by Rachel Allen
Post Credit: Life Teen
Rule #3: “Remember the Sabbath day – keep it holy.”
That’s a commandment, ladies and gentlemen, straight out of the mouth of God to Moses on Mount Sinai. And “keeping it holy” means not doing any work – resting, like the good Lord Himself did on the seventh day in the creation accounts in Genesis. No one is supposed to work on the Sabbath – not you, not your son or daughter, not your manservant or your lady-servant, not even your donkey or ox or Chia pet… nobody.
So that means you can (dare I say… should?) sleep until noon on Sundays, right? And if sleeping ‘til noon means missing Sunday Mass, then God is cool with it, right?
SABBATH TIME
Not so much… Sunday Mass is a really big deal. Keeping the Sabbath holy isn’t just about rest. It’s about so much more than that – it’s about giving the Lord the praise He is due, it’s about remembering all that He has done for us, it’s about spending time with the family God gave us, it’s about making sure we keep the Lord as God, and not work or money… it’s about a thousand or so wonderful things that Jesus has done and wants to do in your life.
We refer to the Mass as the ‘source and summit’ of our faith (CCC 1324) – the source, because everything else flows from it, and the summit, because there’s nothing greater than it.
All that sounds really good – nice churchy talk, solid theology. But if we’re trying to keep it real, I know that those reasons aren’t quite exciting enough to get most people out of bed in the morning…
So why go to Sunday Mass? Easy: because Jesus is there. For real.
REAL PRESENCE
A lot of people who are much smarter than I have written pages of solid theology on why we believe that Jesus Christ is really present – body, blood, soul, and divinity – in the Eucharist. Our faith teaches us that at every Mass, every drop of wine and every crumb of the host is 100% transformed into Jesus’ body and blood. It happens in a way we don’t totally understand and can’t really explain, through the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God through the words of consecration. And the end result is that we get to receive Him into our bodies.
If you’re looking to read some of those great theological works… go find them (feel free to start with the list at the end of this blog). We’ve all been wrestling to find the words to explain that Jesus meant it when He said, “This IS my body,” and “This IS my blood,” and “DO THIS in memory of me” (I added the all-caps… because sometimes I wish the priest would shout those parts at Mass to help people get it. But that wouldn’t really be super reverent. And Jesus probably didn’t shout at the Last Supper).
I love how St. Paul – a guy who didn’t personally walk with Jesus while He was in the flesh, but had a life-changing encounter with Him after His death and resurrection (hmm… sound familiar? Like, I dunno… me? You?) – breaks it down for the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). They were struggling with coming to Mass reverently (hmm… sound like anyone else you know?), and so as he calls them out in love, St. Paul says that he is simply handing on to them what he had received from the Lord: that at the Last Supper, the night before the crucifixion, Jesus took bread and wine, told the disciples that it was His body and blood, and commanded them to do the same, in remembrance of Him.
He didn’t say that Jesus said to play pretend. There was no talk of symbols or representations. Jesus said to do the same, and St. Paul was simply following His lead.
REAL LIFE
I’ve been Catholic my whole life, which means I have literally been to Mass thousands of times. I’ve heard those words, over and over again, in churches all over our country and even around the world. It’s an amazing thing to still understand what’s happening at a Mass where you don’t speak the language. And sometimes, once in awhile, it feels like I almost get it.
Because I’ve also sat with Jesus, fully present to me in Eucharistic adoration, and have heard Him whispering. Not out loud, and not the words of consecration – but a whisper, somewhere in my heart or mind or soul, speaking to me. He has let me know that He really is there, that He loves me, and He will always be there for me. And He isn’t just saying it to me… He says it to each one of us. If you spend that time with Him in the Eucharist, I know that He’ll say the same to you.
THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM, AND IN HIM
Listen, I love sleep as much as the next person. It’s near the top of the list of my favorite things that exist, alongside my faith, eating, Netflix, and America. I know that sometimes, Sunday mornings are a struggle. It’s too early, or the music is rough, or the homily might not connect, or there’s a really cute baby screaming its cute little head off from the next pew.
But I also know that, no matter what, Jesus shows up to every single Mass. He is really there, fully present in the Eucharist. And not only does He keep His promise to show up there, but He keeps His promise to show up in me, too. When I receive the Eucharist, I receive all of Him, and He gives me everything I need to get through the week. Whatever comes my way – stress, family issues, friend drama, any fears or anxieties – I know that I can survive it all… with Him.
I can’t make you want to go to Mass on Sundays. But so help me God, nothing could keep me from it – because I know that when Jesus told the apostles, “I am with you always,” He meant it (Matthew 28:20). He is there, in the Eucharist, for you.
See you Sunday.
