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 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 14^th, 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?