Why do we Come to Mass to Worship God?

We come to Mass to give the highest form of true worship to God.  We come to adore him, and to give him ourselves, not to be entertained. The word “Mass” comes from the Latin phrase Ite missa est. It is said by the priest at the end of Mass, and it simply means “Go, you are sent.” We are supposed to go on mission and take what we have received and proclaim the good news of Christ to the world. We are given the task of bringing Jesus from the Tabernacle into the world. We are his hands and feet. Your mission begins the moment the Mass ends. You are intellectually and spiritually fed at Mass and when it ends you need to go forth and proclaim the gospel to a secular world that needs God.

The Mass is very Jewish and its roots are biblical. To have a Mass you must have an altar so that you can have a sacrifice. Without a sacrifice we cannot have the holy Eucharist, which is the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

What Does “Apostolic Church” Mean?

Your church needs to have an apostolic priest in the Order of Melchizedek [Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7]. This means that your priest must ordained by a bishop of the Church and can trace the line of succession all the way back to Simon Peter, who was ordained by Jesus Christ himself.  Simon Peter was given the Keys to the Kingdom of God in Matthew 16:19, and his primacy is shown in Luke 22:31-34. When Jesus singled out Peter he did this with purpose, as we see again in John 21:15-19. Jesus gave Peter a leadership role in his Church. 

Peter is the head of the Church just as Eliakim was chosen as prime minister in Isaiah 22:20-25. Both were given the Keys to the Kingdom. Peter, to the Kingdom of God in the New Covenant and Eliakim in the earthly kingdom of the Old Testament. In the Jewish historical context, Eliakim was the “el habayit”, which means he held the senior role in the royal hierarchy of Judah and Israel. This role was second in authority only to the king.

So you see, in the New Testament Christ is King, and his “el habayit” is the successor to Simon Peter, who we now refer to as the Bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ. You know him as the Pope of the Catholic Church.

I hope you now understand the role Jesus gave Simon Peter and the expectation that it held for all those who served under him in the first-century Church.  The leadership of the Church is called the Magisterium and members of the Church obey the Magisterium because Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would guide her in truth and the gates of hell would not prevail over her [Matthew 16:18]. This doesn’t mean that the Church hierarchy is made up of perfect people who never sin or make mistakes. This means that the Church can never teach a lie or accept a heresy as the truth doctrinally. We can be confident and have faith to believe that the Church will lead us to all truth and will guide us toward eternal salvation through her Sacraments.

History and Symbolism in the Altar of God

Most every altar in the world has some type of stone or marble incorporated into the design. This is because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone.

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes” [Psalm 118:22-23].

This is why almost every altar has to include stone in its design. Jesus is the cornerstone. It’s part of our tradition and it is written in scripture.

Until the third-century when it became legal to worship Jesus at the altar, we could not worship freely. In the first two centuries Christians would have to go into the catacombs to have the Mass. Historians have documented evidence of the tombs of saints where Masses were held in secret. Persecuted Christians would come to worship, making the table tomb; its a casket holding the remains of the martyr, the altar for worship.

This is why every altar in the Catholic Church also has the bones of the saints that came before us inside them. If we were first-century Christians we would have been holding Mass over a saint’s tomb. This is why we have relics in the Church. It is part of our history [2 Kings 13:20-21, Acts 5:14-16, and Acts 19:11-12]. The saints are present at every Mass; they are not dead, but very much alive [Matthew 27:52-53, Mark 12:26-27, Matthew 17:1-8].

“You have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” [Hebrews 12:22-24].

Everybody from Heaven is at the Mass

Our God is the God of the living, not of the dead. Everybody is part of the mass. Hence why we have relics in our altar. The Mass is where heaven comes down to earth and worships God with us.

Did you know that the Bible also bears witness to this fact?

“When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God.” [Revelation 6:9].

“The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne and worship him, who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming:  “Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things; because of your will they came to be and were created” [Revelation 4:8-11].

The Five Holy Wounds Upon the Altar

Did you know that there are five crosses in the altar? You may not see them from the pews. Each of the five crosses embedded in the top of the altar represents the five holy wounds that Jesus Christ suffered on the Cross. There are two representing the wounds on the hands, two representing the wounds on the feet, and one representing the wounds on the sacred side of Christ. These five wounds serve as a visual reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins during the Mass.

