“When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Luke 22:14-20
For two millennia the Mass has been celebrated. Billions and more souls have come to this table to hear these words and receive the Eucharist.
We now live in a time when the majority of people and sadly even the majority of Catholics don’t believe in the Eucharist nor come to Mass with joy, or even come to Mass at all.
Those of us who truly believe, who have faith enough to know what takes place in the Mass and have no doubt of the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist must stand now. We must honor this event above all else and help draw back others to see the truth and beauty of the Mass and Eucharist again.
I saw the Mass for its saving grace when I was facing challenges at work. The days were difficult and a struggle at times. I started attending daily Mass at noon downtown. I came to realize that this was my island and Jesus, in the Eucharist is my Lighthouse. No matter how bad the day was or is, I can look forward to that midday Mass. And, then, no matter how rough the afternoon, the Mass and Eucharist were my anchor. The same holds true with Sunday Mass. The Mass and Eucharist should be the focus and central desire of our lives. Without the food and drink offered by Jesus in His Eucharist, His very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in bread and wine, we would perish as Catholics. We would slowly decay and wither away. But, the Mass is like the breath resuscitating us and the Eucharist the very life blood that brings rhythm to our heart, life itself to our souls.
Until the Mass is more important to the soul than soccer or the NFL, the world will not find peace. If the soul believes the truth of what occurs in the Mass, how could they sleep in? They would be awake hours early, clamoring to get to the church to witness this miracle and receive Jesus.
For those of us who know, we have great peace and joy. We offer all our struggles and stress at the altar that they may rise to God’s throne. That He may descend in their place into our very soul.
We cry out, “Lord, I am not worthy…” then, falling to our knees we humbly declare, “my Lord and my God.” Approaching unworthily, we come to the altar. Knowing Who waits for us, we fall to our knees in humble adoration and proclaim our ‘AMEN!’ when the priest brings Jesus to our tongues with the proclaiming words, “THE Body of Christ.”
How do you look at Mass? Is it something to do because you have to, because of some rule the Church commands? Or is your presence there because you can’t be anywhere else?
The Holy Mass is a field full of ‘pearls of greatest value. We must value this event and the Eucharist above our very life and share the news and joy with our brothers and sisters to join us.
For me, without the Eucharist, I am lost.
Seek with all your heart to attend Mass, be present and believe in His presence. Look for the angels who envy your joy and passion to receive the Eucharist.