Welcome Message

Welcome to my blog about Catholic life and family values.
This blog will center around the beauty of Catholicism and how to raise families, evangelize our faith, and fight the ongoing spritual battles that challenge us daily.

You are invited to share your wisdom on these pages with all the readers. Together we will address important life and faith issues and how to enhance our Catholic identity.

Key areas that you will find me addressing regularly will be about important Catholic doctrine and beliefs and how they help us raise strong Catholic Christian families. My hope is that you will learn, enjoy, and be challenged by my posts. You may be informed, amused, or even annoyed, but I hope it will in some way improve your Catholic faith.



Wednesday, August 29, 2007

What do you bring to Mass?


What’s the largest Mass you’ve ever been a part of? Do you remember the energy you felt? I’m not completely sure, but I believe I just took part in the largest Masses ever for me. While at Franciscan University, Mindy and I were part of what I believe were just under 2,000 people in the Finnegan Fieldhouse (see photo) on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to celebrate Masses. The energy that came from that many people who were truly joyous about being there is indescribable.

There were times I felt moved to tears just with the music. On Sunday, the singing of the Gloria was so beautiful that it was like I’d never heard it sung before. It was sung with enthusiasm, feeling, and love by everyone in that Fieldhouse. It was as though all the choir of angels was lifting our voices (and they were)!

As I pondered later on the experience, I started thinking, “I wish all Masses be like that. That’s the way they should be celebrated!” It didn’t take me long however to come to a humbling thought. Every Mass CAN be celebrated with the same enthusiasm and fervor. It’s up to ME to do it, though. It’s impossible to bring a couple thousand people to every Mass we attend, so we have to bring that feeling ourselves. We are responsible for our focus and prayerfulness; for our joy and devotion; and for the energy we put in to the Mass. If we all had our “A” game every time, each Mass we celebrate, whether with 20 or 2,000 of our closest friends, we would gain that same feeling I experienced last weekend. The old saying, “If it is to be, it’s up to me” rings very true in this case.

I invite you to take this challenge and find the inner joy at being at Mass each and every time you go. As the presider at Mass on Sunday at Franciscan reminded us as he pointed to the alter, “He (Jesus) is HERE, He is HERE, HE IS HERE!”


Vive Cristo Rey,


Dan

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