Missing Sunday Mass

“Did you know that missing Mass on Sunday is a mortal sin?” My friend said excitedly on the phone. “I was reading the Catechism that you gave me and it says that missing Sunday Mass is grave matter so essentially a person can end up in hell for missing a single Sunday Mass. Isn’t that too extreme?” My friend is right – it is too extreme if you look at it from his perspective. He is a Protestant so he is looking at the Mass through the lens of Protestantism. However, the Mass is not merely a formalized worship service.

So what is the Mass? It is something that I cannot fully explain it any more than I can fully explain or comprehend the mysteries of God. The Mass is a mystery. The one aspect of the Mass that I would like to discuss here is the sacrifice of the Mass and I will do this with the aid of a picture. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so my thousand word essay on the Mass is depicted at the top of this posting.
It is an artist’s rendering of the reality of the Mass. The sacrifice of the Mass is Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary made present in our time for the sins of the world. This is what takes place at every Mass; we are literally at the foot of the cross. God is outside of time. So yesterday, today and tomorrow is described as an “eternal now” to God. Events that happened two thousand years ago appear before God as an open book.
The sacrifice of Christ is not renewed at every Mass but rather the same sacrifice that occurred over two thousand years ago is made present to us in our time in an un-bloody manner. Who can fathom the mysteries of God?

Take a look at the picture again and take particular notice the angel. Now listen to the words from Eucharistic Prayer I :

    “Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven.”

    An angel is present at every Mass with the purpose of taking the Sacrifice made present to us to God in heaven. We should contemplate this reality when we are at Mass.
In recognizing what actually takes place at Mass it then becomes easy to see the seriousness of missing a single Sunday Mass. So remember this picture and then realize  what you are walking away from when you miss Mass. It is mortally sinful to reject God who loves us. To willfully miss Mass on Sundays (and holy days) is in essence, rejecting Him.

There is so much more that could be said about the Mass. Few people have been able to comprehend the mystery of the Mass to the extent of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. To help us better appreciate the Mass I conclude with his words:

    "It would be easier for the earth to carry on without the sun than without the Holy Mass."