The Truth About the Mass

The Truth About the Mass

Why Go?

07-12-13&07-13-13

The Vatican City. More specifically, St. Peter's Square. 

The center for Catholicism. Our Catholic roots go back some 2,000 years, with Rome and the Vatican remaining the home of the Pope,  along with being a place that fosters the faith. Though the Church is still very much alive, and thriving in many places, it seems to have hit another stumbling block, and this one might be more threatening than anything before. The biggest problem we face in the Church  today is actually coming from inside the safe haven that is our Faith. This attack could potentially destroy us. 

It is... the lukewarm Catholic. 

We all know what the lukewarm Catholic looks like, because in all honesty, it is us at times. All of us. None of us can honestly say we always avoid this title. I know I don't. 

With that, the question becomes -

1. How did it get to this?

and

2. How do we change this?

A picture can better display some problems our Church faces. 

In the past, our Churches looked like this - The best word I can use to describe this would be FULL. The cafeteria Catholics were a small group, not a large army. People went to mass, prayed their prayers, understood the importance of a relationship with God. We all know the Church has not been perfect up until this point, and it is true, there were problems in the past that we are dealing with less now, and we can all thank God for that, but in the past, one thing that people did do, no matter who you were, a saint or a sinner, was go to MASS. Sunday Mass was expected, and sadly, we seem to have fallen away from that. Now a days, our Churches are 

filled with empty pews, and the problem does not seem to be leaving anytime soon. As a whole, we have become...gulp....lukewarm! In scripture it says, 

 ^"So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." 

Revelations 3:16 

I don't know about you, but that kind of freaks me out, and is a wake up call. You know what this lukewarmness is; you've seen it, experienced it, been a part of it yourself. Remember when you went to mass and no one sang, or when you  received communion and came back to your seat with no one around you? Wasn't there a bunch of people a minute ago? Yes, we know what this is. This is sadly what our Catholic Church is becoming. 

So now we see how it came to be, but how can we change it? 

One way is through prayer! How lovely a thing! There is nothing quite as beautiful as prayer, especially the Rosary. Of course there is the Mass, the most wonderful prayer, but if we want to start going to Mass, not out of obligation, but out of desire,  and to actively participate, we have understand.
Instead of having myself explain it, I think Catherine de Hueck Doherty, founder of Madonna House in Canada, can do a better job. She says:

"The Mass is the very breath of our spiritual life. There we are, face to face with the Lord of Hosts. There we become one with him. Then, refreshed and strengthened beyond our understanding, we once more can face whatever the day may bring. In the Mass we find bread and wine for the soul. We find Love bending down to us, Love lifting us, ever higher, to himself, until all things are right and well with us. For we have our being in him already on this earth. The Mass is the sum total of all our prayer life! Vocal: “With my voice I praise you.” Mental: “My mind is slowly absorbed in his, and I begin to see, to understand.” Contemplative: When we are unable to speak or think, we just “rest” in him.

All things come together in the Mass, for humanity comes together in God, and in God all things have their being. The Mass is a mighty bridge which brings the entire Church — living on earth now and those gone on to eternal life — together in an unbreakable unity. In doing so, it brings us peace, strength, and joy. For in the Mass we realize as through a glass darkly, that there is no loss of our Beloved, that we are not alone, that we walk in a goodly company of saints and martyrs. Life changes utterly and begins to make true sense to us when we participate in Mass daily. Our horizons become wider than all the universe, for they span time and eternity. Love grows within our soul until finally its eyes see Christ in all. Slowly, but oh, how surely, our whole person turns to God! Then the spirit of the evangelical counsels –- of poverty, chastity, and obedience – of the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments becomes simple and clear. We become free. How free cannot be told; it has to be experienced."

BOOM. 

Quite honestly, this is one of the most powerful reflections I've ever read. To fully comprehend it, I need to read it over and over, and even with hours of reflection, there is still much to be grasped. If I had given my reasoning for why people are so lukewarm and why mass participation is so low, I would have basically said, in more basic terms, we suck, and we need to not be complacent, blah, blah, blah. Miss Catherine? Well, she actually knew what she was saying, and hit it out of the park with true charity.

I came across this reflection in the June issue of the Magnificat, and am so happy I did. I hope that I answered the questions I posed and I also hope I made you at least think, and planted some sort of seed. The Lords will be done. I'm just glad he is trying to use me in some capacity,  just his lowly servant .

Thank you for reading this and understand I am praying for you. Please pray for me. Let us continue to strive for Heaven. God bless you my brothers and sisters. 

"He died for me, so I will live for him."   

