Month: August 2023

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Mass is over, what now?

After listening to the readings and their explanation in the homily and having participated in Holy Communion, have I already fulfilled my duties as a Catholic by attending mass? We, as disciples of Jesus Christ, have to follow the example of those first disciples and not let ourselves be carried away by the sorrows of the world.

Let us remember that on the same Sunday of the Resurrection, the risen Jesus accompanied two of his disciples who were saddened by the crucifixion of the Messiah and left Jerusalem on the way to Emmaus. It is on this road that our Lord Jesus Christ opens the Scriptures for them, explaining them the passages that referred to Him, and that it had been necessary for the Messiah to suffer all these things in order to later be glorified. And then, upon reaching Emmaus, the disciples shared dinner with Jesus, who took the bread in his hands, and giving thanks to God, broke it and gave it to him. It is just then that the disciples recognized Jesus (Luke 24:13-31). In this passage we can recognize the structure of the Mass: the reading of the Scriptures, their explanation, the Eucharistic dinner: take the bread, bless it, break it and give it to the disciples.

But the passage does not stop there, the evangelist continues and tells us that the disciples without waiting any longer set out for Jerusalem, even when it was already night (Luke 24:29), to proclaim the good news: “It is true! The Lord has risen” (Luke 24:34).

Thus, our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ is not only to attend mass, listen to his word and participate in Holy Communion; rather it starts after the mass. Our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us to proclaim the good news, to evangelize, using the talents that have been given to us, and to be recognized as disciples of Jesus and children of God by our fruits (Matthew 7:15-20)

Let us not be sponge-like Christians who only receive the word without taking action, rather let us be like a honeycomb, Christians overflowing with the sweetness of the Gospel through our example of life, let our hearts burn when listening to the Scriptures and recognize the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; and after mass has ended, let us go out and evangelize, bearing fruit thirty, sixty or one hundredfold.

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Who can receive communion at mass?

Jesus Christ said “Whoever feeds upon my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54), therefore it is necessary as a Catholic to receive communion of the body of Christ, but what are the requirements to receive communion at mass?

The Church tells us that there are conditions to be able to receive communion: being a baptized Catholic and having made First Communion, since as part of our initiation into the Catholic Church we must have been baptized and practice our faith.

Not being aware of having committed a serious sin; he who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must first make a perfect contrition, that is, repent of the sin committed, moved by love for God, by the pain of having offended him (CCC 1451,1452); and then go to the sacrament of reconciliation (CCC 1456). In the case of venial sins, these will be absolved after the penitential act if we are truly sorry for having committed them (GIRM 51).

Do not live in an irregular situation; that is to say, living as a couple in a free or only civil union; having divorced after a Catholic marriage and remarrying or living with a new partner. (Familiaris Consortio 80, 81, 82, 84)

Practice Eucharistic fast, that is, not having eaten or drunk one hour before Holy Communion (Canon 919 §1)

Receive communion devoutly and respectfully, holy communion within the Catholic Church is a sacrament, that is, a visible sign of an invisible truth, we as Catholics, unlike other Christian denominations, believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated host and wine (CCC 1374), and it is by showing due respect to God-Son that we receive him in communion.

Let us then receive Holy Communion acknowledging in the Eucharist the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us fast for purification before attending mass, let us go to the sacrament of reconciliation if we are aware of having committed a serious sin and confess it together with any other venial sin that we have committed, and let us do everything possible to solve any irregularity that prevents us from enjoying the paschal banquet that brings us eternal life

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Why are the scriptures read at mass?

Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly said that by eating the bread that is His Body and drinking the wine that is His Blood we will have eternal life (John 6:53-54). So why is it also read from the scriptures at mass?

The figure of bread is strongly linked to Jesus Christ, from the unleavened bread at the Passover meal; where yeast represents sin (Exodus 12:15-20, Matthew 16:6, 1 Corinthians 5:5-7); the birthplace of Jesus himself, Bethlehem which in Hebrew means “House of bread”; Jesus Christ himself describing himself as the bread of life and the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:35-41); and the last supper of our Lord Jesus Christ with his disciples, where he establishes communion through unleavened bread that will be transubstantiated into His Body (Luke 22:14-20). We must remember that this last event occurs in the context of the Passover feast (Luke 22:7), in which the tradition is to read the story of the Exodus from Egypt and comment on its meaning.

All of this establishes the importance of the communion of His Body through bread, but we must not forget Jesus’ own words when he was tempted, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3).

Jesus Christ also gave us an example of how to celebrate mass, when He met the disciples who were on their way to Emmaus, where He recounted the passages in the scriptures that spoke about Him and explained their meaning, ending at dinner where Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them, at which point their eyes are opened and they go out to proclaim the good news. (Luke 24:27-31)

The Church in its immense wisdom takes the words and works of our Lord Jesus Christ and gives us the mass, the paschal banquet through which we are to be able to achieve eternal life, through the Word of God and the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us go to Mass filled with joy and hope, let our hearts burn when we listen to the scriptures and participate in Holy Communion, for both are life that comes from God.

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Why are bells rung during the consecration?

During the mass, the ringing of some bells is heard twice. The first is when invoking the Holy Spirit over the offerings and the second is when the priest is consecrating them (GIRM 150), why are said bells ringing? This tradition dates back from before the Second Vatican Council, when the priest celebrated Mass with his back to the congregation, in a low voice and in Latin, not in the language of the people as it is today. This usually caused the assembly to be distracted, in such a way that, to highlight these extremely important moments, it was established that the bells would be rung. After the Second Vatican Council, this tradition was maintained to continue marking the peak moment of consecration, in which bread and wine are transubstantiated into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ringing of the bells centers our attention on the fact that we are before our Lord Jesus Christ, truly, really and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament; and it is the moment in which some people out of devotion repeat the words of Saint Thomas, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). It is worth mentioning that these words should be said rather, inside our hearts; since the consecration, being part of the actions of the one who presides over the mass, must be pronounced with a clear and loud voice, and that everyone listens carefully. Therefore, while the priest consecrates the offerings, there should be no singing, prayers, or music (GIRM 32). The act of elevating the body and blood of Christ is part of the consecration.

Let us always keep attention during mass, and may the sound of the bells remind us that it is Jesus Christ himself who is present in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, and we must receive Him in communion in order to enjoy eternal life with Him in the Kingdom of the Heavens.