Why Go to Mass by Fr. Dion

Dear Parents,

         I was taught the basics of my Catholic Faith by way of the Baltimore Catechism, and the purpose of my being was detailed in the first question of the grade one version: “Why did God make you?” The answer to which we put to our memories, ie “God made us to know, love, and serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him in the next.” And throughout my elementary grades the good sisters guided us in learning our faith and how we as Catholics put it into practice.

         The concentration of our teachers was the prayerful and sacramental life of the Church. We prayed before class as a student body in our daily assembly and then at the beginning of every class during the day. Daily attendance at the early morning Mass was encouraged, and each day we heard about the life of the saint being honored that day. The nuns were a veritable library of saintly knowledge.

         We were prepared for our First Communion and Confession in grade two and for our Confirmation in our final year of elementary life. It remains pretty much the same practice in our parishes today. For all these years of learning and celebrating sacraments, we were experiencing the divine presence of Jesus in the sacred rituals and worship of the Church.

         We believe in the very personal life of Christ being shared with us in the celebration of the Sacraments. And at the heart of the life of every Catholic is the belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Receiving Holy Communion is the most holy way in which we interact with the Lord, and the most important means by which our lives are sanctified.

         For our personal well-being, for our holiness of life, for our living the teachings of Jesus, our Church reminds us that our most important responsibility is to keep Sunday holy by our participation at Mass. It’s an obligation of love.

         Bless you moms and dads for bringing your family to Sunday Mass.

Fr. Dion