Behold the Lamb of God

As Mass concluded last night, I had three children captivated and entranced by what had happened. No, not every service has quite such a welcome reception but a friends first Mass, did. My daughter moved to the end of the pew within the first few minutes to watch avidly, the proceedings of the many people whom she has shared various parts of our life in Oxford. At the end eager to receive her first ever first blessing she wanted to bypass the whole church.

When we as adults talk about Mass, it is often referred to in a very non committal way and without any real enthusiasm. Then we ask ourselves, "Why does the younger generation have no interest in the Mass?"  My children are different I know they are. They live in a family where Mass is not a boring requirement, but something that is talked about enthusiastically. All the sacraments are talked about in this house, they are discussed alongside all the other day to day topics that we care about such as Doctor Who. We talk about them in discussions about modern everyday things that we all enjoy and look at how our faith and the sacraments relate to them. Therefore, they are no longer irrelevant but relevant and applied to life.

The sacraments may mean we have to sacrifice our time. However, we sacrifice our time to watch television, read books, play golf and go to a concert. Why? Because we believe that the are beautiful and worth it. The sacraments are not just magnificent to behold, they are contact with the divine. They are where we and God interact. In the Mass there is glorious music to worship God and a chance to be in the presence of Christ. In confession while we may come with heavy hearts, we leave free of our sinful chains. In Baptism we are welcomed into a family and in Confirmation we strengthen our bonds and commitments to this family. It seems to me that they are as captivating and time worthy as any book or concert.

Another thing to consider when we talk about the Sacraments. When we partake in the Sacraments, or indeed come to Church or just praying at home, we are making time for Our Lord in our lives. We are all to willing to disrupt our lives for the most menial and trivial of things and yet, when it comes to making time for God. God is our father, if we do not make time for him how can we expect our relationship to become something exciting and relevant. God is our saviour, our leader, our comforter. God is in everything we do and say. We should be willing to get to know him better, to share our lives with him. For someone who was once prepared to give up his son for us and our salvation, we should at least be willing to give time to receive the sacraments.

Next time you as a family come to discuss going to Church, approach your discussion from a sense of wonder and respect for the awesome gift that is given for you. Enthuse about the miraculous presence of Christ before you. Then maybe you and your children will feel more like coming to Church and it will seem less of a chore.

Last Sunday when it was time to approach the altar for communion my daughter grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the Blessed Sacrament. What a difference it would make to your life and to mine, if we could all approach God with such simple enthusiasm and desire to experience God and to know him more.