The Indifferent
As Jesus disembarked from the boat (see today’s gospel), “his heart was moved with pity” for the crowds. He knew their longings. He knew what they needed. He knew better than they did what they were searching for.
He knew they needed food for their bodies. He fed them and they “were satisfied.” What are you looking for when you come to Mass? Does what you receive satisfy you?
In terms of physical food, what we receive at Mass may seem trivial. It is just one small host.
In terms of spiritual food, we receive God’s Word and we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is not trivial. We are receiving God and our souls are satisfied.
Does everyone who comes to Mass leave feeling satisfied?
It seems to me the answer is no. I think of all the people who used to come to Mass but no longer do because they feel like they didn’t get anything out of it. They become indifferent to it.
I think sometimes people don’t always feel like they “get much” out of coming to Mass because we didn’t do a good job teaching them the meaning of our gestures, words, and prayers at Mass. For this we need to find ways to help them appreciate what goes on at Mass so that they might be “satisfied” with what they receive. What we receive from Mass is what we are created for, God.
I admitted above that we haven’t always done a good job of teaching people about the Mass. However, the blame is not all on us.
As I was reading about St. John Vianney on Franciscan Media’s “Saint of the Day” page, I was struck when it said, “St. John Vianney encountered people who were indifferent and quite comfortable with their style of living.” People today who are indifferent about being at Mass are likely also indifferent about their faith in “their style of living.”
We probably all know people who don’t come to Mass who are indifferent about their faith. They are not atheists but neither are they passionate about their faith. Unfortunately, they do not see the value of our faith.
Faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is priceless. It is a gift but many are indifferent to it.
It is easy to see how people who don’t come to Mass are indifferent about their faith. What about people who do come to church? Are any of them indifferent to their faith?
Compared to those who don’t come to Mass, I would say people who come to Mass are a “little less indifferent” about their faith. This doesn’t necessarily mean their faith is important to them. I am glad they come but I pray they come to a deeper understanding of faith. They come but do not actively participate in the Mass. Actively participating in Mass is not a matter of being an altar server, lector, musician, usher, or any other liturgical ministry.
To actively participate in Mass is to truly listen from the depths of our hearts and souls when God’s Word is read at Mass.
To actively participate in Mass is to understand that our postures at Mass, most especially kneeling, are an active expression of our belief in God.
To actively participate in Mass is to understand that when the Prayers of the Faithful are read at Mass, they are not just prayers composed by someone else for someone else. We are to share in offering these prayers for the good of our brothers and sisters across the world.
To actively participate in Mass is to understand the sacrifice we celebrate at Mass. What we celebrate in the Eucharist is not just something the priest does. It is not just something that happened 2,000 years ago when Jesus underwent his Passion. It is something that Jesus continues to do for us today.
It is sad that not everyone gets what we celebrate at Mass. If they did, they would come to Mass every week. They won’t want shorter Masses. They would be eager participants during Mass and when Mass ends, they would go eagerly out glorifying the Lord by their lives.
Let us pray for those who are indifferent about our faith, may they come to embrace what God does for us in the Mass and follow Jesus as the way and the truth and the life.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff