Grace – Forgiveness – Mercy – Strength – Consolation – Companions – Fellowship – Communion – Community – Friendship – Abundant Lives – Belonging – Purpose – Faith – Hope – Love – Joy – Peace – Truth – Beauty – Goodness – Union – Eternal Life
We long for each of these and for so many other good things, and Jesus is waiting to give each of these to us. He wants you to find peace. He wants you to be consoled in your grief. He wants you to find strength in the midst of the trials of your life. He wants you to be known and loved, and He wants for you to find a purpose for which you can live, a purpose that makes a difference for good in the world.
What we may not realize is that we can find every one of these in our encounter with Jesus in the Mass. One of the most common responses to the surveys conducted in our parishes last year about what people would like to see as part of the Eucharistic Revival was that they wanted to know what the prayers and actions of the Mass mean. The prayers and actions of the Mass bring us into contact with God. In the Mass, heaven meets earth, and the earth is transformed by that encounter. In the Mass, Salvation History is made present to us, and we enter into the Paschal Mystery – the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus. Jesus becomes present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
To help each person in our Diocese enter into this mystery so that they may encounter the love and mercy of Jesus in their own lives, a new resource will soon be made available to our parishes and to the people of the Diocese of Pueblo. This resource, “Meeting Jesus in the Mass: A Deeper Look at the Kerygma,” walks us step-by-step through the prayers and actions of the Mass, connecting what is said and done to the reality that is present. Each prayer, each gesture, each response of the Mass connects us to the Good News of Jesus Christ (the Kerygma) and opens us to the grace of our God, who wants to shower His blessings upon us so that we may walk in His ways as His disciples sent into the world to transform it through His power and love.
In the coming year, 2024, each parish will walk through the Mass in this way. Using “Meeting Jesus in the Mass,” every parish and mission of the Diocese will look more closely at how we can encounter Jesus at Mass. For seven weeks, at the beginning of Mass, the priest or deacon will lead the congregation through one part of the Mass and how it brings us closer to Jesus and opens us to His grace. These resources will also be available for printing in the parish bulletin or for individual reflection.
Join me in praying for this effort, that through it the people of our Diocese will open themselves to encountering Jesus in the Mass by more fully realizing what is happening at Mass and allowing the grace of Jesus Christ available at the Holy Mass to draw them to His Sacred Heart.
By Dr. Seth Wright, Director of Missionary Discipleship
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