Falling in love at a young age, especially in high school or college, is a common experience of many. In such a state of mind, a person usually wants to show himself or herself in the best possible light, in regards both to appearance and character. When getting ready to go on a date, people usually dress better than average, use cologne or perfume, comb or fix their hair, and enhance their facial beauty. Just the expectation alone of this meeting with their loved one is exciting. Sometimes such excitement is difficult to hide from family members, friends and even strangers. People in love constantly think about their loved ones. They want to speak with them and talk about them to others.
Once a week, we all have a date with our God at Sunday Mass. We are with God as we hear His Words. We worship Him, adore Him, and are in communion with Him. We are very close to Him, especially when we receive Holy Communion which is He himself. During Sunday Mass, we don’t have a monologue – the Lord speaking to us. In fact, during Sunday Mass, we have a true dialogue – we are speaking with God loudly, together with others, and privately, in the depth of our hearts.
Although this date is obviously different from other dates, should we not prepare ourselves for this Sunday meeting as we prepare for the other dates? Should we not dress a little bit more elegantly, more festively for our Sunday meeting with God? Should we not polish our shoes and brush our hair? Above all, should we not prepare ourselves spiritually? As we longingly wait for the date with a person that we fall in love with, should we not also longingly wait for the person we will meet during Sunday Mass – our loving God? Of course, we cannot see God, and we cannot interact with Him exactly as we do with human beings. But God is a real person. He is a person who loves us and invites us to love Him as well.
As we work the entire week, from time to time, we may want to take a break and plan a weekend trip, especially on Sunday. We look for a Mass that will fit and suit our plans in the best way. We also may check the Mass schedule of the local Catholic churches at our destination. Great! We should be praised for our diligence in fulfilling the Sunday obligation. But at the same time, we must ask ourselves whether the Mass — the meeting with the risen Lord — is really the center of our Sunday activity or, maybe, it is something in addition, something only to fulfill the obligation. Although it is true that planning to fit in a Mass during our trip is a logical and smart decision that is also very educational to our children and our entire family, maybe the reverse should be considered: plan the trip around the Mass. Is the Mass not the date with the Lord, our creator and savior, adviser, supporter, and a person who loves us so much and leads us to Himself? So, then all activities and entertainment should revolve around Sunday Mass as planets around the sun.
As we grow in years and spiritually, such an understanding of the Sunday Eucharist can and must become more and more predominant. If not, we are losing a lot of its meaning and beauty. As Sunday is the center of the week, the Mass is the center of Sunday, and it radiates its power throughout each day and every hour of the entire week.
Fr. Mark Jurzyk