The purposes of the Mass are similar to the purposes for which Jesus offered Himself on the Cross. They are: -to give glory to God
- to thank Him
- to make up for the sins
- to pray for favor to fulfill our intentions.
The first purpose is to give glory to God, our Creator, on whom we depend for everything. Acknowledging Him as The Lord, God, we need to praise and glorify Him.
What we have, what we do and what we are everything is because of God’s immense love, mercy, and kindness: our life, family, all the spiritual gifts for our eternal life, namely, sanctifying grace, faith, the sacraments and the gift of his mother. Therefore, it is good to thank God for all the natural and supernatural gifts. The person who is too proud to say “thank you” is not only ungrateful but is bound to end up being unhappy.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ, though he was without sin, he died like a sinner because he took upon himself our sins and made reparation for them on the Cross.
Hence, the third purpose of the Mass is to make up for our sins and those of the deceased. When we come to Mass with real sorrow for our personal sins, we can draw strength from the love of God.
The fourth purpose is to make petitions for our needs. God is the giver of all gifts. Being the most loving Father, he gives us the best. Just as Jesus has taught us to ask, so that we will receive, we make prayerful petition for our various needs.
Viva Cristo Rey!
Download: 2021-07-18 St Pats Bulletin