22nd Sunday, "Going through the Motions"

The start of the school year there are rules for sports: football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and without rules there would be chaos. As school starts there are additional laws for the general public. Traffic laws to abide by in school zones and when school buses stop. The rules, laws and regulations that involve the school year reflect the general reason why we have laws to start with: for the protection of society and, ultimately, the happiness of individuals.

Everyone understands why we have traffic laws. If you speed, or run a stop sign, you can get into an accident and hurt yourself and others. Even if you don’t have an accident you can suffer the penalty of a fine. The greater the offense, the greater the fine.

We know why there are sports rules too. It keeps the game organized and fair. The greater the violation, the greater the penalty. A technical from punching another player or using foul language can cause one to ejected from the game or the team can suffer the loss of yardage or the other team getting free throws in basketball. Everyone is happy when the rules are followed because they help respect the dignity of persons and avoid cheating.

There are also rules, regulations, and laws that guide our relationship with God. That is what today’s readings are about. In Deuteronomy the people are happy because the Law allows them to follow their God. Moses told the people, “What great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?" The ancient Hebrews always felt that the Law was a blessing, a personal guide from the Almighty.

By following the 10 commandments (God’s laws) we protect our self, others and our relationship with God. If someone steals or tells a lie, or cusses or injures someone, a penalty is assigned by God because we hurt others, our self and God. The penalty can be either made up in this life or in the next. Just like in sports or traffic laws, the greater the offense, the greater the penalty (punishment).

Its better to do the penalty of temporal punishment (penance) in this life than in the next. By going to confession and then doing our penance, it makes up for the harm we committed. The greater the sin, the greater the penalty (penance). Mortal sins cause us to be ejected from God by losing our relationship with Him and the mystical body of Christ (God’s team) suffers from it.

If we don’t change our ways and tell God we are sorry in confession after we seriously harm God, our self or others, we can suffer the punishment of hell for ever. Continuous punishment forever.

In the Gospel today, Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees they are hypocrites because they are more concerned about the law than the reason for the law. They are concerned with the way they wash their hands and cups and dishes (sanitary laws) that needed to be followed, but not concerned with cleansing of evil within their hearts such as theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil thoughts….

We don’t avoid cussing at the referee to just avoid the penalty. We don’t avoid punching someone just because we don’t want to be ejected. Rather, we avoid these things because the reasons to avoid them have to do with being a Christian. We follow the sports rules and God’s laws because they help us to respect our self and others.

At Mass, some may be more concerned about actions than the reason for the actions. Sometimes we can go through the motions and not even know why we are doing what we are doing. For example: Why do we make the sign of the Cross like this? What does it mean? Why do we make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips and heart at the beginning of the Gospel? Why do we dip our hands in holy water when we come to church and leave church? Why do we genuflect when we come to Mass and leave Mass? These are called liturgical laws (rules) that govern our worship of God at Mass. We need to know the reasons why we do them and not just do them.

At Mass there are specific rules for which Eucharistic prayer is used. Do you know why I like to use Eucharistic Prayer 1? (the Roman Canon). “Canon” means rules are followed that cannot be changed. The Canon of the Mass hasn’t changed in 1,500 yrs. Eucharistic Prayer 1 is very special. Every saint who offered Mass or who assisted at Mass during those 1,500 years, prayed it. There was no other Eucharistic Prayer until after Vatican II in the 1960s. Eucharistic prayer 1 is special because in the prayer, we invoke the intercession of many saints (Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus), who were all early popes. (Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy) martyrs. We are reminded of the cloud of witnesses who are the saints and martyrs praying with us and for us at Mass.

Only in Eucharistic Prayer 1 do we pause to pray for our own intentions and also pause to pray for the dead. By pausing at these times, and being ready to pray for our own needs and for our deceased loved ones, it helps us to be more attuned as to what is happening at Mass. As Mass starts, think what I am going to pray for, who am I going to pray for? What deceased souls am I going to help?

Eucharistic Prayer 1 also speaks about the angel coming down from heaven to take our prayers to the altar of God in heaven. According to the Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer 1 can always be prayed at anytime and is “especially appropriate for Sundays.”

It seems to me the Roman Missal does not envision Eucharistic prayer 2 on Sundays, since it doesn’t mention it for that purpose. But rather says its more appropriately used on weekdays (rather than Sundays).  Fr. Louis Boyer claims Eucharistic prayer 2 was created in a tavern by himself and another priest in the 1960’s. Knowing this, some priests cringe when using it.

With Eucharistic Prayer three, the priest can add the saint of the day or the saint of parish. Its was also created in the 1960’s. Eucharistic Prayer 1 is envisioned for Sunday unless for pastoral considerations 3 is to be used.

Eucharistic prayer 4, has its own preface that must be used. It may be used when a Mass has no preface and on Sundays.

The point is---when the priest is praying the Eucharistic Prayer, (don’t think how long it takes). There is only a 5 min. Difference from the shortest to the longest. Rather, pay attention to the words and join in seeking the intercession of the saints, in your mind picture the angel coming down from heaven to take our prayers to the altar of God in heaven. Listen for the moment when hear the pause to pray for your own needs, your family and your intentions. It is also your opportunity to pray for deceased loved ones, who will be thrilled you are helping them to get out of purgatory.

This way we won’t be just going through the motions, but will be praying the Mass with the heart. We are all part of God’s team (the mystical body of Christ) and God wants us to follow His laws not because they are there, but because they help us to love God and neighbor and reminds us God loves us and wants us to use them to help us get to heaven.

May the Virgin Mary, help our heart to be united with our actions at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in everything we do, whether its sports or traffic laws or any rules to respect the dignity of each person out love for God and neighbor.