Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I want to tell you about a very important meeting I had with the bishop recently. He called me up and he wanted me to come downtown to his office. He told me that it was a very important meeting. He wanted to talk to me and to get my thoughts on some very important things. He said the meeting could change my life. Now you all know the bishop. He is a very important person. He is a very powerful person in our diocese.

When I was ordained, I made a promise that I would be obedient to the bishop. This promise that I made to him means that when he asks me to do something, I am called to obey... To do what he asks me to do. Since I made that promise, I needed to do that or I would be a hypocrite. So he wanted to meet with me and because I made this promise to be obedient, I told him that I would be there. Plus, he said the meeting would change my life.

Our meeting was scheduled for 12:30 PM on Friday. I have to be honest with you, I was really busy that day. There were many things to do around the house. I had some cooking and cleaning to do. I needed to go to the store. There were things that I had to do at work, too. There were phone calls and meetings, and I had to talk to the staff. Eventually, it was 12:30 PM and I was still at home and I was wearing a t-shirt, some shorts, and flip flops.

I knew that I better get to his office downtown. It is like 20 minutes from here. I didn't bother to change my clothes. By the time I got there, he had already started this very important meeting. When he saw me, he looked disappointed When I got to his office, I was hungry, so I took out some candy that I had in my pocket and started eating it right in front of him. I couldn't find a trash can, so I threw the wrapper on the floor and then, I wanted a piece of gum and so I put a piece of gum in my mouth and threw the wrapper on the floor too. I don't think he was too happy that I was late and that I was eating food and throwing wrappers on the floor, but I was just thinking about me, I guess. I'm sure there are people who clean up his office any way. So I didn't worry about it.

Next, he started talking to me but I had my cell phone and it started to ring. That was so embarrassing. I guess I should have turned it off before I went to see the bishop because he did want to talk with me. While he was talking, I got up and went to the bathroom and got a drink of water even though I didn't really have to go, but I got up and walked out right when he was talking to me. I also wanted to call my friend back.

Then when I was ready, I went back to talk with the bishop some more. I don't think he was too happy that I walked out during the meeting. So anyway, he was talking and I got bored and I yawned and then I started looking around his office at different things and I wasn't even listening to him. I started to look at my watch and I started to daydream, too.

Finally, I had enough and while he was still talking, I got up and I walked out. I had other things to do and I didn't care if he was done or not because I was ready to leave. Actually, there wasn't anything more important but I was ready to go and I didn't really care if he was done or not. Could you imagine if this really happened?

Of course, by now you may have figured out that this story about my meeting with the bishop did not really happen. I would never be late for a meeting with the bishop on purpose. I would never leave my cell phone on or eat in front of him during an important meeting and I certainly would not throw wrappers on his floor.

I would not get up and go to the bathroom just because I felt like needed some fresh air. If I had a meeting with the bishop I would certainly not wear shorts and flip flops or a t-shirt. I would do my best to pay attention to him when he was talking to me and respond to him out of respect. And lastly, I would not walk out of his office while he was still talking. No, I did not really have a meeting with the bishop but if I did, I hope I would give him the respect and attention he deserves.

My brothers and sisters, when we come to Mass, we come to the most important meeting of our life. When we come to Mass, we are meeting Christ. It does not get more important. There is nothing more important, no restaurant, no sporting event, no vacation, no phone call, nothing is more important than our meeting with Our Lord. When we were baptized, we made a promise to live as a Christian. We promised to make God the most important thing in our life. When we received our First Communion we promised to make Mass the most important part of our life.

When we come to Mass, we show up on time. We come ready to pray and to receive Our Lord. That means we fast for one hour before Mass by not eating anything, including gum. It means we also fast from drinks other than water. When we come to Mass, we wear our best clothes. This is the most important meeting of our life. If you were going to a business meeting, if you were going to prom, if you were going to meet the president or a king or queen of a great nation, you would dress up. You would not wear immodest clothes that would be a distraction for others. You would not complain that it was too hot. You wouldn't care. At Holy Mass, we need to do likewise, out of respect for Our Lord.

Lastly, when you come to Holy Mass, one does not sit back and be bored. If you were lucky enough to go to a World Series game and it was tied in the 9th inning and you were sitting behind home plate... you would pay attention. You would be involved and you would participate in every moment of the game. You would most likely not have come late to that game and you definitely would not leave early. You probably would have spent a lot of money on the tickets for the game but would not have complained about the price.

Holy Mass is infinitely more important than the World Series. Let us pray that we will never confuse the two. Let us pray that we make Holy Mass the most important thing we will ever do... Simply because it is.

I am grateful to the many parishioners who understand the importance of Holy Mass and give it the due honor and respect Our Lord deserves. Let us continue to encourage each other to come to Our Lord and experience the incredible gift of Holy Mass.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline

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