‘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.
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.
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| 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.
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.
Sunday 22 February 2026
“…and suddenly angels came and waited on him” (Matthew 4:11)
Lectio Divina:*
Commentary:
There is something in
many people – even atheists and agnostics - that
senses the need for a kind of Lent. If it did not exist, we might have to
invent it. Arriving as it does with spring in the Northern Hemisphere, Lent
naturally invites clearing out, cutting back, reviewing, planting, and sowing.
But Lent is far more than seasonal self‑improvement. For Christians it is a time of renewal and preparation: renewal, because we periodically need to reset our spiritual compass and turn away — metanoia — from what harms us and others; preparation, because Lent leads us to the greatest day of the year, Easter Sunday. We only ever have now.
Here is another private prayer I’ve borrowed from the Anglican liturgy. At this stage I’m probably in danger of being accused of plagiarism 😊
