Making the Most of the Mass

“On that day, when those invited come to feast at the supper of the Lamb, on that day, when worshippers thunder mighty Alleluias, when the Lamb marries his bride in white linen, and when those who hold the testimony of Jesus witness his triumph—there will be joy, celebration, music, silence, dialogue, acclamation, and prayer. All will be swept up in the glory of God. No one will have to learn what to do! But until that day, we mortals gather at the supper of the Lamb on earth, in houses of worship, with our flawed capabilities to worship God as best we can and to give thanks for the greatest miracle of all—the marriage of Christ with the Church, the Eucharist, the banquet in which we feast with delight on the Lamb of God who unites with us. For now, we all have to learn what to do.”

When we enter into Sunday Mass we are somehow stepping out of our own space and time, into God’s space and God’s time: we will be present at the Last Supper and tasting the glories of the future. We will be caught up in the worship of the Body of Christ, the Church, through space and time, one with the Apostles and early martyrs, one with the faithful still unborn, one with Christians at Mass in Washington and Weybridge, Rome and Richmond, Mumbai and Molesey, and everywhere in this and any world.

The Mass is like nothing else on earth. It is the living heart of our faith, the summit of our worship, and the place where heaven and earth meet. Here we share in the eternal banquet of love, the meal in which Christ feeds us with his own life and draws us into the mystery of his sacrifice. Each time we come to Mass, we are not spectators but participants: we bring our hearts, our burdens, our joys, and our very selves, so that Christ can transform them.

Value the Mass. Treasure it. Let every word, silence, and gesture be an act of love for Jesus our Lord. And above all, let every celebration of the Eucharist be the most profound and moving encounter with our risen and living Saviour, who gives himself for us and invites us into his glory.