Out with the Old and in with the New . . .

Ooh, I was so excited this morning. I was up at the crack of dawn to get to church for Mass this morning.

Our Parish Priest has decided to begin using the New Translation of the Missal at the weekday Masses this week to help ease the transition into using the new translation for everyone this coming Sunday.

Being a Bank Holiday, there were fewer than usual at Mass this morning, probably not many more than a dozen of us.

We were all clasping our new Order of Mass sheets, eager to join in with the new responses on cue.

Our PP has been gradually introducing some of the new texts over the past few weeks so the regular parishioners should already be familiar with some of them. I have been saying some of the basic new responses such as 'and with your spirit' and 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed' under my breath too to try and get them into my head so that they become automatic.

As several other people have commented, one of the positive side-effects of the new translation is that it makes one much more aware of the words being spoken, both by the celebrant and the congregation. It's interesting how much of the liturgy is so ingrained in our minds that just a few minor alterations, make one's ears prick up and many heads were lifted today when the old, familiar words were replaced with new, and usually, more fitting ones.

Today, our priest used the First Eucharist Prayer which I think is the most beautiful anyway, but it was so very meaningful because every word made a mark today, at least for me.

I must say, I think we acquitted ourselves very well for a first attempt. Hopefully by Friday, we'll all be beginning to feel a little more at home with the new translation and be able to give a bit of a lead to others on Sunday.

Perhaps the real challenge will be to see how we get on with the Gloria and the Creed which of course we don't say during the week.

Immaculate Heart of Mary . .

Today we celebrated the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

There's something special about a weekday Mass. Whilst it's lovely to go to Mass on a Sunday with a full church in a very active parish - with all that entails; there's something about the silences of a Mass during the week that is very appealing.

Today's Mass was even more prayerful than usual. It's difficult to put one's finger on the reason for this. Sometimes I just feel that God is more tangibly present. I think it has something to do with the silences.

God is able to enter into our hearts much more easily in the silences than in the hustle and bustle. Or perhaps it's just me and that I find I'm more receptive and ready to listen and hear what God is saying to me in the silence.

Whatever the reason, I found myself so deep in prayer after Holy Communion this morning, I missed my cue to switch on the digital organ to play the pre-recorded final hymn. I just came back down to earth with a jolt when I noticed our parish priest about to leave the sanctuary to switch the machine on himself as the person he had designated to do so was lost in rapture!

Miserable weather but Sundays are never miserable days . . .

A miserable wet day here in soggy Surrey but Sundays are always sunny in many ways.

The Pater Familias arrived home safely from his latest business trip. Interesting that his plane left two hours late but managed to arrive only an hour and a half behind schedule. How do they do that? And is it legal? They must have been over the speed limit to make up half an hour! What is the speed limit for a jumbo jet, anyway?

It was too late for a family lunch so we had family supper instead which meant a lovely restful time after morning Mass before anything important needed doing at home.

After catching up with a few jobs and having a peek at Twitter, Our Eldest and I made our way back to church for Rosary and Benediction. I know I say this nearly every week but is is becoming one of the highlights of my week.

I couldn't find a video which includes all the same settings of the hymns that we sing (O Salutaris , Tantum Ergo etc.) and all of Benediction but this video is beautiful and one of the best I could find of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Ash Wednesday . . .

I wonder how many parishes still produce their own palm ash by burning last year's palms? I imagine the local 'Elf 'n' Safety' brigade would have a few things to say about you setting up your brazier in the middle of the church car park and setting to with a little conflagration!

Or, do the majority receive their ashes in nice neat little packets from a church supplies company? Either way, it doesn't really matter, I suppose. They are just as valid a sign of our repentance and intention to persevere with our Lenten endeavours whether the ashes are 'home-grown' or 'mass produced'.

I went on my own to Mass this morning as the Pater Familias is still in foreign parts and Number One Son decided to use up a day of his outstanding leave and go up to St Bede's, Clapham Park for Mass.

This year, Ash Wednesday falls during Half-Term for our local schools so it was good to see a fair number of children at Mass too. They would normally receive their Ashes at school.

Like most of the signs and symbols used in the liturgy during the Church's year, the imposition of ashes has a visual impact which produces an emotional response. That's one of the purpose of symbols, after all, I suppose. It is very impressive to see queues of people returning from the sanctuary step with the sign of the cross marked in ash on their forehead. And when it is your turn and you stand before the priest yourself, those words, 'Memento homo . . . ' or whatever form is used, I find profoundly moving.

Busy bees . . .

My 'manic Monday' is fast becoming a 'manic week'.

I'm joining the parish outing to The Friars at Aylesford on Friday with Number One Son to venerate the relics of Ste Thérèse. I'm looking forward to this naturally but it means I'll have a day less in the office so tomorrow will be a bit of a rush to get everything done in time for the weekend.

On Saturday the Pater Familias and I will be going to St John's Seminary, Wonersh for the Teams of Our Lady Gathering. 140 members of Teams in the South East will be coming together for talks, workshops, lunch together and finishing with Mass.

We have a clash as we also have a company 'do' in the evening so have to leave Wonersh in the afternoon to go and get 'spruced up' for dinner in the evening.

We're treating ourselves to an overnight stay at the hotel where the office function is being held - I'm really looking forward to that - especially the breakfast! This means of course that we'll miss our usual morning Mass and go to Mass on Sunday evening which this week is followed by a bit of a social to welcome new parishioners to our parish. We'll be going along as 'old hands' to welcome the newcomers.

After that I'll be ready to go home and put my feet up - hooray!

The things people say . . .

Sometimes I'm struck by the slightly amusing and misleading expressions I hear used by fellow-parishioners.

I don't know if it's peculiar to our parish but I suspect not. Have you ever played the game 'Pictionary'? It involves someone drawing a picture and the opposing person or team having to guess what phrase or expression the drawing is supposed to represent.

How about this one?

At the risk of sounding like Rolf Harris, 'do you know what it is yet?'

Some people I know when talking about going to Mass have a habit of saying, ' I took Mass at St John's (or St Joseph's or whichever church they attended for Sunday Mass.) Am I the only one who finds this odd? Just where are they taking the Holy Mass to, I wonder and how are they able to transport it?

Here's another one. When our children had just celebrated their First Holy Communion and were thinking about becoming altar servers, several of the other mothers would say something along the lines of, 'Oh, I do like to see my son on the altar'.

The picture above is my version of the image this has always conjured up in my head when I hear this. It still makes me smile when I hear it.

Does anyone else have any other similar expressions that make them smile, I wonder?