Evening Mass

Once a week we have Mass at 5.30pm. I don't often make it but tonight I did and I've been musing on how special evening Mass is. It's currently dark at 5.30 and there's something very moving about going from the dark street to the dimly lit church, the candles on the altar glowing and the dark, silent congregation kneeling and praying. It seems extra quiet in the church at night too, perhaps the people are more tired and therefore more still than in the morning Masses. And Our Lord comes to us in the darkness and stillness; the hidden, terrifying, beloved Miracle of the Mass.

No Life?

Some years ago I had an elderly neighbour who had been a devout Catholic for most of her life. She told me a very sad story. She had always been a daily Mass goer although she lived a very busy life, but she made sure she always went to Mass. One day the priest arrived to say Mass and he had a friend with him. My neighbour heard the visitor ask the priest "Who ARE these people who come to Mass every day?" The priest answered "Sadly, they are people who have no lives. Daily Mass gives them something to do!" My friend was so hurt and angry she stopped going to daily Mass. Within 5 years she had stopped going to Church altogether. Later, in her sixties, she joined a Protestant church. I thought of this recently when I was talking to our Priest and he was telling me that he was thinking of changing the time of the daily Mass. I suggested he asked the daily Mass goers what THEY thought but he said dismissively "Oh no, they can come at any time, I'm going to ask the Liturgy committee." I really felt that there was the same condescending attitude to daily Mass goers as my neighbour experienced. I hope not but I'm praying.

Awe

Last year, in our Parish, I had the great joy of attending a Mass said by a missionary priest who was in the parish to visit his sick Mother. He said Mass with the most solemn reverence and in his sermon he told us that if we really believed, and thought about, what the Eucharist is, we would approach the altar trembling with awe of the great Gift we were being given. I thought of that this morning at Mass, and realised how very true it is. Praise God for His goodness to us.

Simply Praying.

After the Latin Mass this morning I was chatting with a friend when our beloved Fr. Tom came up and said "I heard you coughing have you got a bad cough?" I started to explain that it wasn't really a cough but a symptom of the acid reflux I suffer from, but before I got very far he had put his hand on my head and began to pray for a healing from "Whatever it is Anna suffers from." It was so simple and unaffected, no great show of 'spiritual language' and it was all over in about one minute. I was so touched and blessed. And I haven't coughed since! God is so good.

Missing Mass

On Sunday I went to my beloved Latin Mass. It's only available every other week, so on the alternate week I go to my Parish church. I was very surprised when two ladies at the Latin Mass told me that on the Sundays it isn't available they just don't go to Mass. They said they can't stand the new Mass so they don't go. I was quite shocked as they are breaking a Law of the Church, but just made a light hearted remark about "If Jesus can stand it I can." But thinking about it later I do feel they are very wrong to miss Mass just because it isn't what THEY want. Our Lord IS there and the Church is very clear about the importance of not missing Mass on Sundays. I've been reading the "Screwtape Letters" by C.S.Lewis, much of it is about how Satan encourages us to criticise and judge other churchgoers so that we'll stop going to Church. Satan loves that, as he knows that when we stop going to Church we drift away from God. I'm praying for those two ladies.