Snup's View From the Back Pew: St. Maurus

So, what do you do when the Church you are at doesn't have Sunday Mass? Find another of course!

I ended up attend up at St. Maurus in Biehle. This is a nice, old stone church in a rural area. It was nicely decorated in side. The high altar was really neat with mosaics. Neat as in didn't expect to see something so nice.

The music was accompanied by an electric piano/organ and a small choir in the front of the church. The loft was used for extra seating.
Music:
Opening: Lord Who Throughout These 40 Days
Offertory: Psalm 42 (As the Deer Longs)
Communion: Seed, Scattered and Sown
Communion Meditation: Hail Mary
Closing: We Walk BY Faith.

Today is the 3rd Scrutiny for those entering the Church at Easter. At St. Maurus, there were 3-4 people who were entering the Church or getting Confirmed. That means the readings are different. It's supposed to be the story of Lazarus, which goes with the Blessing in the Scrutiny. We had the regular readings for today.

Father read his homily very fast. I could hardly keep up. I apologize now. I believe I got most of the jist.
Farmers are getting ready to plant. Before they can do that, they have to prepare the soil for planting. Farmers know that planting is so much more than putting seed into the ground. So is our Faith. It needs the right conditions. The Old Testament is all about getting us ready. Jesus Christ laid down His life to fruitful salvation. The old covenant was unfruitful because the people didn't obey. God would plant in hearts so that everyone would know how to live right. Jesus is a seed. Must plant and die then grow a new plant. So it is with our salvation. We must die to ourselves. We must die. Lent is about dying. Spiritual dying so we can come to Jesus Christ. Jesus' death is a result of our disobedience (ooops). Seed dying is Jesus dying on the cross for our salvation and redeem us. This erases the claim the devil has on us. We have been redeemed. Now that redemption must be applied. We must die to self. Jesus learned obedience. To be Christian, we must be obedient. Jesus was obedient to the Will of God. He could have said no. The death of Jesus teaches us obedience. This Sunday used to be called Passion Sunday. We used to cover statues, which is still allowed. We are entering into Passiontide, getting ready for the holiest week of the year. The lesson is to be obedient. At every Mass we bring up bread and wine. We are brining ourselves to Christ, who takes us to God. Those hosts represent us. Many of us to make a host and work together. We become one in Jesus. We offer ourselves to Christ. Priest, acting in persona Christi, offers us to God. Many of us would like to be the foot of the cross with Mary, John and the Holy Women (uhm no. I'm a wuss.) At Mass, we are at the foot of the cross mystically. We give ourselves to God obediently at the Mass. Father then talked a bit about walking the Stations in the Holy Land.

Father had a chalice veil and burse. He used Eucharistic Prayer I and there were bells.

Pictures: