WHAT DOES THE MASS
MEAN TO YOU?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “What Does The Mass Mean To
You?”
Today is the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of
Christ - so I thought it might be a good moment to ask all of us to sum up what
the Mass means to us. What are we doing here today? Why are we here?
How have we changed in our understanding, how have we
developed our thoughts about the Mass, down through the years?
What have been our key Mass understandings - our key experiences
about the Mass and the Masses we have
been to?
This would be better to do in small groups. I suggest you do it at home, at meals, in the
car - together. What does the Mass mean to you?
It’s a good question.
BOOK
I have a whole book on the Mass. I finished writing it
about 10 years ago. It is 317 pages long - 14 pica. It has 113 short chapters
2, 3, sometimes 4 pages long. It has 79,404 words.
Now that would be a long homily.
I sent it to 3 or 4 publishers. Each rejected it. One of
these days I’ll get at it again - revamp it - up date it - change it - and
discover what I have learned more or different about the Mass since I finished
that book 10 years ago.
Looking for time…. Looking for energy.
I met a guy at a funeral lately who writes pulp novels. He said if you sell 500 - paperback books - that’s not bad.
I met a guy at a funeral lately who writes pulp novels. He said if you sell 500 - paperback books - that’s not bad.
I didn’t tell him, but I disagreed with him - knowing
editors want to sell a lot more than 500 copies of a book. All the books I
wrote are all out of print, but each sold at least 1000 copies - one 60,000.
So one of these days I’m going to get back to that - but
real live work with people is more important and more in demand.
The title of this homily, “What Does the Mass Mean to
You?” triggered this renewed interest in getting this book published by some
company. I don’t do self-publishing.
So once more, what does the Mass mean to you?
Let me see if I can come up with 3 answers for my latest homework.
FIRST: DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME
Why are we here right now? What’s the meaning of all
this?
First answer: we’re doing this in memory of Jesus.
At the Last Supper - which was a Passover Meal - Jesus
took bread. Jesus took wine. Jesus said, “This is my body. This is my blood.
I’m giving my body, I’m giving my blood for you and to you. Do this in memory of me.”
I asked myself: Is there anything I’m doing in memory of
someone else?
My mother used to make and bake delicious Irish Soda
Bread - which we kids would deliver to various relatives and friends in our
neighborhood growing up in Brooklyn. My sister Peggy somewhere along the line
in her last assignment as a nun in Scranton, Pennsylvania, used to make two
dozen or so loaves of Irish Soda Bread around Christmas time and St. Patrick’s
time and bring them to old nuns - in memory of what my mom did.
I was trying to remember what I do in memory of
others. I like to send e-mails or a card
on the anniversary of the death of loved ones. Like June is the anniversary of
my dad - June 26, 1970 - and my nephew Michael - June 14th, 1977.
So that’s another way of asking what does the Mass mean
to us. What do we do in memory of others - besides coming to Mass in memory of
Jesus - to keep his memory alive on the planet.
SECOND: FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
It’s not by accident that Jesus chose a meal to give us
his final thoughts. It was his last
supper. He was passing over to life beyond this life.
Resurrection from the dead is essential to the Mass.
Food is essential to life.
Without food we die.
When we gather, we eat.
Can I get you something?
Eating with each other is essential to being with each
other.
Eating is essential to being in communion with another.
It’s hard to eat with someone we can’t stomach.
What’s it like to be in a very small town and the church
is very, very small? What happens on Sunday morning when one family -
especially relatives or neighbors - can’t stand, can’t understand, can’t
stomach each other?
It’s the same as what happens at some weddings. The ones who do the seating better know who
isn’t getting along with whom.
Kids who stop eating with the family - stop going to Mass
with the family.
So food is all about communion.
It’s ugly when we excommunicate each other.
THIRD AND LAST: TALKING WITH EACH OTHER
Talking with each other is essential to eating with each
other.
Breakfast, lunch, supper, coffee breaks…. What’s going
on? What plans do you have for today? How was your day?
The Mass is loaded with words.
Words become flesh.
The Mass has sacred readings and sacred words.
This is my body…. This is my blood …. These are my words.
I’m giving me to you. I’m digesting what you are saying.
When was the last time we sat at table with another for
an hour or two after the meal?
Last night I sat with Father William from 6 till
7:20. We could have been finished at 6:15.
We’re all running?
We have our schedules?
On our high school retreats we break into small
groups. I ask kids what’s it like in
your home at meal time? Some families eat together. Some families don’t.
On our high school retreats, I’ve noticed that they have
collected phones for the retreat - and give them back - on the way back. Phones
are great for connecting and telling family we’re on our way home.
I have heard enough folks like me say, “Please be with
the people you’re with - not with someone on a phone miles away - right in the
middle of a meal - with others.”
I also know we can be with others - look them in the face -
have a phone in one’s pocket - but be 1000 miles away in our mind - and inner
conversation. I do that all the time.
People confess distractions in prayer - but never confess distractions
and disappearing from others whom we’re talking with.
I have to preach a lot - and I have to listen a lot. I know it’s hard to catch others attention
and to catch my attention.
Did you know chapters 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 of John are
words from the Last Supper - but they don’t bring in the words of
consecration. Those words are in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Paul.
Meals are all about the food and the people around the
table - their body and blood - but a
meal is all about the words at the table,
Ears and mouth - chewing and digesting each other -
listening and talking - basic, very basic, going to communion with each other.
CONCLUSION
So my question for this rainy day: What does the Mass mean
to you?
