Bangor, Mash and Freddie are able to learn about the Mass because for the moment I am celebrating Mass on the dining-table in the presbytery. I have absolutely no problem with this, though I expect some may. At the period in my life when I was most luke-warm in my faith, first and second years in university, the only time I was at Mass was when an American Jesuit celebrated in students' rooms with ordinary bread and wine - a lifeline at the time.
In any case, the Mass is, of course, a meal, coming from the Last Supper. And meals happen on tables, so a dining-table seems very appropriate. I am being very aware of this kind of thing regarding the Mass as we celebrate alone here. I have taken to 6pm as my preferred time, suitable especially in our 3 Churches for Saturday and Sunday.
This evening I opened the window ajar, despite a cool breeze blowing outside. I wanted to hear the birds singing in the woods alongside us. But more important I wanted to be in a kind of direct contact with everything and everyone "out there". I don't know if we will join the parishes who are live-streaming Mass, that's a different issue. I wanted to remind myself and experience that the Mass reaches everywhere, everything, everyone - and everywhere can be brought into the Mass. There are some interesting articles on this kind of thing in this week's Tablet.
So while we are not able to celebrate together either here in our 3 Churches, or anywhere else in many countries, let's ask the Lord to teach us a little more, draw us a little more deeply into the Eucharist, famously called "|the source and summit of our faith".
And remember that I pause to pray for all of you at the Bidding Prayer when I am at the Table of the Lord.
I'm very conscious at this time of the faith of the Catholic people during the time of persecution. How the faith remained strong, perhaps became stronger, even when they could only get to Mass once a year or less.
ReplyDeleteAlso of the Japanese Church during the Tokugawa shogunate with no priests at all, yet keeping the faith.
So while we are not persecuted, perhaps the absence and lack we feel now, will bring us even more fruitfully to the Lord when we can return to him in the sacraments anew.
wonderful post Canon, when we were having St Helen's reordered around 15 years ago we had Mass celebrated on Canon O'Gorman's dining table and there were only a small group of us which would fit into the room and it felt so intimate and felt somewhat like being present at the Last Supper.
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