Jesus stands at the door, knocking (cf. Rev 3:20). Are we going to open the door for Him? Will we take advantage of the wonderful, freeing nature of His Sacrament of Reconciliation to restore and replenish our relationship with Him? And will we allow Him to abide in us as we abide in Him through the Holy Eucharist?
At least here, in the U.S., Masses have been
opened up for a while—for a long while in some locales—so we all have the
opportunity to return to Mass in person. We can receive the actual body and blood,
soul and divinity of Our Lord, His Real Presence. No longer do we need to be
content with a spiritual communion. Jesus tells us that He is the bread of
life, that we who eat this bread will have eternal life. What an incredibly
immense blessing to be able to do so!
Some Catholics may feel a
bit uneasy with returning, what with all the hubbub about virus variants and
the like. Perhaps the it’s just that the routine of weekly Mass attendance has
been broken and it’s been hard to get back into the swing of things. No matter
what the reason is, missing Sunday Mass can be a grave matter. This can break the
relationship between one’s soul and the Lord. It can eliminate sanctifying grace
in the soul. Not a good thing: if the beer truck were to run over you tomorrow,
what would be the status of your soul?
Life Is Short
Life is short. If you don’t believe me, take a
look at the obituary section of your local newspaper. On any given day, you’ll
see notices for people of all ages, ranging from infants through
great-grandparents. More and more it seems that we see the phrase “passed away
unexpectedly.”
None of us knows when we’ll be called to leave
this life. It could be today or tomorrow, or it could be months or years from
now. What’s important is the nature of our relationship with God when our time
is up. What kind of relationship do we, and our fallen away friends and family,
have with Him and His Church when the day comes? Will the fallen away “come
home” before then?
What’s It Going to Take
to Come Home?
We each probably know far too many people who no
longer participate in our rich Catholic faith. Some of them still believe in
God, but do not participate in Mass or the sacraments regularly, if at all.
Some may have drifted away to non-Catholic churches. Others simply have drifted
away from any practice of faith. Each has his or her own reasons for doing so.
Nevertheless, it’s sad to see so many who no
longer receive Jesus in Communion. It is sad to see how many are missing out on
the joy and peace that only God can give. Likewise, are we not concerned on
their behalf when we think about how some have closed themselves off to the
graces provided by the sacraments Jesus gave for our salvation? What might it
take for them to “come home” to the Church that Christ founded?
An Obstacle on the Path
to Come Home
Many of us never really received catechesis that allows for an appreciation
of the wonderful gift that our faith represents. Many may not know the truth of
the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When we receive Communion, it truly is Jesus that we
actually receive. If someone really believed and understood that, why would
they not want to participate in the faith?
The Culture Keeps People from Coming Back
The culture tells us it’s all about fulfilling our every desire,
seeking pleasure and happiness here and now. The ads tell us that we are now the
source and end of all our efforts. If we’ve bought into that, we’ve just made
ourselves little gods. The one, true God—the God of the universe—waits for us
at our parish church. Unfortunately, the
siren call of the secular world may seem more attractive than attending Mass or
imitating Christ.
But imitating Christ’s love, His obedience to the Father and His humility will open us up to the graces of God. Being open to God, to union with Him, is what it’s all about.
Blaise Paschal referred to a vacuum created in our hearts that only God can fill:
…What else does this craving, and this
helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of
which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain
to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the
help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this
infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in
other words, by God himself. He only is our true good… – Blaise
Pascal, Pensées VII (425)
St. Augustine of Hippo says it more succinctly, “…for You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You…”
Our Decisions Make a Difference
Please, as you read and
think about this, ponder the words of Pope St. John Paul II:
“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and
failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to
become the image of His Son Jesus.”
You and I are human; we all make mistakes. Mistakes of the past do not define us; our Father’s
merciful love does. Through grace, you are reading this, and through grace, God
is calling you to a renewed relationship with Him. With the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, you have a new, fresh start available. That’s just one of the
beautiful aspects of our Catholic faith. It makes it easier to turn back, and
rebuild your relationship with God if you’ve been away from the faith—or away
from Mass—for a while.
It Really Is Time to
Come Home—Come Back to Mass for Starters
Why don’t more people
“come home?” For some, it may be a matter of not knowing where to start, or
feeling that too much “water has gone under the bridge.” The beauty of our
Catholic faith is that no one will be refused admittance to the banquet.
No sin is too great—no number of missed Masses is too large—to be forgiven with a good Confession to a priest.
Jesus stands at the door, knocking. He is calling each one of us. Are we going to open the door for Him?
Will we take advantage of the wonderful, freeing nature of His Sacrament of
Reconciliation to restore and replenish our relationship with Him? Will we return
to Mass and Holy Communion?
(This post is a combination of an article, Come Home to the Church: You've Been Asked, that appeared originally on Catholic Stand in 2018, and portions of a booklet, An Invitation to Rediscover True Happiness, published in 2020. My thanks to my friend, Tom Mussio for his editorial suggestions on the booklet.)
