Unexpected Joy
I went to a daily Mass yesterday and wandered into an unexpected joy!
I have made it a discipline to catch a First Friday Mass.
Expecting a regular daily Mass in the chapel, I saw that everyone was gathering in the main church. I also saw the school children in the choir area.
There was a larger crowd than the normal daily Mass crown and it was the Feast of the Holy Rosary so maybe that was the reason for the crowd, but then they announced that it was an anointing Mass.
If you have never been to an anointing Mass, you should go; even if you don't need the anointing of the sick, it is beautiful to see. At a point in the Mass, after the homily, the priests anoint anyone who is ill, having surgery, recovering or because of advanced age is suffering.
You might think that an anointing Mass might be depressing. A bunch of sick people waiting to be anointed, but this was beautiful. After Mass they even had a reception with breakfast treats and coffee!
I have made it a discipline to catch a First Friday Mass.
Expecting a regular daily Mass in the chapel, I saw that everyone was gathering in the main church. I also saw the school children in the choir area.
There was a larger crowd than the normal daily Mass crown and it was the Feast of the Holy Rosary so maybe that was the reason for the crowd, but then they announced that it was an anointing Mass.
If you have never been to an anointing Mass, you should go; even if you don't need the anointing of the sick, it is beautiful to see. At a point in the Mass, after the homily, the priests anoint anyone who is ill, having surgery, recovering or because of advanced age is suffering.
You might think that an anointing Mass might be depressing. A bunch of sick people waiting to be anointed, but this was beautiful. After Mass they even had a reception with breakfast treats and coffee!
A little more about anointing of the sick:
In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.
The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. .A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.
When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.
~from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults | en españolUnless you run across an anointing Mass, many people don't understand it. It was great to have the 5graders from the school there to lead the music. What a great opoutunity for them to see this sacrament in action!
Look today for an unexpected joy. I am off to an expected joy this morning by visiting the farmers market with my daughter.
Ta! Happy Weekend!
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