Speaking in the main basilica of the Co Mayo shrine on Saturday, Bishop Philip Boyce said attending Mass should not be seen as an obligation, but a privilege.
In his homily, the Bishop, who is a member of the Vox Clara commission that provides the Vatican with advice on English-language translations of liturgical books, warned that although, “fine music, splendid choirs and liturgical grandeur are important in their own way, their scope is to enable people to pray and to experience the living God.”
Discussing the obstacles that can undermine attempts to make the Mass a meaningful personal prayer, he cited routine, and a loss of a sense of awe, as an issue for those who attend Mass regularly.
He explained that was why the late John Paul II asked priests and the lay faithful to rekindle a sense of amazement at this great mystery.
“For if we lose completely this attitude of wonder and awe, the readings and prayers of the Mass can become a pure habit or routine. It needs a spirit of prayer and lively faith to counteract the listlessness of weekly or daily custom,” he said.
Commenting on how a new experience can become jaded, he said, “When an experience is new, it seems fresh and full of interest. When it is repeated many times, it can easily become burdensome and boring. The same can be quite true for the Mass, whether you are standing at the altar facing the people or in the congregation looking towards the celebrant.”
The Bishop of Raphoe said this unchanging repetition can dull the sense of admiration and interest.
However, he also underlined that we cannot hope to have new and creative initiatives at every celebration.
Discussing the importance of a living faith in helping the faithful allow the Eucharist really impact on their lives, Bishop Boyce said, “If Christ has little or no place in our daily lives, we cannot expect to have a revelation of him when we come to Mass.”
“We are the same people kneeling in the pew as we were before we entered the church. A good faith-inspired life prepares us to get a lot out of the Holy Eucharist.”
The Bishop added that the main effect of the Eucharist, as highlighted at the International Eucharistic Congress in June, is communion with Christ and with one another.
“That is never the same from one day to another. It is a continuously deepening process.”
He said if the people are God are to break the monotony of repetition they must make the Mass, “a living prayer that is sustained by an ardent faith.”