SEPTEMBER 2020

RELIGION
What is the Catholic Mass and Why Go?
Let’s face it, Mass can
be quite boring and
confusing at times.
Just think about it - a group
of people gather inside of
a church to watch a man
dressed in a strange looking
outfit as he says some
ancient prayers over some
bread and wine which he
claims is the body and blood
of Jesus Christ. And if that
is not strange enough, we
even pay for being there by
putting our money in a basket that is
passed around! No wonder why studies
show that only 20% of Catholics
in the United States today attend
Mass on a weekly basis. If we do not
truly understand the Mass, then we
will be left with confusion, boredom,
and a lack of interest. Therefore,
there is a great need today for
us to deepen our understanding of
the Mass in order to participate more
consciously.
Understanding the Mass does not
mean that we can ever fully comprehend
what it means. One must
realize that the Mass is, indeed, a
mystery. The Aramaic word for Mass
is Raza, which translates as “secret.”
This does not mean that the Church
is withholding some secret from the
faithful, but it is to show that when
dealing with what is Divine, our
understanding will fall short and
an element of the Mass will remain
a mystery until we reach Heaven.
Having the idea of ‘mystery’ in the
background, let us explore the reality
of the Mass.
FR. FADIE
GORGIES
SPECIAL TO THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
Two realities become
present to us at Mass: first,
the Crucifixion of Jesus;
second, the Heavens. Calvary,
where Jesus was crucified,
becomes present upon
the very altar. At every
Mass that is celebrated, we
represent Jesus’ crucifixion
and death. The Mass
begins with the bread and
wine separated, and this is
to symbolize the death of
Jesus. When the blood is
separated from the body, the body
is dead. Now, does this mean Christ
dies again? No! When Jesus was crucified,
He looked into the future and
saw all the Masses until the end of
time. He united Himself, in that moment,
to all of the Masses throughout
time. Jesus on the Cross sees you
at every Mass and you give Him the
consolation that He needs. Next
time you are at Mass and the priest
lifts the Host, you may think of Jesus
being lifted upon the Cross.
Second, the reality of Heaven.
As the priest says the words of Jesus
at the Last Supper and calls down
the Holy Spirit upon the bread and
wine, the mysterious change of the
elements happens. This change is
called ‘transubstantiation.’ Transubstantiation
is a change that affects
the substance of the thing but not
the appearance. The bread and wine
still look like bread and wine, but
what makes them bread and wine
has changed to the Body and Blood
of Jesus Christ.
This change is no easy matter to
understand, but should we not consider
His words? Jesus Himself said,
“This is my body which is given for
you. Do this in remembrance of me”
(Luke 22:19). If Jesus did not intend
the bread to be His body, He would
have said this is like my body or a
symbol of my body. Rather, He says
this is my body. Therefore, what we
do cannot be less than what He intended
it to be, because He asked us
to do the same when He said, “do
this in remembrance of me” (Luke
22:19).
Now, how do we fit in all this?
When attending the Mass, the
Church does not want us to be spectators.
The faithful ought to reclaim
their duties at Mass and see themselves
as participants and a dynamic
part of the celebration.
There are a few things that we
can do to participate in the Mass
in a greater way: worship, offer, and
receive. First, we are at the Mass to
worship God. Often, we say that we
do not get anything out of Mass, and,
while this statement could be true on
an experiential level, in reality, you
have just encountered the Creator
of the universe! The word “worship”
comes from two words, “worth” and
“ship,” referring to something that is
of worth and has value to you. If God
exists and He is the Creator of all being,
would it not make sense to have
Him as our highest value? Mass is the
highest form of worship because God
becomes truly present among us.
Second, we can offer Jesus and
ourselves to God the Father. On
Calvary, Jesus offered Himself out of
love for us. At Mass, we come and
take part in that offering by joining
the priest in offering the sacrifice of
Jesus. In a sense we are saying “Yes,
we approve the offering of Jesus and
we want to benefit from it.”
After offering Jesus, the faithful
on an individual level can offer
him or herself to God the Father in
unity with Jesus. One can say, “I, too,
offer myself united with Jesus, I offer
my life, my work, my pains and
my sufferings, my blessings …etc.
to you, Almighty Father.” A special
emphasis can be given to our pains
and sufferings, as Mass is marked by
the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross,
therefore any sufferings that are
brought to Mass are united in a mystical
way to the sufferings of Christ.
Third, we can receive Jesus. The
Church invites us to receive the
Body of Our Savior and to be marked
by His Blood. Jesus Himself says
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of man and
drink his blood, you have no life in
you.” (John 6:53) The Words of Jesus
state this clearly: we need to go
to Mass if we want to have the life of
God in us and if we want to be part
of His kingdom.
Going to Mass should be a part
of the big question we all must ask
ourselves: “What is after this life?”
As Catholics we believe in life after
death, which is union with God.
This union with God must be prepared
for during this life. Mass is a
part of that preparation. At every
Mass, we do what we will continue
to do in Heaven — be with God.
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16 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2020