October 17, 2021
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Teaching on the Mass: Part One
One summer when we were up in New Brunswick, Canada, my mom wanted to determine both where we would go to Mass and at what time. The nearest church to where we were staying was a little over an hour away. Mom decided she wanted to know exactly how, and how long it would take to get there. So, she did a trial run during the week and checked out the Mass times listed on the church sign. On Sunday, we all got in the car earlier than we really needed. Mom doesn’t like being late for Mass, so she padded the time to make sure we would not be late. We got to the Church about fifteen minutes before the Mass time stated on the sign but saw all these people leaving the church. We went inside to see what was happening and when Mom talked to the priest, he explained that they had just changed the times of the Masses that week, and the Mass that just ended was the last Mass of the day. Mom asked if there was any other church nearby where we could go to Mass, and he said no. Mom then explained our situation and why we were “late.” The priest felt really bad, so he offered to celebrate Mass right then and there for my family. Mom was thrilled and we stayed for Mass.

Mom clearly taught us the importance of attending Mass when we were growing up. And she always made it a priority in our lives. Nothing ever took precedence over Mass. What I came to understand from Mom was that it was not simply about attending a religious service; it was about growing in a good relationship with God.

The biggest issue that arises concerning Mass is understanding why one needs to attend. Can’t I simply worship God however I want? I really do not get anything out of Mass so why should I bother going? It is rather boring, and I have better things I can be doing with my life. All these questions place the focus of the Mass celebration on the individual and meeting the needs of the individual. The truth and reality are that the Mass is, and will always be, centered in God. Whether or not a person ‘gets anything’ out of Mass is ultimately irrelevant. It is not about what you receive but rather about what you give.

The best place to start is to understand that how we come to worship God is determined by God and not by us. People will often say that God can be worshipped in many ways. There is a truth in this, but the more important reality is that God does care about how we come to worship Him. All one has to do is read the Old Testament to realize this. God is very exact in how He is to be worshipped. Furthermore, from a Catholic perspective, Jesus continues this at the Last Supper when He explicitly states, “do this in memory of Me.” The Church has done just what Christ has commanded for almost 2000 years.

God’s concern is not about himself but rather what proper worship will do for us. God determines what will best lead us into a deeper and fuller relationship with Him. And God understands better than we can how that best happens. Through our baptism He invites us to worship Him properly through the sacraments. The sacraments are the most poignant way through God’s gracious bounty that we have to encounter Him. The encounter of all the sacraments is centered in Christ’s saving actions on the cross, through the resurrection and completed in the Ascension. These three events are seen as one saving action called the Paschal Mystery. Christ allows us to unite ourselves to his worship of the Father through the Paschal Mystery which is the perfect worship of faith, humility, and obedience. And ultimately, true worship is both based on these virtues, while allowing us to grow in them.

The Mass allows us to unite with Christ as He worships the Father. One may ask what is meant by this. This can be understood in two ways. The truth and reality are that Christ alone is the true priest of God, but through our baptism we are united in the work of Christ as we become one with Christ. The most important work of Christ is to bring about the salvation of the world and the foundation of that is the proper worship of God. In and through our baptism we are reconfigured to share in the priesthood of Christ as we enter into the royal priesthood of the baptized. We are now called to lead a life centered in the proper worship of God. Therefore, when we enter into the celebration of Mass, we are called, each in our own way, in accord with our role in the celebration to express the priesthood of Christ. Each of us has a role to play that will allow Christ to be seen. (This will be discussed further in a few weeks.) Ultimately, as we open ourselves to be instruments of Christ, we will be led to grow in faith, humility, and obedience for that is how Christ lives his life.

