MY CHURCH IS MORE THAN A FEELING

"Lord, remember Your holy church, spread thoughout the world."

After Father pronounced these words during holy Mass today, he paused for several minutes.  The congregation silently knelt and patiently waited while their good shepherd composed himself and fought back the urge to weep.  Once he had the strentgh to continue, he spoke again with a shaky voice while praying for the pope, bishops and all religious of the church.

Having been a cradle Catholic, I must have heard those words thousands of times.  Never had I been so moved by them or prayed them so fervently.  I love the Catholic Church; the universal Church Jesus began over 2000 years ago.  She is my rock and my refuge and I know the beauty that is within her walls and teachings firsthand.

For too many years, I took the Catholic Church for granted.  Like many cradle Catholics, I saw Mass as an obligation or a ritual.  My parents saw that we attended Mass on Sundays and holy days, but family conversations never seemed to center around the meaning behind Church doctrine.  And so the rituals continued without proper knowledge of why we, as Catholics, worship and believe as we do.

As a young adult, I had many questions and doubts about my faith.  The truth had been right in front of me; yet I could not see.  Looking back now in my fifties, I do see God's Hand guiding me through those years.  Slowly, the Spirit awakened my mind to His Truth and to the beauty and gift of His Church. The depth of this truth is unending, and I marvel at each new discovery to this day.

"God gave the law through Moses, but Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

Out of love for us, God the Father gave us His Son.  Out of love for us, the Son gave us His Bride, the Church, so that He would remain with us til the end of time.

"I am the living bread that came down from Heaven.  If you eat this bread, you will live forever.  The bread that I will give you is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world." John 6:51

What awesome gifts!  The Word became flesh and during holy Mass, the bread becomes that life-giving flesh!  Jesus, during Mass, feeds His sheep.  Simple bread and wine become Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  It is the greatest of miracles and it occurs every single day at each and every Catholic Mass.

I have heard some say that they no longer attend Catholic Mass.  For some, the reason is the abuse scandal.  To these people, I can only say that there will always be Judas.  There will always be people who betray Jesus and His teachings.  I will not walk away from Christ in the Eucharist because of Judas.  Some have fallen away because they want to attend a church that makes them "feel" a certain way.  These fallen away Catholics insist that the Mass is boring and a ritual.  I understand those assertations because I have had those same thoughts in my earlier years.  These good christians maintain that as long as they love Jesus and follow the scriptures, they are living righteously.  But scripture says, "You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them, even they testify on My behalf. But you do not want to come to Me to have life."  John 5:39

Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we would have the gift of the Eucharist - His Body and His Blood.  He calls each one of us to eat at His banquet table.  He began a Church that would honor His request to come to Him.  The Catholic Church is the dispenser of the sacraments.  Within its walls is Jesus.  He is physically present at the altar in the consecrated bread and wine.  Once a person recognizes this truth, how can one feel bored or empty?

I love my Church because I love Jesus and I recognize that He becomes present at each and every holy Mass.  I love my Church because I love the truth and God has given the Church the authority to be the keeper of His Truth.

"..the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.." 1 Timothy 3:15

Lord, remember your holy Church spread throughout the world. Amen