3rd Sunday of Lent
March 2007
6) The Mass is our community celebration
There are various types of communities. The Catholic Church community of St. Patrick's (like any other village, town, or rural community) is made up of families. There are grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. There are old retired people and not so old retired people. There are parents of young adults, parents of school going children and parents of very young children. There are young adults, school children and toddlers. All these are part of the community.
Like any other community event, whether it be a local cricket match or a local football match, the local church service must be open to, and welcome, the whole local community.
Our weekend Masses are the worship of our local Catholic community and in our minds and in our hearts, we must be open to, and welcoming towards, the elderly disabled, the rambunctious toddler and everything in between. Parents of young children cannot come to our weekend Masses without being accompanied by their children. Such parents can feel intimidated when other members of the congregation turn around and glare in their direction when one of their children makes a noise or creates some other small disturbance during Mass. Such overt disapproval is of course unacceptable in the circumstances. On the other hand parents of young children should try, insofar as they reasonably can, to control the decibel output. An amused tolerance is the minimum requirement for attendance at weekend Masses. We must keep in mind the words of Jesus: "Let the little children alone, and do not stop them from coming to me.
"
Our weekend community Masses are therefore for the whole Catholic community and must be welcoming towards, and user friendly for, all sections of the Catholic community.
Of course the weekend community Masses are not the only type of Masses available. There is the daily weekday Mass, which is attended by a small section of the community and is much shorter, and quieter than the weekend Mass. There is the Mass for certain sections within the church community, as for example Eucharistic Ministers or a healing mass for the sick. One can arrange a house Mass in one’s home, where those present are the members of the family and maybe a few invited friends. Then there are nuptial Masses for the marriage couple and their guests. Requiem Masses for the relatives and friends of the deceased etc etc.
The ambience and character of these various Masses can differ greatly as does the character and conduct of the participating congregation. Our weekend Masses, however, must be all-inclusive and welcoming and, insofar as is practicable, should have many of the characteristics of a normal family celebration.