“This is a deserted place and it is already late”
“O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me! You are my rescuer, my help; O Lord, do not delay.” [1] Prayer and especially the Liturgy is the “deserted place” that we are called to by Jesus. How many times have we heard people say that Liturgy is boring? Whether it is Divine Liturgy (Mass) or Liturgy of Hours it is a move from our comfortable world into a “deserted place” where at times we fill out of place, bored and maybe uncomfortable. It is in this “deserted place” of the Liturgy that we call out for help. We call out for peace. Many times when we are uncomfortable, we move around and fidget. Our uncomfortable nature, especially when it comes to prayer and liturgy express to us how restless we truly are and that we can only rest in God.
How do we call out for help and peace in the Liturgy? The beginning of Liturgy of the Hours begins with, “God, come to my assistance, Lord, make hast to help me.” In this Gospel there is a need. The people are hungry. In our hearts there is the same need, we are hungry. The disciples, realizing the need of the people and of themselves, turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, make hast to help us.” One of the greeting that can be used during the introductory rite at Mass is, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” [2] If a Bishop is saying Mass instead of the usual, “The Lord be with you,” the Bishop says, “Peace be with you.” At the beginning of both the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours we seek and ask for peace. A peace that will give us rest in our uncomfortable nature.
In the Divine Liturgy [3] the Litany of Peace describes this need for peace in our life. We go to the “deserted place” to find this peace that we so long for. After each sentence that the priest prays, the response of the people is “Lord, have Mercy”. In peace, let us pray to the Lord. For peace from on high, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord. For peace in the whole world, for the well-being of the holy Churches of God and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord. For this holy church and for all who enter it with faith, reverence and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord. For our holy universal Supreme Pontiff N . . ., the Pope of Rome, for our most Reverend Archbishop and Metropolitan N . . . , for our God-loving Bishop N . . ., for the venerable priesthood, the diaconate in Christ, for all clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord. For our civil authorities and all our armed forces, let us pray to the Lord. For this city (or: for this village, or: for this holy monastery), for every city, country, and for all-living therein with faith, let us pray to the Lord. For good weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord. For those who travel by sea, air, and land, for the sick, the suffering, the captive, and for their safety and salvation, let us pray to the Lord. This Litany of Peace is at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy and expresses our hunger for peace.
In the Roman Rite a well-known plea for peace comes right after the Our Father, where the priest prays, “Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.” [4]
Liturgical Prayer (Mass, Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours) naturally creates a “deserted place” for us, by placing our self in the presence of God and having us call out to God. We should and can create this “deserted place” each time we pray. Jesus says, “When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” [5] The inner room does not have to be a physical location, but rather the inner room of our soul.
How is the Mass like the feeding of the five thousand? At the Mass the priest prays, “On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.” [6] The Priest is in Persona Christi, in the person of Christ and thus performs the same actions and says the same words as Jesus. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.” [7] At the end of the feeding of the five thousand, “They all ate and were satisfied.” They were at peace. We too should be at peace after receiving our Lord in the Eucharist. We should be able to live out the dismal prayer, “Go in peace.” [8]
Chapter 13 and 14 of Saint Matthew’s Gospel also follow the structure of the two parts of the Mass. Chapter 13 speaks of parables as Christ the Good Teacher preaches the Word of God to us in the mystery of parables. This is the Liturgy of the Word. In chapter 14 we have the feeding of the five thousand, in which Jesus feed us in a mysterious and miraculous way, this is the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
[1] Psalm 70(69): 2, 3
[2] The Order of the Mass
[3] Byzantine Rite – Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom
[4] Order of the Mass; Source: http://usccb.org/romanmissal/order-of-mass.pdf
[5] Matthew 6:6
[6] Order of the Mass; Source: http://usccb.org/romanmissal/order-of-mass.pdf
[7] Gospel in this Link to Liturgy packet
[8] Order of the Mass; Source: http://usccb.org/romanmissal/order-of-mass.pdf