A visiting friend chose Saint Peter Claver as the next parish to visit on my Year of Faith journey. Nestled on the West-side of Detroit, the parish was called Precious Blood Catholic Church until merging with St. Francis de Sales a few years back.
Upon entering the church, we were greeted and hugged by those already gathered for Mass. Later, during the Sign of Peace the entire congregation made sure no one person was left out of the peaceful tidings. And what amazed us more was after Mass there was no quick goodbye. You couldn't just get up and leave, rushing to the closest exit. Outstretched hands and embracing arms where all around ready to draw you into conversation. There was no quick goodbye as the entire congregation was eager to converse and inquire. I felt as though I was at a family reunion. Or like those childhood times when my mother would pick me up from a friend's house and announce "let me just say 'goodbye' and then we will be on our way". We knew then that we had at least thirty more precious minutes of play time because there were no such thing as a quick goodbye.
Here is a congregation gathered in the House of the Lord that desires to participate in Mass. Church is not an obligation to the congregation of St. Peter Claver. And yet so often church services are treated as just one more obligation in our week. Mass is often reduced to a time frame, a block of time in our schedules. Mass should feel more like those relished moments of childhood when your mother says goodbye and you know deep down it won't be a quick. It will be a goodbye where you can savor and love each and every extra minute.
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