Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
I’m a movie buff, and as such I’ve delighted over the last 3-4 decades in witnessing the evolution of special effects technology. I recall when the first Star Wars movie (the 4th film chronologically) came to theaters in 1977. I was absolutely blown away by the special effects! I remember sitting spellbound throughout the film, lost in the awe and wonder of it all, and paralyzed in my seat as the closing credits rolled. Of course, the later and most recent releases of the Star Wars films display even greater sophistication in their special effects. I also love Disney Pixar films, and similarly it’s been incredible to witness the technological developments in computer-generated animation. Name your genre, and modern filmmakers have the ability to open up whole new worlds to our fancy and imagination, so much so that it’s almost as if we can actually become participants in the story. Today’s first reading from Revelation takes us to such a place. John’s vivid imagery catches the reader up into the throne room of God with stunning clarity. As you read the passage, allow your mind and imagination to open up wide to this incredible scene. Picture the “special effects” as only you can, allowing the Holy Spirit to enliven your spirit. Unlike a movie, the scene John depicts for us really exists in all its “technicolor” brilliance. We enter into this realm during every Mass! Let’s spend time today reminding ourselves of this reality and preparing ourselves for a richer experience of the next Eucharist.
During every Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Preface, during which we engage in dialogue with the priest, answering his invitation to lift up our hearts. I once read that it is at this moment of lifting up our hearts that we enter into the very throne room of God. The Preface transitions to the Sanctus, during which we say or sing the Holy, Holy, Holy, joining our voices with the heavenly host as our first reading today reveals to us. The Sanctus is a sign that we are full participants in the eternal celebration of heaven. Have you ever stopped to think about where you are during the Eucharistic Rite? We are physically and temporally standing, sitting, and kneeling in a particular church or chapel, but literally and in a manner no less real, we are also spiritually in God’s presence in heaven together with the entire heavenly host. This is a stunning reality for us as Catholic Christians! Just as a well-done film evokes awe and wonder in us, how much more should the experience of the Mass ignite our hearts and souls to fall prostrate before God, consumed by an inexplicable awe, lost in wonder.
For this reflection, I’d like to leave you with our first reading and this image of our location during the Mass. Perhaps we can spend some time today allowing John’s imagery to captivate us and draw us to meditation on this passage. As you prepare for your next Eucharist, whether it’s a daily or weekend Mass, I encourage you to think and pray about how a better understanding of where you are during the Mass might serve to enrich your prayer and your experience of the divine and the communion of saints during Mass. May God bless you with revelation as you seek to know God more intimately and to grow as a worshipper.
Elizabeth Wourms