The heart and soul of our Catholic faith centers on our participation in the Eucharist. To put it another way, our Catholic practice and faith center on attending Mass.

The Mass is a gift of Christ not just for us but also for the salvation of the world. It makes present again the Last Supper on Holy Thursday in a way that is both real and sacramentally united to our celebration today. And like the Last Supper, the Mass is united to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, offering himself to his heavenly Father for the forgiveness of our sins.

This is why we, as Catholics, have an obligation to attend Mass each and every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation unless we are impeded by a truly serious reason or illness.

But given this truth of our faith, why should we even need such an obligation? Love for Jesus and for this tremendous and eternal gift should be enough to bring us to Mass every Sunday. In truth, if God had granted to each of us only to attend Mass once in our lifetime, how privileged and blessed we would be.

Instead, the opportunity for this blessing is available not just each week, but each day.

I wanted to reflect upon the Mass and our participation in it because, in the midst of this Year of Faith, declared by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, one of the central points that he asked for was a renewal of our spiritual lives. In particular, he asked us to use this year to stir up the flame of faith in our hearts, particularly in regard to the Mass and the sacraments.

So at this half-way point of the Year of Faith, we might ask ourselves, “How am I doing about not only my attendance at Mass, but my heartfelt embrace of Christ’s gift of himself in the Eucharist?”

The question is an important one. As I go about the Diocese of Rockford offering parish Masses and especially celebrating confirmation, I see the vibrancy of faith on display at Mass in our parishes. But there are many worrisome signs as well.

By every survey and report from pastors, the number of people not attending Mass is very troubling. Some have just stopped attending. Others have left to attend other churches, for a variety of reasons.
But of concern as well are the cases of many otherwise active and interested Catholics who go to Mass on and off, or who find reasons why they can’t attend Mass this weekend.

A casual approach to Sunday Mass becomes an even greater concern when it involves our youth.

Time and again I hear stories of families or young people who say they can’t make it to Mass because they have a sports event scheduled at the same time. Of course this presents a clear choice of what is the value and priority of a family or an individual: come to Mass and join in the eternal sacrifice of Christ that is at the center of life, or skip it to attend a game.

Of course, often enough, the choice is actually more nuanced. With some effort and resolve, another Mass, maybe an earlier one or one on Saturday evening or in a neighboring parish would be possible.

It is, of course, true that sports is only one of the reasons given for skipping Mass. Sometimes people on vacation don’t seek out the local parish. Other tasks at home, in the yard or in the family can also present a temptation to absent oneself from Mass.

Whatever the challenge, going to Mass has to be the part of our week that we never miss. Pope Emeritus Benedict knew well what he was asking when he encouraged a renewed devotion to the Mass as part of the Year of Faith.

So many of the values of this world are temporary and passing. The gift of grace and Christ himself given us at Mass will last forever.