Thoughts at today's mass

When I become pope, I'm changing the order of the mass. The introductory rites and the liturgy of the Word can stay as they are, for the time being, anyway. The Liturgy of the Eucharist, however, will be changed to:

• Lord's Prayer
• Kiss of Peace
• epiclesis
• consecration
• communion.

(I'd be willing to listen to arguments about moving the Lord's Prayer to just before communion or just after.)

What we definitely should not have is what we do have today:

• epiclesis
• consecration
• set the consecrated bread and wine aside and spend 5 minutes praying to the Father
• Lord's prayer
• Kiss of Peace
• communion.

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Our homilist took some liberties with the gospel. Luke tells us that "The seventy-two returned [from their mission] rejoicing." Our preacher, however, told us that some of the 72 had met with rejection and that they were upset at failing. This gave him an opportunity to remind us that Mother Teresa said "We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful" (or words to that effect). I like that quotation. In fact, I like it enough that I'll forgive him for inventing verses that are not in the gospel.

"Why do you like that quotation, Dan?" Glad you asked.

• It rings true to me.
• It reminded me of something Larry Madden said once at the Georgetown Crypt: "Ignatius is frequently quoted as saying 'Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you' but this is a mistranslation. What Ignatius said is just the opposite: 'Pray as if everything depends on you; work as if everything depends on God.' "

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The choir regaled us with both "America the Beautiful" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Both are exciting patriotic songs and are fun in the appropriate context. A Catholic worship service is not the appropriate context.

(On the way to church, we heard even better, even more exciting patriotic music on the radio, Morton Gould's "American Salute.")