A Journey through the Mass
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The Mass in its entirety, remains our response to Jesus’ invitation to join with him in peace. We welcomed Jesus, the Word Incarnate, as he entered the church. We prepared ourselves for the mysteries to be revealed by cleansing our guilt and trusting in the mercy of God. Then God speaks to us in the Scriptures that show how the relationship between God and humans grew through a pattern of faith followed by sin followed by suffering followed by salvation. Through it all the message remains Love God with our whole hearts, our whole minds and our whole soul love our neighbor as we love ourselves – all in gratitude for the love God continually shows us in our journey toward eternal life in his Oneness. In the Mass, we see the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, opening the scripture to show us how to love as God loves – emptying ourselves, giving up our wills to God and letting Christ into our souls. In Communion with all the faithful living and dead, we take our nourishment for eternal life from the gift of the Christ. This is cause for reflection in the silence after Communion. The Prayer after Communion breaks the silence with the priest saying, “Let us pray” and the assembly stands as one. The priest prays that the sacrament bears fruit in us and that we remain faithful to all that we have received. The assembly responds resoundingly, Amen. With joy the priest greets us “The Lord be with you.” To which the assembly responds, “And with your Spirit” acknowledging the priestly grace within him for what he is about to do – he blesses us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The Mass ends as it began under the sign of the cross. The deacon will not simply dismiss the assembly but exhort the faithful to go out to the world and live the life of the Gospel as Jesus told us, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Only love is credible to the world that does not yet believe. Thanks be to God.