\/p><\/div>\n

It is also good to ask for better liturgy, music, preaching, reverence, and [insert your particular grievance against your parish]. But, if I all I do is ask, recommend, and complain, I am not in a receiving mode or mood. Docility acts contrary to that tendency to \u201cneed\u201d to have things done my<\/em> way. Docility of heart helps me to be open to the present moment and what is in front of me. If I am docile in the Mass, I am giving my attention to Christ himself. If I listen to the prayer(s) of the Mass, I am receiving the Father\u2019s love. This happens in real time! Let yourself be taught that God loves you. Go to Mass and be docile.<\/p>\n

Second, we must say the dialogues and responses. As simple and unnoticeable as this may seem, it is also essential and fundamental to learning docility. If I give my attention to the voice of my prayer, I give attention to the words of my voice. If I give attention to the words of my voice, I direct my words as a prayer<\/em> to God. Think of the different dialogues and responses we vocalize through the Mass. Think of the rhythm they seem to create.<\/p>\n

One may come back at that and think, \u201cwell, I pray better on my own,\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t get <\/em>anything out of the Mass.\u201d That\u2019s cool. I used to think like that too as a norm, and sometimes I lethargically fall into that. I have in mind Spe Salvi<\/a><\/em> (nos. 32-34 especially) when I write that our prayer life must<\/em> involve an intermingling of both<\/em> public and personal prayer. So often I have gotten zealous and had a catalyst for sanctity. Well, sitting in the chapel for hours at a time is not the objectively best way to \u201cget\u201d holy. Prayer is not my initiative, first of all. Prayer must develop a \u201cpower of purification\u201d that purges the nastiness of my heart. This power is developed by the prayer of the Church, by liturgical prayer, \u201cin which the Lord teaches us again and again how to pray properly\u201d (Spe Salvi<\/em>, 34).<\/p>\n

So, say the responses. If they seem boring, fine. It\u2019s probably because you have let a bad judgment affect and influence the way we treat liturgical prayer. We do not need to ask for more<\/em> grace. Rather, we need to be open<\/em> to what God gives.<\/p>\n

Finally, Mass is a place of encounter. This encounter comes from<\/em> doing number one and two. \u201cHuh?\u201d If I am docile, I can recognize my poverty of spirit and my pride of heart. If I say the responses, I can redirect my mind to things that are above (cf. Col 3:2; Phil 4:8-9). Look, when I give my attention to the Mass, I direct my heart to Jesus himself. And, when I direct my heart to Jesus, he sees my openness and gives me that peace which surpasses all understanding.<\/p>\n

Can you see that Mass is a place of encounter? It doesn\u2019t happen at the snap of your fingers. No, it takes time and perseverance. It requires your<\/em> diligence and attention. It requires your<\/em> willful and intentional, full and active participation. The Incarnate Word himself discloses himself to us fully. He gives himself in the Word, in the Eucharist. What? This happens in Mass! If only you were docile. If only I were receptive to God\u2019s fatherly love.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a psalm that asks, when will I come to the end of my pilgrimage and see the face of God? Short answer: when you go to Mass. Here\u2019s the point: we don\u2019t need to ask for more <\/em>grace. We need to be open<\/em> to the grace God gives. I hope you set your heart right and be docile to the love of God. Go to Mass and receive the Father\u2019s love.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Holy Mass and Eucharistic Procession<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s the point: we don\u2019t need to ask for more grace. We need to be open to the grace God gives. Were you ever part of the \u201cMass Is Boring\u201d Club? There were some requirements for membership. You were not supposed to pay attention to the readings in Mass. You were supposed to mumble the… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[90,91],"tags":[50,131,859],"class_list":{"0":"post-170992","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-faith-blog","7":"category-young-adult","8":"tag-faith","9":"tag-mass","10":"tag-spirituality","11":"entry","12":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":160348,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/sunday-says-october-11-2015-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":170992,"position":0},"title":"Sunday Says – October 11, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"October 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"October 11, 2015 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 143 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Wisdom 7:7-11 In this week\u2019s first reading from the book of Wisdom, we hear a section of praises for Sophia (Wisdom), but her name is never mentioned. The writer is promoting a continued adherence to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1431,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/05\/throwing-stones-at-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":170992,"position":1},"title":"Throwing Stones at “The Church”","author":"Chris Williston","date":"May 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"About two months ago, I wrote a post on my personal blog entitled, \u201cWhy is the Catholic Mass So Boring?\u201d\u00a0 Now, let me offer this disclaimer: I do not find the Mass boring. \u00a0The Mass is the intermingling of heaven and earth, where the body of Christ (both the heavenly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":190002,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/catholic-liturgy-101-introduction-to-liturgical-catechesis\/","url_meta":{"origin":170992,"position":2},"title":"Catholic Liturgy 101: Introduction to Liturgical Catechesis","author":"Michael Raia","date":"December 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A handful of friends and colleagues have requested a very basic survey of concepts on Catholic worship and liturgical catechesis \u2013 that is, teaching on liturgy. I find the progression in the following outline very helpful when explaining what liturgy is and why it's important in the big picture of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Central mural in the triumphal arch above the apse of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westerville, OH by EverGreene Architectural Arts. (photo by Meleca Architecture)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/EverGreeneArchitects-550x413.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/EverGreeneArchitects-550x413.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/EverGreeneArchitects-550x413.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2761,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/07\/its-a-difference-of-feeling-making-mass-meaningful\/","url_meta":{"origin":170992,"position":3},"title":"It’s a Difference of Feeling – Making Mass Meaningful","author":"Sam Farias","date":"July 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"We've all thought it at some point in our lives: \"Why does Mass have to be so boring?\" I'll admit to it. Growing up in a Catholic household, I used to dread going to Mass (although for a youngster I think that's almost expected). And there have been times -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Asleep at Mass","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/AsleepAtChurch-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1325780,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/order-disorder-and-grace-in-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":170992,"position":4},"title":"Order, Disorder and Grace in Advent","author":"Rachel","date":"December 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm looking forward to offering these thoughts to you, dear readers, to be a small light on your Advent journey towards Christ. In His Providence, all these pieces fell together over the past few weeks. That doesn't always happen in blogging, but when it does, it gives me the sense\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_3451.jpg?fit=550%2C413&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":135575,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/sunday-says-podcast-august-2-2015-mass-readings-and-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":170992,"position":5},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast \u2013 August 2, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections","author":"Steve Scott","date":"August 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"[powerpress] Sunday August 2, 2015 Lectionary: 113 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (NAB Translation) Welcome to the Sunday Says podcast for August 2, 2015, the eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time.\u00a0 Thank you for joining us as we open up the Word of God to prepare our hearts and minds for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SundaySaysPodcast-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo1-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170992\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}