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Obligation.

That word makes going to Mass sound like a chore. Holy Days of Obligation makes it feel like we’re being forced to attend Mass. But in all reality, we are obliged to. The Church isn’t trying to force us, but trying to guide and remind us that we need to go to Mass—not for the Church’s sake, but for ours. When you think about what God did for us, sacrificing His Son, and what His Son did, sacrificing Himself for us, you can’t but not feel obliged to show gratitude by going to Mass. I once heard it described as this: If someone dies to save your life—say they pushed you out of the way of a moving vehicle and they got hit instead—wouldn’t you want to attend they’re funeral? Wouldn’t you feel obliged to show your gratitude by celebrating their life with their family? The same thing goes for Jesus—except that Jesus saved our life for all eternity, so we should be eternally grateful—so we go back Sunday after Sunday to show our gratefulness and celebrate His life with our family.

But then we go back Sunday after Sunday, and we stop paying attention (if we ever paid attention in the first place). Why? Because we zone out when things seem monotonous – and the reason Mass can seem like the same thing over and over again is because we don’t fully realize what’s actually taking place at Mass. And we’ll blame it on the music, or the homily, or whatever. But when we truly realize what’s happening – that we are participating in Jesus’ Sacrifice and we consume Him (in hopes to be consumed by Him) – Mass would never be the same again.

Now, I’ll admit, that I’m not fully there yet. I believe it’s happening, but I still sometimes have a hard time wrapping my head around it all. But I’m [slowly] working towards it. Hoping that one day, I’ll be worthy to completely recognize it. But one thing is for sure – I don’t see Mass as a something I have to do – it’s something I look forward to (and definitely more so when the music and homilies are solid).