After lamenting on the fact that Christmas has come up too quickly AGAIN, I got thinking about how repetitious our life is. Even at Mass, I often wonder how a priest, as he prays the Eucharistic prayer, raises the host up high and then genuflects, keeps it fresh day after day, week after week, year after year? (I have never asked a priest this question, so if you are a priest, let me know.) Each day is the same routine for the most part, get up, go to school/work, eat meals, go home, go to bed, and get up and do it all over again. As Christmas comes back around again with all the readings, the homilies, we walk away with the usual secular world at our heels showering us with commercials of great buys, deals, and steals. How do we keep it fresh?
One can interpret this as a depressing thought, or as another chance! I don't know about you, but there are things in this world that take me a few times around to finally get, and we have this chance each day and each year.We have a chance to hear how to live a Christian life and look at the end of time with a sober eye.... again. We have the chance to hear about God coming through with His promise to Israel to save it with His only son. We have a chance to hear about the need to be watchful, hopeful, and trusting that God is there to come through for us. We have another chance to get ready for the new day that will dawn by living in peace and harmony with each other. He is honest, dependable, and love itself, so live for Him and His promise of salvation. We have a chance to meet the new born king, the lineage of Jesse and the Kingdom of God, here and amongst us now!
Year after year the readings are cycled, but the message is the same, God inspired authors tell us what we need to know to win salvation and conquer sin.
1 comment:
Great points to bring up. I too have wondered how priests "keep it fresh" when celebrating Mass, keeping it from becoming a perfunctory set of rituals. I'm sure that a big part of it involves keeping themselves spiritually refreshed! And yes, the laity likewise need to work to "keep it fresh" as well.
One priest drew an example from sports. Athletes have to train constantly, doing repetitive exercises and drills over and over and over. The same goes for people learning to play an instrument or developing any other skills. It's by doing the steps over and over that we become proficient at whatever we're trying to do, whether it be playing sports or growing spiritually. I think we all would like to have dramatic moments of sudden spiritual growth/insight, but normally it comes gradually through self-discipline. Not easy, but that's how the real world generally works.
I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas!
Evan
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