Jesus strengthens us through example

	Word to Life  Jeff Hensley

Lent begins again. Once more we enter into our contemplation of Jesus' long road to Jerusalem and the cross. Once more his example of setting off firmly in obedience is set before us.

In this weekend's readings we have Jesus' temptation in the desert and his refusal to take advantage of his position as the Son of God. He uses Scripture to answer each temptation of the devil, and in this way he, even Jesus, relies on the power of God outside himself, the certainty of the revealed word to turn away evil.

February 10, 2008 First Sunday of Lent Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13, 17 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11

So often we think in terms of sacrifice to turn us toward repentance and a renewed appreciation of the remarkable gift God has given us in Jesus, and we should. Jesus made the way clear for us to repent, be forgiven, and be redeemed by his sacrifice.

But he also offered avoidance of sin as an example we can benefit from.

One of the guys on the cleaning crew at the Catholic Center once lived in a neighborhood where warring gangs fought for turf and dominance. This young man was a strong Christian, a Baptist, and he used his faith to become a peacemaker, encouraging gang members to be at peace with their enemies. His was an act of courage modeled on the courage of his Savior, a way to help others avoid sin and its consequences.

Once, at a meeting of Texas Catholic journalists, a young man indicated to a group of us that he was planning to go out with one of the waitresses after hours rather than returning to his own wife and children. A friend and I encouraged him to hold firm to his marriage commitment. "A real man lives by his commitments," we told him.

	For reflection: • How can you use your Lenten practices to build up your determination to do good and avoid evil? • How might you encourage those around you to live holy lives, to strengthen their faith?

In the end, at least that night, he did the manly thing, perhaps not even knowing that the ultimate real man we had in mind was Jesus. But he knew from speaking to us that all in our group were believers. The lesson of where to draw strength could not have been lost on him.

And so it is: Jesus strengthens us by his example and makes a way for our return when we stumble. How grateful we are that he faced the long road, endured the suffering, paid the cost, lived out his commitment - for us.

This column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.

Go, you are sent -- Living out the Mass

This is the last in a seven-part series on the Mass. (Read parts one, two, three, four, five and six.)

		Understanding  the Mass  Fr. Tom Margevicius

The Communion procession is over, the remaining Eucharist is reserved in the tabernacle, the vessels are put away, and the Communion music is finished.

What next?

Let's not allow this precious moment to pass too swiftly. And for God's sake, don't head for the parking lot early!

After receiving holy Communion the General Instruction of the Roman Missal invites us to observe "sacred silence."

Earlier this year, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the same: "The precious time of thanksgiving after Communion should not be neglected: besides the singing of an appropriate hymn, it can also be most helpful to remain recollected in silence."

Sacred silence

I once attended a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concert directed by Bobby McFerrin, and he quipped that between movements of great symphonies, when the audience was not supposed to applaud, people were uncomfortable with the silence, so they invented the cough.

Nowadays, everyone rushes from one intense activity to another. Visual and audible noise fills every empty space: TVs drone in the background at our homes, radios in cars, iPods when we exercise, and cell phones when we scamper between meetings.

It's as though everything conspires to drown out the still, small voice of God (1 Kings 19:12).

We priests also get bombarded with a hundred thoughts: Have I preached well? Have the other ministers served admirably? What must I remember at announcements? Whom must I be sure to catch after Mass?

Even if all the prayers, gestures, and symbols have been done well - the bread and wine, the prayers and songs, the processions and head bows - only one thing matters: Have we encountered the Beloved? He has given himself to us, and how have we responded? Has it changed us? Are we ready to bring him to others?

As St. Thomas Aquinas said, "Nemo dat quod non habet" - "No one gives what she or he does not have."

This is the point of the closing rites: Because we've been changed, we are sent to bring Christ to the world.

After the silence, the priest prays that the Communion we have received will make a difference in our lives. Even in Mass, the silence does not last forever: Our parish is very much a part of the world. So we make announcements - how can our eucharistic faith be lived in our parish, our community, our world?

Sent forth

That's why the priest finally calls down God's blessing: to help us accomplish God's will in the world. Thus we are dismissed.

"The Mass never ends; it must be lived." If you recognize this phrase, you have been to a LifeTeen Mass. This movement has done a marvelous job of getting young people involved in their faith, and their energetic Masses used to say those words at the end of Eucharist.

But a few years ago the U.S. bishops, at the Vatican's request, told LifeTeen not to use unapproved words, but instead to use only the standard formulas. What's the big deal?

On one hand, LifeTeen gets it right: the Eucharist must be lived, and the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ does not end when Mass ends.

But, on the other hand, no celebration of the Eucharist should isolate one group of Christians from another. Greater uniformity in how we celebrate Mass is not ecclesial interference but safeguards the Church's common vision. We're all in this together: young and old, rich and poor.

Further, the Latin words for the dismissal - "Ite, missa est" - literally mean not "The Mass is ended," but "Go, you are sent."

The dismissal is not so much a signal that something is ending (as the English might suggest), but something is beginning: our mission in the world. If we rush out of the church doors, it should not be because we want to beat other cars out of the parking lot, but because we can't wait to tell others about Jesus.

When the two on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) finally recognized Jesus in the burning Word of God and the breaking of the bread, they ran seven miles back to Jerusalem to tell the others how Jesus had changed them. The closing rites are short, so we can get to evangelizing right away. We've got work to do.

Sunday a day of 'holy leisure'

But not on Sunday - this is the Lord's Day. The whole day should be a kind of divine afterglow: We spend it in holy leisure to give ample time for the Eucharist to change our families and our parish.

Even for those who have to work on Sunday, making room for Saturday evening or Sunday Mass reminds them that their lives don't revolve around work, but work must make room for God.

And thus, this series of articles ends where it began: bringing Jesus to the world.

The purpose of Mass is to call us out of our busy worlds for an hour or so every Sunday to worship the Father through Christ in the Spirit, so that this Spirit empowers us to bring people back to the Father through Jesus Christ, whom we have encountered in the Eucharist.

"Ite, missa est."

Fr. Tom Margevicius is instructor of liturgical theology at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.