Have you ever been sitting in church and discovered you have absolutely no idea what part of the Mass you’re in? Then you realize you’re the only one saying “Thanks be to God” when you were supposed to respond with “And also with you.” Or have you ever gotten home after Mass and realized you don’t have a clue what any of the readings were about? You can’t remember a single thing from the priest’s homily, and you couldn’t tell anyone what songs you sang. Yep, you’re definitely not alone. This has happened to me plenty of times, and I’m sure many others as well.
The Mass is such an amazing celebration that unites the universal “catholic” church every time the Eucharist is celebrated. Because of the universality, Mass remains the same in every Catholic Church throughout the world. This is part of the tradition that we as Catholics, are obliged to participate in each Sunday. Since essentially the Mass is the same each time (with the exception of different readings, music, etc.), this is what can cause the situations we have experienced above. We get in a habit of “going through the motions.” We kneel when we’re supposed to, make the sign of the cross when we’re supposed to, and respond with the same ole usual prayers. We know what is coming next and could probably even recite many of the parts said by the priest.
I found myself guilty of doing this and decided I needed to find some way to fix it. So at Mass a few weeks ago, I decided I was going to close my eyes to help me focus. I imagined I was by myself, just me and God. I tried to reflect on why I was responding with certain prayers. I also tried to understand the individual words and phrases of the Mass, especially words of the Eucharistic prayer. I could tell you when the priest was supposed to say certain things, but never stopped to reflect on what he was actually saying…until now. So as I closed my eyes for most of the Eucharistic prayer at that Mass, a particular phrase jumped out at me, one that I had never put much thought into before then. After we sing or recite the “Lamb of God” we kneel and the priest says: “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to His supper.” Happy. Happy are we that God would invite us to experience such an amazing gift. Happy are we that in a few short moments, we are to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, His true presence in the Eucharist. Happy are we that our bodies will become a living tabernacle of our Lord through Holy Communion. Happy are we to be given this opportunity, only through Him who washed away all our sins. Happy are we that God’s love for us is so great that He sent His son to die for anyone but Himself. Happy. Content. Overjoyed. Excited. Delighted. Joyful. Ecstatic.
Blessed are we.
After I heard these words, and for the first time, understood them, I smiled and wanted to jump for joy ready to receive the Eucharist! I looked around and wondered why is it that none of us are jumping up and down in excitement at the amazing invitation God is giving us?! Obviously it is a little unheard of for someone to make such a scene in church, but we should truly be happy when receiving the Eucharist. It certainly showed when I walked up to Communion that Mass and I couldn’t help but smile after I received the Eucharist. I was happy. Happy that I was in the presence of our Lord and that He was calling and inviting me to Him.
After the priest says, “Happy are those called to His supper,” we respond with, “Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
(Matthew 8:8) Because of our human sinfulness, we are not worthy of such a great gift. However, Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist to share His divine gift. He wants us to be happy to receive His Body and Blood, so He can heal us of all our iniquities. We should ask the Lord to grant us this true joy and happiness, not only when receiving the Eucharist, but more importantly, every day!
A priest has told me several times, “Pray at every Mass like it is your first Mass and your last Mass.” If that was the case, I know almost all of us would be “jumping for joy” at every Mass. We would receive the Eucharist happy as ever. But, until then, try and reflect on the Mass at a deeper level, you never know what the Holy Spirit might put on your heart. Happy are those! :)
