Baptisms, weddings and funerals

are three separate and unique events that serve to bring together the

community of family and friends like nothing else.

In my three years here at Holy

Trinity in Peachtree City, I have had the privilege of ministering to

several of these liturgies and celebrations. It is always a wonder to

see the many new faces, along with the old familiars, that come out to

observe and unite in prayer. Not all are Catholic, and of those that are,

there are always some who haven't been to church in a good long while.

So when it comes time for the service to begin, I have taken special pains

to make sure that not only do all feel welcome, but that all know what

to do and when to do it.

If you have never been to a

Catholic service, you no doubt have at least heard the seemingly constant

movements of the congregation being panned in some comedy act somewhere,

or chided by those who have been and have not understood. First of all,

the people are not constantly moving (at least not by the instruction

of the liturgy!). Secondly, there are reasons for each of the movements;

they are expressing the nature of our prayer at that moment, and aid us

in remaining focused thereon.

At the beginning of the Mass

(the name for our service), we stand to greet the celebrant, the representative

of Christ, and to give honor and glory and praise to the Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit. We then sit to hear the reading of the word of God, a

sampling of the Old Testament and the New, with the Psalms and the gospels

taking special place of honor.

When the gospels are read we

stand again, for these are the very words of our savior, present in a

special way in the hearing of the word. Then we sit to hear the scriptures

explained to us and applied to our daily lives. This is then followed

need as his people, a holy nation set apart for the work of the Lord.

Next we kneel, in humble recognition of the gift he has given us and is

constantly renewing in us, the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. At the end

we stand, to receive our Lord in communion, and to receive our marching

orders for the spiritual conquest of the world, as all Christians have

been called to accomplish.

However, it never fails; come

to a Catholic baptism, wedding or funeral and you'll see the same thing:

a large number of individuals who will sit throughout the entire service,

despite being invited to join in with the liturgical movements and quietly

given the next instruction early enough in time to anticipate and prepare

for its completion. Now this befuddles me. One presumably gets dressed

up and goes out of the way to attend such an important spiritual event,

to enter into prayer with and for the individual for whom they have done

all of the above, and then fails to participate to the fullness of their

capability ... it just doesn't make sense.

I'm not saying that every tone

deaf person ought to be singing at the top of their lungs, or every stoic

should be speaking in tongues clearly to each his own on some matters.

But in matters that require no more than that which most of us are familiar

with on a daily basis stand, sit, kneel (at least we hope kneeling is

familiar and daily!), why do we lack the spirit and desire to unite wholeheartedly?

I grew up in Decatur, Ga.,

with only one Catholic friend who didn't practice his faith regularly

anyway, hence I found myself attending a great many different services

in a variety of denominations. Each time, I struggled with a lack of familiarity

of the people and the service itself. But my upbringing in the middle

of 11 children served me well I just began to do what everyone else did

when they began to do it. I figured that we are all Christians here, and

that because we shared the same Lord, the same commandments and many of

the same prayers and songs, I would never have to worry about being caught

doing something contrary to my faith as a Catholic (save sharing communion,

which by the meaning of the act and the difference of beliefs is still

problematic).

This served me well then, and

continues to serve me today. Recently I attended Flat Rock AME Church

to hear the Tuskegee Airmen on a Sunday morning, and felt welcomed and

fit right in with the standing, clapping, swaying and hugging that defined

the different movements and moments of their liturgy, though I had never

been there before. So why is it that so many who come to a Catholic service

struggle, especially when I will often detail the next action before its

time?

Don't say it is a lack of familiarity,

or infrequent attendance; I have already shown how this can be overcome

Christians there on the spot, and to enter wholeheartedly into the prayer.

If we are ever going to be the one, unified Church that Christ called

us to be at the Last Supper, than we are going to have to get comfortable

going beyond our religious zones to reach out and pray and study and fellowship

with those of other denominations.

I wish, though, it were that

easy to spot the culprit. I rather think it goes deeper, and touches on

a level much more subtle and yet familiar.

I don't know if other denominations

experience this problem, but in a way I think it is specifically a burden

that the Catholic and other liturgical churches have to bear. Many Christians,

having never been accustomed to expressing their faith through their bodily

posture, now are confronted by a church full of such expression and feel

like something odd is going on.

True, something different is

going on, but do not let it be a cause for suspicion and concern, as has

often been the case in the past. You see, I grew up hearing time and again

from my non-Catholic friends that their parents or minister or somebody

told them that Catholics were not Christian, and were therefore relegated

to a level of suspicion and fear that continues to plague our relationship

today, making unity, much less truly worshipping together, something difficult

to attain.

But this need not be so. What

happens at our liturgies is simply the use of our God-given bodies (sanctified

as well as our souls by Christ's passion, death and resurrection), to

express our interior convictions about this relationship we now have with

Him. Let this be a point of concern that is laid to rest here and now;

authentic Catholics are devoutly believing and practicing Christians one

cannot be otherwise.

So to all those whose paths

bring them into the doors of a Catholic church, welcome brothers and sisters!

Please come inside and unite with your fellow brothers and sisters, as

we all unite with Christ, so that as one body , we might give glory

and honor to the Father. Without this understanding, we cannot ever hope

to be one, and our visits to each other's churches and homes will continue

to be laced with fear and suspicion.

But with this understanding,

we can lower the barriers, come out of ourselves, and begin to celebrate

a unity that will last forever!

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