Christ is present with us. When we call him, he will answer us with the will of our Father. We are called to the Church building for Mass. It is a time to assemble as one body in worship and communion with the word, and Sacrament.
Our brothers and sisters in Christ make up the assembly for Mass. Do they understand the meaning of Church? People think that the building is the Church. Each one of us makes up the Church. Our parish is a mission territory commissioned by Christ to each of us that call a particular Catholic community home. We assemble as the Body of Christ in a Church building in remembrance of Jesus the head of the Church and the Body. Few people of the assembly would ever think to do anything offensive to God while on Parish grounds. We are a member of the Church twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. We need to realize that we can offend God anytime. Through proper catechism, all of the members of the Body of Christ should realize that every moment of life is an experience with Christ. If we would realize the gift Christ gave to us, the reverence of each of us as a gift would elevate the joy and peace through grace for all.
In Persona Christi, our holy Priest stands as a vicar of Christ in remembrance of Jesus. The head of the Church is represented through one from amongst the assembly, the Priest. The charisma of the celebrant brings us into full active participation in the sacred Mass, calling us to share in Christ through the word and Body and Blood that is our salvation. The Paschal mystery is at the heart of our faith as Christ’s Church. It fuels our hope.
Proclaiming God’s word leads us to a personal and communal relationship with Christ. As his body, assembled scripture moves us to reflect on what God is saying to us. It speaks of our responsibility as children of God to the community, and leads to communion with Christ. The congregation needs to understand the gift of scripture delivered through the prophets to each of us in the word. The word read at Mass should be absorbed and passed down from generation to generation through the domestic Church. The word of God, through the word, music, and the Good News of Christ in the Gospel brings us into the sacrifice of Christ for all of humanity.
Jesus Christ, his body and blood through transubstantiation becomes the Sacramental Species. Through the gift of the community in the Mass at the hand of the celebrant, salvation is delivered. Christ made flesh by Lectors, the Choir, Congregation, and the celebrant serving in unison as one body. Glorious mysteries are unfolding on heaven and earth but, many of our members present are not aware. When did we fail the faithful Mass attendants that do not understand? As a Church, why have they not been taught to share in the sacrifice of the Mass? Has our prayer been too selfish and exclusive to exclude our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Jesus sacrifice did not exclude any of us. His commission did not either. It is in the best interest of all of humanity to invite all people to full and active participation. It is “through Him, with Him, in Him, in unity of the Holy Spirit, that we are called to exist. We have to ask God to reveal how he wants us to bring Christ to the world, not what God will do for us!
