VII.

Penitential Act.

Resuming our reflection on the Mass. Last week we saw the greeting.

After being reminded of the gracious love of God in the greeting, we turn to penitence.  The first step in moving toward God and our own betterment is acknowledging honestly where we are right now.

This is the moment when we acknowledge that some of our thoughts, words, and actions have not helped us become the-best-version-of-ourselves, have prevented other people from being all God created them to be, and ultimately have created an obstacle between us and the infinite love of God.

Penitence is hard on our ego-centered false selves. The invitation of the penitential rite is to confess our separation from God and ask God to bridge the gap with his forgiveness.

Penitential rite may be the point in the Mass at which we become automatons. Penitence is genuinely comfortable for no one. Few of us examine our lives before every Mass; so it is easy to repeat the familiar words without consciously entering into them. Yet without a penitent heart we simply cannot have a relationship with God. Penitence and humility hold hands.

If we enter mindfully and heartily into the penitential rite, we will become humble. Humility is recognizing the whole truth about ourselves and about God simultaneously, then living in that awareness of both.

Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, we are all sinners and are all in need of forgiveness. The Penitential Rite draws out a truth that can often be uncomfortable — we have sinned. Therefore, before we can enter into the Sacred Mysteries — encountering Christ in the Scriptures and in the Blessed Sacrament — we must acknowledge that we are indeed sinners. (The scripture shows that there is a holy fear in man to approach God. Isaiah saw the throne of God and shouted out I am a man of unclean lips. And the fire from heavenly altar purified him. Moses saw God in the burning bush… God said: leave your shoes there…the place you stand is holy).

Ritualistically, the priest can choose one of three forms in order for this to be accomplished. Form A is known as the Confiteor, which simply means “I confess.” And that is what we do; we confess as individuals, both to God and to one another, that we are sinners. Both in the things we have done, and the things we have failed to do.

We echo the confession of King David: "Then David said to God, 'I have sinned greatly in doing this thing.'" (1Chr 21:8) and in doing so become aware that all sin, venial or mortal, is greatly offensive to God.

Recognizing our sins, however, is not enough. We must take responsibility for them and so the thrice “mea culpa”  “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault, has been restored to the Confiteor.  In addition to our words, the Church incorporates the gesture of striking the breast as we acknowledge our faults. This corresponding gesture of making a fist and striking our breast three times, however, is not to be seen as an accusatory “finger pointing,” but should be seen as a rock crushing the sin within us — destroying those stumbling blocks that keep us from the Lord and His Altar.

 The recognition of sins is intimately bound to their forgiveness. Therefore, the true focus of the Penitential Rite is the great and eternal mercy of God. When we do repent of our sins and receive the holy communion attending Mass, our venial sins are forgiven.

Will Continue from Gloria next weekend.

VI.

Going back to our reflection on the Mass, we have seen the meaning and significance of everything in the sanctuary except the Candles.

Candles: It is probable that among Christians candles were first employed simply to dispel darkness, when the sacred mysteries were celebrated before dawn, as was the custom, or in the gloom of the catacombs; but the beautiful symbolism of their use was soon recognized by the writers of the early Church.

Like wax melting and giving light..Jesus gave his life.

Light moves with incredible velocity; it nourishes life; it illumines all that comes under its influence. Therefore it is a fitting symbol of God, the All Pure, the Omnipresent, the Source of all grace and enlightenment. It represents also our Blessed Savior and His mission. He was "the Light of the world,"[John 8:12] to enlighten "them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. 1John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all."  (Today’s readings are about Jesus being the Light).

Even the use of wax has its symbolic meaning. The earlier Fathers of the Church endeavored always to seek out the mystical significance of Christian practices, and one of them thus explains the reason for the Church's law requiring candles to be of wax:

"The wax, being spotless, represents Christ's most spotless Body; the wick enclosed in it is an image of His Soul, while the glowing flame typifies the Divine Nature united with the human in one Divine Person."

Sign of the Cross: We start the Mass with the sign of the Cross. We saw the significance of the sign of the cross. The Mass begins and ends with the sign of the cross and many times during the mass the priest blesses the congregation and the mysteries by the sign of the cross.

