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Hi Connie,
Your deacon is correct and it was bad planning on their part to not make
the nature of your obligation clear. What may have happened is, they
told you what you would be doing, but didn't alert you that this did not count
as attending Mass, and since we are obliged to attend Mass each week, it
would be necessary to attend an entire Mass, at a later time.
If this is
what happened, they likely assumed you would understand this implicitly.
This, unfortunately, is a fundamental problem with the design of RCIA.
Think of it this way, though:
You are only attending 1—1/2 Masses
a week, not two, since you're only spending an hour and a half, or so, at
Mass.
I suppose it's possible you can ask those who run the RCIA program if you can just
arrive for the readings and the homily. On the other hand, everyone is
in the same boat as you are, assuming the deacon is keeping everyone honest.
Consequently, this might be seen as requesting special treatment.
Other than that, there are no options. Your only choices are to eliminate
one Mass or the other, and you can't eliminate your obligation to attend
Mass for yourself, and you can't eliminate the partial Mass without withdrawing
from the program.
My recommendation is to take a deep breath, forgive the miscommunication,
and hang in there, willingly lifting up the extra half-hour as a sacrifice
pleasing and acceptable to God knowing, not only the grace you will receive
from participating in the program, but the grace from being present at Mass.
In addition, hearing two homilies can't hurt if they are different
homilists.
It's easy for the Mass to become a drudgery and somewhat boring
so I understand why you don't want to spend an extra hour, but maybe
this is a good opportunity to cultivate some deeper appreciation for the
Mass. The other day during the liturgy I decided myself (realizing
how bored and distracted I was getting with the liturgy) to cultivate
my awareness of what was going on.
For example, many people don't realize
that Revelation chapters 4 and 5 and Hebrews chapter 12 are mystical descriptions
of the liturgy. The Mass is Heaven being brought down to earth; it's where
Heaven and earth kiss. In Revelation chapter 4, we see Jesus on a throne
with twenty-four elders in white garments, and seven torches. The priest
represents Jesus and the people on the altar represent the twenty-four
elders. The candles represent the torches. They are singing Holy,
Holy, Holy as
we do in the liturgy. (Not the same hymn, but a similar one.) Then there
is the Lamb, which is the Eucharist, the Lamb of God slain for our sins.
There is incense, which your parish may or may not use and there is an altar.
There are myriads of angels (Revelation 5:11)
which we also see in Hebrews 12:22.
Think of it — at every liturgy there are myriads of angels around
the altar. In Hebrews 12, we see there are saints present as well, and
the blood of Jesus, and the Heavenly Jerusalem. With this insight, we can the cultivate an appreciation
for the Eucharist. In a sense, this sacrifice we celebrate is the one sacrifice
of Christ on the Cross; mystically, during the Consecration, we are made
present at the foot of the Cross. The Jews were commanded to celebrate
the Passover; they slew the lamb, put its blood on their doorposts, and
ate its roasted flesh. Jesus, John the Baptist said, was the Lamb of God,
because he fulfilled that sign. He died so that the Angel of Death might pass over us, but first, we have to eat His Flesh and drink
His Blood.
It is in the Eucharist where that saving
sacrifice is communicated
to us. Lamb
of God, you take away the sins of the world; have mercy on us.
- It is the bread of Heaven (Nehemiah 9:15)
- symbolized by the manna
(John 6:31)
- the cup of
salvation (Psalm 116:13)
- It makes us partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)
- It is the fruit
of the tree of life in Genesis (Bishop John Elya)
- It is the medicine of
immortality (St. Ignatius of Antioch)
We become one flesh, one blood with
God when we consume Him; there is nothing on earth so holy as that Bread
of Life.
Think of the most holy thing you can imagine, the most impressive
and awe-inspiring relic, and the Eucharist, being God, is immeasurably
more holy than that, yet not only do you touch it, you eat it, and it becomes
part of your body! Not to put too fine a point on it, but when you consume
the Eucharist, you become God — what Jesus Christ is by nature, you start
to become by grace!
By now, you are probably regretting you asked your original question :-) but these are worthy things to meditate on during the liturgy especially
as we approach to receive Holy Communion. Then, God willing, you'll look forward to the
Liturgy of the Eucharist and Communion and truly want to go to Mass after
RCIA.
Eric
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