THE MASS: OUR ULTIMATE PRAYER

by Fred Vilbig

The greatest prayer that we as Catholics ever pray is the Mass. The Second Vatican Council referred to the Mass as the “source and summit” of our faith. At the Last Supper, Our Lord said, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you….” (Luke 22:15.) He instructed us to “do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19.)

This tradition has continued unbroken since the time of Jesus. Paul talks about how he received the Eucharistic tradition from the Lord Himself. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26.) In about the year 155, St. Justin Martyr wrote his First Apology. It contains a simple but rather detailed description of the Mass that sounds basically like the Sacrament we celebrate today.

So the Mass is, and since the Last Supper has been, the center of our worship as Catholics. But it’s even more than that. In The Lamb’s Supper, Scott Hahn explains how St. John’s vision of heaven in the Book of Revelation is actually a Eucharistic feast. The vision occurs on the Lord’s Day. There is an altar. There is a Lamb (a symbol of Christ) that appears to have been slain. There are prayers offered. So according to the Book of Revelation, there is a Mass in heaven.

But what does that mean to you and me? God is the creator of everything around us: the birds, the trees, the stars, space itself, and even time. Since He created time, He is outside of time. He is not constrained by it.

Jesus, as God, is also not subject to time, per se. Yes, he became man, emptying Himself of His Divinity (Philippians 2:7), but in His Person, He was not and is not subject to time. For that reason, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion occurred both in time and outside of time.

On Calvary, Jesus sacrificed Himself for the salvation of the world. During His lifetime, He told us to follow Him. He told us that each day we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. (Luke 9:23.) We are called to the Cross with Jesus. It is almost beyond belief, but Jesus wants us sacramentally to join Him on the Cross each and every day. And with Him, we are invited to offer our sacrifices to God the Father for the salvation of the world.

In receiving the Eucharist, we also become more like Jesus. We become more assimilated into the Body of Christ. There is an old saying that we are what we eat. By consuming the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we become more like Him through the grace we receive.

So at Mass, we are truly, profoundly present at the Last Supper; we are present at the foot of the Cross; as members of the Body of Christ, we are on the Cross with Jesus; and we are in heaven.

So why should we go to Mass? At Mass, we become more like Jesus. That will be really important on the Day of Judgment. When God the Father looks at me, I’d rather Him see Jesus, and not so much me. Also, when we are at Mass, we are literally present at the central event of all creation: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

So in the end, my question is not why should we go to Mass? Rather, it’s why would anyone want to miss Mass… ever?