August 6, 2023 – Reflection
August 6, 2023 – Reflection by Father Isaiah Schick
Growing up, going to Mass was ‘just something we did’ as a family and once a week on Wednesdays because I attended a Catholic school. I would watch the ceiling fans, play with the ribbons in the hymnal book, fidget with the hat clips in the pews (until I would let them go with a loud ‘BANG’). Once the hour for Sunday Mass was up, I knew I would be set free to go on with the rest of my life (unless, heaven forbid, the priest ‘went long’). Not that I thought Mass was bad, but it was not something I was excited for. It was just one thing among many to check off the weekly list. And if the homily was particularly dry, it could really seem to drag on… It was not until I met a few friends and classmates in high school whose hearts were on fire with faith that my attitude began to change. St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of the Opus Dei community, once said, “‘The Mass is long,’ you say, and I add: ‘Because your love is short.’” These new friends had a love for Jesus Christ that challenged my own lukewarmness. They had a joy that I desired and a peace that I longed for. The difference between our experiences of the Mass was that they went with love! Love makes for eagerness and joy. If going to Mass ever feels like a chore, ask the Father for a renewed grace of love as his sons and daughters. Let us not let our hearts become bored of worship, lest it be said to us at the end of the age: “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first,” (Rev. 2:4). ~Father Isaiah