You Can Leave Your Coat On

I have never seen a coat check at a Catholic Church. Nor have I ever been to a church where people take off their coats for Mass. I don't think this is incidental. Rather, I think it says alot about how we as Catholics understand what it is that we are doing when we celebrate the Eucharist. It is not primarily a social event. We are not there to relax and "stay awhile." Rather we are meant to witness something great that God intends to do in our midst , and then we are to go straight out to proclaim it to others. We are not meant to linger as the apostles did when Jesus ascended to heaven and the angel had to snap them out of their trance and remind them to get back to Jerusalem to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Nor are we meant to set up tents as Peter wanted to do at Jesus' transfiguration because "it is good for us to be here." Rather we are to heed the instructions God gave Moses regarding the celebration of the passover: "You are to eat with your staff in your hand and your bags packed like men about to make a journey." The Mass is a stop along the way. It is like pulling into a roadside service center where we grab something to eat, use the restroom, fill up the car and head back out onto the highway.

Interestingly enough, the word "Mass" is taken from the Latin ending of the liturgy "Ita missa est" which we translate in English as "The Mass has ended, go in peace." The deacon or priest in essence says, "The Mass has ended, go!" "Missa" is related to the word "mission". We are sent forth from Mass to proclaim the Good News to everyone we meet. So we keep our coats on because we'll be back out on the road soon to love and serve the Lord!