Introduction “I don’t get anything out of Mass.” “I’m not being fed at Mass.” I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard those two sentences. I could make an enormous donation to my favorite charity and still be a wealthy man. In my nearly 25 years on Catholic radio and in ministry, I have heard those words (and slight variations on them) more times than I can count. In fact, they may be the most common 8 things people say when I ask them why they don’t go to Mass anymore. Truth be told, it makes me want to cry. Believe me when I tell you I get it. In fact, I’ve been there and done that. I grew up Catholic but stopped going to Mass in my mid-to-late teens and stayed away for many years. Those exact same words probably came out of me at some time. Only after I returned to Christ and His Church did I develop a deep love for the Mass. It took time and study. Why are these sentiments so common? Most people would probably say that they experienced bad liturgy. In other words, the music was terrible, the preaching was boring, the priest couldn’t be understood…the list goes on and on. Those reasons on the surface seem rather valid. After all, we’re an experiential people. When our experiences are less than optimal, we drift. We find ourselves not paying attention. Soon we’re more interested in what others are wearing or doing, and we’ve completely lost focus on what we should be paying attention to. Herein lies the greatest problem: we’re not paying attention. We get so distracted by the externals that we fail to see the greater reality of what is happening right before our very eyes. I’m a great believer that if anyone had a complete understanding of the Catholic Mass, there is no way they would ever leave the Church. Why? Because they would understand that the Mass is “the wedding feast of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9) It is a partici
20459CD
To see the actual publication please follow the link above