01/09/2022
I love this ❤️
The Mass is the most important and sacred act of worship in the Catholic Church.
The Mass incorporates the Bible (Sacred Scripture), prayer, sacrifice, hymns, symbols, gestures, sacred food for the soul, and directions on how to live a Catholic life — all in one ceremony. Through time and space, we connect with the original Last Supper. The Church does not re-sacrifice Jesus at each Mass; rather, each Mass is a re-creation of the original Mass.
Jesus Christ celebrated the first Mass with His disciples at the Last Supper, the night before He died. He commanded His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). The celebration of the Mass then became the main form of worship in the early Church, as a reenactment of the Last Supper, as Christ had commanded.
Each and every Mass since commemorates Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross through the Holy Eucharist. Because the Mass “re-presents” (makes present) the sacrifice on Calvary, Catholics all around the world join together to be made present in Christ’s timeless sacrifice for our sins. There is something fascinating about continuing to celebrate the same Mass—instituted by Christ and practiced by the early Church.
If you are Catholic, you are obliged to go to Mass every Sunday. (Legitimate reasons to miss Mass would be along the lines of illness, COVID-19 restrictions, needing to care for the ill, and lack of an available Mass within a reasonable distance.) There is also a special obligation for parents to take their children and any other dependents under their care.
A lot of Catholics don’t attend Mass as they should, perhaps because they do not realize it is a requirement, or possibly because they take for granted what is really happening at the Mass. But if you really understood and knew what was happening, you wouldn't just go on Sundays, you would want to go every day.
Attending Mass is not just an obligation, it’s a privilege.
God knows we need it, and it is His gift to us. Mass should be the highlight of our week. We should look forward to it and want to go. And when we don’t, it’s a reminder that we need to work harder to more fully understand the reality of what happens at Mass. It’s human and natural to forget, get lazy, take it for granted, or become numb to it, but we have to continually work to overcome that trap. At Mass we are being offered the greatest gift God has to offer – the source and summit of our Faith, Jesus Christ Himself.
When we receive the Eucharist, we truly, physically receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, of God Himself – at every Mass. If you're looking for a personal relationships with Jesus Christ, you can't get any more personal than when you receive Him in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.
Staying home thinking missing Mass doesn't matter, and just being a good person is enough - is wrong. If you are a Catholic, you are supposed to go to Mass every week, and on Holy Days of Obligation.
If you do not understand the Mass, are bored, or you are looking for better "entertainment" - then pray for understanding.
We go to Mass to worship God. We get down on our knees at Mass to humble ourselves before our King. It's not about "us" remember. We don't go to Mass to be entertained, or demand that the priest's homily be exciting, or if it isn't we aren't going back. We go to Mass to worship God, hear His word in the Liturgy of the Word, and receive Christ's body, blood, soul and divinity in the Holy Eucharist.
Read, study, seek more understanding, and most of all, pray that you will come to a better appreciation and love for this most beautiful gift that Jesus Christ gave to all of us 2000 years ago.
In Christ, ❤
Liz
