Catholic Diocese of Biloxi  

Our Sunday Liturgies, our Masses, and other forms of worship, are an encounter with Jesus Christ and are critical to the life of our faith and to our community of faith. They should communicate our values as the Body of Christ and should lead people into falling in love with the Eucharist, Jesus. When we celebrate the Most Holy Eucharist, we bring to the Altar of Sacrifice ourselves, our families, our ministries, and our prayers; but Jesus is also asking us to bring our neighbor. There are key areas that need our particular attention: our spirit of welcome and hospitality; the proclamation of the Word and the preaching; our music; how we communicate; and the nature and purpose of the Holy Eucharist—the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus’ spirit of welcoming and hospitality was profound and serves as a powerful example and invitation to us as a Church.

Sometimes it seems as if it's all we can do to get ourselves and our families to church. And while that is a part of his call to us, Jesus really wants us to make disciples. Therefore, we need to bring others to him, to Christ. Jesus personally loved each of the people around him and all those he encountered. He invites us to do the same as we gather in prayer and in worship.

Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

Our prayer together needs to be our guiding light. Our expression of faith through worship and the sacraments needs to be part of a vibrant community that clearly proclaims the love of Jesus Christ to the world. Moreover, while we touch Heaven and are touched by Heaven when we come together for prayer and worship, Jesus wants us to share this experience with everyone we meet.

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” (Psalm 118:24) Imagine a parish in which the joy of the Lord is truly present – from the moment you pull into the parking lot to the moment you drive out. A spirit of welcome pervades the parish from the parking lot to the Sanctuary and everyone is greeted and accompanied. The spirit of prayer is palpable and the singing is invitational. The spirit of welcome draws everyone into prayer and celebration of the Eucharist—everyone young, old, guests, and first-timers. The music and singing draws everyone into the service and allows the love of Jesus Christ to be present. The celebrant joyfully leads the community in prayer, and, with the expectation that the miracle of the Word will take place among the faithful, the readings of the day are proclaimed and a well-prepared homily is shared.

Together, we proclaim our common belief through the Profession of Faith. We place our gifts on the Altar and lift them up to our loving God. Gathered around the Altar, we raise our minds, bodies, and spirits to the Lord as we personally enter into the sacrifice of the Mass. We offer the sign that Jesus gave us of bread and wine, celebrating the promise that he gave us.

Take this all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you. Take this, all of you, and drink from it. For this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins …

As the priest prays the Eucharistic Prayer, which is taken from Matthew 26:26-28, our hearts are joined to the Crucified and Risen Lord who is present on the Altar in the form of His Body and Blood, and He is also in our midst. It truly is a moment in which Heaven is present to us and we are present to Heaven. We are united with the Communion of Saints and glimpse what it means to eat His Body and drink His Blood and share eternal life. This is who we are as Catholics. We need to shout it from the rooftops.
 
We then pray for the Church, and we pray as Jesus taught us with His Prayer, which is our prayer to Our Father. One of the great signs of the celebration together is that Jesus gives us the peace of Heaven, and this is the same peace we offer to one another. To receive His Body and His Blood personally or in Spiritual Communion is a deep expression of who we are, what we celebrate, and how we are to live as a Eucharistic people together, giving thanks for the blessings God has bestowed on us and His presence in our lives.
 
The Mass—the celebration of the Eucharist—is meant to be such an encounter with Jesus Christ and His Church that not only do we want to share His love, but we cannot help but share it. This is discipleship. This is the call of Jesus Christ to be His disciples and to make disciples. As the celebration of the Mass concludes, we receive God’s blessings to go forth and make disciples. It is not something we are meant to leave behind in the church or forget about on our drive home. In fact, one thing we can do as we drive home is to discuss what touched us in the Mass, the readings, homily, singing, and how we are being called to live our faith.

1. Are we living our faith at home, at work, and within our communities?
2. If we want our Sunday liturgy and worship to be an evangelizing event, what are some key areas to pay attention to?
3. What are some things that can be done in our parish, school, or ministry to improve the spirit of welcome and hospitality, especially when celebrating the Liturgy?
4. As a parish, family, school, or ministry, how are we calling members to live the faith and witness at home, at work, and in our communities?
5. What are some things we could do following the Sunday Liturgy to make sure we are living our faith at home?