Building and Blessing

By Ann Marie Eckert

I was on vacation up in Banff, Alberta, Canada a few weeks ago and attended Mass with the community gathered there. A funny thing happened when we got to Institution Narrative in the Eucharistic Prayer: everyone, it seemed, did their own thing. There were people kneeling, standing, and sitting. We all stood again for the Our Father and the Sign of Peace, and then we went back to doing our own thing. I was surprised that the congregation didn't help us visitors know what was "appropriate." It wasn't until the end of Mass when the priest asked people where they were from that I understood the problem. Eighty percent of the people in the pews were visitors to Banff that day! No wonder the "regulars" weren't leading the way!

The priest said something interesting at the very end, acknowledging our lack of cohesiveness. In an off-handed way he said something like, "You kneel, you stand, it doesn't matter. We are all gathered around the same Eucharist."

I appreciated his vision in that moment. I travel a lot so I am sensitive to trying to follow the norms of the local church. Some places kneel, others stand. I am comfortable with both. I just want to do what others are doing so that we have unity around the altar. But this particular priest seemed to recognize that our posture isn't what is really important. What is important is building up the Kingdom of God, becoming the Body of Christ, and having the strength of the Eucharist for that mission.

The group Who Do You Say I Am sings a Trevor Thomson song called Building and Blessing that really speaks to the ways that the Eucharist is our gathering place for mission. They sing:

Gather your people, O God, at your table.
Neighbor and friend; stranger or foe,
We who are gathered are called into mission;
Building and blessing,
Becoming the body of Christ.

Usually when I am away from home and attending Mass, I feel like a visitor within an established community. What was so different about my Banff experience is that almost the whole community was made up of visitors — strangers to each other. And yet we weren't. The table, the Eucharist, does draw us together as one.

As so many parishes throughout the country are merging and twinning, struggling to come together, I wish we could set aside the things that are different about our church experiences to focus on the things that unite us. People get so caught up in their own local experience of church that they forget that we are much bigger than any one building or community. But we have to be able to see that the church is all of us, and that each parish has gifts to share. Coming together brings newness and life into our communities.

We must face the reality of our situation. We are called to a mission that involves

Building and blessing
Becoming the body.
Working and loving,
Building and blessing
Becoming the body of Christ.

That mission can be strengthened around any Eucharistic table, with friends and with strangers. Let us not lose site of that! As the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us:

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:1-2)

Let us pray together:

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
This is our prayer, God, taught to us by your Son and prayed by believers around the world. Give us strength and hope for this mission. Amen.

Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.