By Mariana Hladik
Reflecting on the past few weeks, when we took part in the celebration of the Easter Triduum, we immersed our senses in the beauty and tradition of the greatest feasts in the liturgical year. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that, “the beginning of the Easter Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually, on either side of this source, the year is transfigured by the liturgy” (CCC 1168). While indeed Easter is the “Feast of feasts", the "Solemnity of solemnities" (CCC 1169), and therefore deserves the ceremonial emphasis which it is given, we should remember to carry this same devotion for the liturgy throughout the year. I know from personal experience that it is easy to slip into a habit of routine commitment, while in doing so, we lose sight of the significance of this liturgical season, which is highlighted each time the Mass is celebrated. I can so quickly forget the intrinsic beauty and transcendent worth that we have gifted to us each and every time we enter into the celebration of the Mass and receive the Eucharist.
So, let us take a moment to quickly contemplate the overwhelming reality which the Mass offers us — an opportunity that we can, if so desired, partake in on a daily basis — it is a gift above all other gifts. The key here, and one that I have come to learn, is that the more we come to understand what the Mass is, the more we will grow in this innate desire to participate in it.
The Mass gives us the opportunity to remember and appreciate what it means to be Catholic. It is undeniably filled with an abundance of spiritual symbolism, church tradition and supernatural meaning. Each time we are drawn into a commemoration of the “Passion, Resurrection, and the glory of the Lord Jesus” (CCC 1167), we are reminded of the fundamental elements of our faith and, at the core, the centre and the pinnacle of each Mass, we are given the most beautiful, life-giving gift through reception of the Holy Eucharist. St. John Paul II writes is his encyclical, Ecclesia De Eucharisti, that it is from the Eucharist that “the Church draws her life” and “her nourishment.” How profoundly blessed are we to be given such an incredible gift?! For in the Eucharist is “contained the whole spiritual good of the Church” (CCC 1324) — Christ himself, fully and truly present.
Therefore, just as Easter is the “Feast of feasts” (CCC 1169), so too, “the Eucharist is the “Sacrament of sacraments” (CCC 1169).
It is in its essence a sacrament of “love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us'" (CCC 1323).
When I take these facts to heart and reflect on the magnitude of this reality, I feel overwhelmingly blessed. Blessed to be Catholic, blessed to have such an amazing opportunity – to live in communion with Christ Himself.
Understanding the Mass and the Sacrament of the Eucharist leads to understanding the privilege we have been given. A privilege on which we can so often lose focus, or take for granted. Therefore, as we continue in this Eastertide and move toward the next liturgical season, may we make this our aim – to deepen our appreciation, grow in our understanding of the Mass and embrace its transcendental beauty.