Merry Christmas everyone!

If you are visiting our parish and haven’t been here the last few weeks of Advent, we’ve been busy taking a little tour through the Mass in order to help us all get ready for Christmas…. in order (as we’ve been saying) to keep “MASS” in ChristMass.

So far, we’ve already talked about the Introductory Rites of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, the Offertory, the Eucharistic Prayer — and now at long last we come to the end of our tour…

Because while as we discussed last Sunday, the climax of the Mass is the Eucharistic Prayer — the source and summit of our worship IS the Sacrifice that Jesus offers up on our behalf to the Father — we also know that there’s one VERY important thing left for us to cover… 

Holy Communion.

St. John Vianney once said: “All the prayers of the Mass are a preparation for Communion.”

And it’s quite appropriate that we should discuss this part of the Mass on Christmas itself.

Because when it comes down to it: Communion is the goal — the fruit, so to speak — that God always had in mind. 

It’s the reason He sent Jesus into this world! It’s the reason the Son of God took on human flesh, dwelt in the Virgin’s womb, and was born for us on Christmas night!

“God became man that man might become God!” The Catechism says that EVERYONE is called to a perfect union… a perfect communion… with God.

This is not something just for the super intense canonized saints in their monasteries and convents! No…perfect COMMUNION with God is meant for everyone…ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE… 

It’s the entire meaning and purpose of our lives.

The old Baltimore Catechism encapsulated this idea in that classic question and answer:

Q. Why did God make you?


A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven.

St Augustine says it even better: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You” — that is to say: Until our heart abides in you — until it dwells in You… communes perfectly with You.

The bottom line is this: We are made for communion with God.

God is the only thing we run on. Nothing else will do. Go ahead and try putting Mountain Dew into your car’s gas tank. It WILL NOT work. Try putting anything else into your soul other than God Himself — it simply won’t work! …Not for long anyways!

And so — what did God decide to do?

He went and made it possible for us to receive what we need most: 

Himself. 

He invented the perfect way to get HIS divine life into us on a regular, weekly, maybe even daily basis:

“Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood — you have no life within you.” Jesus says — “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

This is what Holy Communion is all about.

This is what our participation in the Mass is all about.

This is what Christmas — ChristMass — is all about.

The Union of God and man.

This little newborn baby, lying in a manger — is somehow both God and man at the same time. He Himself brings these two drastically different things together in perfect communion: Creator and creature. Divinity and humanity!!!

And so we rightly sing: “JOY TO THE WORLD… the Lord is come; Let Earth receive her King; Let ev’ry heart prepare him room.”

Yes! Let every heart PREPARE HIM ROOM! Let every heart RECEIVE her King!!!! We receive Him in this Most Holy Eucharist!!!! In Holy Communion!

So, with all that in mind, lets pick back up with our step-by-step tour of the Mass so we can go deeper into the mystery of Christmas.

Alright. 

We’ve just prayed the Doxology — we’ve offered up to God the PERFECT and ACCEPTABLE sacrifice of Jesus’ Body and Blood through the hands of the priest…We’ve sung the GREAT AMEN… And now, the congregation stands back up together and begins praying what might rightly be called the Church’s “family prayer.”

“At the Savior’s command and informed by divine teaching, we dare to say:”

And the family of God begins to pray together: 

“Our Father… who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name… Thy Kingdom come… Thy will be done…”

We are praying the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us! In a way, the Our Father contains all prayer. It’s the perfect model for how we ought to always approach God. We dare to call God our “Father,” because by our baptism we are adopted sons and daughters of God! We glorify and adore Him. We ask that His will — not ours — be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” 

We ask Him to forgive us. We promise to forgive those who trespass against us… We ask for His protection from temptation and from all forms of evil.

And yes of course, we ask Him for what we need, and this is VERY relevant to our topic at hand. We pray:

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Now of course, on one level, we’re asking God to provide for us, most obviously our physical nourishment. But the Greek here suggests something much much deeper as well. The word for “daily bread” could also be translated as “Give us this day our supersubstantial bread” — which refers to something “beyond our daily bread” — a bread that is much “more than ordinary.” 

…We are asking God for the Holy Eucharist! — For Holy Communion! For Perfect Union with Himself!

“For my Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink,” Jesus tells us!

Following the Our Father, the priest than introduces the Sign of Peace: “The peace of the Lord be with you always.”

And you offer that peace back to me — “And with your spirit.”

Then the priest says: “Let us offer each other the sign of peace.”

Where does peace come from? It comes from Jesus the Prince of Peace. It comes from the Cross. He “made Peace by the Blood of His Cross” the Scriptures tell us.

This was foretold to the shepherds on that first Christmas night, when the angelic host began to sing: 

“GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST! And on earth PEACE to people of goodwill.”

