Living Sacrifice

I remember the first year I started attending Church regularly.  Before then, I only went if I was going with Grandma and only on Christmas or Easter and not even most Christmas and Easter Masses either.  I only went if I was invited AND felt like going, which was easily less than half the time.  Needless to say, during that first year of attending Mass regularly, the vast majority of the Feast Days and ordinary Sundays were completely new to me.  Of course, Christmas and Easter were largely unfamiliar territory as well as far as Church was concerned.

I distinctly remember the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  It was the first time I had attended Mass with Grandma during that first year as a regular attendee.  All previous Masses with Grandma were the occasional Christmas and Easter Masses of years past.  Although I have since heard hundreds of homilies, the one for this Feast Day that particular time is amongst the few I can still consciously remember.  Most others are only remembered in my subconscious mind - a bit like the placement of keys on a standard "qwerty" keyboard.

During the homily, the priest was emphasizing the point that Christ is, quite literally, present and that we ought to thus behave accordingly.  He addressed the way people clothe themselves and the way they carry themselves when approaching for Communion.  We are in the presence of a dignitary, a guest of honor.  This is not to be taken lightly.  You would not dress in shorts and t-shirts or dress immodestly nor would you ignore or overlook the guest of honor if you were approaching him face-to-face while at a grand banquet.  The same expectations apply while at Mass, especially a Sunday Mass.

It was all fairly obvious but it needed to be said.  Along those lines, there's a very simple way to determine if a certain Church service you attend while you're out of town fulfills the Sunday Mass obligation.  Did you either receive the true body and blood of Christ or have an opportunity to do so at that service?  Sure, a "Communion Service" with pre-consecrated hosts may satisfy the obligation but an actual Mass is preferable.  If you're on vacation, a mountaintop or beachside service may seem like a novel idea and you're certainly welcome to go to one.  But bear in mind that it only "counts" if you actually receive the true body and blood of Christ.  If you don't have an opportunity to receive at such a service, it's still okay to go but then you are also still obliged to find an additional service that does serve Communion, the true Living Sacrifice.  Jesus set this example during His final Passover meal and we've been following it ever since.

Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26