|
By Br F Regis Hickey
In recent weeks we have thought about Acts One and Two in the sacred drama of the Mass. We come now to the concluding Act. It
is different from the other two. Whereas in Act One we are listening and in Act Two we are united with the priest in offering the sacrifice, in Act Three we take a much more obvious part in what is happening. Act
Three could be called Sharing. The focus of attention moves from God the Father to Jesus, God the Son.
We begin Act Three by saying together the great prayer Jesus gave us, the Our Father. While it is a
prayer of homage, it is also a prayer of asking for what we need. We include a request to be forgiven, adding the challenging statement that we forgive those who offend us. Christians rise or fall on how they handle
forgiveness.
A central element in Act Three is the exchange of greetings of peace. This has always been a part of the Mass, but in the revision of the liturgy after Vatican II it has been given a special
place. And rightly so. Most people at Mass seem to like exchanging greetings. It is good to get a smile from those near you and to shake their hands. Hopefully this friendliness will continue on as people leave the
church after Mass. Peace is the great Christian characteristic. It is not the peace of a large bank balance with luxuries laid on. It is the peace of Christ, the confident trust in God our Father. A non-believer
looking on as people exchange greetings of peace could feel that things are getting out of control. It isn’t like that at all.
We are now ready for the great sharing, the sharing in the gift of Jesus himself.
Can love be any deeper than this? As we go up to the ministers who are distributing Holy Communion, we can easily picture ourselves as part of that great scene in the Gospels when Jesus fed the 5,000. We are
refreshed with the body and blood of Christ. So refreshed, we are challenged to go forth and share with others our love and our possessions.
A short prayer brings Act Three and the drama of the Mass to a
conclusion.
In the course of the Mass we have been a listening people, a priestly people and a sharing people. Would that this be not a veneer but a transforming process enabling us to bring Christ to the
world and share in his work of saving and ennobling every member of the human race.
|