The Greeting:

Each language has its own way of greeting to begin a conversation.  So no surprise, therefore, that when we begin Mass, there is a greeting.  After all, the Mass is a conversation.  God speaks to us in His Word and we respond.  However, the greeting at the beginning of Mass is ritualized.  It is not left to the priest simply to begin by saying “hello” or “good morning”.  And this is for an important reason.

When someone comes into the presence of the Queen of England, a slight bow or curtsy is expected along with the proper address, “Your Majesty”.  When someone meets the governor of any state in this country, a handshake along with the proper address — “Governor”, or “Your Excellency” — is used.  Civilized people observe proper etiquette.  These are formal occasions and they require a ritualized greeting.  So too at Mass, for we are coming into the presence of God.

The Mass is not an informal gathering of a group of people.  It is a sacred moment before God.  This is why the Missal gives the formal, stylized greeting that the priest is expected to use. 

The greeting is a mutual reminder that everything we do here together is a sacred act, done in the name of the Holy Trinity.

The celebrant extends one of three different liturgical greetings to the people. The one that is perhaps most commonly used is “The Lord be with you.”

By greeting the people with the words “The Lord be with you the priest or deacon expresses his desire that God’s Spirit be given to the people of God, enabling them to do the work of transforming the world that God has entrusted to them.

The response “And with your spirit” (Et cum spiritu tuo) refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit he received at ordination (CCC 1581, 1585- 1589). In their response, the people assure the priest of the same divine assistance of God’s Holy Spirit and, more specifically, ask God’s help for the priest to use the spiritual gifts given to him in ordination and in so doing, to fulfill his function in the Church.

(The spirit of God (not the spirit of a man) infused in the one who has been set aside with a unique character – he who acts in persona Christi capitis (in the person of Christ the head of the Church).

Another form is: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you”. — II Corinthians 13:13

Almost every word of the Mass has its basis in the Sacred Scriptures.

When the priest greets with these words, he is using the last words of Saint Paul’s second letter to the Church of Corinth. Since Saint Paul refers to God the Father simply as “God”, this blessing is clearly Trinitarian. It expresses the Church’s belief in one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the longest blessing used by the Apostle to end any of his letters. And, it briefly sums up the very essence of the Christian life.

In this greeting, Paul does not follow the order in which we normally name the divine persons of the Trinity. Rather, he first mentions Jesus who is the Son before he names God the Father. This very unusual word order unlocks for us the theology of Saint Paul about how we are saved.

Paul begins the greeting by saying “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”. “Grace” is one of Paul’s favorite words. He uses it to express the salvation event. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled with God. Thus, it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that we come to the Father. As Jesus Himself said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6).

In the gospels, most especially in John’s gospel, Jesus speaks not only of God as Father, but also of His Father in a unique way.

After His resurrection, Jesus says to Mary Magdalene, “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (Jn 20:17).  Jesus’ relationship to the Father is not the same as ours. Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father.  We are the adopted sons and daughters of God.   At the Mass the priest also assumes the role of Christ. That is the reason after the offertory the priest says: Pray my brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Almighty father; instead of saying that OUR sacrifice may be acceptable.

When the bishop says Mass, he doesn’t greet, the Lord be with you, rather he greets by saying: Peace be with you, the same greeting Jesus used after his resurrection. A bishop being more perfectly configured to the Person of Jesus Christ than a priest.  The Bishop has the fullness of priesthood.

V.

Continuing on the explanation of the Catholic Mass, we saw last time the significance of the Altar in the Church.

“The sanctuary is the place where the altar stands, where the word of God is proclaimed, and where the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers exercise their offices” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, n. 295). Then you find the tabernacle in the sanctuary. There is a lamp always found in front of the tabernacle.

Tabernacle lamp: the small red flicker of the flame burning before tabernacle – a sign that Christ is truly Emmanuel, “God among us.” In the Old Testament, God told Moses that a lamp filled with the pure oil should perpetually burn in the Tabernacle (Ex 27:20-21). This is the precedent for the Catholic Church’s custom of burning a candle (at all times) before the tabernacle – the gold house where the Eucharistic Body of Christ is reserved under lock and key.

According that zealous Doctor of the Church, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, it would be a grave sin to leave the altar of the Blessed Sacrament without this candle or lamp burning for any prolonged length of time, such as a day or several nights (St. Alph. Lig., VI, 248).

