Many Catholics who have left the Church have done so because they never fully understood the Church's teaching on the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Many Catholics who complain that they aren't/weren't being "fed" do not realize that the Bread from Heaven is available at every Mass, and that the Mass is nothing less than miraculous. At every Mass, ordinary bread and wine becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Jesus wants to feed us with his very self so that we might divinize us, that is, allow us to share in his divinity! This is utterly Good News.
The following is a Top 10 list I created; it is not an official Top 10 list from the Vatican (or from Letterman for that manner, although I'd love to see him use it on his show!). I pray it inspires you and increases your love for the Mass and for our Lord present in the Eucharist. Ever since his Ascension, he is not limited to time and space anymore. He is present simultaneously at the right hand of the Father AND in every tabernacle in the world! He is made present, under the appearances of bread and wine, at every Mass, because he loves us and wants to fill us with his divine life.
Top 10 Reasons to Go to Mass
10. Pray with Power!
St. Bernard says, "One merits more by devoutly assisting at a Holy Mass than by distributing all of his goods to the poor and traveling all over the world on pilgrimage." St. Peter Julian Eymard says, "Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the holiest act of Religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more nor profit your soul more than devoutly assisting at It, and assisting as often as possible."
9. Become a Witness!
Would you consider yourself a 'witness of hope’? Pope John Paul II says that the Eucharist "...enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope (Ecclesia de Eucharistia).” When we receive Holy Communion, we also receive the Holy Spirit who empowers us to be witnesses to the gospel. Saint Ephrem says, “He called the bread his living body and he filled it with himself and his Spirit... He who eats it with faith, eats Fire and Spirit" (quoted by John Paul II inEcclesia de Eucharistia, #17).
8. Save the World!
“Through the liturgy Christ, our redeemer and high priest, continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through His Church" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1069). Focus on the word 'through' here. By attending Mass, we help to redeem the world! Scott Hahn says, "God wills that you and I should play an indispensable role in salvation history" (The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, p. 138). We can help to end every form of evil in the world, including the abortion holocaust, by offering our Holy Communions for concerns that the Lord puts on our heart, and by making visits to Jesus in the tabernacle for these concerns! We should be sure to offer each Holy Communion we receive for a specific intention.
7. Visit Heaven on Earth!
Mass is a preview, or foretaste, of Heaven. John Paul II says that the Mass is "heaven on earth," and that, "the liturgy we celebrate on earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy" (Angelus Address, Nov. 3, 1996).
6. Love Better!
“As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins" (CCC #1394). Look to the Saints. They went to Mass often, and were empowered by Jesus in the Eucharist to love others with heroic love!
5. Be Freed from That Sin Habit!
“Holy Communion separates us from sin…the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins" (CCC #1392). The Eucharist is the ultimate antidote to the deadly temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Make it a one-two punch by regular Confession also, another incredible gift God offers us to free us from sinful habits. For serious sins (aka "mortal sins"), we need to go to Confession before we can receive Holy Communion.
4. Help the Holy Souls in Purgatory!
St. Bonaventure says, “Oh Christian souls, do you wish to prove your true love towards your dead? Do you wish to send them the most precious help and golden key to Heaven? Receive Holy Communion often for the repose of their souls.”
3. Prove Your Love!
We prove our love for someone by spending time with them. “Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of adoration. ‘To visit the Blessed Sacrament is . . . a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord’" (Pope Paul VI, MF 66) (CCC #1418). Pope John Paul II says, "Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love!" Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass and making a visit (short or long) to the tabernacle outside of Mass are great ways to prove our love for the one who loves to prove his love for us. Also, we prove our love for him by following the precepts of his Church, including participation in Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation.
2. Be Filled with Divine Life!
“The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist: 'Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you'" (CCC #1384). We feed or bodies daily, should we not feed our souls often as well? We imitate Mary when we invite Jesus into our hearts by receiving Holy Communion.
1. Abide in Jesus!
“The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus" (CCC #1391). Jesus says, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; . . . he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and . . . abides in Me, and I in him (John 6:51, 54, 56).”
Please see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and John chapter 6, for more faith-building info about this most amazing treasure of our faith, the Holy Mass. The Mass doesn't have to be boring; a little self-education can make our experience much richer!
