Homily by Fr Richard Rosse – 5th Sunday of Lent, Year A (22 March 2026)
The readings today certainly turn our attention to heavenly and supernatural things. By raising Lazarus from the dead and, as it were, giving him back to his sisters Jesus is definitely performing a miracle, something that is supernatural. In the Second reading St Paul speaks to us of having our interests in the spiritual and not in the unspiritual. For us, friends, the spiritual and supernatural will not happen in the miraculous. It is in the concreteness of the celebration of sacraments that we see the spiritual, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. For that reason, let us mediate on some matters with regards to the proper disposition for celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, some you have heard me mention before and one which is addressed for the first time.
Lateness is the worst antidote to having the best experience of the Mass and, as such, it is vital to be seated five minutes before Mass starts. Once we are seated, the only person that we should talk to is God and not the person next to us. Again, people around us deserve silence if they want to pray before Mass. Many many people have mentioned to me being disturbed as the result of talking just before Mass. Again, Mass is not finished until the blessing and dismissal have taken place. Also, immediately after Mass, it is important to allow the people who want to pray to be able to do that, so silence is necessary.
One of the matters about which it is good to hear again is the matter of the manner of receiving Holy Communion. The universal norm for receiving Holy Communion is on the tongue, whether kneeling or standing. A dispensation was given by the Holy See in 1973 for Holy Communion to be distributed on the hand in Australia. It is the choice of every person how he or she receives Holy Communion. If you choose to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, please do make sure that you put your tongue out so that the minister of Holy Communion can put the Blessed Sacrament on your tongue. If you choose to receive on the hand, please make sure that you present your hand at the level of your chest and that you have your palm open wide and flat. It is very important to try your best not to drop the Blessed Sacrament on the floor and having your hand flat will help in making sure that happens. Please don’t have your hands on an angle but make sure that your hand is completely open and your palm is flat. Most importantly, once you have received Holy Communion, it is very important that you consume immediately. It is not the right thing to do to walk away with the Blessed Sacrament or to consume while walking. Receiving Holy Communion should be done with the utmost respect for the sacred species. Our ministers of Holy Communion are tasked with making sure that happens and sometimes will follow and ask you to consume if that doesn’t happen immediately.
The other matter that needs discussion is clapping. When people come and exercise a ministry at Mass, it is not a performance but simply that they are helping with a ministry in church which is out of service. Clapping at the end of Mass after the last hymn gives the impression that the choir has just performed and that is why clapping happens. Music ministry is ministry and not performance, and again ministry and does not need to be clapped. As a point of reference, we do not clap after the readers leave the sanctuary to return to their seat after they have exercised their ministry of reading nor do we clap when the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion go back to their seats after having exercised their ministry. There is also no need to clap when someone has addressed us after the Prayer after Communion. This might happen when we need to share news with you, or when someone talks to us about a project or a fundraising activity. Occasionally, there will be a valid reason to clap at Mass when that is the way we, as a people, show our assent to something that has happened or when we congratulate someone for an important milestone like someone having joined a ministry or celebrated a sacrament.
Today on the 5th Sunday of Lent we cover our crucifix, statues and holy images. This tradition of covering statues during Lent carries profound spiritual significance, inviting us to delve deeper into the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice and our journey of conversion. When we walk into church and notice everything is covered, we immediately know something is different. These last two weeks of Lent are meant to be a time of immediate preparation for the Sacred Triduum, and these veils are a forceful reminder to get ready. The Church uses veils to produce a heightened anticipation for Easter Sunday. This act of veiling is not meant to leave us in despair or sorrow. Instead, it is a call to deeper reflection and spiritual renewal. It invites us to strip away the world’s distractions and focus on the profound mystery of God’s love revealed in Christ’s sacrifice. As we journey for the last weeks of the desert of Lent, we are called to imitate Christ’s humility and self-emptying love. By covering the statues, we are reminded of the call to embrace the austerity of Lent—fasting, prayer, and almsgiving—as we strive to grow closer to God and one another.