Signing the Contract

Signing the Contract 

7-5-13 & 7-12-13& 7-13-13

 

If you haven't signed one yet, don't worry - you will sooner or later. Contracts are as common in the work world as trays are in a cafeteria.
In the Old Testament, God and the Israelites had Covenants, which really was a contract in a way. Today's contracts are not as extreme as the one's the Lord made with his chosen people, but that is not to say we as human's don't put a large emphasize on them. In today's business world, most things are not really decided until a contract comes out. "I will work for this law firm if this and this is given to me," or "I will teach History and English at this school if this is included in my contract."
Besides the benefits people also look largely at the dollar signs. The yearly salary is very important. In a way, it is saying, you are worth this much to this company, or to us. When someone applies for a job at a school, they expect to receive the same amount as the teachers around them, or at least the ones who have been there as long as them. When you begin work at a hospital as a Nurse and your initial contract is $50,000.00, you are being told that is your worth to that hospital.
Every single job has a different salary range, as we all know. Some jobs make more money then others. Is the salary really a reflection of someone's worth, or the need and value of that profession? No. Does our society like to make you think that it works like that though? Naturally.
Think about professional athletes. An average baseball player can make anywhere from $2.5-10 Million, all based on their market value at the time of the contract and the teams need. I said an AVERAGE baseball player. Don't like that wide of a range? That is fine, because in 2012, the average salary per player was $3.2 million. Still, I will break it down further. The lowest team salary average, which was that of the Houston Astros, was just under $700-thousand. That is the lowest for any team, and they have zero stars.
Now lets compare that to the average salary of a teacher at a public school - $43,000.00. As you can see, the idea that someone's worth is justified based on their salary is crap. This is not to say that all teachers are most influential then baseball players, and that they all deserve more money then them. Honestly, it just doesn't work like that. People make what they make because of the demand. As American's, we love entertainment, and so anyone in the entertainment business is going to do well. Teachers? Our country finds teaching to be a very honorable profession, but if a certain teacher decided to quit, most schools would move on, and just hire someone else. Their profession is thought of with admiration, but most teachers are thought of as replaceable. But now lets look at baseball. What if the Detroit Tigers let Miguel Cabrera go? People would be up in arms. Why? Because though this profession is not as admired as say a teacher, his worth is greater when it comes to fulfilling that contract.
A teacher's mission is to better educate their students and help them to learn. Very admirable. Miguel Cabrera? His mission is to help his team win baseball games and if everything goes right, win the World Series.
If looked at without a bias, one would say that the teacher is more important, for they are educating students, and helping form who they are. Looked at from a normal humans perspective? At least a Detroit Native? Miguel Cabrera is much more important. The man has the chance to help his team win a Championship! If that teacher screws up, you can just fire them and get a new one! Miguel? You can't replace him. You just can't...
And this is our Countries logic...
But Seriously...
What the heck. Because the stock and worth we put into professional sports and entertainment, the people in those fields make ridiculous amounts of money. They sign lavish contracts and all just because they can hit a ball, or dunk, or score a TD. Not to say these things don't require a lot of skill and that they don't require a ridiculous work ethic, but does what there doing defend those contracts? No, and in all honesty, it never will.
So we can sit around and say, "It is not fair, I work just as hard as they do, blah, blah, blah," but it is not going to get anyone anywhere.
Our contracts in the work world are not really worth anything when it comes down to it. They don't really define our worth.
Why?
Because they are of human origins, and based off of human logic.
The real important contract? The one we form with God at baptism.
When we become members of the Church, we sign a contract with God that we aren't even really aware of, but basically it says:

"For whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and my sister and my mother."

Matthew 12:50

So if we do the will of God, we become family. We fulfill this contract by doing what he asks of us, and then... WE GET PAID! BIG TIME.

The contract has no negotiations. No need. Just do the Lord's will and you get something much better than money. You get...

ETERNAL "fREAKING" LIFE

Does our world see this contract as real, or even relevant to our life here on earth? Normally not. I can't think of anyone I know who has ever bragged about the potential contract that could lead to Heaven. At least not as like someone would when they sign a big deal for a contract at a law firm, or working as a doctor at a hospital, or even just a new job. When you get hired somewhere, you publicize it, have a small party, or at least celebrate in some way. With the contract we have toward acceptance into heaven? Normally nothing. We don't even think about it really. 

This is not to say we don't care deeply about going to heaven. Let us hope we all do. But with that, we don't seem to put much emphasize on this potential prize, even though it is the greatest one of all. HEAVEN, BRO. We should be freaking celebrating that potential gift everyday of our lives. 

If we do the Lord's will, we have the gift of celebrating Eternal Glory with our Lord and Father. Not going to lie, it pumps me up. Celebrate all that the Lord has given you! 

With this, let us reflect on this gift the Lord gives us, and worry a little more about that contract, cause when it comes down to it, it is the only one we ever signed with real worth.

Heaven. 

"Versa L'alto!"  

"He died for me, so I will live for him."