- Laura Kelly Fanucci, OSV News
"When I'm late for Mass, everyone looks at me disapprovingly. When I'm late for a meeting (of Alcoholics Anonymous), everyone stands up and applauds, because they know I almost didn't get there. The paradox of this story left me speechless: the testimony of a recovering alcoholic who found a warmer welcome at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the church basement than in the sanctuary itself. However, it is never too late to go to church.
Understanding, and praying
For several years now, I have been paying attention to those who come late to church. I grew up in a family of seven, and many times we would enter the church when it was late. Mass had already begun.
That's why I've long understood how difficult it can be to leave the house and arrive on time on Sunday mornings.
But families with young children are not the only ones. First-time parish visitors, people with reduced mobility, parishioners without reliable transportation, teenagers who sneak into the last pew....
Could have been left out
At almost every Mass, I see someone arrive late. I decided to start praying for those who do not arrive at the time Mass begins because, like the alcoholic who hesitates at the door of his meeting, they could have been left out. And how sad it would be to miss the banquet of the Eucharist!
I once heard a gym teacher say, as she held the gym door open a few minutes longer. 'I always think the person who is late did it for a reason.' What a generous response to human frailty, and what a gracious acknowledgement that, on difficult days, being on time can be even more complicated.
Jesus' attitude
If we pride ourselves on being punctual (since the notion of punctuality varies according to culture), we may find it difficult to accept unpunctuality. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus makes those who are diligent and on time uncomfortable. At the end of the day, all the workers receive the same wage, even those who arrived late and worked less (Mt 20:1-16).
As Catholics trying to live our faith, how do we respond to this parable today? Do we complain about others, resentful that God is merciful? Or do we give thanks, recognizing that we too need mercy and forgiveness?
We do not know the reality of others
We cannot always know the reality of others, the reason why they were late that morning or were about to miss Mass that Sunday. Let us give thanks to God, who tells us that, in his Kingdom, the last will be first and the first will be last.
Each year, the Lent reminds us that there is still time. The first reading for Ash Wednesday is taken from the Book of Joel: "Even now, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart" (Joel 2:12). (Joel 2:12).
Even now, when we have sinned and are trapped in our own preoccupations, when the darkness of the world and the forces of evil beset us, God calls us again to repent and return to the way of truth and love. It is never too late to return home.
Never too late
If you have not yet begun a Lenten practice, there is still time. You might even pray for those who are late for Mass, to soften your heart and understand them as Christ does. After all, if we do not welcome others as Christ does, how can we expect them to ever come back, or to try to be on time if they decide to return?
It is never too late to return to God, never too late to go to church, never too late to open your heart. "Even now, saith the Lord, come back to me." Even now, we are in time.
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This text is a translation of an article first published in OSV News. You can find the original article here.
