On this saturday as we anticipate the celebration of mass, that which makes present the sacrifice of Christ and thus draws us into the Divine Life, these words come to mine:
Deus, tu conversus vivicabis nos: Thou O God, with one look will give us life
Et plebs tua laetabitur in te: and thy people will rejoice in thee
Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam: Show unto us thy mercy, O Lord
Et saluarte tuum da nobis: and grant us the savior whom thou hast prepared for us
The heart of the true penitent is revealed in this ancient dialogue that is prayed in the Latin Mass; it reverberates the words of the tax collector in the gospel: Have mercy on me, a sinner.
The closer we draw to God the nearer we are to our sins, thus deeper our understanding is of our need for that which only God in Christ can give: pardon and peace.
This is why right before communion, the priest will say: the Peace of Christ be with you all... and let us offer each other a sign of peace. We have been cleaned and made ready by the sacrifce we celebrate, the re-presentation of Christ on calvary.
Not only have we been cleaned and made ready for communion with God, we have been empowered to reach out to those around us. Communion with God demands communion with our neighbor.
In the mass God has heard our prayer and has come to fulfill the deepest longing of our heart, Christ has come to take away our sins and restore us to favor in communion with our Father, communion with our brothers and sisters whom we stand togther at the beginning of mass to acknowledge our common ground, sinners in need of mercy: "I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have sinned through my own fault, in what I have done and what I have failed to do..."
The answer to our humble acknowledgement is presented in the words of the priest and the response of the people"
"Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called ot his supper...Lord, I am not worthy to recieve you but only say the word and I shall be healed."
This is why our "Amen" after the words "The Body of Christ" is so very important.
We acknowledge what God has done, we accept his invitation to enter in to full communion for our sins have been forgiven and thus the obstacles have been removed and mercy has come to restore the bridge that makes love and life possible for us all.
The prayer of the humble has once again pierced the clouds and it will not rest until it reaches its goal and the Most High responds, judges justly, affrims the right and the Lord will not delay...The words of the first reading are fulfilled in the celebration of the mass.
No comments:
Post a Comment