It
all begins before we even leave the house to come to Mass. First, we have to
remember to keep the Eucharistic Fast by abstaining from food and beverages for
at least an hour. Water and medicine are OK. Gum and coffee do break the fast. We
should leave these sorts of things at the house. This is a small way to prepare
to receive the most awesome Gift of Jesus himself into ourselves. This reminds
us that everything we do is ordered toward and directed to this encounter with
Christ.
How
do I dress for Mass? Do I dress like I am going to encounter the living God? How
would I dress to meet the most important human being, whoever we might think
that is: the pope, the president, some other politician, the queen of England, the
person interviewing me for a job? I have heard other Christians make comments
that we sometimes dress for Mass like we are going to the beach. We have air
conditioning. Shorts, tank tops and beachwear are not respectful enough for the
King of Kings.
Remember
the book by Matthew Kelly, Rediscover
Catholicism?
He
talked about reading the readings ahead of time and even bringing a journal. He
challenged us to be ready to hear at least one thing that was going to improve
my life this week.
Another
non-verbal that speaks volumes is arriving early. This gives us time to
prayerfully prepare to enter into the sacred mysteries where we will encounter
the living God.
Once
we arrive at the church in our cars, we should leave our cell phones in the car
unless we are expecting an emergency. This is a good reminder that the time we
spend in Church is meant for God and His people.
Our
non-verbals are already speaking volumes and we have not even arrived at the
door of church. We’ll pick up there next week.
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