When the Mass begins the altar is the center of attention in the Church not the Tabernacle. On the altar Christ is performing his last supper and the sacrifice on Calvary. Both combined are re-enacted at the mass. The real presence in the tabernacle is the result of Jesus’ action at the Last supper and the sacrifice on the Cross. When the mass is not done the tabernacle is the center of the Catholic Church. When the mass takes place, the altar takes prominence.

Protestants often note that Catholic churches always seem to be open to the public, whereas Protestant congregations are typically closed throughout the week. The difference is the Holy Eucharist. Praying in a Catholic church before the Eucharist is different than praying at home. Christ is substantially present in the tabernacle. The lamp is always burning in the Catholic Church – it is a sign saying, “Christ is here in the Holy Eucharist within this tabernacle. His heart is burning with love for you.” Mystically, Christ is the “true light which enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9).

Catholic Churches are designed mostly to reflect not only what it worships but also what it believes. In every case, the church buildings firmly establish a sacred place to be used for worship of the triune God, both in private devotion and in public liturgy, and they make Christ's presence firmly known in their surroundings.

As the Protestants believe that Bible alone is sufficient, their churches are designed only to celebrate the word of God. Therefore their churches are designed mostly in a theater like model where the music and preaching is done from the stage. And the congregation is allowed to recline and relax and they are allowed to carry drinks or anything that would help them enjoy the celebration. Families with little children would feel more comfortable there than in a Catholic Church where one does not have a very comfortable seating arrangements. One may have to sit, kneel, stand and process to communion during the liturgy which is not the case in a non-Catholic Churches. You are entertained more in a non-Catholic Church by the different variety music and preaching. But the Catholic Churches do not have that option. The priests are not allowed to change anything from the prescribed text of the Mass. The Church has been following the same thing for centuries as they have been handed down from the first century.  Here the focus is God, not ourselves. While in a Non-Catholic Church it is the worshiper the focus and the church is made to fit to that purpose. For the Catholic Church the Mass is the center and summit of everything done in the Church. The Church has been built on the tradition of the Apostles and so there is no scope for change.

IV.

Continuing with our instruction on the Holy Mass…

After the procession the priest comes to the altar and kisses it. Altar symbolizes Christ. This explains the honor paid to it by incensing it, and the five crosses engraved on it by the bishop while consecrating it with Chrism, signify Jesus’ five wounds. That is why we bow before the altar when we pass by it. It also symbolizes His last supper table, the cross on which he died (a crucifix is placed on every altar), and also the Sepulcher or the tomb of Jesus. Earlier masses had a prayer at the end of the mass addressing the altar as the tomb of Jesus.

The altar is traditionally made of stone, calling to mind Christ as the living cornerstone of the Catholic faith:

“So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:19-20)

“Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:4-6)

It is appropriate to have a fixed altar in every church, since it more clearly and permanently signifies Christ Jesus, the living stone.

In keeping with the Church's traditional practice and the altar's symbolism, the table of a fixed altar is to be of stone and indeed of natural stone. In the dioceses of the United States of America, however, wood which is worthy, solid, and well-crafted may be used, provided that the altar is structurally immobile. The supports or base for upholding the table, however, may be made of any sort of material, provided it is worthy and solid. (GIRM, #298,301)

Altar: Altar comes from a Hb word meaning, to slaughter. The Gk word means a place of sacrifice.

Altars were places where the divine and human worlds interacted. Altars were places of exchange, communication, and influence. God responded actively to altar activity. 

The contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal involving an altar demonstrated interaction between Yahweh and Baal. Noah built an altar and offered a sacrifice to Yahweh. Abraham built an altar where he pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai.

Sacrifices were the primary medium of exchange in altar interactions.

The Jerusalem temple had two altars: the altar of incense and the altar of holocausts. The altar of incense was placed inside the sanctuary in front of the curtain screening the Holy of Holies. It was made of gold-covered wood. Zecharia was doing incense before this altar when he received the message from the angel. The altar of holocausts stood in the courtyard of the temple. Like the other objects in the courtyard, the altar was made of bronze. It is on this the holocausts sacrifices were made.  

