All Christians are called to worship God in church as a community (cf. Heb 10:25), but while others may call it “attending a service” or “participating in worship,” Catholics are one of the few denominations where parishioners “hear Mass.”
What is the Mass and what distinguishes it from other forms of Christian worship? The primary differences between what Catholics do on Sunday and what most Protestants do come from the Mass’s character as a sacrifice where Christ is really present.
First, the sacrificial nature of the Mass fundamentally changes its character. The Mass is called an unbloody sacrifice because, in the Eucharist, Jesus’ flesh is separated from His blood just like a Passover lamb would have been. Since, in the Eucharist, Jesus re-presents his original sacrifice on Calvary, the Mass takes on the characteristics of a liturgy. It needs a priest to offer the sacrifice and a specific rubric to be followed to make sure everything is done in a God-honoring manner.
Protestants who first hear a Mass are tempted to see pharisaical rigidity and “empty ritual.” In reality, it is the precision and reverence of the new Levitical priesthood carrying out the New Covenant sacrifice. In this context, there are rituals, but they are far from empty. Furthermore, it is the great privilege of the faithful to be able to sit in on this liturgy because in Christ everyone is consecrated a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Christ has torn down the veil covering the Holy of Holies, and now all can see the presence of God dwelling on the altar. While it is too often taken for granted, when we take what the Mass claims to be seriously, we see that it is a liturgy which prophets and kings longed to hear, but did not hear (cf. Luke 10:24).
The other central pillar of the Mass is that Christ is really present in the Eucharist. Because the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Christian life, the Mass becomes the central act of worship a Christian can offer. We can, of course, give nothing to God that he has not already given us, but in offering Christ’s sacrifice back to God we offer him the one sacrifice of infinite value that can atone for our sins.
In what way is God present? In a way, he is always present via omnipresence and present also whenever two or three believers are gathered in his name (cf. Matt 18:20). He is present in yet another way in the word preached since Jesus is the Word made flesh. Of course, all of these are excellent ways to have Christ present, but for a Catholic the Mass also has Jesus really present in the flesh, only hiding behind the appearance of bread and wine. In His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, he is really present in the Eucharist. Naturally, the only response is to fall on our knees and worship.
Christ’s real presence animates the entire character of the Mass. The first half of the Mass anticipates it and the second half centers around it. Everything is oriented around giving God praise and thanksgiving for His gift of the ultimate sacrifice: Himself. Where a Protestant service is oriented towards providing teaching and singing for the parishioners, a Catholic service orients those same actions towards Jesus physically on the altar. It is this context that elevates these normal human activities into true worship. We can sing and teach outside of the Mass, but the tongue is never so honored as when it gives praise to Jesus face to face.
Finally, why is the Mass called the Mass? Because after Jesus has given himself as the bread for the journey, the priest sends out (missa) the faithful to live lives of holiness. The Mass provides not only instruction, but also the grace of the Eucharist to live out Christ’s teachings. The Mass, therefore, isn’t just another Sunday service, it is the highest worship a Christian can offer and the source of the grace he needs to live God’s will. It is our duty as a kingdom of priests to answer God’s call to worship.
Nick Letts is a former “radical atheist” who converted to Protestantism as a senior in High School, and then converted to Catholicism as a Junior in college. He studies philosophy in the Morrissey College, and loves nothing more than to curl up with a good book. He is engaged to his lovely fiancée Katherine Brown.
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