Dear friend,
We miss you at church. Yes, we really do
miss you.
Life is very hectic nowadays, and often the
weekend schedule is so busy there isn’t enough time to squeeze in Mass. Also, a
very popular idea in our culture is that it’s OK to be “spiritual” but not
religious. If people just think about God once in a while and pray to Him on their
own without going to church, that’s perfectly fine.
Well, Jesus never said anything like
that. In fact, He did say, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).
What exactly does that mean? For 2,000
years, Christians have understood that Jesus’ words mean we must partake of the
Eucharist. By virtue of a supernatural miracle, the Eucharist truly is
transformed into the body and blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus Christ. And
the Eucharist is not something we can have while at home, or while walking
through the woods, or while thinking about God and being “spiritual” on our
own. No, unless a person is sick or homebound, or there are some other
circumstances, the Eucharist is available only in a sacred space, specifically in
a church and specifically during Mass.
Jesus founded the Catholic Church when
He said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the
gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
It’s interesting that Jesus entrusted His
perfect message with an imperfect organization. Apparently, He figured if the
Church was perfect, people might be tempted to worship the Church rather than
God. So, despite many instances, especially in recent years, when both Church
leaders and laypeople have sinned and caused terrible scandals, the Catholic Church
still is the only institution on earth that has been given a divine guarantee
of success. Jesus is the head of the Church, and He promised that not even the
power of Hell will destroy it.
Contrary to what is often said by our
popular culture, the Church actually is a very humble organization. Catholics
know that everyone sins and falls short of God’s perfect glory, and so we
realize we need to take part in the sacraments on a regular basis and receive
God’s forgiveness and mercy and grace.
Many people claim that Mass is very
boring; the same ol’ thing every week. Well, contrary to how our popular
culture views virtually every human activity, the Catholic Mass was never designed
to be a wildly entertaining experience. It was designed to be sacred worship.
But on the other hand, quite often the
homily at Mass is very inspiring, and quite often the choir and musicians are
fabulously talented. Even if Mass seems a little boring, that’s fine, because
it is still the only way to receive the body and blood of Our Lord. Mass is the
unique vehicle God created to allow struggling sinners (that would be us) to
come into full contact with the Savior of the world. If we could only see how
much the angels and saints in Heaven rejoice during every single Mass—even
Masses that seem boring to us—it would take our breath away.
In a spirit of humility and fellowship,
we sincerely ask you to consider joining us once again. Come back to Jesus’
Church. Come back to the faith your parents and grandparents taught you. Come
back to the holy sacrifice of the Mass and receive the flesh and blood of Our
Savior in the Eucharist and be part of our parish community once again.
We miss you at church. Yes, we really do
miss you.
No comments:
Post a Comment