Part 1: the Four Most Important Things to Remember About Mass

The Mass

Part 1: The Four Most Important Things to Remember about Mass

Holy Rosary Church, Antioch, California

September 10-11, 2011

Background: Parish Theme for 2011-12

A. Our theme for this year at Holy Rosary is “We Gather; We’re Sent” which you can see on the banners hanging at the entrances on either side of the church. The parish staff picked this theme for the year because the first part – “We Gather” – reminds us that the Mass is the main way we gather as Catholics each week (“…source and summit of faith…” – Vat II). This year, as you already know, we have been asked by our Pope and bishops to change the wording of many of the prayers we say at Mass. We certainly are going to explain those changes so you know the reasons for them and what they mean for us, but we also want to capitalize on this opportunity of looking at the Mass to delve more deeply into the meaning of the Mass itself for us Catholics. So, for several weeks at our weekend Masses, we will look at the history of the Mass and see how it developed from the Last Supper until now; we will study the meaning of the symbols and gestures we use at Mass; we will go through each part of the Mass and explain what we do and why we do it. And, as I mentioned earlier, we will go over the changes in the wording of the prayers for Mass and explain them for you. Hopefully, these teachings will not only answer some questions you may have about the Mass, but, most importantly, I hope they will help us all get more out of Mass and appreciate this great gift we have been given by Jesus.

B. So, what we are going to be doing for the next several weeks is giving teachings on the Mass instead of homily on readings (except for Harvest Faire weekend and parish feast day weekend). In addition to doing these teachings at our weekend Masses for the next several weeks, we will also be providing many other opportunities for you to deepen your understanding of the Mass through Bible studies, workshops and resources you can utilize. Our school, CCD, Lifeteen and Young Adult programs will also be focusing on the Mass this year.

II. INTRODUCTION TO THE MASS

A. The four most important things to know about the Mass:

1. Has always been celebrated since beginning of Christianity – We will explain that more fully to you in the coming weeks when we talk about the history of the Mass. So, no matter what anyone else tells you, especially some of our Protestant brothers and sisters, since the Last Supper, Christians have never stopped celebrating the Mass, and it has always been a central part of Christian life and faith. It is probably the one commandment of Jesus the Church has never disobeyed!

2. The Eucharist is Jesus’ body and blood – This has always been believed and taught by the Church; it is not just a symbol but the actual body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist – we call this the “Real Presence.” The evidence for the consistent Catholic belief in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist is actually overwhelming. Here is some of that evidence:

a) In the Last Supper accounts in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians: Jesus says, basically, “…this is my body…this is my blood…” He doesn’t say, “This is a symbol of my body (blood), this might be my body (blood), think of my body (blood) when you see this,” etc. He says clearly, “This is my body; this is my blood.”

b) In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, Jesus says: “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” His language is very physical; it is unmistakable and undeniable that he meant to eat his flesh and drink his blood physically – it was obviously not a symbolic meaning.

c) St. Ignatius of Antioch (died in 107 AD) “They [the heretics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ…” (Letter to the Smyrneans, 7);

“I desire the Bread of God, which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ…and for drink I desire His Blood, which is love incorruptible.” (Letter to the Romans 7, 3);

d) St. Justin Martyr (c.150 AD) “We call this food Eucharist; and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true…For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these…the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer…is both the Flesh and the Blood of…Jesus.” (First Apology, 66, 20;)

e) St. Irenaeus (c. 195 AD) “He [Jesus] has declared the cup…to be His own Blood… and the bread, He has established as His own Body.” (Against Heresies 5, 2, 2);

f) Martin Luther (1483-1546):

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.”

(The Small Catechism, 1529)

The teaching of many Protestant Bible churches – that the Eucharist is not Jesus’ body and blood but just a symbol – is relatively recent. Even the first Protestants held onto the traditional Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

3. Every Mass is Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. At Mass we are not sacrificing Jesus over and over again; rather, God is making those realities present to us now. Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection are beyond time and God makes it possible for us to experience them every time we celebrate Mass (CCC #1085; #1104).

No matter how big or little the Mass is – with thousands of people present or just one…no matter how exciting the music is or not…no matter how great the preaching is or not… whether we are happy to be there or not…whether we are really “into it” or totally distracted or bored…the Mass is always Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Let me explain this to you another way. The Fourth of July is a celebration of past events. Every year we remember the sacrifice and courage of our founding fathers and mothers in achieving our independence from England 235 years ago. That is a good thing for us to do to celebrate and appreciate our past. But the Mass is different. It doesn’t just remind us of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday; it isn’t just a ceremony which helps us remember what Jesus did for us. It is those same events made present to us by God’s power (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1085). Do you understand the difference? This is why the Mass is so important to us as Catholics. No other Catholic ceremony, no Protestant Bible study or service – as good, powerful and exciting as it might be – can make that claim. Only the Mass brings Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday to us right here and now.

This is why, when some people say – “I don’t have to go to Mass; I can just pray by myself at home or go for a walk” – they have no clue what they are missing out on when they miss Mass. It makes no sense! Personal prayer is a great thing, but it can never do for us what Mass does.

4. Every Mass joins the liturgy of saints and angels and deceased loved ones worshipping God in heaven. In other words, at every Mass we celebrate, we are part of all those in heaven worshiping God: all those saints we admire, all our loved ones who have died and are with the Lord – they are here with us, and we are joined with them. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says it:

"In the earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God…”[CCC #1090];