WHY GO TO MASS?

As a cradle Catholic, I grew up going to Mass with my family.  It never even occurred to me that I had the option not to go.  Fast forward to the independence of college and early adulthood – I wish I could say I never missed Mass.  Unfortunately, schedule conflicts, an upcoming exam, a research paper, not really feeling like getting out of bed that day, or plain and simple, just choosing not to go that Sunday –  all happened.

If I only knew then, what I know now!

I was unaware that the Mass was the “source and summit of our Christian faith.”  I was unaware that there are places around the world where people risk death to attend Mass.  I was unaware that a miracle takes place each and every time the priest consecrates the host and our Savior becomes physically present in our midst. I was unaware that missing Mass was actually a mortal sin (a grave and serious offense to God).  I was unaware that the Mass could be such a nourishing, strengthening and enlightening encounter experience with our Lord, if I would just open myself to it. 

I just thought it was a to-do, a box to check off, to mark myself as a Catholic. I was so wrong!

I wasn’t alone. With so many choices, it’s easy to look at our activities and think: what gives me the biggest bang for my buck?  In other words, we weigh costs and benefits and then, determine if we should participate.  Perhaps the priest is a bit long-winded.  Or the choir needs more practice.  Or the sound system in the church doesn’t work well.  Or something else is a more attractive activity that Sunday.  And we think “It’s OK, I’ll go next week.”

Ah, but we are missing the point – the Mass is not about us. It’s about Him – our God, our Creator, our Savior, the One who loves us most.  We are there to give homage to God, to express our gratitude for everything He has done for us.  We set aside a day to focus on how our relationship with Him is going and to resolve to do something in the week ahead to make it better.

We listen to God’s words in the readings from Holy Scripture.  We kneel as we witness the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.  We walk up the altar to receive Him in the Eucharist to be intimately united with Him.  We do it as part of a community of believers.  We do it as member of His family.  We do it because He asked us to do it.

And there’s the crux – our Lord loves us dearly and wants only the best for us.  Christ established the Holy Mass at the Last Supper and showed how we need to be present to His living, dying and rising as often as we can.  He knew that in our weakness as humans, we NEED the Mass to strengthen us as we journey home to Him.  He knew that the world can be alluring and distracting and that we would need to be reminded (weekly, if not more) of His great love for us and what our true goal in life must be – eternity with Him.

So the next time we think “It’s OK, I’ll go next week,” let’s think of the crucifix, with Jesus’ arms open and outstretched.  He says “I love you THIS much.”  Surely, we can manage to love Him back by being present on Sunday with gratitude in our hearts.  By doing so, we put ourselves on a path to grow spiritually, to infuse our lives with a clear purpose and to help build His kingdom here on earth. Truly, what could be better?