Padre’s Points to Ponder – 12/12/25
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Blessed Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday to you all!
Every Sunday, we walk through the doors of the church carrying many things with us: our joys and worries, our children and calendars, our successes and failures from the rest of the week. And yet, once we enter the sacred space of the church, the Church gently asks something of us: to act differently here.
This is not about being stiff or unfriendly, nor about creating an atmosphere of judgment. It is about recognizing where we are and Whom we have come to meet. At Mass, heaven touches earth. Christ becomes truly present, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity upon our altar. When we grasp that reality, decorum naturally follows.
I propose a few simple acts that matter greatly, and reap powerful fruits. Arriving on time when we are able. Dressing in a way that reflects reverence rather than routine. Allowing for prayerful silence in church both before and after Mass. Genuflecting slowly and deliberately to show we know the One before whom we kneel. Being kind to parents with squeaky children. Scooting to make room for people running late. Refraining from clapping at the end of Mass, as the music ministry was not there for entertainment but for sacred worship.
None of these practices earn us God’s love. But they express it. Just as we instinctively would adjust our behavior when we enter a courtroom or attend a wedding, so too the sacred liturgy asks us to give God our focused attention and our best selves, to treat that hour as different, as sacred. Reverence is not about perfection, but rather intention.
Especially in a noisy and hurried world, the church should feel like an oasis: a place where our posture, our speech, and our silence proclaim something different: This matters. He matters.
Let us help one another cultivate that spirit. In doing so, we not only honor the Lord present among us; we teach our children, our visitors, and our own hearts how to recognize the sacred when we encounter it.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor