Reflections On A Year Of Worship

Over the past year and a half, I have attended Catholic masses almost every week. The only exceptions were on weekends when I was traveling. 

I’m not Catholic. I’m a Lutheran, but I play music at a Roman Catholic church in my neighborhood. Why is a story for another time, but the choir director is happy to have me, and the pastor doesn’t seem to mind that I was raised a Protestant. 

Weekly attendance has been a fulfilling experience for a number of reasons. The pastor is a sharp fellow, and he speaks well; his homilies are interesting and never overly dogmatic. The music is enjoyable, and I enjoy my small role in the apparatus that makes it.

I have gained, through this experience, an appreciation for things that I had not thought about before. One is the liturgical calendar. The Roman Catholic church is well-organized. They follow a schedule, focusing on certain books and themes at different times of the year. My favorite masses were the ones leading up to Easter: Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the day after. The Passion is told beautifully during these masses. If you only show up on Easter Sunday, you would have missed some beautiful moments. The Easter Sunday mass is like any other Sunday’s mass. Go on Palm Sunday or Good Friday if you want an experience that you’ll remember for a while.

I have also gained an appreciation for the work that goes into preparing for worship services. The church that I attend holds two masses a day and four on Sundays. It’s an exhausting schedule, and a lot of the work is done by volunteers. 

So, first of all, I would like to extend a huge thank you to pastors, church staff, and the countless volunteers who work hard, week in and week out, to put on worship services near your home and all over the world. It is a labor of love that those of us who enjoy these services should acknowledge and appreciate.

Secondly, I’m not going to suggest to anyone that they attend a church service if it’s not something that they wish to do. If the desire doesn’t come from your own heart, it won’t do you much good, anyway. I will however suggest that if you want to see something that is different and truly moving, consider attending a well-regarded Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, or Good Friday mass in your area, or a children’s Christmas pageant. I find these masses to be uniquely fascinating. I think that there is a good chance that you will enjoy them as well.