Holy Mass at Good Shepherd
As Catholics, our celebration of Holy Mass is the foundation of our faith and the highest form of worship. Our faith is most perfectly expressed through our participation in liturgical worship. The heavenly powers in union with the Body of Christ (the members of God’s Church with Christ at its Head) gather in communion to renew Christ’s Sacrifice of the Cross on the altar by means of the Eucharist. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, gave perfect glory to God with His sacrifice and we, as members of His Mystical Body, unite ourselves to Christ to give God glory, praise and thanksgiving. Glorifying God through the Eucharist, we not only unite with Christ, we receive boundless graces because we are receiving the very body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ (The Real Presence of Jesus Christ).
Holy Mass gives us the Liturgy of the Eucharist in unity with the Liturgy of the Word. It gives us an opportunity:
- to gather together to worship with our families as one family of believers;
- to offer up repentance and be forgiven for our venial sins;
- to offer up prayer and petition for ourselves, our loved ones and the world;
- and to grow in our faith through the graces we receive by partaking earnestly.
The Divine Liturgy is the fullest and most complete form of worship. It is the most powerful means of living our faith in Christ because through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is Jesus Christ himself we receive, the fount of eternal life, sanctity, and grace. (Catechism 1138, 1140, 1182, 1322, 1358, 1375)
Please take a moment to reflect on the meaning of this sacrament and how God asks us to celebrate and receive His Son’s Body and Blood in Holy Communion. Only when we understand and honor the great gift of his sacrifice can we benefit from its boundless and life changing grace. Explore more below: