Preparing for THE Encounter

Bishop Gabino Miranda Melgarejo of Peru spoke at a Hispanic Eucharistic Conference in Atlanta Georgia. What he said had the impact of a “grandmother speech”. In other words, it just made good common sense.The bishop spoke of the need for folks to attend church more than the minimum of one time a week. To get the most of this encounter with the ‘Body of Christ and the Real Presence, to get nourished required some preparation.

The bishop stated that to get the most out of Mass we need to be prepared internally and eternally. We need to dress the part, we need to take time to be with God, to be spiritually ready for a meaningful encounter. His examples were basic and to the point. If we were going to a party we would spend time on our appearance, so why not for an encounter with God and His Church?

Part of being prepared is to understand and pay attention to all of the outward symbols of the Mass. That includes the vestments of the priests, the colors, songs and special additions to the church. It means appreciating 20 centuries of liturgy.

I enjoyed reading about the conference. It made sense and now I have to put my jeans away and find something else to wear to church!


Atlanta Eucharistic Congress 2008