Why should a Catholic go to Mass on Sunday? Let me count the ways.
We know it’s part of our duty as Catholics to “Keep the Lord’s Day holy,” but our Sunday obligation is only the least of the reasons to get ourselves to church.
The Holy Mass is not just a religious service or Scripture class: It’s a sacred mystery. It’s a lifting of the veil between us and the Divine.
The liturgy is the time and place when God comes to us. It’s the sublime, solemn moment when Heaven touches Earth.
The Sacrifice of the Mass is also a beautiful act of communion between our brothers and sisters in Christ, not only those in the pews beside us, but also all the saints and angels who are gathered around the altar. They are no less present because we cannot see them.
Going to Mass is a privilege, one for which countless Christians throughout the centuries have given their very lives. We are so lucky that Mass is so easy for us to access! The martyrs could only hope for this gift we often take for granted.
As though all that were not enough of a reason, however, it turns out that going to Mass on Sundays actually makes us happier and more satisfied with our lives.
New polling has found that weekly attendance at religious services leads to high levels of life satisfaction:
Life satisfaction levels vary the most by three demographic attributes — education level, annual household income and religious service attendance. Majorities of Americans who attend religious services weekly (67%) … are very satisfied with their own lives. Meanwhile, less than half of their counterparts express the highest level of satisfaction, though majorities still say they are very or somewhat satisfied.
Of course, this comes as no surprise, since we know that God gave us the rules of His Church to bring us joy in this life and the next. So it makes all the sense in the world that going to Mass each week would bring fulfillment and happiness. (We wonder if going to Mass more often, perhaps even daily, brings nearly palpable peace!)
Still, it’s nice to see it affirmed from other sources. So let’s get ourselves to Mass this week with joy in our hearts, giving thanks to God for this sacred gift. See you there in the Eucharist!
And today we celebrate...