Attuning our way of thinking

 Saint Irenaeus famously once wrote according to many popular translations:

Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking. 

Finding our tribe

Finding one’s tribe is a deep instinct of the human heart. We are made for belonging, and we feel its absence keenly. As we grow from childhood into adulthood, the search for identity can be confusing, painful, even traumatic. A certain distancing from parents is almost inevitable for a time. Beneath it all lies a simple longing: to be welcomed, included, and loved as we are. Many people struggle for years to accept themselves; some never fully reveal who they are, even to themselves.

Céad mile fáilte!

 

Céad mile fáilte! A hundred thousand welcomes.  This is a well known saying in the Irish language.  It befits a nation that has known hardship, emigration and integration in societies across the globe.  This morning a group of newcomers from another part of the globe were welcomed by the priest at mass to which the people clapped. There were pleasant salutations immediately after mass.  I must say this delighted me as we might have the impression that this island of the hundred thousand welcomes is not what it used to be. Small but significant acts of kindness, welcome and inclusion especially in the context of the Eucharistic banquet is a powerful sign of a Christian community that has not forgotten the central message of Jesus that all may know him and that all may be welcomed to the banquet.

 

Lift up your hearts to the Lord

‘Lift up your hearts to the Lord’ is declared by the priest after the offertory and as the community is invited to turn its attention fully to God.  We are about to enter into the great prayer of thanksgiving and join our voices with those of the heavenly host in the great ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ or Sanctus.  It is entirely appropriate to sing this part of the mass as often as we can.  It should not be just left to the choir.  Yet, that is often the case. 

Singing the mass

 

We Irish are famously shy about singing at Mass. Perhaps because many Catholics once saw congregational singing as “a Protestant thing,” the habit has been faithfully passed down: keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, and let someone else do the singing. Even when hymn books or sheets appear — on those rare Sundays when they do — most of us still remain resolutely silent. The choir or folk group, if there is one, is expected to carry the load. Heaven forbid anyone in the pews might actually join in.

Getting ready

 

pic - Zbynek Pospisil - Getty Images

It is as easy to arrive 10 minutes before the start of mass than it is to rush in the door as the priest is arriving at the sanctuary to begin the mass. In a way the mass begins before anyone arrives.  Someone might have to put on the heating if it is winter and someone has to prepare the altar along with the various items for use in the liturgy.

Shocking the world

 

There was a fair queue after Mass this morning—people of roughly my own vintage and capacity—each holding small white envelopes to collect a modest supply of moist ashes. I found myself chatting with one of the ladies about the state of the world and the state of the faith. We agreed that it is all in the hands of the good Lord. Yet the good Lord has only people like us to go out into the world and quite literally proclaim the Good News.