What is the lesson for us to learn here? Jesus’ incredible promise of His graces and mercy, if we pursue them, would trigger a The year was 1985 when I came to a realization that Sunday Mass alone was not enough. There was a deep gnawing feeling inside that wanted more, and that is when I began going to daily Mass. After attending Mass, I leave feeling such joy, love and peace that carries throughout my day. No one on this earth, including our spouse, can give us the depth of love that we receive from Jesus, and I surely desire to share that experience with all my brothers and sisters.
I once read a story about St. Catherine of Sienna: Jesus used to appear to her. One day, Catherine asked Jesus for a special favor, which He granted. She was so pleased that she asked Jesus what she could do for Him. He told her: “Attend one Mass for Me.” See if every Catholic knew the tremendous value of attending Mass, the churches would be packed every day.
The spiritual graces that we obtain from attending Mass benefit the entire Mystical Body of Christ. That is, every baptized Christian person profits from every Mass that we attend. Those spiritual graces are also adding to our Heavenly treasure, which is eternal.
Did you know that our guardian angel is a spirit, and therefore cannot receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist? When we have Jesus within us after receiving the Eucharist, our guardian angel and all the angels in that church bow to us. I have read that the church is “packed” with angels at every Mass, and some people have been gifted with seeing them.
Some days it’s hard to get out of bed to go to Mass in the morning - maybe it’s was too cold or I didn’t sleep well or went to bed very late. That’s when I tell myself, “I have to standup, suit up and show up for Jesus” because I know that all Christians will benefit from my attending.
The Mass is a powerful prayer that we can offer to God by our being there in total oneness with Jesus who is offering himself to God. It is where ordinary bread and wine are miraculously changed into the real Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist at the Consecration of the Mass. Whenever we receive the Eucharist, Jesus dwells within us, which is the closest we can ever be to Jesus in this life. And know that Jesus wants to be one with us when we receive Him in Holy Communion. Each time we attend Mass, we are participating in the most amazing event in the entire universe.
Since few people achieve perfection in this life but, rather, go to the grave still scarred with traces of sinfulness ,some period of purification is necessary before a soul comes face-to-face with God. The prayers of the living can speed the process of purification. The greatest gift we can give a person who has died is to have a Mass said for them, and I’ve read that the souls in Purgatory know when we pray and have Masses said for them. Since they can’t pray for themselves, they count on family and friends to help shorten their stay there because they long to be with Jesus since they now know and have experienced His unconditional love.
My hope is that people reading this writing will see the benefit of attending Mass as frequently as possible.
There is a danger of taking the Mass and Holy Communion for granted, especially if they are not nourishing us and bringing changes to our lives. The problem could be our lack of attention and devotion that we ourselves bring to the Mass. This might represent years of attending Mass and just going through the motions mechanically, saying prayers and not really praying them, and possibly receiving the Eucharist without meeting our Savior in this most precious gift. Our current participation at Mass is something to think about.
Barnum and Bailey Circus was an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth, and was an icon of the past. The Catholic Church can bill the Catholic Mass as the Most Amazing Event of the Universe, and is an icon of the past, present and future. We Catholic Christians are so blessed to have ordinary bread and wine become the real presence of Jesus’ Body and Blood during the Consecration of the Mass, and we get to receive Him within us at Holy Communion. There is nothing in this entire world that compares to that gift of love from Our Beloved Jesus., who died on the Cross for every sin we will commit in our life. Now that should bring great excitement to us as we are preparing to go to Mass.
Our preparation for Mass will be part of our effort to receive the most graces possible from every Mass we attend. Grace is the help we receive from Heaven to lead a life pleasing to God, and it is also a gift granted by the Holy Spirit to enable us to collaborate with Him in the salvation of others, which includes our family and friends.
Let’s explore ways to prepare ourselves for Mass:
· Our commitment to attend Sunday Mass it starts with us making this life-giving commitment to Jesus that His precious gift of the bloodless re-enactment of His passion on the altar is a priority in our life. Our Blessed Mother gave a message at Medjugorje, April 25, 1988, which included the words: “Let Holy Mass be your life.” She knows the Holy Mass will draw us to holiness, which is why she is asking us to make the Mass the center of our life.
· Our mental preparation One way to put ourselves into the right frame of mind is to think of the Mass we are about to attend as OUR FIRST MASS, OUR LAST MASS, OUR ONLY MASS. That mindset can help us stay focused and attentive to each part of the Mass, anxiously anticipating Jesus’ coming at the Consecration and our receiving His True Presence when we receive Him in Holy Communion. What an incredible gift to prepare for, like the bride [us] preparing to become one in union with the bridegroom [Jesus] at each Mass we attend. Lastly, we can also think of any sins that we will want to place before the Lord at Mass.
· Read the Mass readings beforehand God will speak to us through the inspired words of Sacred Scripture, but it is so easy to be distracted during the readings. Maybe the lector or priest is speaking softly or with an accent that is difficult to understand or the sound system in the church is not good or the names in the readings are foreign to us. Any of these reasons can make our minds wander during the readings, which is why it is so beneficial to read the readings ahead of time and reflect on their meaning to gain insights on how they apply to our life. If we are having difficulties understanding a reading, then we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us since He inspired the Bible. Sunday and daily Mass readings are available online by date at the USCCB website [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/MMDDYY.cfm,where MMDDYY = 071022, corresponds to the Sunday readings for July 10,2022]. We can also apply at that website to get a daily email with the Mass readings.
· Arrive early and observe 10-15 minutes of silence before Mass What a wonderful opportunity to invite Jesus into your heart during this silent time. The Lord said in Jeremiah 29:13-14, “When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you.” And we must realize that prayer from our heart is better than only prayer from our lips, and it is the key to God’s heart.
