The other day, a friend of mine at OLPH came up to me and said, "I just wanted to say that at Mass, you just light up! You glow. It makes my heart leap to see you. I don't know if you know, but I wanted to tell you." My first thought was, I don't want her looking at me! I in no way want to be a distraction from what is REALLY happening at Holy Mass.
Do I know? Yes, in a way I do.
After Holy Mass, I prayed and sought an answer of the Lord. I know how important the Holy Mass is for not just those in attendance but for the whole world, and I in no way want to be a stumbling block from those coming to this gift from God.
"Lord, I don't want to be a distraction, I don't want people looking at me. What do you want me to do, I can go somewhere else to Mass, (then I thought, it's going to happen their too!) or I can sit in the back or I can cover my face." At that last suggestion I could feel that Lord did not want that...at all. I almost felt like I had made him angry at that suggestion.
Then He spoke to me and said, "You are a witness to what is truly happening at the Mass." "Ok," I thought, "If I'm a witness, then I'm going to witness and explain everything I experience in the Holy Mass."
The Holy Mass is both Heaven and Battlefield.
Before Holy Mass begins, I have said my act of contrition (always! I'm a sinner, and I fail Him daily), but when we begin with the Sign of the Cross it feels like I am being embraced by God. The sign of the Cross centers me to what has begun, and it's seriousness.
The Gloria
The Holy Mass is the moment on the Earth when we can access Heaven and worship God without the distractions of the world. When we pray or sing the Gloria, I'm praying it directly to God because I love Him. The love in my heart for Him makes me happy, because I feel His return of this love. I do not do this expecting anything, but pour this prayer to Him just for the sake of love for Him.
I love my OLPH family, but at this moment, it's all about HIM, and my eyes are on heaven.
"Glory to God in the highest..."
Heaven! feeling the Glory of God in this prayer is Heaven! In this prayer is access to heaven and victory! "....You Who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You Who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are holy. You alone are the Lord. You alone, O Jesus Christ, are most high. Together with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen"
Victory! Christ at the right hand of the Father is our Victory!!
My smile is because I have seen the victory of the Lord. No matter the sin, the evil in the world, God is victorious. The victory is great and eternal, and we can experience the victory now in the prayers of the Holy Mass.
How can I describe this. My heart melts by His word. Every words is a whisper of love, that increases my love for Him. In the Word of God, we are spoken to not only about our own lives, but about the lives of others. Where is God speaking to me and where is speaking to me about others? Our lives should be about others, and everything God gives us is either about our purification, salvation, or the salvation of others.
We cannot seek the salvation of others until we ourselves are purified and in a state of grace. That is the "getting the beam out of our eye first."
Psalms: When the Psalms are sung, it can be such joy, or so touching that the tears have to flow.
Gospel: The Gospel...Alleluia! I get to hear HIS words!
Prayer over the Gifts
The Heavens are opening more, the Priest is becoming our connection to Heaven. Father is standing in the breach between heaven and Earth for us, bringing us Heaven. The way a Priest can be our conduit to heaven is if he has offered himself to God for us. The Priest becomes an oblation for you, and you do not know it.
"Lift up your hearts!" My heart is His. "Lord, I am dust, take this heart of dust that loves you so. Not just for me but for my children, those I have now, and those you will give me."
And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:
The heavens are open, we have access to the throne of God! If we have eyes of purity, in our heart we see the throngs of angels and Saints around the throne, giving praise for all eternity! God will always honor the Priesthood, and no matter the state of the Priest, the heavens will open, God will come down from heaven to be among us, and we have access to the Throne of God for Praise as the Saints do! This IS HEAVEN ON EARTH!
Holy, Holy (Sanctus)
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
At this moment, I have great joy, because we should feel how those felt who welcomed the Lord into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We have the joy of Palm Sunday at every Holy Mass. Hosanna! We are the Holy City, and Jesus is coming to us!
The Rest of the Holy Mass in Heaven and Battlefield (Part II)
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