Homily
Catechesis on the
Mass Part 2/3 – To be used with Eucharistic Prayer III
For the
next several weeks, I’ll be giving an explanation about what the Mass is all about,
because I think if we don’t understand the Mass, then we’ll never understand
the depths of God’s love for us.
But let’s
not talk about the Mass just yet. Let’s talk about rugby instead.
I went
to my first – and only rugby game when I was a freshman in college. My college
didn’t have a football team, so rugby was our main sport. But I hadn’t gone to
a game until my parents came up for Parents’ weekend. We were all pretty bored
on Saturday afternoon of parents’ weekend, so we all decided to go up to the
rugby field to catch the game.
I don’t
know if you’ve ever seen a rugby game, but to red-blooded Americans, this looks
like a primal ritual of bloodshed. There’s a bunch of huge guys, not wearing
any pads, who run in one direction or another, tackle each other, throw the
ball any way they please. Sometimes they kick the ball through uprights, and
other times they try to run it into an end-zone. On occasion they would all get
together in a huddle that looks like a big group-hug, and the ball is rolled
into the center where they dance around it.
We spent
about an hour at this weird sport, but it got really boring because we had no
idea what was going on, so we left. Because we didn’t know the rules, and we
didn’t know the purpose of the game, it was incredibly boring!
Much
like the Mass. If we don’t know what’s going on here, it’ll seem pretty boring.
It could be the most important, dramatic event in the world, but if we don’t
know what it’s all about, then it’ll seem less interesting than watching paint
dry.
So here’s
what’s going on at every Mass:
First, it
makes present the one Sacrifice of Christ. Look at it this way: if someone were
to discover the cure for cancer, that would be wonderful, right? Yes, but it
wouldn’t make a whole lot of difference to us, personally, unless we took the
medicine. In the same way, when Jesus died on the Cross, He reconciled humanity
to God, He discovered the cure for everlasting death and sin. But it’s not
enough just to reconcile humanity to God – John
and Betty need to be reconciled to
God. THEY – WE – are the ones who need that cure, not just humanity in general.
The Mass is where the cure is applied to us, personally. Everything that Jesus
did on the Cross is now applied to your soul and my soul at every Mass. So we
say that the Sacrifice of Jesus is made present to us here in 2014 at Mass.
That’s what we do when we receive the Eucharist – we are receiving His Body and
Blood as the medicine that cures us from eternal death!
Second,
at every Mass, it is Jesus Who is asking God for mercy. It’s not just us who
are praying to God at Mass – Jesus prays with us. In fact, St. John Vianney
said that “the Mass is worth more than all of the other prayers or good works,
since all other prayers and good works are still works of men, while the Mass
is the work of God.” Listen to the prayers I’m going to pray later on – I am
asking God to look upon Jesus, right there upon the altar, and to have mercy on
us because we will be filled with Him when we receive Communion.
Think
about it – if a kid gets into a fight with another kid in school, then they both
get into trouble, maybe get detention. If a kid physically hits a teacher
though, he gets a worse punishment – perhaps expulsion from the school. If that
same kid hit the President, he would get an even worse punishment, probably
some jail time. So when we offend someone who is greater than us, then the
punishment is greater. When we turn out back on the Lord, Who loves us
perfectly and infinitely, then this sin creates a rift between us and God that
is infinite. It’s a canyon that is infinitely wide. And even if I try to do
something to cross that canyon, any bridge I try to build would fall short. So
we need someone to bridge that gap for us – someone who is infinite to cross an
infinite canyon. We needed someone Who was both human and God – human so He
could pray for us, and God so He could pay back the infinite debt that we owed.
At every Mass I offer back to the Father the very Body and Blood of Jesus, who
is true God and true Man. On the Cross, Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe,
because we owed a debt we could not pay. And at every Mass the priest offers
Jesus back to the Father, asking Him to bridge that gap once again, so that you
and I could cross over and be united to God.
So what
should YOU do to participate in the Mass? Well, remember, Mass isn’t supposed
to be entertainment. When we go to a movie, we just sit back and enjoy. No, at
Mass, we’re supposed to participate.
That means paying attention to the readings, saying the responses, singing
together, and really praying. When the priest is holding up the Body and Blood
of Jesus, offering Him to the Father, then we should be offering our lives to
the Father as well. In our minds and hearts, we should place our entire lives
on that altar – our joys, our sorrows, our work, our school, our families, our
friends, our emotions, our thoughts, our possessions, our talents, everything.
We offer that up to the Father as well, and we ask from the Father for
everything we need.
The
priest is already praying for blessings. Listen to the words of the prayer I
will be praying – I will ask for several things. First, I will ask that we will
share the inheritance of the saints – in other words, that we will get to
Heaven. Then I’ll pray that we are united, that we will always stay close to
one another and have each others’ backs. I pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God
for His blessings – in fact, the word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving” – and I
pray for peace in the world and in the Church. I offer specific prayers for the
Church, the Pope, and the Bishop, and the dead, that all of us may be united in
love and grow in holiness.
So
during this time, listen to what I’m praying for, and add your own prayers.
Bring your needs to God, thank Him for His blessings, praise Him for His
wonders, and express your sorrow for your sins.
A lot of
people say, “Oh, I don’t get anything out of the Mass.” But the Mass is a lot
like a bank – you only get out of it what you put into it. If you pay close
attention and offer your life to the Lord, if you listen to the readings and
homily – which I can tell, all of you are doing so excellently – then you will
reap great benefits.
I’ll
close with these words from St. Padre Pio – “The world can exist more easily
without the sun than without the Mass.” Let’s pray this Mass with more love and
devotion than we’ve ever prayed it before!
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