A BULLETIN MINI SERIES:

EXPRESSING REVERENCE IN OUR CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

ENTRANCE RITUALS

As we enter the Church, there are certain actions which we can perform to remind us of the significance of what we are doing. One of these is to sign ourselves with Holy Water from the holy water fonts, located near the church doors, making the sign of the Cross. This water reminds us of our Baptism and the commitment to a lived faith which this involves. Likewise, when we reach our pew or chair, we can bow to the Cross or genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament. Again, these signs remind us of what we are about to do. Then, we can take our place and dedicate a short period of time to silent prayer so that we can prepare our hearts and minds for the Mass we are about to enter into.

PARTICIPATION

Our reverence is also expressed in the way we participate in the ritual actions of the Mass. We want to give God our total selves during the Mass. To participate with all our senses and to give our full attention reveals our respect and devotion. When we respond enthusiastically to the prayers, when we listen attentively to the readings and the sermon, when we sing with a full heart (which is "praying twice", St. Augustine said) --- regardless whether we think we can't sing well --- we tell God how much His love means to us and how much we really love Him. Do we fully participate during the Mass or do we simply sit --- uninvolved or even bored? Some have said: "I don't get anything out of Mass?" Is that what Mass has become ... another consumer product for us? Investing our hearts and souls into the Mass should be our central concern.

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