19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C       August 12, 2007

Last Sunday I began a regular feature of our liturgies, explaining a different element of the Mass each Sunday the opportunity presents itself. Today, I continue the teaching of the Mass by again focusing on our gathering together as the worshipping assembly.  This is more commonly called "arriving at church".

Here’s an easy question for you.  When does Mass begin?  Is it when the procession starts?  At the sign of the cross?  At the Glory to God, at the Opening Prayer, at the first reading?  Well, all the votes are in.  And the answer, based on foot traffic, is all of the above.  Well, we all know we can do better, get together, and act in unison on when Mass starts.  The real answer to when Mass starts is:  well before the entrance procession.  

Gathering for worship well in advance of the entrance procession and hymn is among the least appreciated and most neglected parts of the Mass.  Knowing that the experience of God here begins early, would you want to miss out on it?  I know there are those who would rather not miss this early encounter with God, and would like to arrive early, but you find it not that easy.  In fact, for some of you, walking through the church door is one of the most difficult things you do each week.  Some of you struggle with physical infirmities of one sort or another, and leaving home is a struggle.  Others work odd hours, and getting to Mass interrupts your sleep schedules.  For still others, getting to Church is nothing less than heroic!  I can’t count the number of war stories I’ve heard about getting the children out of bed, dressed and fed, and in the car in fewer than three hours.  This doesn’t even include the weekly diplomatic crisis with the teenagers about why they have to go to Mass.  So I am fully aware that the simple act of arriving at Church is often not so simple.   

But, easy or difficult, each time you come here, the Church invites you to full, active, and conscious participation in the Mass.  Here’s another question.  How long does it take you to shift your full mental concentration from one thing to another?  If superhuman, you can do that instantly, so, being settled in your seat two minutes before the entrance procession would be all you need.  For the rest of us mere mortals it takes longer than that to quiet our minds, rid them of distractions and focus our attention on the sacred.  That shift takes at least five minutes after a drive to Church, parking the car, and a walk across the parking lot through the Church door.

So, when you participate in the “gathering of the assembly” well before the entrance procession begins, you avail yourself of ample time, much needed time, to enter into an experience of the sacred.  Once you are here, to help you enter into the experience of the sacred and uplift your spirits, there may be vocal or instrumental preludes or prayerful silence.  There are other benefits to arriving early.  You can reduce the frustration of not knowing a new hymn.  Before the entrance procession is when we learn new music.  Arriving early also graces you with an opportunity to offer hospitality by welcoming our visitors, it gives you time to deepen bonds of fellowship by getting to know better those around you, and it provides you a chance to rejoice with those who rejoice, as St. Paul invites us to, when we affirm those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries.

So, arriving at church early is not an exercise in idle waiting for important things to start.  Arriving early is the start of important things, indeed, the very start of the Mass itself.