Sorry for the late post today - it was a hectic day! Joni and I spent a lot of the morning trying to plan out the Faith Formation meeting tonight for 1st-6th graders, then we went to the SPARK Mini Summit tonight (we saw some of you there!!). We left a little early from SPARK to get back to the church and prepare for the prayer service/meeting...and luckily we had two musicians step up and help to accompany tonight! Kate and Jake both came and helped - Kate played piano and Jake played guitar - they were TOTAL LIFESAVERS!! I'm sooo glad I didn't have to do everything a cappella! Whew!
Now, onto the big ideas for today. These thoughts will be more for you to use as self-reflective ideas...to really consider throughout the week until you go to church this weekend...but it's a good idea to start preparing now :)
I've contemplated this idea a lot over the past year or so, and I was reminded of it over these past few weeks as I have been adjusting to being a part of a new parish. When I'm in new surroundings at mass, I usually contemplate the area and space more...and that makes me think more about what I am doing and more about the people's actions around me.
Think about when you go to church...do you walk into the church thinking "this is the house of God"? I'm going to guess that 99% of us (at least) do not walk into church thinking that...sure, we are saying in our head "I'm at church, I need to behave, this is where I practice my faith" and in a sense, we are thinking "I am in God's house," but are our actions and our thoughts really saying that? I'd venture to say that the majority of the time our actions and the thoughts in the front of our mind are not! I'm always getting preoccupied in church...thinking about what I need to get done, making lists in my head, and only lightly following along with the mass...but we need to refocus and think about each of our actions. We need to refocus and remember that we are TRULY in God's presence!
Now, think of how church would look if everyone truly thought about every single tiny detail while at mass...what if you walked in and kept in the front of your mind: "this is God's house" - you would see the tabernacle and say, "This is truly Jesus residing in this room" - how would you respond? Picture the tabernacle as being Jesus in human form and not in the form that we see - would you make your bow as lazy as usual? And if you kept this in your mind, would you take a deeper bow? I know when I actually think it through, my bowing or kneeling is always lower. Think about the Eucharist, would you be able to handle kneeling for the length of time better when you realized "I am truly kneeling before the Lord, giving him honor and glory and praise" - would you sing more at the top of your lungs with the songs - remembering that you are truly singing to God and that it is for his glory and praise that you sing and not for the benefit of those around you?
When you go to mass this weekend, think about each action you do, think about Jesus truly being there (since he is), and keep him in the front of your mind. Picture him in his human form, and think about how you would respond if you were able to see his physical response to each of your actions and words...the Catholic mass is truly supposed to be a full body experience - we have movement and music and speaking throughout the mass...this was done purposefully and has been fine tuned over thousands of years...so keep the question in your mind while you're at mass this weekend of "What am I doing? What am I saying?" Imagine God standing right in beside you or in front of you and constantly keep in mind why you say or do these actions for God...I think at mass we tend to forget that we are not there to make an appearance or to look good to those around us - we are solely there to give glory to our creator...so focus clearly on our creator this weekend...I think you will feel a difference as you go through mass considering each and every aspect.
"For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst" - Matthew 18:20
p.s. - I will be at a conference in Owatonna all day tomorrow and then at the parish council meeting tomorrow night...so a post is not looking too likely...so don't forget - BREAKFAST CLUB - Friday - 7 am! - McDonalds! Also - if you want to be added to the mailing list, email me at sjvyouthministry@gmail.com
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