Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life

In the new translation of the Roman Missal the dismissal list four options for the Deacon or Priest to use. The options are: Go forth, the Mass is ended or Go in peace or Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord or the one I am drawn to: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.

What I truly like is that these are 4 distinct dismissals that, according to the Roman Missal, have no need for further editorial comment.  In other words, a few of my brother Deacons, and a Priest or two as well, have often ad-libbed their own dismissal.  These are the 4 we will use; period!

What is common in each of the dismissals is the word "Go".  This calls to mind the sending forth that we all understand in the Latin dismissal, ita missa est.  This conveys in English something go, you are sent.  And indeed we are sent forth at the end of Mass.  But to do what?  The dismissal, which we all respond, thanks be to God, is not, and has never been, meant to express thanks you God for getting this Mass to it's end.  All my many years in the pews I'm sure I've heard a few simple Thank God responses. 

When we leave our Sunday celebration of the Mass we are to go forth, back to our homes, families, schools, job, marketplace, wherever we go and live our Catholic faith in our everyday existence.  While we are in God's house on Sundays, listeneing to His Word and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, we are called to live our Catholic faith evveryday, all the time.  And we all can acknowledge right here and now, this is sometimes very hard to do.

So after praying about it for sometime I decided the dismissal that best expresses this reality is: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.  You may have heard another dismissal today but always focus on their meaning.  Let's get out there everyday and live our lives in imitation of Jesus, serving him by serving our brothers and sisters!