Mass 201: It's Not About You and It's Really that Simple

As a follow up to my post "Mass 101: It's Jesus and It's Really that Simple", and in response to a thread over at the blog Called to Communion about ecclesial consumerism, I feel compelled to talk about worship. As Catholics, we call this "The Mass" or we often refer to it as the Eucharistic "Celebration".

Maybe the term "celebration" got us confused. It's not The Mass's fault, but rather the poor devolution of the term celebration in our society. If you look at the etymology of the word celebration, you can plainly see the religious connotation. However, today the word celebration typically implies something we are doing for ourselves. We celebrate birthdays, super bowls, or a graduation. We mail out cards, plan games, buy drinks, etc. These are really fun times, times when we feel close to the people around us, times of real community.

Then there is The Mass. Some say The Mass can be kind of boring, or that people don't feel connected, or that priests can be too focused on what they are doing or that in general it could use some updating.

I'm thinking balloons and a good DJ.

Let the worship begin!

So, what is worship anyway? The Hebrew word for worship is transliterated avodah. It literally means work or service. Doesn't sound like a backyard barbecue does it?

Let me point this out, The Mass is a lot of things, for starters it's about Jesus and it's really that simple, but secondly it's not about you and it's really that simple.

It is a celebration, but not for you or I. We do celebrate but not with us in mind. The veil has been torn, the throne of grace is available to us, and in the Mass we celebrate that salvation has come to men. Or rather, we celebrate that God became man, dwelt among men, and we can now behold the face of God. That's why we do all those "boring" readings. It gives us an opportunity to enter into the historical and existential reality of God coming to us--his movement and condescension.

Then there is this turning. Where nothing we can do could make it truly come to pass. Only by the gift of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit and through the authority vested in the Church can we receive the gift. I am, of course, speaking of the Holy Eucharist. It is there that we enter into the mystery of Calvary, that we partake of the divine nature as St. Cyril of Jerusalem instructs, it is the Body and Blood of God. He becomes our paschal lamb and we partake of him not as in a type or shadow of salvation but for our salvation (John 6:53). We are not a part of a cosmic foreshadowing like the Israelites in Egypt as the death angel passes over, but rather we experience what that was anticipating. The Creator of the universe stoops so low as to allow us: creature, fool, sinner, beggar, finite, pathetic partake of uncreated, wisdom, sinless, omnipotent, and infinite. And so we begin this work with "Kryie Eleison!"

If you don't get anything out of that, if you find the local pub, party, or picnic more spiritually nurturing than The Mass, if you can't help but nod off during the readings, roll your eyes at the incensing, or check an email during the homily, I suggest you re-read the above paragraph, pray, and ask the Lord to help you experience His descent, His condescension to us and resist that age old tendency to want to ascend, like at the Tower of Babel, brick by brick in our own way to God. Let us not be confused that we will only meet ourselves at the summit of that journey. He has given us the way in the Holy Liturgy, let us simply work at allowing it to envelope us with His infinite mercy.