This Place Is Messed Up

Dysfunction sometimes seems like the norm rather than the exception. We can easily look around and see what is wrong in our families, our communities, our places of employment, our church congregation, our nation, and our world. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that problems exist. However, the complexities of these problems may generate significant difficulty in finding solutions. In desperation we may be tempted to give up and simply say, “This place is messed up.”

What do we do when that attitude is directed toward one’s local church congregation? Although I thought working for the Church was going to be next to paradise, it didn’t take long to realize that the flaws and blemishes out in the secular world also exist within the structures of the Church. It may be a divine institution, but it is made up of imperfect human beings. The aggravation of working in this imperfect environment was a reality that I had not anticipated. I expected more from the Church, and the disappointment experienced from time to time provided a tremendous learning opportunity.

It is my sincere desire that we don’t simply ignore problems in our parish communities and hope they go away. It seems that we have tried that methodology already and it has not served us well. On the other hand, I hope we don’t just focus on the problems constantly and fail to recognize and honor the wonderful things that are taking place. Are we able to celebrate the good while diligently working on improving some of the shortcomings?

There could be a laundry list of items to address across the spectrum of parish life. For the sake of brevity I will just focus on liturgical matters since it is the one area that touches the lives of most of the active Catholics. I don’t want to focus on the negative components of the liturgical life of your parish. I want to invite you to notice all of the good aspects of your weekend liturgies.

If you have a priest to celebrate the Sacraments you are blessed already. If he is a nice guy you have a bonus. If you have deacons, religious, and other lay leaders who help staff the parish you are blessed as well. If they are nice, do their jobs well, and add vibrancy to the life of the parish you have an abundant bonus. How about your fellow parishioners? Are there people in the congregation who bring positive energy to the life of the parish? If so, that is a tremendous blessing.

Let’s start at the beginning of a weekend liturgy. Is there a warm welcome when you enter into the church building? Give thanks and praise if there is. If there isn’t, look for ways to be hospitable yourself. Is there holy water in the font? This sacramental allows for a tangible blessing. Don’t overlook the power of this sign and ritual. Is there heat in the church during the winter and cooling in the summer? If so, give thanks. If not, offer it up.

As the liturgy begins are we prepared to raise our hearts and minds to God? Is the music uplifting? If so, give thanks and praise to God for all those who make it happen. If not, I want to encourage you to make a joyful noise unto the Lord anyway. Do you have a sound system that works? Awesome! If not, do you pay as close of attention as possible to soak in every word of the Sacred Scriptures? Is the preaching dynamic, engaging, and inspiring? If so, give thanks. If not, what little golden nugget of wisdom is God waiting to bestow upon you anyway?

During the Eucharistic Prayer, regardless of what else has transpired until this point, we are given an opportunity to enter into the mystery of our faith. We may not fully grasp the theological terms of epiclesis or transubstantiation, but we certainly understand by faith that God is in our midst. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that we are all in this together as does the sign of peace. We then have the privilege of seeking God’s mercy one more time before we approach the table of the Lord. Look at the many aspects of every single liturgy that should fill our hearts with joy and gratitude.

At the end of the celebration we are sent forth to glorify the Lord by our lives. Please take this mandate seriously. If we have celebrated the Eucharistic liturgy with gratitude in our hearts we will have the patience to overlook some shortcomings of parish life. We will also be given knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and courage to go forth and make a real difference in the world beyond our parish community. Our focus will move from everything that is wrong to all of the things that are good. When we are able to successfully do that on a regular basis our level of discontent will decrease significantly. Subsequently, contentment and peace will have a chance to flourish within our hearts and minds. Maybe we will no longer feel the need to say, “This place is messed up.”