Happy New Liturgical Year!

Yes, the First Sunday in Advent marked the beginning of the Church's new liturgical year.  Happy Cycle B readings!!! Yay!!!  With the new year came the new changes to the Mass, and I'm sorry to confess that I flubbed up through the entire Mass.  Oh well, I'm sure I'll have it down pat in thirty odd years or so!

Servant Song

In light of yesterday's Gospel, Matthew 25: 14-30, the Parable of the Talents, doesn't it seem to be a great time to  ask us to consider volunteering at our church or in the larger community?  Believe me, I like nothing better than to have an opportunity to go to Mass with no greater care in the world than, "Is the priest's Homily going to be interesting and will I catch a cold from the Sign of Peace?"  I was able to do that when we lived in San Diego for a couple years and it was terrific, but now that my husband and I are back home in San Jose where we are active volunteers, I have to say that I feel much more a part of this church family and less of a guest.  I can say from experience that it doesn't take a lot of talent to be a Eucharistic Minister, but it does call me to be more involved in the Mass.  Lector, usher, choir member, altar server, teacher's assistant for Catechism classes, sponsor for RCIA, there are lots of jobs in and around the church that you, yes you, can do.  Volunteering can bring a deeper sense of meaning and involvement to the Sunday Mass and might even reveal some hidden talents !

Times They Are a Changin'

I attended an informational meeting after Sunday Mass about the changes we will soon encounter in the Mass when we adopt the Roman Missal on the First Sunday of Advent.   Change is difficult for many people, and there was much griscorning (a kind of Gaelic word for griping- I doubt I spelled it correctly!) and gnashing of teeth.  Why did we have to change the Mass?  What did this all mean?  Why couldn't we have the bells at consecration any more?
Our religion is based on the greatest change agent in history, Jesus Christ.  What were the readings about this past Sunday?  Hey everyone!  Be ready, don't fall asleep at your post or get complacent.  Keep on your toes!
I'm not saying that the Mass changes are the "oil in the lamp" for us, but we do have to admit that things are never going to stay the same.  The Church will keep changing, and we need to roll with it.  I've been a Catholic for 52 years and have witnessed numerous changes in the Mass.  Some changes I like, some I'm not so crazy about, but out of obedience (and it's not blind obedience, believe me!) I change.  If I rebel and do what I deign are the 'right' words/ postures/ gestures at Mass (and who am I  to decide that, really?), then I am saying I don't want to be a part of the Church community.  We are called to worship Mass in community, not alone.  If our Pope and bishops ask us to adopt certain changes in the Mass- as long as those changes don't cause us to sin, which they haven't so far- then we should accommodate those changes.  Think of it as an exercise in obedience, but do go to the USCCB website and educate yourself on the whys and wherefores of the Mass changes.