Finding the jackpot

 

Participation in the sacrifice of the Holy Mass while on holiday is a profound privilege.  It is something to be forever grateful for.  Although it is always beautiful to take part in the liturgy in any language, there is something especially moving about hearing it in one’s own mother tongue. A quiet bond forms with strangers who share the same faith, the same baptism, the same hope, and the same holy sacrament.

The English-speaking community at the Chapel of Penha de França in Funchal, Madeira—some 1,000 kilometres south of Lisbon—is blessed with a lively, welcoming, and inspirational congregation. We arrived a few minutes before Sunday Mass to find the small chapel already overflowing, with people gathered outside under canopies set up to shield them from the strong sun. A spirit of joy, kindness, welcome, and inclusion permeated the entire celebration. It was heartening to see so many families and children in a place where the population is otherwise ageing.

Although we did not stay for refreshments afterwards, we were grateful to have taken part in the Mass and to have shared in the communion of people, the reception of the sacrament, and the proclamation of Holy Scripture. The homily – rooted in the Gospel’s parable of salt and light – was refreshingly down to earth and spoke directly to the life of the community.

This is what Sunday can be when people show up, offer their time, and give of themselves for the good of others.