And in the Beginning...

Hello, and welcome to this little experiment of mine.

First, a little information about me.  I am a senior history student at American University in Washington, DC.  On weekends I'm a lay altar server at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic Church in North America.

I started this blog mainly for two reasons: 1. As a sort of practical guide for serving Mass with some theological insight (if anyone ends up reading this), and 2. as an exercise for my own benefit.  Just as it is up to priests to ensure the reverence of the Mass, an important issue in this era, servers also have a large part in portraying a sense of the sacred.  

If you are like me, you have noticed that sometimes altar servers in local parishes leave something to be desired.  Some don't pay attention, aren't dressed appropriately, and don't know where they should be or what they should be doing.  In other cases, servers believe that they are merely actors in some sort of religious entertainment that they are performing for the audience.  Perhaps one of the most telling things I've heard about this came out of a young altar server's mouth after Mass.  To his mother this server said, "Boy, it's hot up there on stage."  How unfortunate that this boy thought he was on stage rather than knowing he was in the same sanctuary as his truly present Lord, or that he played a role in the sum total of man's ascension toward God.

While a server must be mindful and proud of this very important role in the liturgy, one must not let pride become a  barrier to the true worship that all owe to God.  A good altar server will always execute his duties accurately, but a great altar server will execute his duties accurately without ever drawing undue attention to himself.  The server must be an example to the congregation of self-denial and the offering of oneself with Christ on the altar.  For this reason, the altar server should always ask for God's grace to perform his duties while still preserving the"awe of transcendence."  

With that introduction out of the way, I will make every effort to post as frequently as I can.  Please feel free to leave comments of encouragement, critique, questions, or anything (well, almost anything) that comes to mind.  I hope you enjoy reading and that you learn a little something in the process.