Every time I watch the altar server carrying the cross and leading the procession to the altar while the entrance hymn is sung, I feel slightly overwhelmed. We are being gathered together by Christ himself. It is something that is happening to us, given to us, being done through us. We are entering into the presence of Christ as into a new “dimension” which allows us to see the ultimate reality of life.
We are not gathering together like we gather at a meeting or a clubhouse or a restaurant. We are doing something more than going to this or that Mass in one parish or other at a time most convenient to us. We are answering a call to do what is most natural to the human creature: to adore. We are answering an invitation to keep our hearts lifted high. We are plunging into the new life of the Kingdom through liturgy and sacrament. We are approaching the altar, which is a sign that we have been given access to the heavenly sanctuary.
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
In the Mass celebrated Sunday after Sunday, day after day, Jesus brings our personal reality into harmony with his own heart, his own truth, his own will. In the assembly, our voices and even our lives are more and more harmoniously united, as we become more and more like Jesus himself. That is why Jesus makes it clear that we are responsible for each other, that we are “brother and sister” to each other. If one member of the community gathered in Christ is having difficulty, or straying, or offending in some significant way, indifference or tolerance is not an acceptable response, since Jesus himself outlines in this passage a process for winning back our brother or sister to live their new life in Christ more deeply.
In the end, we do not belong to ourselves. We belong to Christ. We belong to each other. When we have answered the initiative of Christ who gathers us together, we grow more completely into one harmonious voice with him and with each other as we offer praise to the Father and intercede for the world.
Cada vez que veo al monaguillo cargando la cruz y guiando la procesión hacia el altar mientras se canta el himno de entrada, me siento un poco abrumada. Estamos siendo reunidos por Cristo mismo. Es algo que nos está sucediendo, que se nos ha dado, que se hace a través de nosotros. Estamos entrando en la presencia de Cristo como en una nueva “dimensión” que nos permite ver la realidad última de la vida.No nos reunimos como para cualquier reunión en un club o en un restaurante. Estamos haciendo algo más que ir a tal o cual misa en una parroquia u otra a la hora que más nos convenga. Estamos respondiendo a un llamado a hacer lo que es más natural para la criatura humana: adorar. Estamos respondiendo a una invitación de elevar nuestros corazones. Nos sumergimos en la nueva vida del Reino a través de la liturgia y los sacramentos. Nos acercamos al altar, lo cual es señal de que se nos ha dado acceso al santuario celestial.
“Donde dos o tres se reúnen en mi nombre, ahí estoy yo en medio de ellos”.
En la Misa celebrada domingo tras domingo, día tras día, Jesús armoniza nuestra realidad personal con su propio corazón, su propia verdad, su propia voluntad. En la asamblea, nuestras voces e incluso nuestras vidas están cada vez más unidas armoniosamente, a medida que nos parecemos cada vez más al mismo Jesús. Por eso Jesús deja claro que somos responsables unos de otros, que somos “hermano y hermana” unos para otros. Si un miembro de la comunidad reunida en Cristo tiene dificultades, se desvía o ofende de alguna manera significativa, la indiferencia o la tolerancia no es una respuesta aceptable, ya que Jesús mismo describe en este pasaje un proceso para recuperar a nuestro hermano o hermana para vivir su nueva vida en Cristo más profundamente.
Al final, no nos pertenecemos a nosotros mismos. Pertenecemos a Cristo. Somos el uno para el otro. Cuando hemos respondido a la iniciativa de Cristo que nos reúne, crecemos más completamente en una voz armoniosa con él y entre nosotros mientras ofrecemos alabanzas al Padre e intercedemos por el mundo.
Sr. Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is an author and offers online evangelization as well as spiritual formation for people on their journey of spiritual transformation and inner healing. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com My Books: https://touchingthesunrise.com/books/
Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ HeartWork Spiritual Formation Group: https://touchingthesunrise.com/heartwork/
Feature Image Credit: Felipe Balduino, pexels.com/photo/people-standing-inside-the-church-6134078/
Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the co-founder of 
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Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on 
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