Here at Mass, what do we do? We come here to church because here we meet Jesus. And that is important. But more interesting: it is a strong Catholic belief that our Mass, simple, with a small number of people, is connected to Jesus’s suffering and death on the cross, and it is connected to the Last Supper of Jesus. That story happened two thousand years ago. How can the Last Supper and Jesus’s death on the cross be connected to our Mass here, how? Remember the most important thing in each one of those three events is one person–Jesus. Jesus is there in the Last Supper; it is a simple meal with his friends. And on Good Friday on the cross Jesus is suffering awfully. Here in our Mass it is a simple act of praying, all of us together. But in the middle of each of those three it is who? It is Jesus.
Now Jesus is where? He is in heaven. In heaven there is no time. He stays in heaven the same forever. There’s no time in heaven; it continues. We have time here on earth; it keeps changing and changing, but in heaven there is no change in time. It means Jesus continues living in heaven so he can touch there at the Last Supper. Jesus can continue living in heaven and touch on Good Friday and his death on the cross. He can touch here in church and touch in churches all over the world and into the future. Our simple celebration, our simple prayer, is connected to Jesus’s death on the cross and the Last Supper and all the Masses happening all over the world and the banquet celebrated in heaven, how? why? Because Jesus is in the center of each of those, in each one of those.
We come here to church to be united to Jesus’s death on the cross, but that death on the cross means he is offering his life to God. The Last Supper of Jesus means his life he gave it to God.
His life, he gives to all of us too in this holy food. Here Jesus is in our life. We are offering it to God, worshiping God. He is giving us his life here. In heaven Jesus also is worshiping God.
Jesus, Son of God; yes, Jesus is equal to God. But Jesus also is human; Jesus is a human man worshiping God same as you, as all of us worship God. In each of those three events and in heaven Jesus is worshiping God. We are united with Jesus as we worship God here at Mass..
We come here to church at Mass, why? Because we want to be closer to Jesus. The most wonderful thing happens; Jesus wants to be with us, and Holy Communion means Jesus comes into us.
I know in other churches they read the Bible; that is wonderful. They know Jesus there in the holy scriptures, in the Bible; that is fine. But Jesus is in the midst of them, in the middle of those churches? No. He is here in this Catholic Church because God blesses all of us. We are lucky because Jesus in Holy Communion means Jesus comes to be within us.
The same Jesus gathered around with his friends at the Last Supper eating with them, the same Jesus suffering and dying on the cross, the same Jesus gloriously worshiping God in heaven; it is the same Jesus here with us, and he wants to be within us, live in us. Wow! Maybe we are not always very good, holy people; but God has picked all of us to be special friends with him. God wants to be more close to us, wants to be more intimate with us. He gives us his best gift–Jesus; the Son of God comes to be with us. Here in Mass we meet Jesus, how? You and I when we gather together, Jesus is there in the middle of us. When we read from the Bible, the holy book, Jesus is there. When we see the Holy Eucharist, the host raised up, Jesus is here with us in this holy food. Then we come up on line for Communion, that host we receive; it means Jesus comes to be within us. Wow! Wonderful! Beautiful!
You want a story? Sorry, I do not have a story, but you need to develop your own stories. You met Jesus where? What was the best place for you to meet Jesus? When was the first time you knew Jesus was living? Where? When? How? What is the story? Your story is a very important story. You can explain to other people, “I have met Jesus.” Then you can explain where you met Jesus, why you know Jesus is alive with you. Your story is important, and you can explain your story to another person. A person is fascinated, wants to meet Jesus herself because she sees you meeting Jesus and she wants the same thing.
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