After the exile, the first thing to be rebuilt was the altar. Then the temple was reconstructed. The temple was ultimately secondary to the altar. In chastising the religious establishment, Jesus underlined the sacredness of the altar, making clear his understanding that the altar "makes the gift sacred" ( Matt 23:19 ). The New Testament writer of Hebrews (13:10) implies that the ultimate altar is the cross. Here divine and human interchange is consummated. The cross becomes the sanctuary of the believer, providing protection from the penalties of sin.

History of the Altar

The Christian altar is one of the earliest elements of the liturgy. In the first years when Christianity was illegal, the Eucharist was typically celebrated in the homes of the faithful. The altar could have been the dinner table in the home or the wooden chest in which a bishop would carry needed materials for celebrating the Eucharist from place to place.

St. Sixtus II (257-259) was the first to prescribe that Mass should be celebrated on an altar.

Fixed altars made of stone became prevalent when Constantine established that Christianity would no longer be illegal and more churches were erected for the purpose of celebrating the Mass. Wood altars were still used for a time, as were metal altars. However, with time preference was given to stone because it lasted better than wood and metal and was not subject to the decay those materials were.

Early altars were not placed against walls, but set apart so that the bishop or priests would stand facing the people. Around the 5th century, it became popular for the altar to face the East or be set against a wall. The priest would celebrate the Mass facing east, and the people would face East with him, symbolic of looking toward Christ as the Dawn. In the Middle Ages, the altar ceased to resemble the table of the early Church. Altars of Medieval times began to be designed very ornately, and were adorned with statues, relics, and paintings, and of course the tabernacle. In the mid-20th century, in many countries, the altar was moved away from the wall again, with the priest celebrating the Mass facing the people.

III.

We talked about the significance of making the sign of the cross last Sunday. Today we hear about the Mass proper.

(The Christian religion is essentially liturgical, since it is the religion of the God-Man who is the eternal Priest and glorious Victim. Jesus prefigures Isaac who carried the wood of the sacrifice and himself became the victim laid on the wood.)

There are four parts to the Mass. 1. The introductory rite. Liturgy of the Word. 3.Liturgy of the Eucharist. 4. Conclusion.

Introductory Rites. These essentially consist of the entrance procession and song, a greeting, the Sign of the Cross, the penitential act, the Gloria, and an opening prayer.

Entrance song: Each mass, offers us a particular theme for reflection, learning and practice. The entrance song announces this theme, which always aims to bring us closer to God through understanding and action.

The purpose of this chant is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical season or festivity, and accompany the procession of the priest and ministers. The entrance hymn dates back to 4th century.

Sacred music displays a dimension of meaning and feeling that mere words cannot.  Music makes prayer more pleasing, promotes a sense of congregational unity, and confers greater solemnity upon the sacred rites.  Singing is an expression of joy.  In Colossians 3:16, St. Paul exhorts the faithful assembled in expectation of their Lord's return to sing together.  He says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.., singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."  Our relationship with God is one of love, and whether we sing loudly or softly, on pitch or out of tune, sing!  St. Augustine very rightly says that, "it is natural for a lover to sing."  We might also remember the ancient proverb that tells us "those who sing pray twice."  So sing your praise, your love song, to God – He will surely be pleased.

During Advent the organ and other musical instruments may be used with moderation, corresponding to the character of the season, but should not anticipate the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord.

During Lent the use of the organ and musical instruments is permitted for accompanying sustained singing. Nevertheless, exceptions are made for Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Lent), for solemnities and feast days.

Procession: In fact the Mass begins with our own procession from home. Procession in the Church begins by the priest accompanied by other ministers. This procession signifies that we are now in a holy place. We start meeting God and God meeting us. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), No. 120, states regarding the procession as:
"Once the people have gathered, the priest and ministers, clad in the sacred vestments, go in procession to the altar in this order:
"The thurifer carrying a thurible with burning incense, if incense is used;
"The ministers who carry lighted candles, and between them an acolyte or other minister with the cross;
"The acolytes and the other ministers;
"A lector, who may carry the Book of the Gospels which should be slightly elevated;
"The priest who is to celebrate the Mass.

"If incense is used, before the procession begins, the priest puts some in the thurible and blesses it with the Sign of the Cross without saying anything."

This would be the plan in a parish Mass without a deacon. If a deacon is present he should carry the Book of the Gospels.