The Institution of the Priesthood

Throughout both Old and New Testament passages we see the importance of the priesthood and making sacrifices to God for the atonement of sin and as a way to worship him give him thanks and praise. The Catholic Mass is a fulfillment of the Old Testament’s temple worship, which was centered around sacrifice and atonement. The Mass is a continuous offering of the sacrifice of Christ, which is seen as the perfect sacrifice that replaces the many sacrifices of the Old Testament.

We see throughout the book of Leviticus the duties of the priesthood. The descriptions are found mainly in chapters 8 through 13, and Numbers 18. The priesthood in the Old Covenant was represented by Aaron, who was the brother of Moses, and his descendants.

In the New Testament the priests are represented by the 12 disciples of Christ, and they were chosen to be with him and to be sent forth to preach. Jesus gave them the authority to drive out demons, and he separated Peter from among them as their head  [Mark 3:13-19]. We can clearly see the correlation when we read Mark 2:23-28:

“As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?  How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

This is significant because Jesus responds to the Pharisees by referring to scripture passages about King David eating the holy bread. The Pharisees were spying on Jesus and his disciples on the sabbath, looking for a reason to accuse him. And when they saw him unlawfully eating wheat on the sabbath they accused him of breaking Jewish law. And spectacularly, Jesus uses a similar instance of spying in his response.

We find the story Jesus referred to in 1 Samuel 21. Here we read about Ahimelech, the priest of Nob. Under Jewish law only a priest could eat the bread of offering and share it with his companions. In verse 5 of that chapter we learn that the men also had to be chaste to partake. This story also includes spying, this time the spy was Doeg, the Edomite, a chief herdsman.

If you want to learn more about the history of the holy bread in Old Testament temple worship, read Leviticus 24. When we make the proper connection between the scene in Mark and the scene in 1 Samuel, we understand that Jesus is telling the Pharisees that he and his disciples were exempt from the Law of Leviticus because like Aaron and his sons who were of the priestly order, Jesus and his disciples are also priests, except they are priests of the new covenant. You see, priests are the only ones who work on the sabbath, so they are exempt from this Jewish law. Jesus’ disciples are also exempt because they are his priests. Jesus is the new “David” and he has established his new priestly order to bring the new Bread of the Presence, which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ present in the Eucharist.

The Institution of the Eucharist

The institution of the Eucharist begins in John 6. Here Jesus begins to explain the meaning of the Eucharist and how we are supposed to worship God in Mass. He describes how we need to eat the bread that came down from heaven. The entire chapter is beautiful to read in one sitting. Jesus explains very literally what the Eucharist is and what it is all about in the following passage: 

“The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”  Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever” [John 6:52-58].

Now in Matthew 26, Jesus spends his last night with his disciples and institutes the Last Supper. He offers His Body and Blood and tells them to do it in memory of him. He does this in the context of the ritual Passover Meal of the Jewish people. To fully understand what this means, you can read Exodus 12. Jesus tells his disciples to continue offering His Body and Blood in remembrance of Him.

The Parts of the Mass Explained

When Mass starts, it is like when the children of Israel come out of the desert. The priest enters in the back. Everybody stands, and the music starts. We do this because the power of God came down in the desert to feed the Israelites manna from heaven as they wandered and waited to enter the promised land.  So we stand because God is about to come down from heaven and feed us.

Many older Catholic Churches are made in the shape of a crucifix. This is because Christ’s feet are at the entry of the sanctuary, his head is at the tabernacle, and the wound to his heart is at the altar. When you see the priest kiss the altar it is because he is kissing the spot where the sword pierced the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Why is this important? When Jesus Christ died on the Cross he fulfilled the prophecy that no bone would be broken [Psalm 34:21]. Instead of breaking his legs so he would suffocate, the soldiers stabbed his Sacred Heart, and blood and water poured out. This could only medically happen if he was already dead. This alone proves he is fully man and fully God.  His human body died, and he rose again on the third day. This is why there are two candles at Mass. One candle represents that Jesus is fully human and the other candle represents that as the Christ, he is fully divine.

