8 Reasons to Go to Mass
THOMAS LICKONA
“Mass is boring.” “I don’t get anything out of Mass — why should I go?” “Why can’t I just pray alone?” These are common feelings, especially among young people but among many adults as well. How should we respond.
“Do this in memory of me.”
– JESUS, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE 22:19
“If you really thought about who you are, who God is, and how much thanks you owe Him, you would want to go to Mass. The Mass would become the source and center of your spiritual life.”
-JAMES STENSON
These are common feelings, especially among young people but among many adults as well. The great Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, when conducting a retreat for teenagers, once gave a talk on the meaning of the Mass. He said, “If you don’t get anything out of Mass, it’s because you don’t bring the right expectations to it.” The Mass is not entertainment, he said. It is worship of the God who made us and saves us. It is an opportunity to praise God and thank Him for all that He has done for us.
If we have a correct understanding of Mass, Bishop Sheen said, it will become more meaningful for us. We will want to go to Mass. We will understand why the Mass is God’s precious gift to us, and we wouldn’t think of refusing that gift. Here are eight reasons to go to Mass:
1. The Command of God.
The Third of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God is, “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day” (Exodus 20:8).
2. The Command of Christ.
Why should we keep the Sabbath holy by going to Mass? The Mass was instituted at the Last Supper by Jesus before his Crucifixion. The Last Supper was the first Mass.
When the hour came, he [Jesus] took his place at the table with the apostles . . . Then he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you. Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:14,19).
When we celebrate the Mass, we repeat the Last Supper, as Jesus commanded us to do. In doing this, we remember and re-present his great act of love for us on the Cross — taking our sins upon himself so that we, if we follow his commandments, can live with him forever in heaven.