Trivia question: Who was the first
person in history to leave Mass right after Communion? Answer: Judas Iscariot.
No, I’m not kidding. Think about it.
Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. He held up
the bread and said, “This is my body,” and then he held up the cup and said,
“This is my blood.”
Then, right after He distributed the
bread and wine to His disciples—which now had become His actual body and
blood—Judas got up and left. Judas didn’t go back to his pew and pray a little.
He didn’t listen to any of the parish announcements about the upcoming potluck
supper and the revised children’s choir rehearsal schedule. And he didn’t join
in singing the recessional hymn. (Two verses only. I mean, let’s not go
overboard and sing EVERY verse.)
Nope, by the time the solemn ceremony
in the upper room was concluded, Judas was long gone. Presumably his car was
not blocked in the parking lot, so he was able to make his getaway rather than
sit behind the wheel seething with frustration as he waited for everyone else
to come out.
Sound familiar? C’mon, be honest. Many
of our fellow Catholics have this weird notion that once you receive Communion
the Mass is over. But to paraphrase that great Catholic theologian, Yogi Berra,
the Mass ain’t over till it’s over.
When someone leaves Mass right after
Communion (the ol’ “chew and screw,” as it’s sometimes called), how much actual
time is he or she saving? Six minutes? Nine minutes? Seriously? That’s it? A
person offends the Lord and insults the parish priest just to gain a measly
nine minutes? Wow.
And what exactly is accomplished with
those extra six or nine minutes on a Saturday evening or Sunday morning? Do they
get out of the parking lot first? Hurray, I guess there’s a prize for that.
Do they get a table at the Sunday
brunch buffet a bit sooner than others? Congratulations, I’m sure the
restaurant would’ve run out of food if they got there nine minutes later.
Do they get home quicker, which allows
them to spend the rest of the day sitting around watching mindless junk on TV?
God must be so pleased with their devotion to Him.
OK, I’m getting a little too snarky
here. Sorry.
The point I’m trying to make is: The
Mass is the most awesome event on earth: Jesus Christ becomes truly present in
the Eucharist, body and blood, soul and divinity. At Mass, God’s people gather
to offer praise and worship to Him, and to be spiritually nourished by Him. Is
it really such a burden to remain in church until the Mass is completely
concluded?
Our Sunday obligation only takes up
about one hour every week. If we add on some time before and after Mass for
driving, let’s call it two hours each week—out of a total of 168 hours in a
week. That works out to be slightly more than one-percent of the entire week.
Heck, some people spend more time than that each week combing their hair or
deciding what shoes to wear.
Is that extra nine minutes saved by
leaving Mass right after Communion really worth it?
Obviously people who leave Mass right
after Communion are not doing it for the same reason Judas left the very first
Mass right after Communion: to betray Our Lord. But leaving early certainly
does not honor Our Lord. It certainly does not show Him much respect.
So if you always remain in church
until the very end of the recessional hymn, that’s terrific. Please try not to
be as snarky as I am toward those who leave early.
And if you are one of the folks who
does leave right after Communion, please think about it for a minute. It really
looks bad; it insults the priest; and it shows little respect for Jesus.
When it’s all said and done, is that
measly nine minutes really so important?
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