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In just four weeks, during the celebration of
the Easter Vigil, a number of people will be received into the
fullness of the Catholic Church in parishes throughout our diocese.
Some had never been baptized. Others were baptized in another
church or were baptized Catholic but never received religious
instruction. During Lent, the Church invites us to stand in
solidarity with those who will receive the Easter Sacraments for the
first time and support them with our prayers, sacrifices, affection,
and example.
My thoughts and prayers also turn to those who
were once fully practicing Catholics but no longer join us on a
regular basis for Sunday Mass. Of these numbers, many began to
absent themselves from Sunday Eucharist for small reasons of
inconvenience. Subsequently, they developed a routine on Sundays
and holy days which no longer included worship. Very often, they
eventually pushed God to the edge of their lives and in too many
instances out of their lives.
We all know such people who have lost a
meaningful relationship with Jesus and with the faith community.
Perhaps that is the case with some members of our families. I
suggest we pray on a regular basis for those who have given up the
practice of their faith and strive to set a good example for them.
Just as family meals are important occasions to
celebrate and intensify the bonding between family members, so too
is regular faithful participation in Sunday Mass essential for our
growth in relationship with the Lord Jesus and with the community of
disciples.
During our participation in Sunday Mass, the
Lord speaks to us words of comfort and challenge. He reminds us to
whom we belong and the kind of choices we must make if we will find
true peace and happiness in this life and everlasting happiness in
the next. The Lord leads us to deeper conversion as He helps us
transform our minds, hearts, and attitudes to be more like His own.
In Baptism, we became one priestly people.
During Mass, we praise the Lord together. Together, we ask for His
mercy and intercede for the needs of all. As we grow closer to the
Lord, we draw closer to one another so that we form one Body, one
Spirit in Christ.
During Mass, we offer ourselves and all of our
joys, sorrows, disappointments, successes, hardships, and crosses
in, with, and through Jesus to the glory of God, the Father, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit.
The Father is pleased with the gift that we
offer at Mass of our self and the activities of our life in union
with Jesus, and He gives us the very Body and Blood of His Son as
nourishment for the challenges of the day and week.
Finally, at the end of Mass we are sent to
bring the Good News of Jesus to those whom we will meet.
Strengthened by the Eucharist, we are to continue Jesus’ work of
bringing more peace and justice, more truth, unity, and love into
our families, to our workplaces, and especially to the sick, lonely,
hungry, poor, and disenfranchised in our neighborhoods and society.
I was blessed with a deep love of Sunday and
daily Mass from the seventh grade when I became able to attend a
Catholic school. The Mass has always been the high point of my day
and the nourishment I need to meet my responsibilities. I encourage
you during this blessed Lenten season to look for opportunities to
participate in Mass as you are able during the week. In your Masses
and prayers, please remember those who will be welcomed into the
faith community at the Easter Vigil as well as those who have
strayed from the practice of the faith. |
