Sunday, April 28th, 2024

Once, at Metro Market, I ran into a parishioner whom I had not seen in a long time.  Maybe feeling a little uncomfortable that he hadn’t been to Mass for a while, the man said to me, “I pray every day when I get up, Father, and I pray longer on Sundays.”
 
That conversation came back to me when I read a passage in the Little Black Book for Lent that compared praying alone at home with practicing the clarinet by oneself in a practice room, whereas joining the community at Mass is playing in an orchestra (maybe that analogy stuck with me because I did play the clarinet many years ago).
 
It is worth reflecting on that analogy: praying alone is like being in a practice room.  And we do need to practice: it is what prepares us to be a contributing member of the orchestra.  But if we only practice alone and never join an orchestra, we are not sharing our talents with others.
 
My friends, the Mass is our praying orchestra.  The celebrant is the conductor of the service.  The cantor is the conductor of the music.  The lector is the conductor of the Word of God. The Eucharistic ministers are conductors of the Body of Christ.  And each one of us makes up the body of the orchestra, sharing our talents and supporting the needs of those around us.
 
In our Gospel, Jesus tells us we will bear much fruit if we remain in Him.  In the short passage, He uses the word “remain” 8 times, beating us over the head with the reality that alone we are like a branch cut off from the source of life – or someone alone in a practice room.  We need to remain connected with Jesus, not just by ourselves, but through the community, the Gospel, and the Eucharist.  If we are to remain in God, we can’t go it alone: we need to be an active part of the community. 
 
I invite us this week to reflect on what a gift our community is, resolving to participate regularly as we give to and receive from each other, struggling to remain in God.
 
Church sign of the week: Church is not just someplace you go but something you are.