Whenever we aren’t able to arrive early, then let’s turn off our car radio and remain in silence as we travel to church, and if we are with our family, then we could say a prayer as a family before arriving.
· Holy Water and Genuflecting The first symbol that greets us as we enter church is the blessed water at the door. Taking some Holy Water and blessing ourselves re-connects us to our Baptism in church when we became members of the Mystical Body of Christ, ready to join Him in His death and resurrection. When we reach our pew, we genuflect looking at the place where the Tabernacle is located, containing the True Presence of Christ in each Host there. To give our genuflection more meaning, we can say something like, “Lord, thank you for calling me here today to celebrate with You.” Once in the pew, we can spend a few moments in silent prayer before the Mass begins.
We always have to deal with distractions during Mass. These could be from our phone, our job, our kids, our family, and everything else. Sometimes where we sit in church provides a scene of distractions in front of us before our eyes reach the altar. Closing our eyes during distractions can help, and preferably sitting nearer to the altar can lessen the distractions we experience.
Crying children at Mass is part of the distraction, but thank God that these parents are introducing their children to the Mass. What a blessing for us to have an opportunity to pray that these children will become faithful, life-long Catholics. I can understand that many people are so disturbed by crying children and can’t pray for them, but just want the parents to take them out of the church service. We can ask Jesus to help the parents quiet their children.
Finally, let’s commit to pleasing Jesus by actively participating in every Mass we attend, knowing that the Mass is His most precious gift to mankind. Jesus accepts our best efforts to give Him a heart filled with love and thanksgiving at each Mass.
For many of us, we have developed a mindset that coming to Sunday Mass after it starts is perfectly OK. We were busy doing other things or just forgot the time or maybe Mass hasn’t been very meaningful for us lately. Perhaps our mindset would change if we knew we were going to the most amazing event in the entire universe, which happens every day where we live and in every other part of the world. What I’m saying is that I’m hoping to make that statement a game-changer for those reading and studying this writing.
Jesus is waiting to meet us when we walk into the church. He also wants to heal our infirmities and transform our lives to ones that are pleasing to Him. Church is the one place where we can give ourselves entirely to our Creator, who in His human nature died on the Cross to save us and to share eternity with Him. The Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist that Jesus celebrated at the Last Supper, but it is so much more than that.
The Consecration of the Mass is not merely symbolic, but is a reenactment of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are actually experiencing Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross again at every single Mass we attend. On Calvary, Jesus offered Himself in a bloody manner, and now at the Consecration of the Mass He offers Himself in an un bloody manner. The priest is the voice we hear, but in reality, Jesus is proclaiming the Words of the Consecration, just as He did at the Last Supper:
TAKE THIS,ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.
TAKE THIS,ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANYFOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS INMEMORY OF ME.
With these words the substances of bread and wine are changed into the real Body and Blood of Christ, and this transformation is called transubstantiation. That is, Jesus is incarnating Himself in each Host that is being consecrated on the altar. The amazing event taking place is as Jesus pronounces the Words of the Consecration, and without leaving Himself, creates Himself in that bread and wine. God the Father, moved at the tender and affectionate voice of the Son, descends from Heaven, and united with the Holy Spirit, concurs with the Son. This occurs at every Mass celebrated throughout the world.
Each consecrated and unreceived Host remains with Jesus’ presence, and is placed in the Tabernacle of the church. A burning Sanctuary light watches over every Tabernacle where Jesus resides. For those who still don’t believe that a consecrated Host contains the true presence of Jesus, let me share the following incredible story with you:
A story from 1995 reports that when St. Pope John Paul II was visiting the United States, on his last day in Baltimore, the pope said that after greeting seminarians outside St.
Mary’s Seminary, he wanted to spend some time inside, to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
Security had not planned for this, so they sprang into action. They quickly swept the building, putting an emphasis on the chapel, where the pope wanted to go to pray.
Security personnel brought with them highly trained dogs — dogs that could find people under collapsed buildings or track the scent of any person hiding in a building.
Quickly, the dogs worked through the halls and offices, and then went up to the chapel. When reaching the tabernacle, the dogs stopped, barked, and as trained wouldn’t leave the spot. They had scented that a living person, Jesus, was inside the tabernacle.
Besides this story, there are many examples of Eucharistic miracles that have taken place through the centuries. Here are several examples:
During the eighth century In Lanciano, Italy, a priest had doubts about the Real Presence; however, when he consecrated the Host it transformed into flesh and blood. This miracle has undergone extensive scientific examination and can only be explained as a miracle. The flesh is actually cardiac tissue which contains arterioles, veins, and nerve fibers. The blood type as in all other approved Eucharistic miracles is type AB, which is the same type discovered in the cloth of the Shroud of Turin!
In Orvieto, Italy, a priest had difficulty believing in the Real Presence, and blood begins seeping out of the Host upon consecration during one of his Masses.
During Mass a priest in Betania, Venezuela looked down at the paten and saw that one of the pieces of the Host that he had divided was showing a red spot and from It a red substance began to emanate, similar to the manner in which blood escapes from a wound. After Mass, he took the Host and preserved It safely in the sacristy. The next day he went to see the Host and verified that some blood continued to flow that a little later began to dry. That blood was found to be AB positive.
As wonderful as these miracles are, the greatest of all, transubstantiation, has to be viewed with the eyes of faith. We have to truly believe Jesus’ presence in the bread and wine.
I pray that whoever opens this book will be deeply touched by the Holy Spirit in the most profound way and that their life will be changed according to His will.