Attending Holy Mass with reverence:

21 August 2019

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” John 6:56

The Holy Eucharist is the best gift given to mankind by God our Father because when we receive Holy Communion devoutly and with due reverence, we become one with Jesus. This is indeed a great divine marvel and mystery - to be one in communion with Jesus our Lord and Savior...our God.

The Second Vatican Council teaches that, “at the Last Supper, the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus initiated the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood, in order to continue the Sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until His return.” Every Holy Mass is therefore truly another Sacrifice of Calvary. Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote “The celebration of the Holy Mass has the same value as the Death of Jesus on the Cross”. Hence by the same merits of Jesus's Sacrifice on Calvary, every Holy Mass brings down innumerable graces of mercy and pardon from God our Father on us. Truly, if we were to realise the infinite greatness of the Holy Mass we would be more attentive and reverent when attending it and never miss an opportunity to participate in it.

Almost all the Saints have meditated on this divine marvel and have shown us through their devotion how we ought to approach this Divine Sacrament. Pope Pius XII described the state of mind with which one should take part in the Holy Mass: it should be “the state of mind that the Divine Redeemer had when He sacrificed Himself- the same humble spirit of submission- that is, of adoration, love, praise and thanksgiving to the great majesty of God, so that we re-produce in ourselves the condition of victimhood, the self denial that follows the Gospel’s teaching, by which of our own accord we make a willing sacrifice of penance, sorrow and expiation for our sins.”

So how does one participate in the Holy Mass? To begin with, we need to participate in it by following the prayers said by the priest and reciting our responses to it. By doing so, the grace of God will enable us to experience the pain and suffering of Jesus, a feeling of true repentance for our sins that led to His Passion and Death and a great love for Him that will help us to grow stronger in our resolve against committing further sins.

The Holy Mass brings innumerable graces into our lives and is a form of intercessory prayer too. Therefore we should never miss an opportunity to attend Holy Mass not only on Sundays but during weekdays too, if possible daily or as frequently as possible. Before attending Holy Mass we should be sure not to be in a state of mortal sin. If we are in a state of mortal sin, we should first confess our sins and obtain pardon through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation before receiving Jesus in the Holy Communion. During Holy Mass, we should participate in the prayers by praying the prayers/responses. Any attire or activity that does not seem appropriate at the foot of the Cross in Calvary is surely not appropriate during any Holy Mass we attend. Remember, the more reverently we participate in it, the more graces we will receive from God our Father.

The best example of how to attend the Holy Mass was given to us at the foot of the Cross by The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Evangelist and St. Mary Magdalene. Saint Padre Pio was known to experience immense sorrow whilst celebrating Holy Mass. He would shed fervent tears and earnestly request all those present to follow the Holy Mass on their knees. His sentiment of sorrow was also felt by many saints who shed tears whilst experiencing a share in the sorrow and suffering of Jesus. But often we observe people are distracted, bored and irreverent during Holy Mass which is a cause of great pain and suffering to Jesus. Their behaviour likens them to the Jews and the soldiers at the foot of the Cross who were waiting for Jesus to die so that they could go about their next task. Some are seen playing on mobiles like the soldiers who played dice and spoke irreverently about Jesus. Surely, they are not the people we would want to imitate. Let us make a sincere effort to examine how we attend Holy Mass and reform our ways to receive all the innumerable graces that Our Lord gives us through this Most Divine Mystery.