The Eucharistic Celebration: The Most Perfect Form of Prayer"

The Holy Eucharist is "the source and summit of Christian life." It is the central celebration of the Church. Pope Paul VI refers to the Eucharistic celebration “the most perfect form of prayer!“ Do you think God sits with an attendance sheet checking off the faithful who attend and taking note of the non-attendees. Irregardless of whether He does or not, we need to realise that Mass attendance and participation is not meant for God, but for us. Attending Mass and actively participating during it nourishes our spiritual growth. In order to for us to maximise the spiritual benefits, we need to attend Mass in a reverent manner. 

The celebration of the Eucharist is the Jesus-instituted, powerful way of healing the broken world that we live in. Attending Mass reverently, frequently and participating constantly increases our spiritual benefits by bringing us closer to Jesus. Commit yourself to attend and participate fully in the Mass and you will not be disappointed. Pray for those who do not realise the value of the Eucharistic celebration and that they too may join in the celebration. Rejoice! For God is good and loves you! Jesus died for you to live and rose to live with you. BELIEVE... CELEBRATE... LIVE the Eucharist.

4 Bad Church Habits:

i) Arriving Late and Leaving Early:

When we arrive late or leave early, we treat the Holy celebration of the Mass like it’s nothing special. As far as leaving early, there was only one apostle who left the first Mass (Last Supper) early and we don’t want to end up like him.

ii) Inappropriate Dress-Code: Dressing inappropriately is very distracting. God has blessed your finances, so praise Him in decent clothing, especially at Sunday Mass. Jerseys and Pjs also fall under inappropriate dressing for Sunday Mass. We would never wear them to a wedding banquet, etc. If we did, we would be lowering the importance of the event. The same goes for Mass. If you have appropriate clothes, wear them!

iii) Non Participation: Mass is a celebration of our salvation and faith; when we don’t participate, we’re not getting the most of out the celebration. When your team wins you fist pump, when you get engaged, you dance with joy. Rejoice at Mass! Christ has won for you salvation! Pray with open hands, sing for joy! “He who sings, prays twice” (St. Augustine of Hippo).

iv) Littering: If you ever get a chance, be the last person to leave your church after Mass and before you exit, walk through the pews and examine the amount of trash left behind by the parishioners. I’ve had the opportunity to do this and it’s nasty! There’s half eaten cookies, used tissues, candy wrappers, torn envelopes, gum under the pews, etc. We need to do a better job with maintaining the sanctity of our church space.

St. Teresa of Avila was overwhelmed with God’s Goodness and asked Him: “How can I thank You, Lord?” Our Lord replied, “ATTEND ONE MASS.”