“The Eucharist is ‘the source and
summit of the Christian life’ . . . the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine
life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being.
It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and
of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy
Spirit.” --- Catechism of the Catholic Church
- “Mass is about giving ourselves to God and in return we receive God”
- “I don’t get anything out of Mass”
- “Mass is about gathering as a community to worship God”
- “Mass is not relevant to my modern life”
- “Mass is the Source and Summit of our Faith”
- “Mass is boring!”
Which of
these statements resonate with your life? Matthew powerfully presents one of
the biggest challenge the Church faces, the idea that attendance at Mass is declining
because we are not “entertaining” the faithful. He says if we look around at a
typical Sunday Mass, we will see many people totally disengaged - not
momentarily distracted - but massively disengaged throughout the entire Mass.
The issue is not the Mass – it’s with us. It’s how we approach and understand
what the Mass is all about.
He writes
that there are two things we need to do to make the Mass relevant in our lives.
First, we have to change how we approach our Sunday encounter. We need to learn
real and practical ways of listening to God’s voice at Mass. Secondly, we need
a renewed understanding of what is going on at Mass and how it relates to our
daily lives.
Matthew says
the first suggestion comes from something he and his wife tried. Each Wednesday
they review the readings for the following Sunday and talk about what resonates
with each of them from the readings and why. Then when they attend Mass that
Sunday, the readings are a familiar friend, the Word spoken draws them towards
God. The Word draws them deeper into the Mass and worship celebration. This is
because the Word of God needs opportunities to linger in our hearts and minds.
Find what works for you and make it a habit.
A suggestion to build upon the idea of preparing for Sunday, involves walking into Mass, and in the
quiet of your heart ask God, “show me one way in the Mass today that I can become a-better-version-of-myself
this week.” Now, in order to capture what God tells you, Matthew suggest you begin writing down your thoughts and conversations with God in a
Mass Journal. This can become a very powerful spiritual tool in building a new
habit that will help change your whole experience of the Mass. Imagine if you knew God was going to speak to
you at Mass. I bet that you would want bring a pen and paper to capture what was said. Get yourself a Mass
Journal. It will help make you a-better-version-of-yourself.
The second
thing Matthew spoke about was the need for a renewed understanding of the Mass. He asks us
if we have every experienced wonder when we were at Mass? Are we able to look beyond the
routine actions of the Mass to see its timeless meaning? Do we sense the
mystery and power of receiving and consuming Christ in the Eucharist? If you
can’t answer these questions affirmatively, then Matthew suggest you need to rediscover the
wonder that is in the Mass.
Starting at
page 203 and going through page 210, Matthew takes you through the flow of the Mass,
briefly explaining each part and how we should “engage” that element of
worship. It is a short and beautiful look at the Mass that will help you see how
the suggestions he has provided can truly help you grow spiritually in
understanding the richness and power of the Mass in your life.
Embrace the suggestions in this chapter and ensure you review the pages on the various parts of the Mass. You will be well on your way to becoming-a-better-version-of-yourself. Remember, we become more
spiritual when we seek the will of God by establishing spiritual habits. Our
lives change when our habits change.
Question
What wonders
have you experienced in life? What about Christianity is a wonder for you?
Here is the link
to Matthew's Dynamic Catholic website where you can order your Mass Journal: http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-Mass-Journal-p/1mj-hc.htm
In peace,
Dan
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