Jesus Christ continues to feed people over 2000 years after his death and resurrection. He is with us always until the end of the world [Matthew 28:20]. He is here with us at every Mass, and we are eating his glorified Body. His Body is hidden under the auspices of bread and wine, so that we will consume it. Jesus used the word “troco” which means tearing and gnawing before you swallow. That’s not a symbol. He is saying, I need you to take this bread and eat me by chewing on me and gnawing on me, then I need you to swallow me. 

Consider From John 6:

• Jesus makes it clear that we must eat his real Body [John 6:16-51].
• The Jews are freaked out about it: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
• Jesus doesn’t say, “Oh…never mind!” or “Hey, I was just being metaphorical!” or “Hold on, I didn’t mean My real Body.”
• When the Jews question His meaning, Jesus cranks up the Truth in an explicit way and says “Truly, Truly…” When Jesus repeats Himself, pay attention.
• Jesus then confirms in very clear and strong language that those who wish to have life must “eat my flesh and drink my blood”.
• The Greek word, trogo, which is translated as “eat” is more accurately translated as gnaw or chew; this word is never used figuratively in Greek.
• When Jesus says “drink my blood” He is saying something that the Jews would find unacceptable with their worldly understanding, for consuming blood was forbidden [Leviticus 17 and Deuteronomy 12]. Blood was considered to have life power. He didn’t mean “figurative” blood and the Jews didn’t take it that way.
• The Jews say, “This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?” If Jesus was just being figurative, or metaphorical, the Jews would not have been so upset. The Jews get what Jesus is saying, and they don’t like it.
• But Jesus, again, does not soft peddle or change His meaning, saying, “Do you take offense at this?” In essence, Jesus is saying, “Don’t want to believe it? Then don’t.”
• After that many of the disciples no longer followed Jesus. These former disciples did not leave over a figurative statement.
• Jesus didn’t back down, even when there were many leaving. He then asks the Twelve, “Do also wish to go away?”

The New Covenant in Christ’s Body and Blood

Everything in the New Testament has to be better than the old. If the Israelites in the desert got blessed bread from heaven, and they believed it fell from the altar of God, then we must have something better than they had. It prefigured of what was to come. 

We do have something infinitely better. We have the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

The Communion we Receive is not Just a Symbol

The communion that we receive cannot be a symbol or a relic because we have an altar, and this means we have a sacrifice. As long as we have an altar and a priest in apostolic succession to Simon Peter, who was ordained by Jesus Christ, then we have the Eucharist.

When the priest kisses the wound of Christ on the altar this represents the source of life for us. Only the consecrated hands of a priest or bishop are allowed to touch the altar. After the priest kisses the altar, the congregation sings the Gloria. This is what the angels told the shepherds when Jesus Christ was about to be born and physically come into the world. We sing the Gloria in Mass because Jesus is about to come to us in his glorified body, which means he is coming in the Eucharist.

Then we sing the Psalms, representing the bridge between the old and new covenants. The truths of our faith are in the entire Bible. This means that the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. The Old Covenant is made new. The need to offer a sacrifice as the highest form of true worship did not just go away. It became new in the institution of the Eucharist, not only new but infinitely better. 

Next, we read the scriptures, old and new. It is liturgical, so it is read according to the times and seasons of salvation history. If you were to attend Mass every day you would read the entire Bible in 3 years. Did you know that?

When the gospel is read we stand.

The Mass is Related to Christ’s Death on the Cross

Before we begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist, let’s pause for an explanation so that we fully understand what it’s all about. Many people not familiar with Catholic teaching question how the Mass is related to Christ’s actual Redemption of the world on the Cross at Calvary. 

When Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose again, he redeemed us as the one true Mediator between God mankind. His death on the Cross merited all the graces needed to reconcile the world to the Eternal Father. But Christ’s death on the Cross did not automatically redeem our sin-sick world. This is why Jesus instituted the Last Supper. We are called to voluntarily participate in this Sacrament by appropriating the merits Jesus gained on Calvary for our own lives. We are called to participate and be present.

