Each Sunday and holy day of obligation our ushers diligently take a count pertaining to attendance. The total for this 8am Mass has been roughly 260 with an average Sunday Mass attendance for the weekend of 1,585. This number takes into account all who physically pass through the doors of this church, but it is still way understated.
It is understated because there is one Mass which has been offered and time continues to stand still there. Therefore, all those who have, are, or will be attending Mass coincide at Calvary where time stands still. It is for this reason that Venerable Fulton Sheen had refereed to the Mass as the greatest love story ever told.
So too with every Mass is there “a great cloud of witnesses” around us. We are unable to see them with our human eyes, but the angels and saints are in our midst at the altar of sacrifice. When we proclaim the Gloria or the Sanctus we stand with this great cloud of witnesses as we say “Glory to God in the highest” and “Holy, holy, holy.”
One of the symbols of the church is the use of incense. Incense as mentioned in the Book of Psalms as taking our prayers to Heaven and as mentioned in the Book of Revelation around the altar of sacrifice as held by the angel. Truly the prayers that take place at this liturgy are lifted to Heaven by such a cloud of witnesses who give proper adoration to God.
This cloud of witnesses continue to be important for us because they are not just dead people. Rather, they are those who have been called home to Heaven to be numbered as the saints. They are those who lived for the Lord and came to persevere until the end. They pray for us in order that we may be good and faithful servants of the Lord.
So too we must strive to be saints like them. Temptation and sin remain a reality of our human existence, but we do not have to allow these to triumph over us. In the midst of such toils we must not grow weary and lose heart. Rather, we must entrust ourself to the gift of God’s grace and strive to be held in relationship with Him.
As those who have been baptized we have been incorporated into such a reality through the Church. The fruits of our baptism should always be allowed to remain active in our practice of faith. In such manner we allow the fulness of the Holy Spirit to propel us outward in order that the fire of faith may come to spread throughout the world.
May all the angels and saints of Heaven come to intercede for us this day to we may come to run this race to its conclusion. All the angels and saints of Heaven, pray for us.
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