Saturday, August 18, 2007

Mass and Communal Celebration

I have heard the question asked many times. Its always something to the effect of: Why can't I worship God by myself/at home? Why do I have to go to Mass with a bunch of other people?
And I have heard, as well as given, many responses to this question. I read the best one yet, yesterday at Steve Ray's blog.
He linked on his blog to a pdf file where a woman told her revert story. In it she said that a priest told her that she shouldn't think of it so much as having to go to Mass, so much as it is getting to go Mass. That really hit home.
Mass is an obligation, yes. But it is a privilege much more than an obligation. Just like people gather together for concert to hear a good band play, we gather together to be in the presence of Our Lord. We come together because we want to be part of the Heavenly Liturgy of the Mass and able to see and to RECEIVE Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist.
Cake, Audioslave, and Newsboys are bands that people enjoy and gather together from all over to see in concert, but surely Jesus is a bigger attraction than any of them could ever hope to become. Sadly, such a big name is very often ignored or even scorned. It is a privilege and a pleasure to go to Mass and sit right in front of Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
"Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day."
Gospel of St John 6:54, 55

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