Day 20 of 30 · Week 4 · Grace, Our Defense Against Evil

Preparations for the Passover

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him.
“Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’
“Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
THE BETRAYER
When it was evening, He came with the Twelve.
And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray Me, one who is eating with Me.”
They began to be distressed and to say to Him, one by one, “Surely it is not I?”
He said to them, “One of the Twelve, the one who dips with Me into the dish.
“For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”
THE LORD’S SUPPER
While they were eating, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.”
Then He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.
“Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:12–26

Evening Prayer

The Holy Mass Explained

Fr. Arul Joseph V

As Catholics, we know that the Holy Mass is the center of our faith and the source of divine life. Hence, the Church teaches us to participate in the Holy Mass regularly on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation and also on weekdays, whenever possible. If we understand the value of the Mass, we would certainly participate in it actively and regularly. I feel that a simple explanation on each part of the Mass may help you to recognize the value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. With this consideration, I am going to explain every part of the Mass in the forthcoming bulletins, hoping that you would read and profit by it.

JESUS OFFERS HIMSELF

The Holy Mass is, first of all, a holy celebration, because it is Christ who acts in the person of a priest. Jesus Christ offers Himself for us, as He offered on the Cross. Hence, we say that Mass is the same sacrifice of Jesus Christ, offered on the altar in an unbloody manner. Just like Jesus offered His body and blood on the Cross, He offers for us on the altar. The difference is that Jesus offered Himself visibly on the Cross but on our altar, He offers himself invisibly and in an unbloody manner, hidden under the appearance of bread and wine.

FAITH MATTERS

A Catholic, who says that he/she loves Christ would not fail to love the Mass. To love the Mass does not mean just being present and nothing more; it means to be present with faith and devotion and to take part actively in the Mass realizing that it is the Sacrifice of the Cross being renewed on the altar. Participation in the Mass involves basically our faith. Without faith, all that one would see on the altar is just bread and wine; just gestures, symbols and nothing more. It is only through faith that we acknowledge that at the consecration of the bread and wine, they are changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. If one would come for Mass without faith, the person would easily feel bored or get distracted. Without faith, one would fail to understand what Christ’s death on the Cross would mean for us. Hence faith is the most required disposition when we come to participate in the Mass.

The purposes of the Mass are similar to the purposes for which Jesus offered Himself on the Cross. They are:

• to give glory to God

• to thank Him

• to make up for the sins

• to pray for favor to fulfill our intentions.

The first purpose is to give glory to God, our Creator, on whom we depend for everything. Acknowledging Him as the Lord, God, we need to praise and glorify Him.

What we have, what we do and what we are—everything is because of God’s immense love, mercy, and kindness: our life, family, all the spiritual gifts for our eternal life, namely, sanctifying grace, faith, the Sacraments and the gift of His mother. Therefore, it is good to thank God for all the natural and supernatural gifts. The person who is too proud to say “thank you” is not only ungrateful but is bound to end up being unhappy.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ, though He was without sin, He died like a sinner because He took upon Himself our sins and made reparation for them on the Cross.

Hence, the third purpose of the Mass is to make up for our sins and those of the deceased. When we come to Mass with real sorrow for our personal sins, we can draw strength from the love of God.

The fourth purpose is to make petitions for our needs. God is the giver of all gifts. Being the most loving Father, he gives us the best. Just as Jesus has taught us to ask, so that we will receive, we make prayerful petition for our various needs.

stpeter.us/holy-mass-explained/

Summary of Key Concepts

The Holy Mass

Eucharistic Adoration

Questions to Consider

Christ Himself is truly present in the Eucharist, both during mass and while exposed during Eucharistic Adoration. What reasons could there be for not spending as much time with Him as possible?
If you have an important person to meet, you would probably spend time preparing yourself by thinking about what you might say or how you might act. How can you prepare yourself for the time you will spend with the Lord God before mass or Adoration?