The Eucharist is the greatest manifestation of God’s love for humanity

I cannot remember how many times I have heard people saying they do not go to Mass anymore because it is always the same thing. They walk through those doors of the church, and they feel like they can predict every single move. The priest’s gestures, the words he says, how many times they must kneel and get up. It has all become so familiar that they have lost that sense of holiness. Therefore, that feeling of being in the presence of something greater than themselves is not there any longer. For them, it has become nothing more than a routine, and they are just not getting anything out of it anymore.

But I must ask, is the Mass really just a routine? The answer is a resounding “No.” First, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has a structure, a pattern that it follows. It seems the same, yet the reality is far from being that. Just by taking a closer look at the Roman Missal, which is the book that guides the celebration of the Mass, one will encounter that every Mass is the same, and not the same all at once. It is like a beautiful paradox.

It is the same because we were encountering the mystery of Christ Jesus’ presence every single time we go to Mass. But the words, apart from the ones used in the institution, are not always the same. Take the Eucharistic Prayers, each with its own unique wording and intention, yet they all follow the same basic structure.

No matter what words are spoken during the Mass, whether it is Eucharistic Prayer I or IV or somewhere in between, we are encountering the real, living presence of Christ. Pope Benedict XVI said it best in Sacramentum Caritatis when he called the Eucharist a priceless treasure. Just by celebrating it, just by kneeling in prayer before it, we are tapping into the very source of all grace.

In fact, the Eucharist is the greatest manifestation of God’s love for all of humanity. Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15: 13). This is exactly what Jesus Christ does for each one of us at Mass. Christ becomes the sacrificial Lamb whose effectiveness to redeem humankind has an infinite capacity for forgiveness. This same sacrificial and redemptive dimension of the Eucharist is expressed in the words of Jesus over the bread at the Last Supper. The writings of Luke and Paul make known that Jesus stated that the bread he was holding on his hands was no longer bread, but his own “body, … given for you” (Lk 22:19; 1Cor11: 24).

If one sees closely this manifestation of love known throughout history, one may realize that the holy sacrifice of the Mass is much more than a routine. It is an intimate, life-changing encounter with the living presence of Christ. It is a sign of unity, a bond of love, and a paschal banquet to anyone who receives it because he or she receives Christ Himself. Every time we go and receive the Eucharist, we are diving into the depths of the paschal mystery. We are experiencing the very heart of Christ’s Death and Resurrection. As St. Paul so beautifully put it, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26).

Ultimately, I invite you to approach the Eucharist with new eyes and a renewed heart. It is the source and summit of our Christian life, and that is not something to take lightly. So, the next time someone, or you yourself, tries to tell you that the Mass is just a boring routine, you can look them in the eye and tell them the truth. It is a transformative encounter with the real presence of Christ and his boundless love for us, and that is something worth showing up for, every single time.

Father Fredy Triana Beltran serves as parochial vicar in Immaculate Conception Parish, Spotswood.