Liturgy Corner

Liturgy defies time. That’s right. Whenever we enter into the Liturgy, we leave this world behind and enter into another one.
 
Sci-fi fans understand this well; stepping into the Liturgy is like stepping into a time machine. This is one of the reasons why many Priests remove their watches before celebrating Mass!
 
This stems from the Greek concept anamnesis. We often translate this word as “memorial” or “remembrance”, but it is more than that — rather than just calling something to memory, we actually participate in it!
 
Christ died once for all in His Sacrifice, but, by His Resurrection, He has broken down the walls of time, and now we are able to participate in that same Sacrifice at every Mass. Only Christ can do that!
 
This is why when we come to Mass, we need to leave everything else behind, if only for a time. Of course, we pray for those things in our life, but leaving our cares in the Hands of God grants us freedom and allows us to focus on Him.
 
This is also why we shouldn’t be worrying about time — if we are concerned about Mass taking too long, then our heart is in the wrong place. Furthermore, we shouldn’t leave early — we should stay in our place until the end of the closing hymn, for a hymn is a prayer! Now there may be times when something important calls us back to the world (such as someone being “on call”), but we certainly shouldn’t leave before the Final Blessing. As some Priests have said, “Judas left Mass early, too.”
 

And so we ask ourselves:

Am I too worried about time, instead of focusing on the mystery into which we are entering? Do I find myself looking at my watch or complaining about a long homily or Communion line, instead of praying? Do I seek to leave Mass early without a good reason, instead of valuing the Blessing and the community?
 
- Fr. Kyle