Why We Do What We Do Each Week

 
First-off, as I announced in this column two weeks ago, an unfortunate expense in each of our parishes this month is the removal of dead and dying trees from both properties. I wish we didn’t have to lose these trees, but we’ve been on borrowed time with some, and we couldn’t take the chance any of them might come down in hurricane season or randomly drop a limb on a person, structure or vehicle. At St. Mary some new trees were recently planted, and we plan to plant new ones at St. Martha also. If you would like to donate a tree to either parish, please leave a message with your parish office and we will be in touch in the coming months.

My new announcement today is about the message of our Homilies for the next few weeks. Every three years, over the course of five Sundays in the summer we hear the entire sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Often called the “Bread of Life discourse,” this chapter starts with Jesus’ multiplication of the loaves, then it unpacks the meaning of this central experience. In the Gospel of John, the Last Supper does not describe Jesus instituting the Eucharist like in the other Gospels - since John was written later, it takes for granted the people already know that. Instead, John uses the experience of thousands being fed abundantly by a few loaves to explain the importance of Jesus giving himself to us in the Eucharist. This becomes a decisive moment in the lives of people in the crowds: some decide to stop following Jesus, but others grow in their appreciation of Him as the source of true meaning for their lives!

In a similar way, in our collaborative parishes, all of our priests and deacons will use the homilies during these weeks to unpack the meaning of key parts of the Mass, sharing our celebration of God’s Word and the Eucharist. When we understand the meaning and the “why” behind what we do, what might have seemed mundane we suddenly appreciate more, so our participation in the Mass becomes far more meaningful to us! While each homily will make sense on its own, try to participate at one of our parishes each of the five weeks to get the whole picture of the Mass from start to finish. This week presents an overview and the introductory rites; next week focuses on breaking open the Word of God, followed by our active participation in the prayers and presenting our gifts at the altar. The fourth week is the heart of the Eucharistic Prayer of consecration and the Real Presence of Christ, and in the final week our reception of Communion empowers us to be sent forth to live our faith in the world.

Please consider inviting a family member, friend or neighbor to join you for Mass with us over the next few weeks. If they are Catholics who have fallen away from regular participation in the Mass, it might help them find reason to return but if they are not Catholic it might help them understand why our weekly participation in the Mass is so important to us.