Ordinary of
the Mass
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Mass Text - English
Decorum (.doc)
“The grace of God is given you in Christ Jesus,
that in all things you are made rich in Him.”
On previous occasions I have mentioned
that Christianity is unique among most of the religions of the world, in that it
claims that its God actually intervenes in human history. In the Old Testament
He dealt personally with His people from Adam and Eve through Noe … Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses … Isaias, Jeremias, and Daniel … on through to the last of
the prophets. In the New Testament He sent His only begotten Son, who in turn
appointed apostles and founded a Church to preach the Gospel to all nations,
even until the very end of time. Most of the other religions of the world are
really nothing more than a philosophy—a set of directions for dealing with the
world in a way that will reduce the difficulties of everyday life.
But Christianity is also different in
that it expects to work a change in those who follow its ways. To be sure, it
expects to work a change of heart in those who learn its commandments, and who
learn of the terrible suffering endured by our Savior as He hung on the Cross in
reparation for our sins. It expects to work a change of heart in those who
learn about the unfathomable love of God for His people, as manifested in the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Likewise, the sinless purity of the Blessed Virgin
Mother calls out to the hearts of those who come to know and love her through
her divine Son. But the change worked by Christianity is even more radical than
all of that.
Saint Paul speaks of this radical change
in today's Epistle to the Corinthians. “Nothing is wanting to you in any
grace,”
he says. For the change effected by God in the souls who follow Him and receive
His grace is nothing less than an overhaul of human nature. In the state of
original sin, man is not capable of doing anything worthy of heaven. His best
efforts can never rise above the plane of natural creatures. In a few cases, he
may act with a degree of nobility, like the Greek Socrates or the Chinese
Confucius—in most cases he will be something less, maybe even down right
evil—but in all cases, his best efforts will never rise to the plane of pleasing
God on the supernatural level. A clever dog or a monkey might do a few things
that mimic human behavior, but will never be one of us. But, even more so, the
gulf between humanity and divinity is so wide that we can never overcome it by
our own efforts.
The fundamental change that Christianity
works in God's people, then, is not simply one of inspiring them to great human
efforts. That would be inadequate. Rather, the change is the work of Christ
working in us—the work of grace. In Baptism, original sin is taken away, not
merely covered up. We might even say that sin is “driven out” by Baptism and
the other Sacraments, for when we say that a soul receives “sanctifying grace”
in the Sacraments, we are saying that, at the same time, God Himself comes to
take up residence in our souls. Once we are justified by Baptism and remain in
the state of grace, the good things that we do take on a divine character—they
become more than just the proper way for a man to behave. In the state of grace
we become Christ like, and every bit of good that we do is seen as the work of
Christ by His Father. In the state of grace, because Christ is acting through
us, we can actually do things that are meritorious in the sight of God. In this
sense, we can be said to earn a place in heaven—something we could never do on
our own, apart from the graces of the Sacraments.
“Be of good heart, thy sins are forgiven
thee.”
The people of Nazareth who heard Jesus say these words when he healed the man
with palsy knew that something radical was taking place. Jesus wasn't just
handing out advice about the maladies caused by sin and how to avoid them—He was
doing what only God could do: driving out sin and replacing it with the grace of
God. If Jesus was just another philosopher, He would have been committing
blasphemy, a merely human being making Himself out to be God. But, in fact, He
is God, the Son of God, and is fully able to radically change the nature of all
who believe in Him and are baptized. And just as He cured the sick, and even as
He raised the dead, He is able to restore to grace those who are willing to
confess their sins to Him, and to receive His lifegiving Body and Blood in Holy
Communion.
Now, what does this mean for us on the
practical level? Well, first of all, let it be said that God expects all of the
human effort from us that we can muster. If anything, more is expected of the
Christian who has been entrusted with more. We must strive to know God by
learning the details of the Catholic Faith to the best of our abilities. We are
still “our brother's keepers” and must strive for justice and equity in our
society, and charity within ourselves. We ought to allow ourselves to be
transformed by the examples of Jesus and Mary.
But central to the work of God, who has
taken a personal interest in His people and in their very nature, is this need
for a radical transformation through grace. All of the good that we do will be
of no more than natural value if done apart from Christ. “To as many as receive
Him, He gives the power of becoming sons of God.”
Frequent attendance at Mass, reception of the Sacraments, and a regular prayer
life distinguish the Christian who will rise above his mere mortality to the
kingdom of God. What could be more important? In these things the Holy Ghost
makes us living temples of God, raising us above our nature as only the living
God can do.
“The grace of God
is given you in Christ Jesus,
that in all things you are made rich in Him.”
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