INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this First Monday in Advent is, “Reluctance.”
TWO TRIGGERS
Two things triggered this homily - this reflection - on reluctance.
The first thing was today’s
Psalm response,
“Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”
That’s from
Psalm 122 - which begins this way as we heard read,
“I rejoiced because they said to me,
‘We will go up to the house of the LORD.’
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.”
Psalm 122 is one of the so called, “Pilgrim Songs” that folks sang on their pilgrimages to the big temple in Jerusalem. We can picture and hear that - like Moslems going to their major holy places in Saudi Arabia or Catholics going to Lourdes, Fatima or the big Marian Shrine of Chartres in France.
Those folks go or went with great joy - and little reluctance. It was a holiday!
The second thing that triggered this homily thought on reluctance was a moment yesterday at St. Mary’s. I noticed a lady and someone else in the sacristy. At the sign of peace I usually drop in there and say, “Peace” and shake hands with those in there. I like to connect with everyone.
Then before heading back to the altar I squirt that germ killer stuff on my hands. I wonder how long that stuff will be used. By 3011 will it have become part of the Mass like the washing of the hands which is still there - even though we no longer get the big collection of food at the offertory for the poor and the hungry - a practice of the Early Church that stopped a long time ago - if I have that correct. Yet the priest still washes his hands to this day.
Well, the two people in the sacristy were a mother and a son. I gave the mom a handshake and a word of “Peace” and then went over to the son - a young teenager who was in a semi-fetal position. His head was in his hands and he didn’t see me coming towards him.
The mom then said out loud, “He doesn’t want to be here - but I made him come with me to Mass.” I paused and then put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Peace to a kid who doesn’t want to be here.” He looked up - with a pained face that was semi-twisted.
After that, the only thing I thought about for the rest of the Mass was that kid and his mom. It stopped me from wondering and worrying about how many mistakes I was making in the using the new prayers. That faded into the background - compared to that Reluctant Teen.
SUNDAY MASS - WITH RELUCTANCE
With the various announcements in newspapers and on radio programs of the changes in the wording of the Catholic Mass prayers, starting yesterday, I was wondering if anyone who had stopped going to church - or is a once and a while Sunday Mass goer - went to church yesterday. Were the numbers up? Could that be measured?
Weekday Mass goers I assume come here freely and with joy. How many Sunday church goers come out of obligation? How many teenagers come out of obligation?
We have this new translation. There was reluctance on part of some bishops - and others - to do these changes. But here we have it. It’s like today’s gospel with the story of the Centurion. We get orders and we do them. [Cf.
Matthew 8:5-11]
I said to myself I’ll give all this time - to see what these changes are about.
The word I hear is that everything will be more “formal”. Formal is a key word. I began noticing that in most of the articles I read about these changes. I know the difference between formal and informal. Some people are more formal than others and vice versa. Will those who like to dress “formal” and think “formal” and who are reluctant to come to church for whatever reason - will they now come more often? Will those who like informal - drop out - because they feel things have become more formal in the prayers? Will anyone notice any of these things - a year from now?
IN THE MEANWHILE
In the meanwhile, what do we do to make Mass more of an spiritual experience for people who are reluctant to come to Mass more often?
I also had the 5 PM Mass last evening here at St. John Neumann. It’s the Youth Mass.
The crowd wasn’t too big last evening for that Mass. Was it the holidays? Was it because there was no “Youth Event” after the Mass - as there usually is? Was there a big football game on? Does that have an impact? I don’t know.
I was wrong in what I thought would happen with regards this Youth Mass here at St. John Neumann’s. I figured in one year it would be packed every Sunday evening - with seats being difficult to be had. Different folks came up with a band - with drums and guitars, etc. Surprise. That didn’t fill the church.
One drawback was that the Mass wasn’t every Sunday evening. It was called off when religious ed was called off for that Sunday. I thought that was a killer - and people might be reluctant to come - not being sure whether there was a Mass here on Sunday evening or not. We got that cleared up - and that Mass goes all year - till May - and starts up again in September.
Then that band disbanded - and last night I noticed there was just one singer and one piano player - and the music was good. I wondered if there was a possible band in our midst.
But were the kids here reluctantly? Did the band music help?
I realize the Mass is not entertainment - but as the old saying goes, “Why should the devil have all the tunes?”
I wasn’t sharp enough and quick enough to whisper to that mom at the 12:30 at St. Mary’s - that there was a 5 PM Youth Mass at St. John Neumann’s.
If she dragged her son to the 5 would he still be in the fetal position of not wanting to come out of his womb - his comfort zone - and be at Mass?
I don’t know.
Can we measure reluctance?
I had a home Mass on Thanksgiving afternoon at one of my nieces’ house and everyone was there - but one grandnephew was hanging in the back - with arms folded. Was he feeling reluctance? Was he feeling trapped? What was he feeling or thinking? I don’t know. I didn’t ask.
Do surveys help?
CONCLUSION
I preached the same sermon for the 5 PM on Saturday night at St. Mary’s and again at the 12:30 on Sunday. I had worked on that homily. Knowing that the Mass at 5 PM was for youth, guilt got me to write a completely different sermon - and compared to the more prepared homily, I felt reluctance to preach it.
In fact I began the homily last night by saying something like this, “I had another homily for this Sunday, but since this is a youth mass, I wrote this homily this afternoon for the young people here. It’s first draft - but here goes.” I tried to youngerfy my thoughts.
However, I felt a reluctant tugging in giving it, knowing the other homily was better in my appraisal, and there were as many adults at the 5 PM Mass as young people.
Good News. Sometimes gifts come across the waters. I’m standing there in the vestibule after Mass saying, “Good bye and have a good week.” A mother says to me on the way out of church “My daughter said she appreciated that the priest wrote a homily just for us.”