Although the whole Bible is God's word, all liturgical traditions accord special treatment to the Gospels — it is placed upon the altar before use, carried between candles, its reading or singing is reserved to the ordained.

The priest comes vested. The significance of the vestments.:

Alb: white garment, symbolizes purity of heart, singled minded focus on God.

Cincture- chastity, which requires a focused and concentrated mind.

Stole: Spiritual powers and dignity of priestly office. Mediation between us and God.

Chasuble: Christian love for God and neighbor and the service that expresses that love.

II.

We heard about preparation for the Mass last Sunday. To continue on from where we left off…

All the amount of preparation we put in for mass is added to the value and merit of the Mass. A person who walks two hours to get to the Mass earns more merits than one who drives 10 minutes to the Church. People in African villages travel long on foot to get to the Mass and they like to spend two-three hours at mass, singing and dancing and listening to long homilies. If you do not prepare for the mass, even 50-55 minutes that we spend here will feel like long hours for us.

As we enter the church, we need to pause and notice the altar, appreciate the flowers. Then we make the sign of the cross.

As we reach for our forehead and then to our breast and finally to our shoulders, we are collecting ourselves, so that our minds and hearts and souls and wills focus on God. Making this holy sign, we remember Jesus with arms outstretched, suffering for us at Golgotha. We recall how He died for our salvation and how He rose, offering us life eternal. The Trinity is honored in this prayer as we touch our forehead (the Father), our breast (the Son), and our shoulders (the Holy Spirit). St. John Vianney said a genuinely made Sign of the Cross “makes all hell tremble.” Today those in the Roman Catholic Church make the Sign of the Cross with the right hand, all the fingers pointing up, in recognition of Christ’s five wounds on the Cross. It is made by touching our forehead, our breast, and our shoulders, left to right. This method was not always the standard. (I was told in the Catechism class….)

Among the earliest Christians, the Sign of the Cross was generally made on the forehead using only one finger, normally the thumb, similar to the small crosses we make today on our forehead, lips, and breast before the Gospel is read. For the first followers of the crucified Christ, this sign on the head indicated that an individual recognized Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and that the person making it was a baptized Christian. Then, as now, Christians believed the Sign protected them from all evil, the devil, and his temptations.

The use of one finger continued until the fifth century, when a heretical group known as the Monophysites claimed that Christ possessed only one nature — that He was divine but did not have a separate human nature. Other Christians, in order to reject the Monophysites and affirm belief in the dual nature of Christ, fully divine and fully human, began to make the Sign of the Cross using two fingers, either the thumb and forefinger or the forefinger and the middle finger. To emphasize their conviction, they made a much larger Sign than previously, and did so with a prominent motion that involved their forehead, breast, and eventually the shoulders right to left.

Over the next few centuries and especially in the Eastern Church, emphasis was given to recognizing the Holy Trinity as well as the dual nature of Christ, and the use of three fingers was introduced. Recognition of the Trinity likely prompted the words, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” or something similar.

For more than 1,200 years most Catholics made the Sign of the Cross in a like manner — that is, people in the Eastern and Western Church touched their forehead, their breast, and their shoulders, going right to left, with three fingers. Before he became pope, Innocent III wrote in The Sacred Mystery of the Altar, “The Sign of the Cross is made with three fingers, because it is imprinted under invocation of the Trinity… so that it descends from the upper part to the lower, and crosses over from the right hand to the left because Christ came down from the heaven to the Earth and crossed over from the Jews to the Gentiles.”

Other rationales for touching the right shoulder first is that “Jesus sits on the right hand of the Father” and that the right represents light and goodness, while the left represents darkness.

By the end of the Middle Ages, however, Western Catholics were making the Sign of the Cross using the hand in place of the fingers and touching the left shoulder first. Among the sources documenting this method and the rationale is a 15th-century devotion used by the nuns of the Brigittine Monastery of Sion in Isleworth, England, which stated that one should begin with the head and move downward, then to the left side, and then to the right. The devotion supported this form, saying that Jesus came down from the Father (forehead), was born as man (breast), suffered on the Cross (left shoulder), and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father (right shoulder). This method became the standard in the Western Church. It is not clear why the changes took place or why they did not also take root in the Eastern Church, which continues using three fingers to make the Sign of the Cross and from right to left.