The other reality of this worship is that there really is only true and perfect celebration of the liturgy—or Mass—and that is occurring in heaven. The Mass on earth is our means of participating in the heavenly liturgy. In a sense, the priest represents Christ which the rest of the assembly represents the saints and the angels. The Mass is essentially a foretaste of what is coming. Each time we enter into the celebration of Mass, we are experiencing what heaven will be like: the eternal worship of God. And our lives are intended to be directed to this action. The Mass is the closest expression we have on earth of what we will experience in eternal life, and as such, it is intended to help us to grow in the life that will lead us there by helping us to mirror the life of Christ who leads us in the celebration. It is a life centered in faith, humility, and obedience.

When we enter into the celebration of the Mass, we must realize that what God is asking us to do God does Himself. God receives no benefit from our worship. God calls us to proper worship for own our good. He knows what will open us to a proper relationship with Him and as such does all he can to make that happen. God, in a real sense, places His faith in us to follow through on His invitation to come to Mass. When we choose not to attend Mass, we are basically saying no to God. We can come up with all the excuses we want, but what do we have happening in our lives that has a greater importance than doing what God has explicitly asked us to do? This act of faith on God’s part is also an act of humility. As God calls us to worship Him, He also makes that worship possible. God condescends to be with us in the celebration. We are able to hear God in the word proclaimed and experience Him in a personal way as each and every time Mass is celebrated a miracle occurs as He turns bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. He shows us, in a sense obedience, as he fulfills Christ’s promise about the Eucharist.

God’s unconditional love for us is shown and discovered in our very act of worship.  God shows us the way to eternal life by simply doing what He asks of us. God gains no benefit by doing so, but that is exactly the point of unconditional love. As God calls us to proper worship in the Mass it is about what God is trying to do for us. The way of eternal life is a life centered in Christ’s Paschal Mystery and it can only be lived out through faith, humility, and obedience and those are exactly what we live out each and every time we attend Mass.

If you have any questions about anything, please do not hesitate to ask me directly via email (link above).

Please keep me in your prayers.

Fr. Brian Weekly Articles

October 3, 2021
September 26, 2021
September 19, 2021
September 12, 2021
September 5, 2021 [No Article]
August 29, 2021
August 22, 2021
August 15, 2021
August 8, 2021
August 1, 2021
July 25, 2021
July 18, 2021
July 11, 2021
July 4, 2021
June 27, 2021
June 20, 2021
June 13, 2021
June 6, 2021
May 30, 2021
May 23, 2021
May 16, 2021
May 9, 2021
May 2, 2021
April 25, 2021
April 18, 2021 [No Article]
April 11, 2021
April 4, 2021 [Easter]
March 28, 2021
March 21, 2021
March 14, 2021
March 7, 2021
February 28, 2021
Februry 21, 2021
February 14, 2021
February 7, 2021
January 31, 2021
January 24, 2021
January 17, 2021
January 10, 2021
January 3, 2021
December 27, 2020
December 20, 2020
December 13, 2020
December 6, 2020
November 22, 2020
November 8, 2020
November 1, 2020
October 25, 2020
October 18, 2020
October 11, 2020
October 4, 2020
September 27, 2020
September 20, 2020
September 13, 2020
September 6, 2020
August 30, 2020
August 23, 2020
August 16, 2020
August 9, 2020
August 2, 2020
July 26, 2020
July 19, 2020
July 12, 2020
July 5, 2020
June 28, 2020
June 21, 2020
June 14, 2020
June 7, 2020
May 31, 2020
May 24, 2020
May 17, 2020
May 10, 2020
May 3, 2020
April 26, 2020
April 19, 2020
​​​​​​​April 12, 2020
April 5, 2020
March 29, 2020
March 22, 2020
March 15, 2020
March 8, 2020
February 23, 2020
February 16, 2020 

Fr. Brian Eucharist Articles

Week One:
Introduction to Eucharist

Week Two:
Eucharist a Noun

Week Three:
Eucharist as Verb

Week Four:
Eucharist as Sacrifice

Week Five:
Eucharist as Meal

Week Six:
Eucharist as Covenant/Memorial

Week Seven:
Conclusion 

Fr. Brian Teaching on The Mass

Why we go to Mass