“Go, and announce the Gospel of the Lord!” More often than not, this is how we are sent forth from Mass. A friend of ours says jokingly that a better English translation would be: “Go out! What are you still doing here?!” Because ultimately the Mass, modeled after Jesus’ ministry, does two things for the faithful:
It gathers & sends.
We are a people who are more than called—we are commanded—to gather for worship. What that worship does, after we have offered God the worship and gratitude He deserves from us, is fuel us up with the Good News to re-enter the world, our workplace, and our daily responsibilities with a deeper sense of our purpose and call. Done well, this is what defines us.
“We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.” // G.K. Chesterton
What makes the Church compelling is this topsy-turvy Good News spilling over into the rest of our lives—lepers healed, blind who see, the hungry filled, life from death.
This kind of evangelization is only possible for those who are awake to the invitations of the Lord. If we are asleep to God’s work in our lives, our in-name-only faith does as much damage as its potential good. We are not called to perfection, but to active pursuit of God’s will for our lives.
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The Lord says to us, “Return to me with your whole heart” (Joel 2:12a). For many, this verse is muscle memory. It transports us to Ash Wednesday, but it is appropriate any time. We hear very little from the Prophet Joel, but he packs a punch in a short book.
The life of the Christian is one of re-conversion. Having been called to a higher level, we are constantly asked to “die to” our old habits, our old selves. This practice of pruning, or shedding, allows us the freedom to return to the source of life with humility, joy, and integrity.
None of us has ventured so far astray as to be excluded from this invitation to fullness of life.
What will be your response?
With full trust in the goodness and mercy of God as demonstrated by parables like that of the Prodigal Son, we are gathered and nourished. To receive that as a gift is the invitation. What we choose to do with that gift remains up to us, gathered & sent.
The next time we gather for Mass, would that we enter in, as Joel encourages us, with our whole hearts. Pray that it be spiritual sustenance for the journey. In so doing, let our sending be an enthusiastic and “world moving” response of those who have been nourished with the Good News!
*When you do return to Mass, if you have been away for a while, make sure to return to the Sacrament of Confession before you receive the Holy Eucharist again in Communion, since receiving Communion is a sign of our unity with Christ and the Church in grace.
Katie Cassady is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a wife and mom to three little girls in Denver, CO. Steeped in theological reflection, beekeeping and motherhood, she is appreciative of any and all wisdom she can glean from those living intentional lives of faith. Find out more about her here. Read all of Katie's posts here.
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