Central to the Catholic faith is the celebration of Holy Mass, the making present again and again of the self giving sacrifice of Jesus. For Catholics, the host, the sliver of bread, becomes nothing less than the body of Jesus, God Himself, really present and available. We literally consume God and, in the most tangible way, take Him into our very selves. Received bodily and through faith. But how many of us really believe? How many of us value the gift?
Why are
Our churches
So empty these days?
Masses
With standing room only,
Long past.
Imagine
If everytime
You went to Mass,
You got fifty quid –
And
No questions asked.
If
The priest gave you cash
Instead of the host,
Every time
You went up
For communion…
Just what
Kind of a church
Would we have?
Crowded, yes,
But
Would it be a better one?
I’m not
A betting man,
But picture the scenes:
Churches mobbed;
No doormen on duty
‘Cos they’d
Be swelling
The queues,
Desperate to get up there,
Fighting
For the front seats,
All eager to get paid.
The priest’s
Phone
Ringing constantly; endless
Queries
About the times
Of the next masses.
Parents pushing
Underage children
On ahead, with
Blatant
Rejoining of queues
For second passes.
Don’t
Get yourself excited,
My friend.
There’s
No cash handouts
At the altar.
And churches
Are rarely full
These days.
Just what might be
‘On offer’
From there?
The greatest
Gift
Of the greatest giver:
Life,
Salvation, mercy, meaning,
Fulfilment.
Your best friend
Coming to stay
With you.
Beyond price,
Given free,
In the sacrament.