(The Nationalist, 27 May 2005)
For someone who came from heaven, Jesus was very down-to-earth. For instance, he liked meals. In Saint Luke’s gospel, he is always either at a meal, or going to one, or coming from one. He used images of meals in his speech: ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me’. And he used a banquet as a parable of heaven.
If someone invites us to their home for a meal, we feel honoured and look forward to it. It’s enjoyable tasting someone else’s cooking – and not have to wash the dishes! In many cultures, meals have special significance. A meal shared is a sign and source of unity; it’s hard to feel angry with a person who has invited you for a meal. The word “companion” literally means “someone who has eaten bread with you”.
It’s not surprising, then, that Jesus chose a meal as the occasion for a unique gift to his followers, one in which he gave them the gift of himself. Jesus was always giving of himself. His death on Calvary was a self-sacrifice, not the sacrifice of another. And his giving didn’t diminish him; it enhanced him.
If the language of sacrifice disappears from our vocabulary, it won’t be long before the thought of it follows. And if the thought goes, it won’t be long before the practice goes, too. What kind of society will we then have? Likely a selfish and uncaring one. Who gains by that?
What a great pity that we ever spoke of the obligation of Sunday Mass! It’s a grace, a privilege, a gift, something to put effort into, to reverence, to care for. The Mass is a meal in which Jesus is the host and we are the guests. And, in a way beyond our understanding, he gives himself to us as food and drink. It’s also a challenge: we can accept the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist; accepting it in the person next to us is the hard part.
We come to the Mass as participants, not spectators. Spiritual participation means giving ourselves to God as he gives himself to us, wholly and entirely. We try to give ourselves to God during the week, and we bring to the Mass our blood-and-guts struggles to be faithful, including our failures and sins. They are our personal offering.
The task of creating an atmosphere of reverence at Mass is one for all the congregation. It takes effort to make it what it is meant to be – a sacred occasion, a meeting with the divine. An ideal would be that we could leave the church after Mass with a sense of still being in the presence of God.
For those in a hurry: ‘I will do what I can, may God do what he wills.’ (Anthony Bloom)