Why do we go to Mass every Sunday?

 

In every celebration of the Holy Mass, we gather to hear the words of God and express our faith in Jesus. For us, Catholics, this is our way of giving thanks to God for the gift of life and all the blessings we receive every day of our life. 

 

This is also another chance for us to kneel and converse with God. When in great problem, we lie prostrated to voice out lamentations for the troubles in life we always encounter. 

 

However, in the year 2020, a pandemic (covid-19) struck the whole world and killed millions of people. To keep safe from the deadly virus, everyone was compelled to be in isolation--no physical contact even to family and friends who caught the virus. That was a harsh situation, physically and mentally. 

 

To add more anguish to that suffering, church doors were closed, and we were deprived of the comfort of solitude while listening to God’s voice inside the adoration chapel. Even just kneeling on church pews in times of trials became forbidden.  

 

However, God is good all the time and nothing is impossible with Him. To console and reach out to us followers of Jesus, the online mass was introduced via social media. It was indeed a big relief from that agony. We experienced the convenience of sitting on a couche facing the digital television screen and listening to the words of God from readers and the good news from the priests’ homilies. 

 

For over a year, we patiently watched online masses without receiving the Holy Communion and patiently prayed the Spiritual Communion as instructed, believing that this can replace physically receiving the Bread of Life. 

 

Somehow, attending online masses was convenient because we did not have to get up early, prepare properly, then travel or walk a long way to church. 

 

What’s more amazing was the conveniences of choosing times and parish churches from different parts of the world and experiencing the differences in how various priests officiate the Holy Eucharist. 

 

We even felt satisfied just sitting in front of the television set to attend the Holy Mass. Then a not-so-good habit developed in us—having a cup of coffee while the priest was expressing his homily. 

 

Fortunately, when the pandemic became under control the church doors were opened again with conditions of wearing a facial mask to keep safe or staying home when not feeling well. 

 

Those orders from the church gave us the complacency to choose to attend or not to attend the Sunday mass. We thought that reciting the Spiritual Communion was enough to fulfill our desire to get united with Jesus. 

 

Thank God, we were enlightened by online priests’ words, persuading us to attend the Sunday mass and physically receive the body and blood of Jesus. Once again, our yearning to be united with Jesus gave us the courage to face the challenges and bear the consequences of walking the right path to reach out to God hoping not to be hungry nor thirsty forever. 

 

 

 

 

 The Assumption of Mary

 

 

On 1 November 1950, invoking his dogmatic authority, Pope Pius XII defined the dogma: By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. --Wikipedia.

The Assumption of Mary, Mother of God is a holiday of obligation for us, as we commemorate it on August 15.

This Catholic church’s dogma about Mary’s assumption to heaven imbedded in us  a strong devotion to the Mother of God. This devotion is an essential part of the Catholic faith, because we firmly believe that through her own body and blood, Jesus was begotten by the Holy Spirit, and God the Son was born human. 

 

As a mother, Mary has a strong relationship with her son. With love and devotion she raised and nurtured Jesus from birth to adulthood, like ordinary mothers do. However, Mary’s obedience to God’s will, made her bore the pains of witnessing her son’s sufferings due to men’s savagery that led to his painful death on the cross. 

Then as the Scripture said, the fruit of all her sacrifices was brought forth by Jesus’ glorious resurrection on the third day of his death. 

 

Jesus showed love for his mother, when prior to breathing his last, he entrusted her to one of his disciples John: ‘Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then, he said to the disciple, ’Behold, your mother!’ and from that hour the disciple took her into his own household. (John 19: 26-27)

 

As mother of the church Mary lead all followers of Jesus to the right path through praying the rosary and meditating on the mysteries of Jesus’ passion and death. With “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus..,” we ask for Mary’s intercession and protection.

 

In our hearts, we have a sincere faith in Mary as our mother too, whenever we need help as we pray:  “Dear Mother of Perpetual Help, from the cross, Jesus gave you to us for our mother. You are the kindest, the most loving of all mothers. Look tenderly on us your children, as we ask you to help us in all our needs specially this one...” 

 

*The Philippines experienced Mother Mary’s powerful intercession during the four days People-Power-Revolution in February 1986 against a dictator. 

 

With strong faith in God and holding rosary beads, the people, faced the government soldiers who had received orders from their Commander-in-Chief to gun down protesters. 

