UNDERSTANDING  THE  MASS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3rd Tuesday after Easter  is, “Understanding the Mass.”

It takes a lifetime - and then some - and then till we’re celebrating the eternal wedding feast - for us to have a better and better understanding of the Mass.

Here’s a few threads about the Mass.  maybe you can sew them together.

THE TABLE

As you know, as you realize, Christianity revolves around a table.

As you know, after Vatican II,  50 years ago -  our understanding of the Mass expanded and evolved - as well as returning to its roots.

If you don’t accept evolution and revolution - and change - you’ll miss the meanings of the Mass.

We change. Life changes. Life evolves. Look at a baby’s skin and compare it to an 80 year old person’s skin. Evolution…. So too the mind….

Life happens. Life keeps on revolving. The earth is on a roll. The earth has been revolving while evolving around the sun for 5 to 10 billion or more years now.

REVIEW

Some of us saw the Catholic Church turn the tables.

The priest spoke the language the people spoke. The Mass became a face to face experience. There was supposed to be a move to a more bready bread taste to the bread. We have seen it change colors - from bright white - plastic look alike bread to more and more tan wheat bread color. Some churches have tried bigger pieces of bread - but to feed 500 - with bread left over - and some brought to the sick - heavier and  more bread looking  like bread - crumbles easier.

Have some wine. Have some wine that tastes like Palestine. But wine is more difficult to work with.

This is difficult with crowds. That’s easier with just the bread.

This 6^th chapter of John - which we heard part of today - should be read and read, chewed on, chewed on, digested, digested. If there is anything Jesus does, it’s his nourishing us. It’s getting us to think and mull over life.

This memory and memorial of Jesus is a meal. Come and eat. Come and get it. Share. Chew and listen. Do this in memory of me.

At any good meal, we don’t just eat and drink, we talk and listen.

We are in communion with each other.

We become what we eat. We become what we drink. We become what we talk to each other about.

SO THE MASS IS A MEAL

We know meals. We know food. Cook books are up there with the best sellers when it comes to books.

We know eating. We get that from day 1.

Jesus cooked up a great experience with his Mass.

Everyone eats.

Everyone is becoming.

Everyone is passing over.

Everyone has roots.

Everyone is part of a story.

So there are readings of that story at every Mass - just as at every time we sit down to eat we remember our stories - re-membering every member of the family.

It’s not good to skip out - to miss a meal - to drop out of the family - like Judas did - like so many have - by skipping meals - by not being there for the family meal - at least on Sundays.

It’s not good to be alone.

It’s not good to eat alone.

Yet even when eating alone we are remembering our days, our moments, our lives . We’re talking and listening to each other - in our upper room - in our skulls. It’s better to be eating and talking with each other.

Give us this day our daily bread. Give us this day, “How was your day?” “What’s happening?”  Haven’t seen you all day. Haven’t seen you in a while? Is everything okay.

It’s good to talk after Mass.

Of course communion is difficult.

It’s hard to hold and listen to and hold onto -various conversations during a meal. Someone on my right says something interesting. Someone on my left or across the table says something. It’s hard to hold onto two or three conversations at the same time as well as conversations going on in our heads about something that happened yesterday or what we’re going to face today.

Who said we can’t have distractions?

A meal is all about distractions. Jesus who is going to betray you today.

Life has it’s rock throwers - its traitors.  Hey Saul wanted Stephen out of the community.  Life is filled with all kinds of better and worsers.

CONCLUSION

We have to move on. Finish meals. Move on. And we can continue this life and another meal tomorrow. 

[Painting on Top: Coming out of Mass by Jose Ferrer Miro]