The Sign of the Cross reflects on the mystery of our redemption. This simple yet pious act summarizes much of what Catholics believe.

Q: Why is it a mark of discipleship?

The sign means a lot of things. The sign of the cross is: a confession of faith; a renewal of baptism; a mark of discipleship; an acceptance of suffering; a defense against the devil; and a victory over self-indulgence.

When you make the sign, you are professing a mini version of the creed — you are professing your belief in the Father, and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit. When you say the words and pray in someone's name you are declaring their presence and coming into their presence — that's how a name is used in Scripture.

As a sacramental, it's a renewal of the sacrament of baptism; when you make it you say again, in effect, "I died with Christ and rose to new life."
The sign of the cross is a mark of discipleship. Jesus says in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The word that the Fathers of the Church used for the sign of the cross is a Greek word that is the same as what a slave owner put on a slave, a shepherd put on a sheep and a general put on a soldier — it's a declaration that I belong to Christ.

By doing the sign of the cross, you're saying to the Lord, "I want to obey you; I belong to you. You direct all my decisions. I will always be obedient to God's law, Christ's teachings and the Church."

When suffering comes, the sign of the cross is a sign of acceptance. The sign of the cross says, "I am willing to embrace suffering to share in Christ's suffering."

When you're suffering, when you're feeling like God is not there, the sign of the cross brings him there and declares his presence whether you feel it or not. It is a way of acknowledging him at that time of trial.

One of the main teachings of the early Church Fathers is that the sign of the cross is a declaration of defense against the devil. When you sign yourself, you are declaring to the devil, "Hands off. I belong to Christ; he is my protection." It's both an offensive and defensive tool.

From today until some weeks I will be explaining the significance of important actions and objects in the Holy Mass.

EXPLANATION OF THE PRAYERS OF THE MASS

We attend mass every Sunday, and some of us everyday and so, the more we understand the meaning and significance of the prayers and actions at the mass the better we can participate. So I thought I would shorten the regular homily a little bit for a few Sundays and dwell a few minutes explaining the Mass.

1.  How to Prepare for the mass: The success and fruit of anything rests on the preparation for it.

Jesus sent a few of his disciples to prepare for his last supper, of which the Holy Mass is a commemoration. Jesus said: “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ( Mass begins at your home). So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover (Lk.22:7f).

Remote preparation should start on Monday. Mass is not just being present one hour here at the Church. It is the offering of one’s whole life, especially your whole being, including your labor and cares and concerns. Our whole week’s labor is what we offer at the Mass. When you do your job during the week you are preparing for the offertory for the Sunday Mass. When the bread is offered the priest says: Blessed are you Lord God of creation, through your goodness we have received this bread to offer. Fruit of the earth and WORK of human hands…it will become for us the bread of life. We may not have the bread or wine made directly by our own hands, but your labor paid for the buying of the gifts and all the things involved at the Mass bringing your presence and contribution.

The proximate preparation begins a day before. Saturday you should begin reading the scripture passages and reflect on them which would make you more at ease when the scripture is read and the sermon is heard. You would get a lot out of the table of the word of God if come prepared than when you just come and show up. Preparation is not just with regard to the readings and meditating them, but you need to think about what am I going to offer there besides the collection envelop, you need to think about the week’s blessings, the concerns and the anxieties and bring them to offer in the chalice. Get the Sunday best ready; a dress that would not distract others in the pew, a dress that would help honor the Lord. Choose the clothes to match the sacredness and the spiritual intent of our action in the Mass. The way I am dressed reflects and affects my attitude and mood of the time. Don’t we dress well to meet an important person? One hour fast is meant to get us to an immediate and intentional preparation. It makes you prepare for the spiritual food and communion that we are going to receive. Start out early enough from home to reach at least 15 minutes early so you can be at rest and have a few prayers said to settle down. If you go to a ball game or movie you make sure you reach early enough before they start the movie or before they dim the lights in the theater. If we take such a care for having some entertainment how much should we care about worshiping God and that too to fulfill a command from the Lord: do this in memory of me. It is not optional. Not you may do this. Do this.

