The Catholic Defender: Daily Mass is powerful

Most people have heard of the famous coach of Notre Dame, Knute Rockne (1888 – 1931). He was an American football player and coach at the University of Notre Dame for 13 seasons, Rockne accumulated over 100 wins and three national championships. Rockne is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. What most people don't know is that he was a convert to the Catholic Church and it was the simple example of his team going to daily Mass converted him.

He says that one night before a big game in the east, he was nervous and worried about the game and unable to sleep. He tossed and turned in bed and finally got dressed and went down to the lobby. Along about five in the morning he was pacing back and forth in the lobby when he saw two of his players hurrying out. Then three more and then the rest of them were leaving the hotel. They were all on their way to Mass. It seems that the team had the good habit of daily Mass.

     Rockne decided to go with them that morning and see what the Mass was all about and from that day, he never stopped going to Mass! Although they didn't realize it, the team made a powerful impression on their coach with their piety and devotion, and he began to understand what a powerful ally the Mass was to those boys in their daily lives.

     In ancient Israel, there were two places for the Jews to worship God. One, of course, was the great Temple in Jerusalem. This was the one and only place that the Jews could offer sacrifice and worship God. The other was the synagogue. Every city, town and village had a synagogue. Here the Jews could pray and study the word of God.

     Interestingly enough, Jesus gives both the Temple and synagogue in the Holy Mass. The first part of the Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word where we, as the ancient Jews did in the Synagogue, are involved in studying, reading and listening to the Holy Bible. The second part of the Mass is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist where we, as the ancient Jews did in the Temple, offer sacrifice just as Jesus did at the Last Supper and on Calvary.

     The Mass should properly or more precisely be called "The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass" because it is truly the most important act of worship for mankind. The Vatican Council, in fact, called it "the source and summit of Christian Life." (Lumen Gentium)

     St. Thomas Aquinas called the Holy Mass "The holy banquet in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is recalled, the soul is filled with grace, and there is given to us a pledge of future glory." In other words, in the Mass we have Jesus supporting us now and we have Jesus in the glory of our Eternal Future.

     God in His mercy gives us the opportunity to be with Him personally and intimately in the Mass daily, but because we don't have to travel across the globe to the Temple in Jerusalem to witness and pray the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we may take it for granted and we may not always appreciate the grandeur and awesome Truth, Beauty and importance of the Holy Mass. St. Leonard puts it all in perspective when he tells us that "if there were no Mass the world would by now have sunk into the abyss under the weight of its wickedness. The Mass is the powerful support which sustains it!"

     The saints could not live without the Mass and often made great sacrifices to attend Mass. In the nazi concentration camps during WWII, priests and other inmates often risked torture and death to secretly offer the Mass and receive Holy Communion.

     For over 2,024 years the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass has been the center of our lives and the support of humanity. In every Mass we have Jesus personally, physically, miraculously, truly with us! For love of us, Jesus becomes the Bread of Life to feed, nourish and save us humans! The Bread of Angels in the Holy Mass becomes the “Real Food and Real Drink” that Jesus prophesied in the bible that He would give us for Eternal Life! Sometimes it is good to be reminded of that fact and sometimes we have to stop and think of the great treasure and source of strength, love, and power that we have here at our constant disposal!!!