On Reverence

Abandon all Gossip, Ye Who Enter Here! (via Waymarks)

There’s a sign I want to post outside my church. A simple message:

This is the House of the Lord of all Creation. Leave the outside world at the door.

It may strike some of you as odd that I feel the need to say this. Everyone knows that church is the house of God. We are all taught that at an early age.

And yet, how many of us actually take the time to think about what that means? How many of us walk into those doors and still carry with us the latest bit of gossip, a funny joke, a recipe for magnificent blackberry pie that we simply HAVE to share with Betty Ann from down the block? I know I have my moments when I chat in church. It can be irresistible.

It is a bad habit, and one we need to knock off.

When we walk through the doors of our church (or our redecorated parish hall, as is the case with my parish as we prepare to move our sacred space to be closer to our beloved dead), God is in there waiting for us. Yes, God is with us all the time. But when we gather for Mass, he is there in a unique way. In the tabernacle, he is present and waiting for us in person. We have crossed the threshold into a space removed for a time from temporal existence. We are before the gates of Heaven as the most powerful being in existence, who loves us so very much, has come to dwell with us and in us.

I liken this to visiting your neighbors. Yes, you may see them on the street, and you may act a certain way with them there. You may walk about in your swimsuit and make snide remarks, as I often do on my days off. This is fine for the situation.

But when you enter their home, is it not right to treat them with increased politeness and formality? Do you not wear better clothes to show respect for their invitation? When they tell you to make yourself at home, do you not sit gently and accept their gracious offer of refreshment, even if you are not thirsty? Or do you throw your coat on the floor and put your unwashed feet up on their coffee table? (If you do, I’m never letting you into my house, that’s for certain!)

The sacred bond of Guest and Host may be less apparent in modern society, but even so, it is there underlying your actions. Or it should be. And this is especially true in the house of the Lord of All Created Things.

God is there with us, and in the personhood of the Son will soon die for us in the event that pierced time and space. In the Mass, we are brought together united with that eternal moment of his sacrifice, that was and is and shall continue until time dies. We should fall to our knees in tears of joy and ecstasy at this. We should tremble before God’s throne in awe and wonder. This mystery is so powerful, so intrinsically filled with goodness that we should not even be able to gaze upon the altar without absolute love and surrender.

So why don’t we? Why aren’t we aware of this from the second we cross the threshold?

Because we are human. We are marked with Original Sin, and this blinds us to the metaphysical reality of what is taking place. Our vision of God is occluded. And we have to rely on faith to guide us where our earthbound senses fail.

A good first step to finding God in church is to be silent. This is the hardest thing that any human will ever do. But we must. We must be silent and leave all the worries of daily life at the door when we cross over. As Psalm 46 states, we are given this beautiful command from our Father:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Imagine if we could take even five minutes before every Mass and just be still. Imagine if we could kneel before the altar in homage and just be with God for those brief moments, without worries or cares or anything at all in our hearts and minds outside of love. Imagine the graces, the absolute blessings and peace beyond peace that would be showered upon us merely for taking the time to reverence our God.

Imagine this. And then do it.

The world and its troubles wait for you outside the door, but do not think of them. Let God nourish you with the strength you need to slay your dragons. If you do not let him fill you with his grace, how will you ever survive their fiery breath? But with God’s help, you will find that they are no bigger than your feet, and easily squished.

So enter his house with joy and respect, dressed nicely. Give him due homage. And when you make yourself at home, do so with dignity. And accept the refreshment he offers, listening to him and letting your bond grow.

If you do this, surely you will be blessed beyond measure.

-E.G. Norton