Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
America, in particular, has a thing against “wasting” time. We place work and productivity on a very high pedestal. And there’s something good about that. Work can be sanctifying if we unite it to Jesus, and producing new ideas and new products helps to better society. But the temptation in our prodigiousness, the excess of that virtue of working hard, is working too hard, and missing out on the important things of life. I remember when I was studying in Italy how things would close down for a few hours around lunch. Now, I don’t mean to offend, and certainly I don’t want to stereotype too much, but in Europe, Italians are not known for being hard workers in the first place. But they always make sure to take a break in the middle of the day for pranzo, lunch, and a nice riposo, a nice nap. And while we might think that’s a waste of daylight, there’s something good about spending time with family and friends to enjoy a leisurely meal and rest. The work will always be there, but as some people learn in tragic ways, friends and family are not always with us on earth.
Bishop Barron, in his new series on the Mass, talks about how the Mass is the ultimate form of play. That might seem counterintuitive, given how serious we take the Mass. But, think about children and how seriously they take playing. Or think about sports and how seriously we take playing those games. There are rules, there are expectations, there are uniforms. So often, we think that the most important thing is work, and we play if we have time. But play can be more important, especially when we talk about the Mass.
It’s no secret that people don’t go to Mass anymore. We notice it as we look around, and as we prepare for the transition to two Masses per weekend. So why are Masses so scarcely populated, and not just here in Flint, where people continue to leave the city, but around the United States and around the world?
Jesus, after His disciples had returned, invited the apostles to go off “to a deserted place and rest awhile.” The ones whose very title, “apostle,” means one who is sent out, need time to rest with Jesus. And what do we do at Mass, if not rest with Jesus? We worship God, and that is most important, but just like the Jews on the Sabbath, we rest, and worshipping God allows us to rest from our labors, not because we are lazy, but because we imitate God in resting from His work of creation. I think that part of the reason for people not coming to Mass is that they expect the Mass to provide something that it’s not meant to provide. If you want to be entertained at Mass, then you will surely be disappointed, because the Mass is not a movie or a show. If you want an emotional or spiritual high, then you may be disappointed, because the Mass is not meant to appeal to every personality style and temperament every week. If you want music that speaks to you each and every time, then you’re putting way too much pressure on the Mass, because Catholic music, truly Catholic music, is meant to be adding dressing to Scripture. Can we be entertained at Mass? It happens; some priests are funny, and others, like me, are just funny-looking. Can we get an emotional or spiritual high? It can happen, and praise God when it does! Can music touch our hearts in a way that mere words cannot? Sometimes the words put together with a certain musical setting hits us right in the feels. But Mass is meant to help us worship God and rest in Him.
I know that’s a tough message. I know it’s not the message we want to hear, because we want to be entertained, we want the high, we want the feels. But too many sheep have wandered away from the fold because what they want from the Mass is not what the Mass is meant to give. Sometimes even priests have mislead and scattered the flock by overly inserting themselves in the Mass, making the Mass a performance of their personality, instead of celebrating the Mass as the Church asks. And I also know that sometimes, despite my own best efforts, my homilies are boring. Our sound system could also use some updating.
But I invite you to come to St. Pius X each weekend after your weekly work of spreading the Gospel to rest with Jesus and to worship Him, who brought us near by His blood, and who reconciled us to God through His Body through the Cross. Sunday sports may sound more enticing. The lawn may need mowing and the laundry may need cleaning. The kids may be a handful and may be noisy. But come to Mass anyway, to rest with Jesus. And since you all already do come to Mass, tell your kids, tell your godchildren, tell your friends that Jesus knows you need a rest–not entertainment, not an emotional or spiritual roller coaster, but rest. Receive the Body of Christ. Taste the fountain of immortality. Waste time with Jesus and worship Him who gives you the precious gift of rest in Him.
