The mood was sober. The air hung heavy and still. The people
gathered together were straight faced, tight lipped, and void of emotion. Every
word and gesture seemed labored as if bearing a heavy weight. People seemed to
be going through the motions with little thought or care. There was rarely a
smile and I often caught looks of distress on some faces as the little children
among us fidgeted, cried, or made noise. It was exactly the mood I would have
expected had we been at a funeral or memorial of the passing of a person deeply
loved and respected. Instead of being at
an occasion of sadness we were celebrating Sunday Mass. We were celebrating the
greatest event of human existence. Heaven and earth were being connected as
Jesus came down from heaven, becoming our life giving food, and dwelling within
us.
This is actually something that has been bugging me for some
time. There seems to be a general lack of joy as we celebrate the Eucharist
together. It is easy to understand why more and more people fall away from the
Catholic Church, preferring one of the mega churches that concentrate on experience
and emotion. People have a hard time putting their finger on the exact reason
for it. They claim to like the music better or get more out of the sermon.
Every reason I have heard always points back to one thing. Joy. Those mega
churches fill people with a sense of Joy. They feel good going there. We were
made to be happy and people will crawl through the desert on their hands and
knees to find happiness. The joy these mega churches offer is real joy but it
is a false joy. It is a happiness directed in. The music or good sermon makes
us feel good about ourselves. True joy is happiness that radiates outwards.
Instead of being filled from the outside in real joy is like a spring that
wells up from within us and bubbles outward.
Church leadership struggles with ways to fill the pews. We
look for the right combination of things to bring parishioners back. Homilies
have changed through the years. It is rare to find a church that preaches about
the pains of hell. We strive not to dive too deeply into what makes a moral
life. In our rebellious nature no one wants to hear what is the right or wrong
way to live. Even absolutes like X and Y equal male are subject to personal interpretation.
The more we stand up for what it right and good the fewer people will show up
to hear that message.
No matter what we do or direction we take it has to be joy
filled for it to have any chance to work. We need to let Jesus work from
within, to bubble up and shine through us. Anything done with joy causes a glow
about a person that makes people take notice. A joyful person is one others
want to be around. A joyful parish is a parish people want to be part of. The
Catholic Church offers the greatest thing available to mankind. We offer the
body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Looking
in from the outside, who would be interested in receiving him when the
communion lines look as if they are filled by the walking dead?
Be joyful and joy filled in all that you are given, even
your sufferings and trials. Even those are blessings from God who will use them
to bring about a greater good. It is through joy and love that they will know
we belong to the Lord.