That peace that surpasses all understanding is poured out from THIS altar, and then it spreads into each one of our hearts… 

We share it with one another! We are about to come face to face with the Prince of Peace Himself! He’s going to enter in! So we offer peace to one another. We forgive one another…

“Hark! the herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King: peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’”

Then all of a sudden, as we finish shaking hands with the people around us… a brand new song strikes up, the words are repeated in worship and adoration:

“Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us.”

“Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: Have mercy on us.”

“Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world: Grant us peace.”

As this chant swirls through the church, the priest breaks the Host in half — A symbolic action showing us what Jesus has done for us. He was broken for us. Broken so that the whole world could have communion with God and finally be freed from sin. This is why he was born. He was born to lay down his life for us.

The priest then breaks off a teeny-tiny piece of the Host, and drops it into the main Chalice… a liturgical expression symbolizing the Resurrection of Our Lord — the REUNION of the Body and Blood that was separated in death, and now is united again in Resurrection.

And as the Lamb of God chant concludes, the whole church responds.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

O night divine! O night when Christ was born!

Meanwhile the priest prays a silent prayer:

“May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy.”

The priest is humbly asking that he not eat and drink judgment upon himself — a reminder for us all not to lightly approach this Most Blessed Sacrament without first examining our own soul!

Then he genuflects slowly, and lifts up the broken Host and the Chalice together — the Lamb of God standing as though slain — and with all our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the priest then declares:

“Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.” 

In this moment, we realize — that the Mass is a MARRIAGE supper… it’s a wedding banquet — a feast of love — it’s the union of heaven and earth…of God and man!

And we all reply with words that echo those of the Centurion, whose servant was once miraculously healed by Jesus:

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. But only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”

This is a beautiful and encouraging reminder that you don’t need to be perfect in order to receive Holy Communion… in order for Jesus to enter under the roof of your mouth! If that was the case, then nobody should ever come forward to receive! Because nobody is worthy of that kind of union with our Lord!

But what we do need is honesty. We do need to be humble. Jesus asks for a humble and contrite heart. We must repent of our serious sins, and we should confess them sacramentally before we receive communion. Why? Because we need to be able to really mean it when we say “Amen” to the Merciful Love of Our Lord in the Eucharist.

So after admitting our own unworthiness… the priest consumes Holy Communion first, saying “May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life. May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.”

This is the medicine of immortality! Jesus promises to keep us safe.

Then the priest distributes holy communion to everyone who is prepared and able to receive… all who humbly approach in reverent adoration.

We come to the manger… to this feeding trough for animals… and there we meet God. We receive this little newborn King from Bethlehem — which of course means House of Bread. We are put into communion with Him and one another. With ALL Christians around the world.

Pope Leo the Great once said that “the effect of our sharing in the body and blood of Christ is to change us into what we receive.”

We are changed and transformed into Jesus. Into the Body of Christ.

Jesus doesn’t just want to be part of your life. 

He wants to BE YOUR LIFE.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, when she described her first holy communion said that “it was a complete fusion” “We were no longer two…Jesus alone remained.” — She goes on to say that “all Heaven entered my soul when I received Jesus.”

That’s what Holy Communion is all about! —And it is the true MEANING of Christmas!

After receiving Our Lord, you return to your pew. And you kneel down, thank God for what just happened, and cherish this time with Jesus. As one writer put it: “We are never so close to Jesus as at the moment of sacramental Communion.”

Meanwhile the priest purifies the vessels. He makes sure that there are no particles, no drops of the Eucharist left on his fingers, on the paten, or in the chalice… And then we rest together.

There is silence. …We are enjoying this communion with the Lord, and with the entire Church spread throughout the world.

But the Mass is not quite over. 

We really shouldn’t leave before the final blessing! One time, when someone left right after receiving communion, St Philip Neri famously sent two little altar serves off, holding candles, to process on either side of him… a humorous way of drawing attention to Christ’s Real Presence now within this Living Tabernacle that you are…!

No, we sit tight, and savor this moment.

Then the priest says “Let us pray.” The congregation stands together. We pray the prayer after communion. And then comes the final blessing. The priest blesses all gathered in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

And then: “Go forth! The Mass is ended!” — in Latin — “Ite missa est” 

Which can be translated: “GO she is sent! …sent on MISSION!”

Who is “She?” Who are we talking about?

The Church! 

You and me! 

The BODY OF CHRIST… She is now FILLED WITH THE EUCHARIST… the BODY OF CHRIST.

We are IN COMMUNION with Jesus, and so the Church says to all of us: “Go! You are SENT… The Church is being sent! ITE MISSA EST.

Go and do what?

Go and bring JOY TO THE WORLD of course!… Bring Jesus to everyone else! Because the Lord is come; Let Earth receive her King; Let ev’ry heart prepare him room, And heav’n and nature sing!

And that, my friends, concludes our tour of the mass. …So Merry ChristMass everyone. May this celebration of our communion in Christ transform us here, and then transform the whole world. May we allow all who meet us to encounter the love of Jesus, our newborn King.