The Dawn Patrol

When I was a young adult, about 24 years old, I went through a period where my faith was being deepened and I began to attend Mass more than just on Sundays. When possible, I went to daily morning Mass. In my suburban parish, there were not too many young people attending daily Mass. The congregation was mostly made up of those who were well established in their careers or retirees. My old pastor would consistently refer to this small cohort in the pews as the “Dawn Patrol.” This turn of phrase seemed a bit comical to me as I pictured the members of the congregation, many old and bent over. Interesting, I thought…what a gallant and heroic term to associate with us. Certainly, the pastor’s phrase had a certain convivial quality about it; however, I enjoyed it. It was nice to be a “sentry” of the “Dawn Patrol.”

Now that I am a pastor, I have thought more about that simple phrase. It means more to me now. I have thought the phrase all the more appropriate to the morning Mass devotees. I see them very much now as a great pillar for our parish.

I did a little research and discovered that there was an old classic movie from the 1930’s called The Dawn Patrol.  It was a war movie, and it recalled the bravery of young men who blazed a trail of heroism across the skies and fields of Europe during world War I.  The trailer to the film praised the men whose “gallantry thundered across the pages of history” and declared it a story that “writes its message on the hearts of the world.”

At first glance, the heroism of these men seemed to have no connection to the morning Mass crowd. Maybe my pastor’s phrase was just a little too outlandish; but no…not at all. We often describe our faith journey as a “spiritual battle.” Each of us has this war inside and has to engage in the most significant struggle of our lives…the fight for our soul. Therein lies the most meaningful crusade. It is a quest of eternal consequences.

In the popular song from the 1970’s, Morning Has Broken, you find the lyrics…

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God’s recreation of the new day

Many early mornings when I see the faithful coming to Mass, I think of this song. It is as if the daily Mass-goers are responding to the call of God from the break of light…the light that is beginning to rise from the dark night…the light that casts its glow in the morning sky…the light that warms the earth and shifts the winds. They are arriving to begin their day at the feet of the Divine Master and to unite their prayers and sacrifices to the eternal sacrifice that wins our salvation. I believe it truly is the prayers of the daily Mass-goers that provide a pillar for our whole parish community. Every morning we pray for the sick and needy of our parish and, in one way or another, that includes all of us. The morning Mass-goers are, indeed, the Dawn Patrol that invites Christ into every day.

The Church teaches that the Mass is Christ’s sacrifice made present again. It’s not recalled, as if it had been absent or was merely a past event. It’s re-presented. Thus, when we go to Mass, we are connected to the life-giving power of these saving events that enable us to make all things new. Since the Son, our Lord Jesus, has generously made us members of his Body, we ourselves are offering to the Father the sacrifice that pleases him most:  the perfect offering of his perfect Son.

Some might think it foolhardy to take that brave first step out of the warm morning bed to march off to church. They might say…heck, I can get thirty minutes more of sleep; but that does not phase our morning Mass-goers. They are the Dawn Patrol, sentries that stand watch for the return of the King.