Church: A Place Where Mystery Happens -- #19

Faith flourishes when we cultivate its affective dimension. A life of faith, built on solid devotion, the everyday practice of virtues, and daily service in the world, guides us and develops our spiritual instincts. It respects the role of reason and the intellect and it cherishes the role of human affection and the will. The affective dimension does not come automatically. It needs to be cultivated - the heart has to be prepared, the spirit has to be awakened, the soil has to be watered, and the pathway has to be illumined. We need to trust that the affective side of faith is present and powerful because sometimes we may come before God with feelings that are dry, worn, and frayed. Sometimes we may be devoid of all feeling. However, just because we are in the desert does not mean that we will never taste the delights of the promised land.

How do we cultivate the affections together and in our homes? Simple things make a difference. When we gather for worship, we do a number of things. We greet the sisters and the brothers who are journey-mates in faith. We welcome the newcomer and the visitors as friends of Christ. We attend to those who need care - especially the sick, little children, and some of the eldresses and elders among us. Pouring out our hearts in deeply felt prayer is effective when it is combined with the practice of hospitality. We become proficient at hospitality when we greet, welcome, and connect with one another. If a church has a large gathering space or baptismal area, the welcoming is often done there. If not, greeting, welcoming, and connection by necessity take place in the larger church space. Catholics parishes are still learning how to be hospitable. New people and visitors comment when they find an amiable and affable welcome.

Some Catholics will complain that all this greeting and noise keeps them from getting ready for worship. After all, I did come here to pray, you know. Well, it isn't an either/or situation.

Once assembled and near to the time when the liturgy will officially begin, we can do some things to center our hearts, gather our thoughts, and appreciate our feelings for a brief moment. I have seen congregations do the following. One community robustly greeted each other until the organ prelude began. This was the signal to enter into a time of interiority. Then all were ready to do public prayer. Another community watched for the lighting of the candles. This told them to enter into quiet time before the opening procession began. Lastly, and I was really struck by this, a community used either hand bells, chimes, or a triangle to get peoples' attention. Everyone then became totally silent for a minute (I timed it!) and then they all rose and entered into robust and vibrant musical prayer.

The affective life has a discernible pattern: hospitality and greeting followed by quiet meditation and hearts' in-gathering and culminated by robust community song and the ritual movement of the processions. Many needs are met: the need to connect as kith in Christ, the need to be quiet and to prepare as disciples in Christ, and the need to sing our affections as kin in Christ. In all of this we are church: a people who encounter mystery.