Wednesday, July 07, 2004
A good and necessary example of hospitality
We had our first funeral this morning with the new pastor. One thing struck me was his welcome at the beginning of Mass to non-Catholics. I found it refreshing to hear a sincere welcome to those who do not ordinarily worship with us. If I could be certain other clergy could pull of the statement with sincerity, I'd think saying it from time to time at Sunday Mass would be a good thing. Catholics should be proud enough of the way we worship to be able to welcome newcomers, explain a bit of how and why we worship, then pray naturally without apologizing for what we do. In the context of welcome, I think the "mandatory" statement in missals about sharing Communion gains a needed perspective. Making this the first comment to non-Catholics at the Mass, though theologically true, is a clumsy piece of etiquette that should be framed in proper perspective: Christ welcomes all, and in Christ's name, we welcome them too.
