Mass exodus: Arriving late and leaving early doesn’t cut it

    “Could you not keep watch for one hour?”  – Mark 14:37
    What is an hour of our time worth? In a week there are 168 hours, and all Jesus is asking us, just like he asked Peter, is for one of those hours, to be with him, to pray with him.
    The Mass is the greatest prayer the church offers us. It is a time to experience God and to nurture our relationship with him through community prayer and worship.
    The Mass breaks down into two equal and important parts. There is the Liturgy of the Word, in which God’s Word is proclaimed to us and broken open in the homily to help us better understand his Word and its meaning. Then there is the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which provides us with a true and real miracle, one we can witness and participate in every time we attend Mass. Simple and ordinary bread and wine is changed, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the actions of the priest, into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is food to nourish our body and soul, food to help us live out the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
    If the Mass is that special to our faith, then it should be a very important part of our lives. In this hour, Jesus himself, along with the church, gathers us together as community – as God’s family – to pray, worship and adore God who has given us so much, right down to our very life. God gave us his very life.
    If Mass is so important, then we should make every effort to arrive on time – that is, before the priest processes into the church – and leave only after the priest processes out of the church.
    Why? The reasons are many. Our coming to and participating in Mass is to show our deep love and affection for Jesus, not because some law says so or our parents made us. We do this out of love. Jesus himself asks us as he asked his disciples: “Could you not give me an hour?” Can we face him and say, “Oh, sorry, I don’t have that kind of time for you.”
    The Mass is a time for all of us to experience God. Coming in late and leaving early could be the distraction that takes someone away from experiencing God’s love and mercy when they most need it. How would we feel if someone did that to us?
    Sure, there are times we will be late or have a need to leave early, but these should be extreme circumstances, not our every Sunday normal routine. Are we here to give God the least we can? If we say we love someone, do we give them as little as possible or do we reach out to show them just how much we love and care for them?
    All he asks is that hour. Really, is not that hour little enough to give to someone we say we love?
    “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24
    Deacon Larry Murphy serves at St. Martha Parish in Harvey.