Fellow parishioners,
I would like to reflect with you today on the sacredness of the Mass, and why our reverence and etiquette matters.
The Eucharist (or Mass) is sacred because it is at Mass that Jesus becomes present to us, body and soul, in the species of bread and wine. During the consecration, that is after we sing “Holy Holy,” we all kneel down, and the priest prays using the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. If a bishop is presiding, he must remove his zucchetto (red hat). It is the most holy time of the whole Mass as the priest calls upon God to send down the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. There is always total silence and no movements. Just as an analogy, if you ever go to a football stadium or even the rodeo, the events always begin with the singing of the national anthem. At that time, people stand with hands over their breast, remove their hats, and pay complete attention to the flag and the country. It is out of reverence and respect. If we can show great respect to our flag and our country, should we not do more for God?
It is always suggested that we prepare well for Mass to worship and encounter our Lord: come in on time, read the Scripture readings beforehand, and maybe use the bathrooms in time, and if you need to go again, maybe do it before the consecration or after we get up to pray the Our Father. When we do this, we are first showing great respect to Jesus present on the altar, and secondly, we are not distracting the people who are kneeling and praying as Jesus comes down on the altar. People come from far and wide to pour their hearts out to Jesus and to present their needs to Him, and it is plainly bad to distract them or disturb their worship.
Our kids are always watching us and following our example. For instance, one Sunday (around this past Easter), I noticed great respect for Mass from some of the children of the Skoro Family. Two girls went to the restroom, I think when we were singing “Holy Holy,” and when they came out, it was consecration time, so they stood there by the bathroom door until the end of the consecration. Then as we stood up for the Our Father, they walked back to their pews. That’s really commendable, and I commended their parents for teaching them this holy etiquette. Let us all try our best to do the same. I know sometimes we can’t control “nature,” especially if a person has stomach complications, incontinence, or other sickness.
Always remember that we are here to pray individually, but also as a parish family. Our actions can help others to have a good prayer experience and fall more in love with the Lord, or, sadly, make someone regret taking their time to come to church.
May God bless you all.
Blessings
Fr. Chrispine Otieno
Pastor