WHY SHOULD THE ASSEMBLY PARTICIPATE IN THE MASS?
WHY COME TO MASS ON TIME AND WHY STAY UNTIL THE END OF MASS?
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WE ARE CALLED TO BE PARTICIPANTS, NOT SPECTATORS
St.
Paul reminds us, "You are Christ's body, and
individually parts of it" (1 Cor 12:27).
Thus, when baptized Christians gather for worship, they gather as members
of the body of Christ alive in
the
world today. We unite together, prompted by the
Spirit, with Christ our brother as our head, in giving
praise and glory to God our Father. It is part of our Christian tradition,
recalled by the Constitution on the
Sacred Liturgy
of the Second Vatican Council, that
ultimately it is Christ who, as priest, offers
worship to God in the liturgy (no. 7). Thus, when the baptized unite
together in the liturgy, no one can ever be a passive spectator watching a
priest do something for us, since all are parts of Christ's body, the
Church, and it is Christ, head and members, who is actively giving
praise and glory to our God.
Scripture
narrates various instances of God's holy people actively participating in
worshiping God. For example, at the rededication of the temple in
Jerusalem, the scribe Ezra read the book of the law to the people gathered
for worship and, afterwards, "all
the
people answered, 'Amen, Amen' " (Neh 8:6). The
Acts of the Apostles recalls that the early
Christian
community
gathered for prayer in the temple and celebrated the "breaking of
bread" in their homes (Acts 2:46). Psalm 103 begins, "Bless the
Lord, O my soul. All my being, bless his holy name." Worshiping God
is
more than being physically present in a church
— it
involves listening,
speaking,  singing, standing,
kneeling,
sitting - that is, using all our being to praise
our God.
God's
holy people, gathered for worship, are not spectators at a sport's event,
watching others perform
for
them. The worship of our God is something that all
Christians participate in as a response to the
love they feel for the God who is love (1 Jn 4:16). As the statement of
the U.S. Bishops' Committee on the
Liturgy,
"Music in Catholic Worship", says: "People in love make
signs of love, not only to express their love but also to deepen it"
(no. 4). When we gather at Mass,
we
deepen our love for God and for each other, and
this demands participation rather than passivity.
At least twelve paragraphs of the revised
General
Instruction
of the Roman Missal
refer
to "active participation" or
"active celebration" by those gathered at Mass. Several of these
paragraphs (e.g., GIRM nos. 18,
386) include a more extended quotation taken from the
Constitution
on the Sacred Liturgy
which refers to
the "full, active, and conscious participation" of all the
faithful and states that
such participation is both a "right" and a "duty" (no.
14).
WE ARE INVITED
TO BE PRESENT FOR THE ENTIRE MASS
In most human organizations, whether it be a nation or a
social club, citizenship or
membership not only confers certain rights but also involves certain
obligations. By
baptism,
an individual is united to Christ and his Church
and enjoys the blessings of God's
salvific graces,
particularly
through the sacraments. Yet baptism also
commits an individual to live a life modeled on
Christ's
life,
a life of love and service. Christ did not passively stand by when people
sought him. He reached out to those who needed him and healed, nourished,
and
forgave.
The
way we participate at Sunday Mass is a symbol of the way we should live
out our Christian commitment
the
rest of the week. There are always unexpected traffic
jams that may cause us on occasion to be late for
Mass. Nevertheless, our love for Christ and desire to celebrate with our
sisters and brothers in Christ as fully as possible should impel us to
arrive at church early, to
recollect
ourselves for the great mystery of the Eucharist
we celebrate, and to hear all of God's nourishing word.
Similarly, time conflicts (or sudden illness) may be a reason why, on
occasion, someone may need to leave Mass early, but our unity as the body
of Christ is
imperfectly
symbolized when anyone departs before the
words of the formal dismissal are spoken. One would
find it odd if someone invited to a formal dinner
arrived
after
the other guests had already begun the first course
or left before the dessert and words of thanks
offered by
the
host. Yet, too often the individualism of our society so influences some
Catholics that they see nothing wrong in arriving late for Mass or leaving
the community's celebration early, often for trivial reasons.
The
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
reminds all Christians
that the liturgy is the "summit" and "font" of Christian
life (no. 10). It also enjoins bishops and parish priests to help the
faithful participate fully in the liturgy, actively
engaged in the liturgical rites (no. 11). St. John reminds
us that "God so loved the world that he gave his only
son" (Jn 3:16). As a people of faith, it is our privilege
and duty to participate as fully as possible with Christ our brother in
giving thanks to our loving God for the
gift of his son. Such active participation during the liturgy is far from
being an optional "add-on" during Mass,
for it is at the core of what being a Christian is all about.
GIRM
Bulletin 6E • Office for Worship, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
© 002,
Dennis C. Smolarski, SJ. Used with permission.
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