St. Mary's Church Elizabeth, IL

10/18

Attending Mass "disarmed"

I went to church the other day to pray, and during this time I received a message on my phone.  I returned the call.  During my conversation with the caller, I sensed a note of impatience in his voice.  I explained that I don't take my phone with me when pray.

There is a tendency today, that we no longer communicate directly face to face with another person without the "medium" in the form of a phone.  We react nervously when we don't have our phone in our hand or, worse, when we displace our phone, we become restless until we hold it back in our hand.  It may give an impression that we need to be "armed' by having the phone in our hand.  It may also contribute to the fact that we do not think on our own anymore.  We think as the phone wants us to think.

In today's world-as it has been throughout the history-God accomplishes his will through the reflective faith.  The Book of Genesis says, that God made both man and woman in his image and from the start he placed both of them at the pinnacle of God's creation (Genesis 1:27).  Even more:  God delegated some of his authority to the human race and expected them to take responsibility for themselves and th world he created (Genesis 1:28).

God obviously did not create us exactly like himself because God has no physical body, but he made us reflections of his divine glory through our reason, creativity, speech or self-determination.  It is our entire self that reflects the image of God.  We will never be totally like God because he is our supreme Creator, but we do have the ability to reflect his character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness.  Knowing that we are made in God's image and thus share many of his characteristics provides a solid basis for self-worth, based not on possessions, achievements, celebrity-look, or public status, but on our ability to crate, build think on our own.  Criticizing or downgrading any human being is criticizing what God made and the abilities and talents others possess.

The living breath in each human being needs to be regarded as the effect of the divine action:  human beings come to life in the first place, only because God breathes into him his own breath of life: each one of us receives a soul.  In order for man to succeed during life, the divine breath must not be imparied or dwindle away.  The soul returns to God.  Every living thing in the world is dependent of God.  The breath of life is superior to man: a divine power within his mortal body, subject to the rule of God alone.  And God will ask us to return the soul back to him (Matthew 22:1-14).  For that reason, God wants our hearts incline to him.  God is not interested in forced religious exercises and rule keeping.  He wants our hearts be 'completely dedicated to him.  We are to love God live each day by following his guidelines.  Jesus said that loving God with our entire being is the first and the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37).  This command, combined with the command to love one's neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), encompasses all Old Testament laws.

Leave your "medium" at home.  Just fo the Mass time.  Come earlier, prepare your spirit and your mind to hear his word.

Fr. Joachim