Pope in Fort Smith

Trinity Junior High School Retreat

        

Did you happen to hear where the pope is this week?  He’s just south of the border in Mexico.  And do you know who he’s visiting while he’s in Mexico?  He’s going to the poorest places, to the slums, where there’s violence and corruption, where drug lords and gang leaders run the town not the mayor or the police.  He’s not going to Cancun or Puerta Vallarta and sit on the beach to work on his tan; he’s not visiting the rich and famous.  Imagine for a minute you are the pope -- wearing a white robe and a little white beenie -- and could fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?  Would you go to the poorest places or the richest resorts?  If Pope Francis came to Fort Smith, which part of town do you think he would visit?

          Now, when he visits a town, what does he do there?  Well, he invariably celebrates Mass.  Why?  Well, that’s just what Catholics do, who knows why?!  The reason Catholics do that, especially the pope, is because the Mass is the most excellent expression of Jesus’ love for us.  And because Jesus is “emotionally intelligent,” he’s made sure the Mass contains all five “love languages” that we’ve learned today.  He knows we don’t all speak the same love language.  You see, the pope doesn’t just celebrate Mass in Spanish and English and Polish, he also knows the languages of “words of affirmation,” and “physical touch,” and “gifts” and “quality time” and finally “acts of service.”

          Can you find the five love languages in the Mass?  Where is “words of affirmation”?  After the priest reads the gospel, we all say, “Praised be to you, Lord Jesus Christ!”  We affirm Jesus -- we praise him -- with our words.  Where is “physical touch”?  At the sign of peace, we turn to our neighbor and shake their hands.  Some families hug.  We touch each other.  What about “quality time”?  Well, we should be giving Jesus our undivided attention at Mass -- not thinking about the cute girl sitting in front of us!  Mass time is Jesus time.  Where do we see “acts of service” at Mass?  Well, just look at our lectors, altar servers and cantors.  We don’t pay them to do that; they serve us and Jesus as a language of love.  Finally, “gifts” -- where are they?  We bring up the gifts of bread and wine, and Jesus gives us the gift of himself in Holy Communion.  The Mass is a holy exchange of gifts because Jesus knows how to speak that love language fluently.

          Boys and girls, the Mass is a masterpiece of love: because Jesus has mastered all five love languages, and he speaks them in the Mass, and we’ll catch them if we pay careful attention.  The Good Lord knows each of us has our own love language, and so he speaks to us in our native tongue, just like the pope speaks Spanish while he’s in Mexico, and English when he came to the United States.  Every time you attend Mass, try to catch examples of the five love languages.  They will speak to your heart, because Jesus doesn’t want you to miss how much he loves you.  And that, by the way, is why the pope celebrates Mass everywhere he goes.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!