What are we present at, exactly? Well, the same glorified Jesus Christ who resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven is present in the tabernacle and on the altar at every Mass. He remains with us, present in his glorified body just as He was present in his humanity on the Cross at Calvary. He promised us that he would be with us always even unto the end of the world [Matthew 28:20] so he continues to be present with us in the Mass. He is no longer suffering as he did on Calvary. On the Cross Jesus gain the blessings of our redemption and now in the Mass he applies these blessings to us for our current spiritual needs.

Next, it is important to understand that the Mass is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. We celebrate Christ who continues to offer himself to the heavenly Father as a sacrifice. On Calvary Jesus offered a bloody sacrifice and in the Mass Christ now sacrifices himself in an unbloody manner because he is now glorified, immortal, and incapable of suffering and dying. 

Benefits We Get from Attending Mass

When we attend Mass we obtain propitiation for our sins. This is why we should always spend time before Mass reflecting on our sins of the week and asking for forgiveness from God. This is because God’s mercy makes reparation for the sins we committed during the week due to our lack of love for him. If we have committed a mortal sin, we are obligated to go to Confession before we can receive the Eucharist at Mass. But did you know that God’s mercy removes our guilt for repented venial sins at Mass?  So regular Mass attendance and practicing a life of virtue are vital to the life of a Christian. The Mass regularly restores our relationship to God and gives us grace to become a saint.

We also attend Mass because it’s a powerful way to petition God for the grace that we and our loved ones need. These graces help us know God’s will and how we might fulfill it. They also help us grow in virtue and holiness. Because Mass is a means of both propitiation and petition, it is a sacrament. When we go to Mass we receive the graces we need for salvation from God’s mercy. This includes the expiation of our sins and the grace needed to live our Christian lives in the future.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Cup of Blessing that we Bless

Now let’s return to the Mass and discuss what happens when we attend. During the liturgy of the Eucharist the priest speaks in the third person, he says: “He takes the bread, he breaks it, he blesses it“. But then the priest starts speaking in the person of Christ and the host becomes the Eucharist. The bells ring to let you know we are before the living God who has come down from heaven. The priest will raise up Christ present in the Eucharist just like Jesus was raised on the crucifix. The priest does the same for the chalice.

Then the priest will break the host and put it in the chalice because blood and water flowed from the sacred side of Christ. Jesus is not being recrucified. He’s being re-communicated. Do you remember when Jesus fed the crowds? It’s like when he feeds the five thousand in [Matthew 14:13–21].  He is beginning to multiply his body and feed us.

So we receive Christ, and he makes all things new again. He renews us and restores us, he covers us with his Precious Blood.

The moment we receive Christ in the Eucharist he is made known to us, intimately and personally, just like the disciples who on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus until the breaking of the bread [Luke 24:13-35].

We come to Mass to participate in holy communion. This is why Saint Paul called it a cup of blessing. He’s telling us that we are re-participating [1 Corinthians 10:16].

If we did not re-participate then it would be as if only the 12 disciples got to partake of the Eucharist, and that was it for all of eternity and the rest of humanity would only get just a symbol, not the real thing. Jesus did not just come for the 12 disciples one time. Jesus came for you and me, so that you and I could have life and have it abundantly [John 10:10]. An abundant life in Christ is a life that revolves around Jesus in the Eucharist.

Jesus the Lamb of God and Bread of Life

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of bread. He was placed in a manger, which means “to eat” and was called the Lamb of God by John the Baptist. In ancient Israel, the Jews had to sacrifice an unblemished lamb to the high priest at the Temple, who takes it behind a rail, and the lamb is skewered in the form of a crucifix. The priest bleeds the lamb at the temple and takes the blood and pours it out of the lamb then gives the lamb back to the person who brought it for sacrifice.

Everything we do in the mass is scriptural. The Tabernacle is a miniature Jewish temple. There is a curtain on the front door and behind it is a door, and inside that door there’s a curtain behind the curtain. That’s where Christ resides. In the Old Covenant, that’s where the Holy of Holies was kept.

If you are not in Christ and he is not in you then you do not have eternal life. Jesus said “My flesh is true, food. My blood is true, drink.” 

Jesus said he would be with us. Are you with him? Do you have life within you? Have you received Christ in the Eucharist? Do you come to receive him at least once a week?