When we go to movie we get some popcorn to pass the time because it is only entertainment we go to get from there. The mass is not the time for entertainment, so we cannot chew gum during the Mass. That wouldn’t give us a proper attitude to attend the mass; not just for ourselves, but even for those who observe us. When you come to communion with gum chewing in the mouth, it would give the impression that you make no difference between the Holy communion and the gum. You may be telling by your ACTION that you do not believe in the real presence. Do you take medicine while having chewing gum in your mouth? Coming to church is not for entertainment, it is not primarily to GET something that we come here for, it is to give: to give honor and glory, worship and praise to God for his gifts. Therefore even if we don’t get an inspirational homily, or the message did not move us much, do not be upset, because the primary purpose of our coming to Mass is to give rather than to get something; that is secondary.

As part of the preparation you need to check what ministry you can do at the Mass besides just being present. Like: being ushers, Sacristans, servers, Lectors, musicians, EMOC. Without these services the Mass cannot be properly and easily conducted. Being willing to do any of these services is one of the ways you can closely assist the mass. This just about the preparation. We will continue the rest next Sunday.

O.T.-II-C: Is 49:3, 5-6; I Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34

The Christmas Season ended last Monday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Today's Gospel immediately follows the Baptism of Jesus as John tells his disciples that this Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

John the Baptist's favorite title for Jesus is "the Lamb of God."  It also became one of John the Evangelist’s favorite titles. He uses it here in his Gospel, and then he used it again, twenty-nine times, in the Book of Revelation. It brings together several images that would have been familiar to the Jews of those times. And so, by calling Christ the "Lamb of God," St John is telling us that those ancient images are fulfilled in Jesus. 

When God asks Abraham to go to one of the mountains in the land of Moriah – perhaps the mount on which the Temple would later be built – and offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, the unsuspecting Isaac asks his father ‘where is the lamb?’ Abraham’s responds ‘God will provide’ – words which only become at the close of the Old Testament when John the Baptist points to Christ and says ‘Here is the Lamb of God’.

In the Old Covenant, God required the Jews to sacrifice a lamb twice a day to expiate the sins of the people (cf. Exodus 29:39). So the lamb symbolized the price to be paid for sin.

The primary holy day of the Jews was (and remains) the Passover. In the Passover ceremony each family sacrifices and eats a lamb to recall their liberation from Egypt in the days of Moses. On that night, God allowed the death of all the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians, but spared those of the Hebrews. In order to indicate which households the angel of death was to skip over, God commanded the Hebrews to kill a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. Thus the Passover lamb signified God's merciful and saving love. John would say that Jesus would be crucified at the very time the lambs were sacrificed on the feast of the Passover.

Finally, a lamb going silently and docilely to be slaughtered is one of the images used to describe the coming Messiah. The prophet Isaiah speaks of a suffering servant of God, a man who would be despised and rejected by men and wounded for the transgressions of the people. He compares this suffering servant to a lamb that is led to the slaughter. From the very beginning of his life, Jesus is on a trajectory that will lead to the sacrifice of the Cross. He was going to take Israel's sins upon himself and wipe them away through his suffering obedience.

In John's gospel this theme is expertly woven into the story.  The ancient instructions for killing and eating the Passover lamb said, "You must not break any bone of it" (Exodus 12:46).  And so, John says, the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs as he hung on the Cross but pierced him instead with a lance.  Later, near the end of the century, in John's apocalyptic vision he saw "between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered" (Revelation 5:6)  -  that is, dead and raised up again.

And so, by calling Jesus the "Lamb of God," John reminds us that all of these Old Testament symbols had been pointing towards Christ - the true Savior.

This theme is so vital in our understanding of Jesus is that at the breaking of the bread symbolizing the time the death of Jesus is enacted in the mass: the Congregation shouts aloud…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…three times.

What also becomes clear in the story is that this Jewish Messiah, this servant of the chosen people, would be a Savior not just for the people of Israel, but for all people. He would take away the sins of the world. Until he came, the task of the chosen people of the Old Testament, as Isaiah insists in our first reading, was to act as a light to the nations. And this task of being a light to the nations is one that we must continue.

We, who through the gift of faith, recognize Jesus as the Son God who takes away the sins of the world have the ongoing mission, like John the Baptist, of pointing out Jesus to the world. Strengthened by the grace given to us in the Eucharist, the sacrament which makes present the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, we must go out as signs and instruments of the love, mercy, and forgiveness that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, offers to all peoples of the world. 

