The CFC reminds us all of the
earnest desires of the Mother Church that all the faithful be led to that full,
conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations…. [CFC
1514] When this was discussed in the class, I was prompted to recollect on my ways
when participating in any liturgical celebration or religious activities. Admittedly,
I am one of those nominal Catholics who receive the sacrament and participate
in the church tradition without fully understanding it. I am a product of a
Catholic school but it seems to me that I did not earn the education they tried
to instill in me. I used to be the church goer who sits outside the church and
listens to the Homily for a reflection required in our religion subject. I was
once a lector when I was in High School who reads the Readings in a hurry mode.
I sing with the choir to just be with them. These are the ways I never realize
made my attendance void in its effect. Now that I am in the seminary, as a
future minister of the sacraments, if God wills it, I want to see myself
leading the faithful to that full, conscious and active participation in al
liturgical celebrations. With this end in my mind, I started to fix how I
conduct myself in celebrating the Eucharist. I shifted now my attention to the
very details of every prayers, readings and gestures in the mass. I make it
sure that my responses would be soulful, aloud and coming from my heart equipped
with due understanding of the celebration. As a result, my love in the
Eucharist starts to bloom. I am wanting more of it now than before. My prayer
life has also changed significantly. With inevitable struggles, I try to pray
spontaneously without being conscious of the time, place and environment. Most
of the time, the mechanical nature of seminary schedule poses an obstructive
contradiction between obedience and spiritual maturity. I am thankful then that
I was once reminded of what I should be doing in the seminary, of
what is expected of us in our future ministry and the challenges we are going
to face ahead of us.
I think sometimes the problem is when you bring your outside thoughts into church. I've often found myself distracted by what I had to do after Mass, or distracted by thoughts of "don't fall asleep don't fall asleep don't fall asleep" while praying the Holy Rosary. My dad used to tell me to offer my distractions and emotions for the Lost Souls in Purgatory. That way, I will have more resolve to focus and get rid of them, and they will serve a purpose. These days, I am lucky to have found a parish priest whose Homilies are very well-prepared and significant both to the readings and to modern life. This has allowed me to be more thoughtful during Mass and less likely to get distracted. I've also learned to internalize every single prayer said during the Rosary. It's not easy, but it's definitely more fulfilling. I hope and pray that your resolve and focus on prayer continue to grow.
TumugonBurahinThanks, Denise for your thoughts.. most especially in including me in your prayer.. That is what I need. Pray for me too that I may become a HOLY priest someday. and you too.
TumugonBurahin