OCIA Session 26 Supplement - Living the Mass - Why Sunday Mass is essential

Living the Mass - Why Sunday Mass is essential


The Easter Vigil may have been the mountaintop experience, but the journey does not end there. In fact, it is only the beginning. To live as a Catholic is to live the Mass - to make it the heartbeat of your week and the anchor of your faith. Sunday Mass is not just a nice tradition or something we do when convenient. It is essential. It is the moment when heaven and earth meet, when Christ becomes truly present, when the Church gathers as one family, and when we are sent out to bring the Gospel to the world.

Why is the Mass so central? Because at Mass, we encounter Jesus Himself. He comes to us in His Word, proclaimed in Scripture, and He comes to us in the Eucharist, His Body and Blood. This is not a symbol, not a memory, not a reenactment. It is the sacrifice of Christ made present here and now. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). The Mass is that “remembrance” - not simply recalling, but re-presenting the one sacrifice of Calvary in an unbloody way. Every time we attend Mass, we stand at the foot of the Cross and before the empty tomb.

Sunday is the day of resurrection. That is why Christians from the very beginning gathered on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7 tells us, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” St. Justin Martyr, writing in the second century, describes the early Christians assembling on Sunday to hear the Scriptures and to receive the Eucharist. This rhythm has never been broken. For two thousand years, despite persecution, wars, and pandemics, the Church has kept Sunday as the Lord’s Day. To miss Mass is not simply breaking a rule - it is starving ourselves of the very food that gives life.

At Mass, we also discover who we are. We are not isolated individuals trying to follow Jesus on our own. We are the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:17 says, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” When you gather with your parish, you are part of something much bigger - the universal Church praying the same prayers, hearing the same Scriptures, receiving the same Lord. Mass is not just personal prayer; it is communal worship. It is the Church being the Church.

Here’s a humor break: Catholics sometimes joke about “Catholic aerobics” - the standing, sitting, kneeling routine of Mass. For newcomers, it can feel like a workout. But those movements actually teach us something. Standing shows reverence, sitting shows attentiveness, kneeling shows adoration. Even our bodies join in prayer. So next time you feel like you’re getting a workout, remember - you’re exercising body and soul together.

Living the Mass means more than just showing up on Sunday. It means letting the grace of the Eucharist transform the rest of your week. The dismissal at the end - “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” - is not a polite way to say goodbye. It is a commissioning. Mass does not end in the church building; it continues in your daily life. How you treat your family, how you work, how you serve others - all of it flows from the altar. Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The Mass is not an obligation imposed from the outside, but a joy we receive from within.”

Take time to reflect: how do you approach Sunday Mass? Do you see it as a duty to check off, or as the center of your week? Do you prepare for it by reading the Gospel in advance, arriving early to pray, or staying afterward in thanksgiving? Do you let the grace of the Eucharist spill into your daily life?

Here’s your practical challenge: this week, make Sunday Mass the absolute priority of your schedule. Prepare by reading the Gospel ahead of time. Arrive ten minutes early to pray in silence. Stay after Mass for a few moments of thanksgiving. And throughout the week, recall the dismissal words and ask yourself: how am I living the Mass today?

In closing, remember this: without Mass, our faith withers. With Mass, our faith thrives. The Eucharist is our strength, our food, our joy. Sunday is not just another day of the week - it is the Lord’s Day, the day of resurrection, the day when we meet Christ face to face. Next time, we will explore what it means to live a life of service - discovering your gifts and using them for the good of the Church and the world. Until then, live the Mass, love the Eucharist, and let every Sunday shape the rest of your life.