What Happens at Mass in 10 Simple Steps:
​A lot of us have been doing this whole Mass thing for a long time now. We say the memorized lines and more or less mouth the songs. We sit, stand, sit, stand, sit, stand, kneel, stand, kneel, walk up, kneel, stand, leave. But what if we understood what was actually going on? What if we let that understanding change our lives? This list takes us in order through ten incredible things that happen every single Sunday at every single mass.

1. We ask God to forgive us...And he does!

Penitential Act & glory to god:

There are those who say that God’s mercy is limited. You get only so many mess ups until becoming unforgivable. What’s amazing about the Catholic Mass is that the first thing everyone does is stand up and admit, “I have greatly sinned,” and ask for forgiveness knowing that God will grant it. We can be confident that no matter what we’ve done, God wants us back. Every. Single. Time. That’s why we sing the Gloria right after receiving God’s Mercy – because we’re freaking out at how UNBELIEVABLE it is that God forgives us again… and again… and again…

2. God tells us how to be happy. 

Liturgy of the Word: 

How much money would you pay for a chance to talk to God? Ya know, just grab a cup of coffee with Jesus and get answers to the big questions: What should my major be? How do I get this whole happiness thing? Do you even matter, God? Jesus knew that 7 billion coffee dates would be a scheduling nightmare, so He did something even better – He wrote an entire book-long love letter to you. When someone is up at the front reading from Scripture at Mass, God is trying to say something just to you about what you’re going through, what you’re struggling with, or what to do next. He’s telling us word for word how to be happy – we just need to start listening and following His instruction manual.​

3. We claim to believe some mind-blowing things.

Confession of Faith: 

Please raise your hand if you’ve every reeled off the “I believe in God…” part at Mass without actually thinking about a word you’re saying *Everyone raises two hands and a foot* Could we stop and talk about this for a second? I believe in GOD! What?! That changes everything! That gives life meaning and makes every challenge faceable! For our sake he was crucified… suffered death… and ROSE AGAIN ß So you’re saying that the same God who created the whole universe died FOR YOU!? Whoa! I believe in…the forgiveness of sins…and the life of the world to come. So you’re telling me you don’t have to carry the weight of your own mistakes because God forgives you? You believe that we’re living not just to do whatever in this life, but to strive towards ETERNAL HAPPINESS?! Next time we say “I believe,” let’s actually believe it and let that belief change everything.​

4. Think our world needs help?
God is ready to give it – we just have to ask.

Universal Prayer: 

​I’ve got problems. You’ve got problems. And our world has some big problems. But GOD IS BIGGER! He wants us to ask him for help on everything. That impossible chem test coming up? He’s got you. That stressful family situation that you don’t know what to do about? Ask God for help. All the darkness in our world that seems so insurmountable – terror, shootings, hunger… God is the only one powerful enough to shine light on it all. We can and should take action in all of these situations, but we can also bring them before God by praying for ourselves, our families and friends, and people around the world. We need God, the world needs God, and at Mass we all stand together to ask for the help we so desperately need.

5. We don’t just offer gifts to God – we offer ourselves.

Presentation of the Gifts: 

​Any self-proclaimed “broke college kid” will tell you that we don’t have much to offer. I would argue that we have more to offer than we think. The basket getting passed around for the collection and someone bringing up the gifts of bread and wine are actually symbolic of an offering not only of food and money, but of ourselves. During the offertory, God says, “I don’t just want what you have; I want who you are. I want all of you so I can fill you with all of Me.”

6. We all go to Calvary to stand at the foot of the cross.

Liturgy of the Eucharist:

The single most important event ever – both for the world and in each of our individual lives – happened once and was witnessed by only a handful of people. But as Catholics, we believe something pretty incredible. We believe that at every Mass, this sacrifice is re-presented (as in, presented again) in an unbloody manner so that each of us can truly experience what Christ did for us 2,000 years ago. That means that we are just as present at Calvary as Mary, John, the Roman soldiers, the two thieves, and anyone else who actually witnessed the event. This seems pretty impossible, but I’ve heard that God can do some pretty impossible things. And this impossible thing He’s done is the greatest gift any of us will ever experience on earth.

7. Bread and wine TRULY becomes Jesus Christ

the consecration:

​When Jesus said, “This is my body… This is my blood,” He meant it. Every time we enter a Catholic church, God is truly there in the gold box, waiting for us. Every time you come to Eucharistic Adoration at the Newman Center, you’re spending time with Jesus, face-to-face. Every time we go to Mass, the bread and wine transform before our very eyes. Even though we can’t see, feel, or taste this transformation, what was once bread and wine is now God Himself. Yup, God is hiding in what looks like a little piece of bread, just because He wants to be with you that much.

8. We all come together

Lord’s Prayer and Sign of Peace: 

When Jesus taught us to say the words “Our Father” he was not only teaching us that God is our daddy, (yes, the translation for Abba is actually closer to daddy or dada!) but he was also teaching us that we are all brothers and sisters. And when we give the sign of peace, we’re not just shaking hands with the stranger next to us. We’re telling God that we offer peace to all of our brothers and sisters, including that girl on your floor who takes forever in the only good shower and that friend of a friend who you have never liked – even if they’re not at church. It’s impossible to love God without loving others, so use this time in Mass to lay down your grudges and discover your own identity as a son or daughter of God.

9. We receive and become one with perfect LOVE.

communion:

Jesus would rather endure an excruciatingly painful death on a cross than spend eternity without you. If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have still died for you. When you go up for Communion, you receive the same Jesus who gave His life for you. God is Love, and the moment the Eucharist touches your tongue, you receive and become united to perfect Love. God is not an idea or even a belief, but a person – a person who is completely and irrevocably in love with you.  After receiving Communion, try asking Jesus to show you how much He loves you. His response could change your life.

10. God sends us out to CHANGE THE WORLD!

Final blessing:

When the priest says “Go in peace,” He’s not just saying “go” to the parish center for donut Sunday before they run out of Boston cremes. No, God is saying, “Go! Take everything you’ve received at Mass and share it with the world!” The happiness, peace, acceptance, fulfillment, and love that everyone longs for can be found in Christ. Christ gives Himself to you because He loves you AND because He wants you to share him with all these people who are longing for all those things. If you lived in a desert and had an unlimited supply of water, would you share it with people? Would you tell them about the crystal clean stream of water before they die of dehydration? Christ is that important and then some for every human soul. Go. Share the water. Share Christ. Put a little love back in our world.