The spiritual traditions of the Catholic Church, developed over centuries filled with prayer and experience, enrich our faith and are a channel of grace to help us in our struggles. Of course at the top of this chain of gifts that lead us to Christ are the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

 

What has been entrusted to the world through the Church and therefore through the clergy and the faithful is the enduring presence of Jesus among His people in the Eucharist. We need to stir up continually our awe and profound humility before the reality that at every Mass Jesus is united to the priest who celebrates. 

 

The priest acts in the person of Christ in repeating the Lord’s words from the last supper during which the bread and wine at the altar retain their sensory qualities but become by God’s will and gift the body and the blood of Jesus. Christ is truly present among us. He offers Himself to be worthily received by us. And the offering of His body and blood for our sins makes present before us the one sacrifice of Good Friday.

 

As we progress through Lent it is worth repeating this summary of our fundamental belief in what happens at Mass. Lent is a time for seeking to draw closer to God both by repentance from our sins and by the increase in our practice of faith. For this reason, this Lent especially is a time for us to reflect upon the need to attend Mass each Sunday.

 

First, our human nature should feel a sense of wonder at the presence of God in the Mass. It is the fulfillment of Christ’s words in the Gospel, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” (Lk 10:23-24). 

 

We sense the foreshadowing of that same reality in the Old Testament as well. “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?” (Dt 4:7).

The human condition, however, is always tempted to lose its focus and attention. It is one of the challenges of the spiritual life not to grow weary or so accustomed to God’s presence that it begins to be taken for granted.

 

This Lent, one of our focuses has been to invite back to Mass the many who, for various reasons, have fallen away from regular Sunday attendance. The drop in Sunday Mass attendance has been going on for a long time. Most worrisome is the diminishing presence of our young people at Mass.

 

Our world and our society is undergoing a crisis in many areas. But one of the common threads of our personal and collective problems is the absence of God and the practice of faith that enlightens and strengthens us in all phases of life. And the road to eternal life is made possible by walking with God who strengthens us in the Eucharist.

 

Joined to the Eucharist is the sacrament of confession. We need that forgiveness of sin and the purification of our souls to prepare for Mass and to receive Christ worthily. Please don’t miss going to confession this Lent, especially if you have been away for a long time. I invite you to come. As always, a great opportunity is our Diocesan Be Reconciled Day on Wednesday, March 29. Throughout the diocese, our parishes will offer the opportunity for Lenten confessions from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Please check your parish bulletin or website, or visit https://bereconciled.rockforddiocese.org for specific times.

 

Mass and confession are the perfect way to bring about our conversion of heart and our preparation for Easter. Let’s renew those great spiritual practices this Lent!