mass series

From the earliest times, people have trouble believing that God loves them, and so He proved that love through a series of Covenants, first with Noah, then Abraham, Moses and with King David. Each of the Old Testament Covenants held increasingly greater promises, leading up to the coming of Christ. Jesus was our Covenant meal and rose again to become our covenant representative. In each of the Covenants we see the love and mercy of God and the unmerited favor extended to His people. What greater way can anyone demonstrate his love than to lay down his life for another?

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The celebration of the Holy Eucharist has been given many names in history. The scripture refers to it as the “Breaking of Bread”, “The Lord’s Supper”, and “The Sacrifice” is also used. The term "The Holy Mass" is derived from the Latin word missa (dismissal), a word used in the concluding formula of Mass in Latin: "Ite, missa est" ("Go; it is the dismissal"). In antiquity, missa simply meant 'dismissal'. In Christian usage, however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word 'dismissal' has come to imply a 'mission'. These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church”. (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis, 51)

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When we enter The Holy Mass we step into a spiritual world, out of our time and into God’s time. In God, timelessness Calvary extends across history, as present today in the Mass as it was 2,000 years ago, with all its healing effects. We are present with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. The Holy Mass is a healing sacrament. Our lives as Christians involve daily sacrifice. We come to the Holy Mass primarily to sacrifice in union with the life and death of Jesus. As we sacrifice ourselves to God as a form of worship, we receive a blessing of conversion. In our repentance, our forgiveness, our renewal of the covenant, we grow in the ability to lay down our lives. Such a sacrament we need to approach as Jesus.

Before you come to the church, at home itself prepare yourself for the Mass by going through the day’s Readings and on your way set your mind and the heart on the Holy Eucharist. As you enter the church, consider the grace of God that brought you to this present moment. Jesus is infinitely patient with our slow progress of our spirituality and continues to draw us to Himself. He brings us now to this most sacred time of Eucharistic union with Him. Invest in this moment. You have made a covenant with Jesus, who loves you very much. Enter in and deepen your knowledge of this truth. Immerse yourself in the reality of God’s gift. Expect great things. That is faith. It is no longer another passing time; it is always a conversion experience. God loves you: every part of the Mass proclaims this truth. He wants your openness to His love, not just your performance. He is inviting you to participate in whatever way you can.

Come to Holy Mass early and get in tune with the Lord, like athletes, warm up before a game. Prayer is our “warm up” before Mass. If we come in ice cold and not in tune, it’s easy to become ritualistic. Ask the Lord to prepare your heart to hear His Word. Read the scriptures for the Mass ahead of time so when they are proclaimed you will hear them in your heart. Be attentive to the specific word of love Jesus will say to you during Mass. Invest in this moment. It will never pass this way again.

When we enter church, we sign ourselves with holy water, blessed by a priest to heal us.  This is a powerful sacramental of the Church. The water is blessed for healing and deliverance from everything harmful, unclean and hurtful. St. Teresa of Avila and many other saints advise the use of holy water. Expect the Lord to bless you deeply when you sign yourself with holy water. That will strengthen your feeling for the presence of the Lord.​

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The Holy Mass begins, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The sign of the cross is a sign of hope that summarizes our faith: in the name of our loving Heavenly Father who created us; in the name of Jesus, sent to redeem and to heal; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who  is continually sanctifying us. We begin Holy Mass by announcing that we have come in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To come “In His name” means we come into His presence, linked to His nature, identified with Him, exercising His power. As Christians we come under the name and authority of the King of Kings, making the sign of the cross as our royal birthmark. Jesus died as our substitute and gave us the right to use the name given to Him. He told His disciples to go in His name - that they had His authority and His power. From earliest times the Church has taught us that in His name we are armed against the powers of evil and can perform signs and wonders. There is power in the name of Jesus. Philippians 2: 9-11 reminds us that  God exalted Jesus  to the highest place, and “…bestowed on Him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend  in the  heaven, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD”.