Knowing, Understanding and Loving Holy Mass

(For some context for those outside our community, our parishes are in the process of renewal.  One of our specific targets is to increase liturgical awareness within the parish.  These reflections have been one way by which we hope to achieve this, but we also have planned a series of talks and workshops.)

Is there such a thing as love at first sight?  Call me a cynic, but I'm not sure that there is.

Leaving aside the type of love that we call charity, or caritas, the other types of love that we can identify, such as friendship and romantic love, depend on knowing the other person and, to some degree, understanding them.

To what extent can we love them without knowing them and understanding them?  Over time, our knowledge and understanding will develop and deepen though, to some extent, they will always remain a mystery.

In 2022, Pope Francis wrote his encyclical on the liturgy, Desiderio Desideravi – often simply referred to as ‘DD’.  He wrote, “I think two aspects can be distinguished: formation for the liturgy and formation by the liturgy. The first depends upon the second which is essential.” 

Regular church-goers will know that there are aspects of the liturgy that shape us – we are formed BY the Liturgy into the new creation that we reflected upon last week.  But we can also be formed FOR the liturgy, which takes place outside the Mass.  This formation means that we are better-disposed, in turn, to be formed BY the Liturgy; a virtuous circle.

This formation FOR can involve reading or attending talks – online or in person – which enable us to better understand what is happening during Holy Mass; and so we may more fully enter the Sacred Mysteries which we celebrate.

After all, understanding the rules, etc., of a game better enables us to appreciate that game, whether we are a player or a spectator.

These weekly reflections have been offered as one way in which we can better understand our celebration of the Mass.  Starting in autumn, our parishes will be hosting a series of three gatherings where, together, we may deepen our understanding of, and our love for the Sacred Mysteries. 

Times and dates will be announced in due course.