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Without
Sunday Mass we cannot survive
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
October can be magnificent in Indiana. Oct. 16 was a classic example.
Under a clear autumn sky, people gathered at St. Alphonsus in Zionsville
from the four corners of our Local Church to formally celebrate the
conclusion of the Year of the Eucharist inaugurated by our late Holy
Father, John Paul II.
Mass for the closing of the Year of the Eucharist was Corpus Christi.
The theme of my homily was: “Without Sunday Mass we cannot survive.”
Forty-nine Christians were taken by surprise on a Sunday while they were
celebrating Mass in a private home in defiance of a Roman imperial
edict. They were arrested and taken to Carthage to be interrogated by
the Roman governor of that district. When asked why they had
violated the emperor’s edict (knowing it would mean death), one of them
replied: “We cannot live without joining together on Sunday to celebrate
the Eucharist.” What a response! Without Sunday Mass we cannot
survive.
None other than our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has suggested that the
incident of the Tunisian martyrs is one we 21st-century Catholics should
reflect upon at length.
The Scripture readings for Corpus Christi tell us that Jesus pledged
that he would give himself to us as our spiritual nourishment: “My flesh
is real food and my blood real drink. The person who feeds on my flesh
and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him (her) ... the one who
feeds on me will have life because of me.”
Those who heard these words of Jesus for the first time murmured in
protest. “How can he give us his flesh to eat,” (Jn. 6:56) they said. It
was, by any measure, an extraordinary statement. Jesus could have easily
told them he was speaking symbolically, if indeed he was. But, no! Even
as they turned their backs in great numbers and walked away, he stood
his ground. What he said is what he meant to say. He then turned to the
apostles who undoubtedly were as puzzled as those who chose to walk
away. Jesus asked if they too would abandon him. It was Peter who
responded: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life.”
Here is the point. When we are faithful to Sunday Mass, we stand apart
from those who murmur and turn their backs. Our fidelity to Sunday Mass
proclaims: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Without Sunday Mass we cannot
survive.
Almost every family has someone who is no longer faithful to Sunday
Mass. The urging of the Year of the Eucharist has been to reach out to
them: spouse, children, relatives, friends and perhaps ourselves.
Without question, Sunday Mass is a matter of precept. Those who take
their religion seriously know that it is not an option. It is a serious
violation of our baptismal covenant if we absent ourselves from Mass
without a serious excusing cause. It is not a question of convenience or
inconvenience. It is an obligation. But, it is not the precept that
should compel us to give Mass priority. Rather, it is the realization,
with the martyrs of Tunisia, that we cannot truly live the life of
praise and thanksgiving God calls us to embrace without joining together
on the Lord’s Day to celebrate the Eucharist.
We may think we can get along fine without the faith community to which
we are bonded by the sacraments of initiation. We may think all will be
fine if we allow ourselves to become casual relative to Mass. But, in
fact, without fidelity to Mass our faith suffers. Without fidelity to
Mass our bonding with the Risen Christ is weakened. Without fidelity to
Mass we replace the Lord with idols of our own creation, thereby
violating the First Commandment: I am the Lord thy God. You shall not
put other gods ahead of me. Without fidelity to Mass we turn our backs
and join those who over the centuries have chosen to make excuses, who
refuse his invitation: Do this in memory of me. Without fidelity
to Mass we are incomplete as Catholics. Without fidelity to Mass we
reveal a lack of the gratitude we should have to the Lord Jesus who gave
the last drop of his blood for us. Without fidelity to Mass our identity
as Catholics erodes.
Pure and simple, without fidelity to Mass we cannot survive. We will not
be what God is calling us to be.
The homily urged people to treasure the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It
is the prayer of Jesus Christ. It is his special moment with us. I urged
the pilgrims gathered in Zionsville to never disappoint the Lord by
making excuses. Don’t disappoint him, I pleaded, by acting like you
don’t want to be bothered. Show him how much you respect him. Come to
Mass faithfully week after week to praise and thank God. Make Mass the
special occasion it is. He never tires of asking us to do that. It is
incumbent upon us to be who he sees we can be. It is incumbent upon us
to be who he is calling us to be. Without fidelity to Sunday Mass we
don’t live up to his expectations: Do this in memory of me.
At the conclusion of Mass there was the traditional “Corpus Christi”
procession with the Blessed Sacrament. It stopped at four different
stations for a reading from Scripture and a special prayer. The prayers
are worthy of note.
At the first station: “Lord Jesus Christ, we ask that your blessing be
upon your Church, so that your people and your ministries may serve you
in this most Blessed Sacrament of the altar with ever deeper reverence
and love and that, united with you, who are the bread of life, we may
live with you in heaven.”
At the second station: “Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to look with
compassion upon your people who are like sheep without a shepherd,
especially on those who have not yet accepted the full truth of your
teaching in your Catholic Church. Through your blessing may they have
the grace to enter into communion with your Sacred Body and Blood.”
At the third station: “Lord Jesus Christ, we ask that your blessing may
be upon the souls of your faithful departed, that through your mercy
they may all enter into the peace of your heavenly kingdom.”
And, at the final station: “Lord Jesus Christ, we ask your blessing upon
all families of this diocese, that through their faithfulness and
Christian lifestyle many will be led to vocations to the priesthood and
religious life. We pray that you look with favor upon those holy
families who heroically bear witness to your sacred presence in the Most
Blessed Sacrament.”
Back in the Church and after an extended period of adoration, Msgr.
Robert Sell, vicar general, offered a beautiful reflection on the
Eucharist. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament followed. The day was
concluded with a picnic-style dinner provided by the Knights of
Columbus.
General consensus seemed to be that it was an experience to savor. |
