Sunday, July 17, 2016

Colossians 1: 24-28

Brothers and sisters:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his body, which is the church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me
to bring to completion for you the word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Christ was chastised, hated, spit upon, scourged, crowned with thorns, his closest friends ran from him in his time of need, and he was finally crucified. What could possibly be lacking in the afflictions of Christ?

My participation in it all.

If we could see the invisible reality that is happening around us at Mass each and every time we attend we would be left speechless and trembling. The reality of Mass is that it acts as a conduit connecting heaven and earth through all of time and allows us to participate fully in the crucifixion of Jesus. Our Mass does not re-crucify Jesus. It does not re-sacrifice the one true sacrifice. It brings us to that one true sacrifice. It makes it present to us. We are joined with the afflictions of Christ. We stand at the base of the cross with Mary, the ever virgin mother, and with Saint John. We stand at the base of the cross with every believer who has ever attended Mass at every Mass ever offered. We stand at the base of the cross with all of the angels and Saints. We stand at the base of the cross with every person whose name is written in the book of life.

We celebrate this one Mass in communion with all of these people. When we say the creed, or the Our Father we do so not alone with our parish but with every believer in one loud voice. Listen for this voice the next time you are at Mass. Open your heart to the invisible reality that is unfolding before your unseeing eyes. Realize just how big and important this Mass is. You will never look at Mass as something small or meaningless again.

Make up in your body that which is lacking in the afflictions of Christ. Offer up all that you have to him on the cross and complete his Holy sacrifice for the sake of every soul ever created.