Once we arrive at the Church we do a number of actions which help us prepare to celebrate the Mass on Sunday. Much of this is very familiar to us, but its good to review because we live in a society that is very casual about many things which deserve deeper appreciation and forethought.
First, we enter into the Church building itself. There are a number of blessings to remember as we enter into this sacred Space. The Psalmist prayed: "I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go up to the House of the Lord.’" (Psalm 122:1)
 |
| "I rejoiced when they said to be: 'Let us go up to the House of the Lord.'" |
Our mind set is very important as we enter the Lord’s House. If we enter with an expectation that we will be bored and hoping to get through the Mass as quickly as possible we will get as little as we expect. But is we enter remembering that we gather as the Church with others to give God thanks and praise, and to be renewed in the Sacrifice of Christ and his love for us, then we will receive as much as we expect and more.
The Church is God’s House and the place where God’s Family gathers in a visible way. It is a consecrated place, meant almost exclusively for the worship of God. The interior of the Church building is usually divided into three parts: the vestibule (or entry space), the nave (or main worship space), and the sanctuary where the Word of God (the Scriptures) are proclaimed and the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered on the central altar.
The vestibule is a kind of lobby area, a transition place between the outside world and the actual place of worship (the nave). In other words, we do not normally pray in the vestibule, but we might. Our vestibule at Holy Faith highlights many features of the parish's service in Christ. There we collect food for the poor and other goods for those in need, and see displays of the various parish events on bulletin boards. The vestibule is also a place of being welcomed to Mass and conversations can freely occur before entering the main worship place.
.jpg) |
| Nave of St. Patrick Church in Lowell, MA: notice "ship-like" ceiling |
Once we enter the main part of the Church building, called the nave (cf. to "naval" or ship, because often the vaulted ceiling of a church resembled an upside down ship or it may refer to the Christian symbolism of the Church as the ship of Christ ) This is sacred space. Reverence is expected when one enters the nave. Especially before Mass, silence is supposed to be observed and talking kept low so that we may prepare for Mass in silent prayer.
The main worship space is not a common place and so one does not eat or drink anything in the main part of the Church except the Consecrated Bread and Wine. As we enter this space, typically we will find holy water fonts at the various doors so that we may dip our hand into the blessed water and sign ourselves with the Sign of the Cross. This is a reminder of our Baptism by which we have the right to participate in the Eucharist of the Church who are the Baptized in Christ and his Body as the Church.
As we look around we will usually see images and statues of the Saints and Mary. We belong to the whole Church, a portion of which is in Heaven. We may also see stained glass windows and candles and various religious symbols, all reminding us that this is a Sacred Place. This is part of our "Sacramental or Catholic imagination" by which we use created and human realities to express and inspire our knowledge of God. (See more on Catholic imagination HERE)
 |
| Annunciation Catholic Church, Houston |
The third main part of the Church is the sanctuary. It is usually elevated, requiring several steps up to where the altar is located, the seat where the Priest or Bishop sits, and the ambo or pulpit where the Scriptures are proclaimed. It symbolizes the Heavenly Church or simply Heaven. I will talk more about the sanctuary in a futre entry in this series. However, here is an entry from "Pastor's Writings & Weblog" that compliments what is written here (See THIS).
Continuing our entry into the Church, we should be able to locate where the Blessed Sacrament is kept reserved in the stationary receptacle called a Tabernacle. A lamp is kept lighted near it, usually a red candle holder with a lighted candle, and it is kept always burning to indicate that here is where some of the Consecrated Bread by which Christ is Really Present is kept for Communion of the sick and for our adoration.
When we enter our pew we genuflect, touching our right knee to the ground as a sign of reverence that Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Then as we chose a place in the pew to sit, we should kneel or sit in prayer before Mass. This is a time of immediate preparation for the celebration of the Mass. There are several things we may pray about as we wait for Mass to begin. The Eucharist means "thanksgiving" in Greek. So one thing we can do is call to mind what we want to give thanks to God for in the Mass.
We probably will bring various needs to prayer also, such as prayer for our families, or for a job or some other need, or for the poor. We certainly can pray for those gathering in the Church for Mass. We gather to be united by the Holy Spirit to the One Sacrifice of Christ, in the service of his sacrificial love in our spiritual dying and rising. We can prepare to offer ourselves.
The Crucifix over the altar in many Catholic Churches reminding us of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross out of love for us, and also the Resurrection in which this love never ends, because of course Christ is Risen from the dead after being crucified.
We might also pose a question for ourselves as we prepare: "What dose God want to say to me today? May I listen for his guidance." Fr. Matthew Kelly, a dynamic teacher of the Catholic Faith says that God’s will for our lives is for us to become the best version of ourselves that we can become. I will explore this more as we go along. He suggests worshipers keep a journal that they bring to Church and write down one thing received at Mass that Sunday that can help them become God’s best version of themselves .
Obviously, little of this prayerful preparation can be done if people are having all kinds of conversations around us. Of course, we are not to be unwelcoming so that if people greet us we greet them. But that should be it–the full range of good conversation with others can occur after Mass and at the place of hospitality after Mass (in our parish, at the patio). There is nothing unfriendly about this. We prepare for Mass in silence beforehand; we sing and worship together in full voice during Mass; and after Mass we visit with one another and "meet and greet."
There is a "remote preparation" that can also take place before we gather at the parish Church. It would be wonderful if sometime during the week before Mass we read the Sunday Scripture Readings and perhaps some commentary upon them (See Loyola Press' "The Sunday Connection HERE). Also anything that helps us understand the Mass and the deeper meanings of Mass can help prepare our minds and hearts for the Sunday Mass.
Next Week: Introductory Rites of the Mass
