I’m back home from AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with a dear friend of mine who is a private pilot. Attending “Oshkosh”, as many in the general aviation community will say, with my friend has been on my proverbial bucket list for many years. AirVenture, as it is actually called, is an annual air show extravaganza that draws pilots and aviation enthusiasts in from around the world. Total attendance for the week-long show is over 600,000!
Sunday morning, the first full day at Oshkosh, while sitting next to the taxiway near our campsite I was praying Morning Prayer. I looked up (a reflex action) when I heard a plane passing by. In front of me was this red and white plane with “Faith” painted on the tail. Not a bad way to start the day and the week! 
A bit later that morning my friend and I attended Mass at an outdoor theater they set up for worship services of various denominations. Over 400 show attendees took time to praise and thank our God.
While the draw of the air show is aircraft of all shapes and sizes, there is something more that goes on during the week which can be summarized in a single word – relationships. AirVenture becomes an annual “family reunion” of sorts where relationships are started or fostered. Friends and families from across the country or around the world get together among the rows and rows and rows of planes to catch up and spend time together. Friends and families getting together and reconnecting, is as big a part of AirVenture as are the planes.
I mention this because during my time in Oshkosh it occurred to me Mass is like AirVenture. The sacrifice of the Mass is the draw, but the relationship with God, and our brothers and sisters, is also a big part of coming together on Sundays. God wants a relationship with us, in good times and in challenging times. He wants us to spend time with him catching up, hearing from us, but also taking time to hear from Him.
AirVenture takes place one week of the year, but the relationships made there can last a lifetime. Mass is an hour a week for many, but the relationship made there with God is intended for eternity.
In the Peace of Christ,
Deacon Mike