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD : Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

The Battle of Milvian Bridge was fought between Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius in 312. On the evening of October 27, with the armies preparing for battle, Constantine had a vision. A most marvellous sign appeared to him from heaven. The famous sign in the sky was a cross of light, with the inscription, Conquer by this. At this sight he himself was struck with amazement, and his whole army also, which followed him on this expedition, and witnessed the miracle.

Constantine delineated the sign on the shields of his soldiers, and proceeded to battle, and his troops stood to arms. Maxentius was defeated in the battle, and Constantine was acknowledged as emperor by the senate and people of Rome. Constantine’s victory brought relief to the Christians by ending persecution.

300 Years before Constantine, God’s sign appeared on the sky as a luminous star. It announced the good news that a Saviour was born to emancipate humanity from the clutches of evil. This sign was read by the simple shepherds and wise men. It led the wise men to Bethlehem. Today we commemorate that event of the visit of the magi to the divine Child. It is called the feast of the Epiphany. The Greek word Epiphany means appearance or manifestation or showing forth.

The Epiphany can be looked on as a symbol for our pilgrimage through life to Christ.   The feast invites us to see ourselves as images of the Magi, a people on a journey to Christ. Their journey in search of the King of peace was heroic. Neither distance nor uncertainty of the destination could hold them back from their decision to find the new King.  God lit their way; His light shone above them, and they followed it.

Mother Teresa once visited a poor man in Melbourne, Australia. He was living in a basement room which was in a terrible state of neglect. There was no light in the room. He did not seem to have a friend in the world. She started to clean and tidy the room. At first he protested, “Leave it alone. It is alright as it is.” But she went ahead anyway. As she cleaned, she chatted with him. Under a pile of rubbish she found an oil lamp covered with dust. She cleaned it and discovered that it was beautiful. And she said to him, “You have got a beautiful lamp here. How come you never lighted it?” “Why should I light it?” “No one ever comes to see me.”

Will you promise to light it if one of my sisters comes to see you?” “Yes,” he replied. “If I hear a human voice, I will light the lamp.” Two of Mother Teresa’s sisters began to visit him regularly. Things gradually improved for him. Every time the sisters came to visit him, he had the lamp lighted. Then one day he said to them: “Sisters, I will be able to manage myself from now on. Do me a favour. Tell the first sister who came to see me that the light she lit in my life is still burning.” (M K Paul p.18)

The light that God lit to announce the coming of His son is still burning. For the last twenty centuries many have followed the footprints of the Magi. When they found Jesus they, too, laid down everything they had at the foot of Jesus just like the Magi made their offerings.

These days we might expect the story to include a wise woman or two suggesting things might have gone better if the wise men had been wise women. After all, had women been in charge, they would have asked for direction, gotten to the Manger on time, assisted with the birth, cleaned up the place and made a casserole for the Holy Family. But we are told that God chose the wisest woman to be in charge of her son, who pondered all these things in heart; that wise woman was the Throne of Wisdom.

The wise men from the East recognized Jesus' greatness even as a little Child in an ordinary house. The spirit of God has always been there to guide those who have desired to walk in the light. So the Angel of the Lord guided the Magi to return to their own country, ‘by a different way”, and to a different life. The Magi’s meeting with Jesus brought about a total change in them. It lit their minds and removed the darkness from them. Jesus revealed Himself as their Saviour, and they accepted Him. Emperor Constantine was given a sign. He accepted it, and his acceptance gained him victory. When Jesus revealed Himself to Paul, he accepted Jesus, and his acceptance led him to change his way of life.

Ex-Beatle, George Harrison, in an interview shortly before his death said, “Everything else in life can wait, but the search for God cannot wait." Larry King said, “I have a lot of respect for true people of faith, I have always searched. I envy people who have it. I just can't make the leap." It was no quick or easy trip for the Magi to find the Christ Child. Maybe it never is easy but don't settle for anything less. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied." Don't settle for anything less this year than an authentic, living, vital relationship with God. You will be glad you did.

May the Spirit of God help us to search every day to see the incarnation in our midst and offer our hearts in self surrender to him.