Remembering the chanting of the Great Litany on the first Sunday of Lent, Kennedy's reflection echos our need to be "involved" (Kennedy's word). As Kennedy points out, our worship comes alive when we are involved, or engaged in the worship instead of just reading the words on the page. We have to offer our own heart's desires along with our words to truly worship. It is then that we are ready to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.
I can tell you, it is painfully obvious to me as a Priest when I am just not "feeling it" on a given Sunday. Yes, there are times when I feel as if I am just reading the words off of a page. Thankfully, it doesn't happen often, but it does happen more than I thought it would while I was in Seminary. Likewise, it is painfully obvious when the congregation isn't "feeling it" on a given Sunday. Truth be told, when one complains about the service being "too long," they aren't complaining about the length, my opinion is they are making the point that they aren't engaged in the service, or at the very least, they are having trouble engaging in the service.
I find that when I am fully engaged, the service seems to only last minutes...when in fact, the actual time may be the longest service of the year. When one is in the presence of God, time is immaterial. If one is finding it hard to engage, one needs to look inside themselves to see what it is that is preventing the engagement. It may not always be the individual, and in fact, I have known it to be the service, or even the priest. However, human nature is to blame the other before we engage the self. As I have heard many times, especially in Lent, "the self, seeing where and how we interact with God and our relationship with God is key to who we are with God." Maybe then the (our) heart will return to our responses.
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