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.
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