MAY 2017
The Mass Exodus:
What We Miss When We Leave Mass Early
Have you been to the movies lately? With ticket
prices being near $15 per person ($20 for 3D), I
have to REALLY want to see a movie before
spending that much money! And the concessions -
oh my! They sometimes cost more than the ticket!
When I go to the movies I make sure to get
seated early enough to see every minute of the
show. And not only do I stay to the very end,
sometimes I even stay after the credits because
there are often “bonus scenes!” There’s often a
crowd of people leaving at the same time I do, and
so there’s a bit of traffic in the parking lot, but I
just wait a couple of minutes and it clears up. I’m
not going to leave the movie early to “beat” traffic!
I want the biggest bang for my buck!
I would venture to guess that very few people (if
any) leave movies early. But I’ve noticed there are
quite a few people who leave Mass early. There are
times when we may need to leave early because of
illness or other emergency, but these occasions are
few to the average family. To many, “go to
church” is a line on a to-do list, that can be
scratched off immediately after receiving Holy
Communion. Sadly, those people are missing out
on the “bonus scenes” of Mass.
I often observe church-goers genuflecting before
entering a pew to sit, a sign of reverence to the
presence of Christ in the tabernacle. Yet after
receiving Holy Communion, they walk right out of
the church doors. It’s as though they got what they
came for, like a shopping trip to Wal-Mart, and just
“check out!” It seems that some people view the
Holy Eucharist as a spiritual vitamin of some sorts
that will magically strengthen the soul when
consumed! (Some view ashes on Ash Wednesday
the same way, but that’s another newsletter article.)
Why do people leave early? There are dozens of
reasons: I have to beat the traffic. I have things to
do. I received Communion, so I’m ‘finished.’ I’ve
already been sitting an hour, and that’s long
enough. I have to go feed my kids.
Here are some things to think about the next time
you’re tempted to leave Mass early:
Mass isn’t something we can check off of our to-
do lists. We ar e invited to have a loving
relationship with God and to grow in faith
throughout our entire lives. How can we do this if
we cut our time with God short?
When a priest, who by his ordination becomes
Christ-like, gives his final blessing at Mass, we
are being blessed by God Himself. If J esus wer e
standing ready to bless us before leaving Mass,
wouldn’t you wait for it?
We get more graces when we stay for the entire
Mass. Accor ding to the Catechism, “the fr uits of
the sacraments … depend on the disposition of the
one who receives them” (CCC 1128). If we rush
out of church after communion, chances are our
disposition is not such that we are reverentially
aware that we are consuming the body, blood, soul
and divinity of God himself. It deserves a
disposition of great respect, if only because we all
need all the grace we can get.
We are missed when we leave Mass early. Maybe
the priest or deacon needs to speak with us after
Mass, or maybe a neighbor just wants to say hi.
Someone always wants to talk to us after Mass. If it
isn’t the priest, deacon, or a neighbor, God will
always have something to say.
Rising movie tickets prices make us want to spend
every possible moment watching that movie. Isn’t
spending time with Christ, who gave his life for us,
worth as much?
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