Is Mass boring? Deep down in your heart, what do you think? If we truly believe what we say about the Mass, it should never be boring. During the offertory, while offering the bread to God, the priest says: "Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you, fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life." The words "fruit of the earth and work of human hands" are interesting: the Servant of God, Fr. Mikiel Attard, used to tell us that everything must be "fruit of the earth," meaning it comes from God, and "work of human hands," meaning humans must do their part. Yes, unfortunately, we can make the Mass boring.
St. Paul, in today’s second reading, tells us: "Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." I think we have all seen, perhaps on TV, the enthusiasm people show when singing at a concert or during a football match. Why is it that, during Mass, you often feel a certain indifference? Many people even hesitate to respond aloud or sing during the hymns. It is heartbreaking to see that during what is supposed to be the most important moment in their lives—the moment when God comes to meet us and we come to meet Him, the moment when we receive the greatest gift that can ever be given, namely Jesus, in His Word, and in His sacred Body and Blood—many people sadly show a lack of enthusiasm, making you wonder what faith is in the hearts of these brothers and sisters.
Let us not forget that the devil does everything he can to distract us from the Mass. If we attend Mass regularly and with sincerity, he will certainly lose his grip on us and others through us. The evil spirit knows that the first step for a person to stop attending Mass is for them to start attending half-heartedly. After some time, they will get tired of coming, and if they continue to attend only out of obligation, their loved ones will sense that what they are doing is not out of conviction, but just to fulfil an obligation or to get rid of a burden. Our children and young people sense this immediately, and this is certainly one of the most common reasons they stop attending even Sunday Mass.
Today’s Gospel continues from those of the past two Sundays, and we see that Jesus did not change His message when He heard people grumbling. Instead, He continued to insist on what He said: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink." Jesus, and only Jesus, can satisfy our thirst for God. He alone can unite us with God, and He has given us the way to become one with Him, which is through the Eucharist/the Mass. Therefore, anyone who distances themselves from the Mass cannot avoid distancing themselves from God. Those who say, "Do you really need to go to Mass to pray?" are just finding an excuse to ease their conscience because they do not want to go to Mass. Yes, to meet God, you need to go to Mass; Jesus Himself, at the Last Supper, told us, "Do this in memory of me." Therefore, no one and nothing can take the place of the Mass when it comes to meeting God through Jesus. Let us ask ourselves: What place does the Mass have in my life? How much do I contribute by responding and singing with enthusiasm so that the Mass is beautiful and alive?
Lord Jesus, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this very special gift that you have given us, through which we can become one with the mystery of your life, death, and resurrection. Help us not only to cherish the Mass ourselves but to become apostles of the Mass by encouraging others to join us in this greatest moment of grace that we can receive in our lives. Amen.
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