David Mills on Mass as "Heaven on Earth"

"A couple of rows in front me at Mass, sitting at the outside end of the row, was a man caring for another, severely disabled, man. The second made abrupt loud noises and sometimes jerked his legs or arms. The row in front of them and to their right ended at the pillar, leaving an empty space between the pillar and the aisle. There they weren't pinned into the pew, though they were denied a view of the altar.

"At the Eucharistic Prayer, the first man held the second man as they together stood up and shuffled a few steps up to the kneeler. As they knelt, he wrapped his right arm around his friend's back. His left arm must have gone around the man's chest and locked arms with the other one, probably with his left hand holding the top of the pew. . . .

"I missed most of the prayer because I was just looking at the two men, and our Savior, and His Mother. At the altar beyond the end of the aisle was the picture of a royal, eternal triumph, symbolizing the world from which God has wiped away the tears from every eye, where there is no more death, or mourning, or pain, or sorrow. Those things will have passed away."

In a recent commentary, writer David Mills reflected on how, at this Mass, he witnessed "Heaven enacted, in that man who held his friend so tightly as they worshiped their Lord."

To access Mr. Mill's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: David Mills: The day the Mass truly became "Heaven on Earth" for me (17 SEP 17)