April 30, 2020 - Liturgy of the Word (part 1)

“Hello, how are you?” This is a common greeting among pretty much any culture throughout the world. If you have ever taken a foreign language this is one of the first conversational expressions that you learn. Likewise this is the way we begin the Mass, our entrance into a conversation with Jesus that ultimately leads us to true communion with Him.

Just as with any conversation, we don’t simply end with the greeting if we are sincere about spending time with this particular person. The greeting is then followed by a more intense sharing between persons. The Mass follows this same essential guideline, as we move from the greeting and other introductory rites we are preparing ourselves to enter more deeply into conversation with Jesus. This conversation reaches its height at the Liturgy of the Word - beginning with the initial readings about God and His desire and love for us from both the Old and New Testaments, and culminating with the very words of God Himself from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We at this point are invited to engage in this conversation by actively listening. 

Active listening has the power to be a deeply engaging and profound aspect of conversation, which prepares both the speaker and listener for a truly intimate encounter. On the other hand, a lack of good listening skills diminishes what would otherwise be possible. Try this at home with your spouse, or with a friend or other family member. First, prepare yourself to listen actively - choose someone to listen to over the phone or in person, be intentional that you will give your undivided attention to him or her, listen actively by paying close attention to what they say expressed through body language (eye contact, appropriate facial expressions, and removing as best as you can all distractions). I promise you and they will be amazed at the difference. 

Now this is good practice for us all as we hopefully prepare soon to return to Mass in church. Now at Mass we are not preparing to simply listen to our friends, family or spouse who are certainly important and deserve our undivided attention. No, at Mass we are preparing to listen to God Himself, and His message of salvation and how we can receive a greater experience of this gift of salvation right now. There is no more important time for us to be well prepared to actively listen! 

Thus before coming to Mass we need to prepare ourselves to be good, active listeners. First, try as best we can, myself included, to get to Mass a little bit early so that we can have some quiet time to pray. Spend time during the days prior to read the readings for the upcoming Mass. Make a habit of coming to confession to regularly clear away the distractions of sin that oftentimes make us doubt God’s great love for us, thereby making us doubt He would even want to speak to us. He does love us and He does have a personal, loving message for us each week, and really each day if we are willing to listen attentively.