Weekdays too - Rector's Rambling for March 15, 2020

Last week I wrote about the Daily Office, and its expansive use through the Anglican Breviary.  Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer is a great way for all, clergy and laity, to be regular in the disciplined life of daily prayer.

Today I want to encourage another important devotion and discipline of the spiritual life: the weekday celebration of the Holy Communion.

The Holy Communion is at the center of Anglican Christian Worship.  Our Lord Jesus Christ admonishes us that “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:53–56)

This is accomplished through the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, instituted at the Last Supper when Jesus took the bread and wine of the Passover Meal and told us that the bread is His Body and the wine is His Blood.  “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 28:26–28)

We have the opportunity, as a part of our bounden duty to worship God every Sunday in His church, to receive the Holy Communion.  But during the week there are three more opportunities (five during Lent) to receive Holy Communion at our weekday Masses.

The Sunday 10:00 AM Mass is our big “hurrah”, where we pull out all the stops and sing and pray together.  The Sunday 8:00 AM Mass and the Weekday Masses have a different tenor to them.  They are of a smaller, quieter, more intimate nature.  Fr. David Ousley, while rector of St. James the Less in Philadephia, wrote that the Sunday Mass Choral or High Mass is like a big state dinner with the king; formal, well attired, and meaningful in a big way.  But the low Masses during the week are like a smaller, intimate family meal with dad.  It is shorter (about 30 minutes – no music and a short homily).  But it is no less meaningful and powerful in a grace-filled way.

Weekday Masses are usually Tuesday and Wednesday at 12:15 PM, and Thursday at 10:30 AM (April – September it is at 9:00 AM), and for Lent we also have Mass on Thursday at 6:00 PM and Friday at 11:15 AM.

Take the opportunity this Lent to attend a weekday Mass to strengthen your faith and be filled by the grace afforded in the Sacrament.  This is not instead of Sunday, but as an extra occasion of worship.

Who normally attends weekday Masses?  Parishioners, of course, but we also have a regular stream of guests and folks who work downtown and take the opportunity to join us.  And more and more we have tourists popping in to see the church, and staying to worship.  Come and join us!