The Dismissal is the moment when many parents breathe a sigh of relief! For their children, the Mass is ended and they can go home to play. But for older members of the community, the Mass marks a new beginning.

After a time of thanksgiving for all that we have received, we stand and, in the Prayer after Communion, pray that we shall take what we have received into the world. A blessing is called down upon us and we are told to “Go”. It may be “Go in the peace of Christ” - or “The Mass is ended, go in peace” or it may be “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord”. Whichever wording is chosen, the emphasis throughout is on the word “Go”.

This is not lack of hospitality on the part of the Church! The Church is reminding us that we are not called to be what some refer to as a “holy huddle” safely tucked behind the closed doors of our church. We are dismissed to carry on our mission - to be missionaries - to take the Christ we have received in Word and Communion out with us into the world. We may see this as our “Mission Impossible” - or at the very least our “Mission Very Difficult” - but it is what being a Christian - a Catholic is about. We have been entrusted with the Good News and are called to be witnesses to that in our daily lives.

In practical terms, our Dismissal may include references to forthcoming activities in the life of our community. These are important because, in their own way, they too help to develop the life of the worshipping community. They may be purely for fun - or they may be extending the pastoral care needed by people in the community - but they all bear witness to the fact that we have gathered and celebrated our one-ness in the Body of Christ.

Most people will never see our worship - they will not hear the Word of God - they will not share in our Eucharist. Even if they could see and hear it, many would not understand it - and some would even be afraid to try.

But people see and hear us. We may not use the words of Scripture - but our words of love, our comments on world-events as seen through Catholic eyes - will be heard. People will see from our actions - even our way of being - reflections of the worship we have shared - in gentleness - in strength - in reverence for our world and its peoples - in the love we bear one for another.

Perhaps St Patrick should have the last words as we close this series - taking Christ into all aspects of our lives - and into the lives of others...

  Christ be in all hearts thinking about me,

  Christ be in all tongues telling of me.

  Christ be the vision in eyes that see me,

  in ears that hear me, Christ ever be...

 

 © Wellspring 2005

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