Catholic Diocese of Broome

Further to recent discussions at the Australian Bishops' Conference on next year's Synod in Rome on the Eucharist, I was reflecting on all the different celebrations to which we direct the prayers of a Mass. Of course there is the essential Sunday Mass celebration whereby we give worship to God as a faith community and thereby keep holy the Day of the Lord. And then there are Masses for funerals and sacramental moments such as weddings. In addition there are Masses to accompany openings and closures, to mark anniversaries and project beginnings and appointments and farewells. All of these occasions at some time or other have been associated with a celebration of the beautiful prayer of the Mass. The Mass is without doubt at the centre of our lives as Christians. "Do this in memory of Me." said the Lord to his disciples at the Last Supper. In faithful obedience we follow his commandment as we participate in this ultimate Christian prayer.

An engaging document, an Instruction from Rome on Abuses in the Liturgy, that was promulgated recently ought to be looked at as an opportunity for us to test the faithfulness and authenticity of our celebrations. It is all too easy for us to drift into bad habits and practices that detract from this highest form of the prayer of the Church. After all, the Mass belongs firstly to the family of the faithful who interact, not in some disjointed or even dysfunctional form but primarily in communion of heart and belief.

The temptation to change words and matter in the Eucharist, by the celebrant or the people, to suit our feelings, our mood or any particular personal persuasions is not only an inauthentic rendition of our faith tradition but is a significant slight to that tradition. By way of example, to change the words of the readings, as has sometimes happened, because we find them uncomfortable or not to our liking, is to interfere with the rightful tradition of scripture so that it becomes our word and not the word of the Lord.

At a funeral Mass the purpose is to pray for the dead, to give thanks to almighty God for their life and to affirm our hope for their everlasting life. Cluttering the coffin with memorabilia and personal possessions drawn from someone's pastime, or playing the deceased person's favourite song, doesn't serve to enter into deep communion with the Lord to whom we commend the soul of the faithful departed. Rather, such a practice simply serves to tap into our memories, our grief, our lament and not the inspired thanksgiving, hope and joy that comes from Christ.

It is an act of splendid humility not to examine the document as a demand for correction, but as a real moment to examine our intentions in giving worship and praise to God. It would be a commendable thing for celebrants and parishioners to examine present liturgical celebrations in the light of this document's attempt to protect the integrity of the Mass, the ultimate Christian prayer.

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