Mass Yesterday

I am at our Priest's convocation this week, and yesterday we (Bishop Lopes and the Ordinariate Priests) said Mass at Mission San Jose, in San Antonio, Texas. It was an amazing experience to say Mass in a Church that was built in the 1700's. I cannot even imagine what the experience would be like to say Mass in something that was built in the 1100's or maybe the 400's. The idea of the historic nature of the Church, lasting for centuries and keeping the faith all those years is powerful.

Back when I was a protestant, I would be amazed at something in those denominations that had been around for 100 years, but there was no concept of something that was 2000 years old. I am not just speaking about buildings, but also about doctrine, and tradition, and patrimony. It should make us rejoice that the Church is still here; God is keeping it around, and no matter what the world tries to do, the Church will endure. She has survived all that the devil sent against her in the past, and she will survive all that we are going through now and in the future.

Whether the church was built last year or 2000 years ago, celebrating the Mass is a connection with the past and it points toward the future. It is the heart of our heritage, and the focal point of our lives. And, that is true not just of a Mass in an old church, but of every Mass wherever it is celebrated until the end of history.