I want to follow up last week’s article with another note on the Sacred Liturgy, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I shared some insights into the nature of the Mass, what it is, why we are there, and why it matters. Just over a year ago, Pope Francis promulgated an apostolic letter entitled Desiderio Desideravi, in which he shared some of his own reflections on the Church’s Sacred Liturgy. In that letter, he paraphrased the words of Pope Saint Leo the Great (5th c.), stating: “From the very beginning the Church had grasped, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, that that which was visible in Jesus, that which could be seen with the eyes and touched with the hands, his words and his gestures, the concreteness of the incarnate Word — everything of Him had passed into the celebration of the sacraments.” That idea of “Everything of Christ passing into the celebration of the Sacraments” is a powerful one for me, and the Holy Father goes on to share his understanding of what that means. He writes:
“Here lies all the powerful beauty of the liturgy. If the resurrection were for us a concept, an idea, a thought; if the Risen One were for us the recollection of the recollection of others, however authoritative, as, for example, of the Apostles; if there were not given also to us the possibility of a true encounter with Him, that would be to declare the newness of the Word made flesh to have been all used up. Instead, the Incarnation, in addition to being the only always new event that history knows, is also the very method that the Holy Trinity has chosen to open to us the way of communion. Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist.
The Liturgy guarantees for us the possibility of such an encounter. For us a vague memory of the Last Supper would do no good. We need to be present at that Supper, to be able to hear his voice, to eat his Body and to drink his Blood. We need Him. In the Eucharist and in all the sacraments we are guaranteed the possibility of encountering the Lord Jesus and of having the power of his Paschal Mystery reach us. The salvific power of the sacrifice of Jesus, his every word, his every gesture, glance, and feeling reaches us through the celebration of the sacraments. I am Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the man possessed by demons at Capernaum, the paralytic in the house of Peter, the sinful woman pardoned, the woman afflicted by hemorrhages, the daughter of Jairus, the blind man of Jericho, Zacchaeus, Lazarus, the thief and Peter both pardoned. The Lord Jesus who dies no more, who lives forever with the signs of his Passion continues to pardon us, to heal us, to save us with the power of the sacraments. It is the concrete way, by means of his incarnation, that he loves us. It is the way in which he satisfies his own thirst for us that he had declared from the cross (Jn 19:28).”
In the Sacred Liturgy, a real and new encounter with the living God is experienced; we come face to face with Him in a manner unparalleled in all the world, only to be surpassed by the unmediated and beatific vision of Almighty God in Heaven. In this life and for this time, the Mass is where we find God, where we meet Him, where we experience Him, where He sets His gaze upon us and touches us with His saving and sanctifying grace. Of course, this perception and this understanding must be underscored by a living faith, which alone grants the eyes to see the truth lying behind the veil of these sacred mysteries; we must beg God for an increase in this faith, to receive in our souls the “eyes to perceive” that in which seeing, touching, and tasting are deceived, but what trusty hearing knows can be believed (cf. Adoro Te Devote). Remember: a mystery is not some game of clues and riddles, nor is it a puzzle to be solved; a mystery is fundamentally a truth so deep and so profound that it can never be exhausted in all of its richness and wonder, and in its presence we can only bask with humble and heartfelt gratitude. The Sacred Mystery of the Sacred Liturgy is just such a mystery; we can never fathom what takes place on that altar; we can never comprehend what wonders of grace and life are made available to us in that celebration. Truly, there is far more going on at Holy Mass that cannot be seen, that excels our understanding, but can only be received by the humble soul enlivened by faith, hope, and charity. The Blessed Mother is the supreme model for all of us in this. As we strive as a parish to deepen our own celebration and wonder at the Holy Mass, may she guide us into the mysterious encounter with Her Son’s sacrifice and presence at the Sacred Liturgy.
I am blessed to be traveling to Fatima this week for an international priests retreat being held there. I have always wanted to make a visit to one of the great Marian shrines of the world, and I am grateful this opportunity was made available to me. I will take all of you with me in prayer. I return to the parishes on the 12th, and look forward to seeing you all when I arrive home to the Saint Henry Cluster. May God bless you in the week ahead, and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,
Affectionately Yours in Christ,
Fr. Hess
