The Grand Canyon & The Eucharist

Mar 28

One of the resources I have used to guide those who want to enter the Catholic church through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is entitled My Catholic Faith, by John Paul Thomas. In the second book of the three-part series, My Catholic Worship, he begins by asking “If we were to make a list of everything in the world that is truly priceless, what would that list look like?” He then goes on to list the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and the Teton Mountains as the first few that come to his mind. Having been to two of the three I knew immediately what he was saying. When I was standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, I thought I was looking into God. I could see across to the other side of the canyon, but I could not see where the canyon ended when looking east or west. Experiencing the vastness of the canyon carved out over millennia by the Colorado River, I thought I was looking into infinity. It truly was a mystical experience for me, and, as John Paul Thomas says referring to the three he highlighted, “These are spectacular and awe-inspiring gifts from nature that are unmatched in beauty and majesty by any human endeavor.” Absolutely true.

Thomas begins this book on Catholic worship asking about our list of priceless things and wondering if we would include the Catholic liturgy as something truly priceless. I thought the comparison was genius. It’s easy to look into the Grand Canyon, or at Niagara Falls or any of the natural wonders around us and be amazed at what God has done. I never thought of looking at our liturgy using those categories. He is, of course, correct. He saying, “The Liturgy, without a doubt, is THE most amazing event that has ever taken place in the world.” He explains that it is “more than any mere human endeavor or gift of nature” because of what God is doing for us every time we celebrate Mass.

He is honest and admits that at times the liturgies are boring. I would add that I have been to Masses that are ill-prepared, the music is awful, and/or the homilies were not inspiring. It happens, but Thomas points out that “If we understand the divine reality taking place we would truly meet Christ in every liturgical action and grow in daily grace.” Now that IS priceless!

When we gather to celebrate the Mass, it is not simply to receive communion at the end. Communion, the Sacramental presence of Christ in the form of bread and wine, is the summation of the community’s prayer within the entire liturgy. Those prayers include the sharing of the Word of God, the prayers of the community, the Eucharistic Prayer, the exchange of peace, the recognition of Jesus as the Lamb of God who sets us free, the reception of the Sacrament, and the dismissal that sends us out with a blessing so we can bring Christ to the world. Simply put, every time we celebrate Mass we celebrate the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation and the salvation of the world and are sent, like missionaries, to bring Christ to others.

We have arrived at the holiest week of the year for all Christians. Today we celebrate the glorious entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Later in the week we will celebrate the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ in our Liturgy called the Triduum that takes place over three days.

This week is the pinnacle of our faith. This week encapsulates the entirety of our Christin faith. This week we celebrate the grandeur of God.

I invite everyone to join us Thursday night at 7 PM when we will celebrate the Last Supper, the Passover meal that gives us this Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. On Friday, at 3 PM we will recall the Passion of the Christ, His journey to Calvery, and His death on the Cross only to continue our celebration at the Easter Vigil on Saturday at 7:30 PM when we will celebrate the Resurrection, the life that comes to us through the death of Jesus. At that Vigil Mass we will also baptize three of our brothers in faith, and fully welcome them and 14 others into the Catholic Church. All of it, priceless.