In Which I Discover Why Biblical Literacy Is Important to Understanding the Mass

Last Monday night, I spent two hours with the catechists in my parish, teaching Part 2 of From Mass to Mission in a bilingual format. (See my post about the experience of Part 1 here.) The room was nearly twice as full as it was for the previous session. More catechists came, and some even brought their teenage children. I sort of expected that. since typically Hispanic folks invite their friends and family to things they get enthusiastic about. Have to admit, it made me smile to see so many there. I was determined to make the night worth their while.

The subject for the evening was Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Concluding Rites of the Mass. I went through the Offertory and taught them about how to offer themselves with the bread and wine - how to offer their hearts and lives to the Father to be changed with the Gifts at the Epiclesis. We worked our way through the Eucharistic Prayer and they learned about joining in the Liturgy of Heaven,  remembering the Last Supper, transubstantiation, Real Presence and such.

Then, we got to the Lamb of God. I asked if anyone knew why Jesus was Cordero de Dios, the Lamb of God.  Not really. So, I mentioned the Passover, the blood of the lamb on the doors of the Israelites and the concept of being saved by the Blood of the Lamb. About that time, a few looked confused, and one woman asked for clarification. It seems they didn't know the story of Moses, the Pharaoh, the plagues, the Angel of Death and the death of the Egyptian firstborn children that ultimately resulted in the freedom of the the Israelite people.  Luckily, my DRE, who speaks Spanish fluently, got up and in 5 minutes, told the entire story.  Then, they understood. The lights went on.

The rest of the evening went pretty much as expected as we learned about receiving and being changed by the Eucharist and being sent forth on the mission to evangelize. Those present expressed gratitude at the end for what they had learned.

In reflecting later on what had happened that night, I realized that when teaching about the Mass, one cannot assume people have the Biblical literacy to understand the connection between the Last Supper, the Passover and the Lamb. It also occurs to me that the image of the angels and saints worshiping in heaven along with us might be less-rich for those who don't know the images from Revelation, although they do hear about that at Sunday Mass upon occasion. There are probably more issues about understanding the Mass that lack of familiarity with basic Bible stories would affect.

In short, I learned something else I cannot assume when teaching about the Mass.

When Adults Learn that the Mass is Much More Than They Thought...

Last night, I was privileged to spend a couple hours with 28 of my own parish's fellow catechists, all Hispanic, almost all of whom attend Spanish Mass.  I have known some of these folks for years, but last night, I watched them grow, right before my eyes as I presented an adapted-for-catechists version of my book, From Mass to Mission for Children.  What I experienced confirmed my suspicion that many Catholic adults know very little about the Mass except the basics of external participation.

The format was a bilingual presentation... with bilingual slides and the help of one of the catechists who translated what was said.  The informal camaraderie of a community of learners was quite evident. These catechists definitely appreciate one another and our director.

As I unfolded the structure and meaning of the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word, I noticed that lots of notes were being taken. Their responses to questions about how they personally prepare for Mass revealed a wide range of practices, but many of those in the room had a real "aha moment" when they learned that looking at the readings ahead of time and considering what they need to pray for at that Mass are good practices.

They did not already know (except those who are readers at Mass) that there are 3 cycles of Sunday readings - and years dedicated to Matthew, Mark and Luke, nor did they know about the relationship between the Old Testament readings and the Gospel, or the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing the Word from the ear to the heart of the listener.

When we talked about what they had heard, there was such wonder and joy in their ideas on how they will now attend Mass differently.

It was a very good session - and I definitely felt the love and appreciation. I bet they all come back on Monday for Part 2 - and maybe they will even bring a few friends.