 

That was a historical event because an ocean of people with their religious leaders, nuns, priests and their parishioners stormed heaven by continuously praying the rosary with the image of Our Lady of Fatima held on the stage and the melody of Ave Maria sounded after each decade. 

 

When the soldiers were preparing for an assault, they saw a beautiful woman covered in bright lights, dressed as a nun, standing in front of the tanks. She  extended her arms and spoke clearly. 

 

“Dear soldiers, stop! Do not proceed. 

Do not harm my children. I am the queen of this land.”

 

Awestruck, the soldiers dropped their guns and withdrew. On the part of the Military Commander, he realized that if he’d do what the dictator commanded, the blood of millions of unarmed civilians would be in his hands, so he ordered his troop to stop.

 

That was indeed a divine intervention. Those soldiers claimed that it was the Virgin Mary they saw. The late Cardinal Sin vouches for the accuracy of the apparition and said: “Yes, my heart was telling me that this was indeed Mary. And since they obeyed this woman who appeared to them, and did not follow orders, then President Marcos had nobody to give him power or support. That was the end of him.”

 

                                                                        *Reference : Divine Mysteries and Miracles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 REFLECTION : THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD

 

The month of July is dedicated by Pope Francis to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  

 

Jesus made it certain that his sacrifice of giving up earthly life and shedding blood on the cross was done for the atonement of humans’ sins, and whoever believes will not perish but will have an eternal life.

 

The scene during the Last Supper was a communion with Christ with all the blessings of his blood on the cross and his glorious resurrection. This is the strong foundation of the Holy Eucharist celebrated by the Catholic church.

 

In Matthew 26: ²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: “Take and eat; for this is my body.” ²⁷ Then he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ²⁸ “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

During the communion rite of the  Holy Mass, we sing the mystery of our faith; ”When we eat this Bread and we drink this Cup, we proclaim your death Oh Lord, until you come again.”

 

As Catholics, this  devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus may be  another chance for us to meditate and ask ourselves: Am I truly worthy of Jesus’ sacrifice of shedding his blood on the cross to show His unconditional love and save me from sin?

 

Thinking about Jesus’ unending love, memories during the younger days came rushing to be able to compare then and now. At seven years old the time for me had come to answer God’s call and receive my first communion. The thought of receiving the bread of life and the blood of eternal life, was not that clear to me.

 

Even then, I had to follow instructions to have a taste of the Holy Communion:

First, to confess  all sins I committed. Then ask for forgiveness and listen to the priest’s sermon. Finally, wait for the priest’s command to do penance.

 

Forgiven after doing penance, I was given the opportunity to receive the Holy Communion, but with more requirements: 1.Go to mass in the morning without breaking the fast to maintain a pure heart and cleansed soul. 2. Before receiving the bread of life and the blood of the covenant, pray, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed. Amen. 3. Walk through the aisle and kneel on the row facing the altar. 4. When the priest put the host into your opened mouth, say, Amen. 5. With the body and blood of Christ into your body, walk back to pew, kneel and give thanks for the bread of life and precious blood entering into your own body to be with you through eternity. 

 

I often ask myself: What are the difference between Then and Now? What more should I do to gain eternal life? Do I deserve God’s love? 

 

 

 

 

 Reflection: The Holy Trinity

As promised in Ezekiel 36:26-27 “I will give you a new heart and put a spirit in you: I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  

 

“How many Gods do we have?” 

That was the first question I heard from the catechist when at seven years old, I attended a weekend Catechism class with some of my friends.  

My underdeveloped mind got confused with that very serious question. The life-sized images inside the church whenever we attended Sunday mass came to mind. How many were they? 

My friends had answered that question and every one of them heard a No! reply from the catechist. 

“What about you?” she asked pointing her finger on me. 

 “S-seven?” I mumbled, my fingers twitching. 

 She shook her head and said “No!”. 

“Now, seat and listen. We have only one God: that is, the Holy Trinity. Three divine persons in one God--the Father creator of the universe, the Son, the redeemer of the world, and the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to the creation he loves much. 

Words I heard from the catechist are all mind-boggling, so I kept telling myself to understand what they all meant. 

As maturity crept in, I accepted and believed whatever I heard from our church leaders about the Holy Trinity.  

Finally, I had the opportunity to join a Life in the Spirit seminar. Lo and behold, I personally felt the God touching me as I was undergoing a baptism in the Holy Spirit. 

That event gave me a personal and intimate relationship with God. Now, I can hear Him speaking in my heart and guiding me always.