The Busy Life

The number of times I get the "I'm too busy to go to Mass" response is phenomenal. Sometimes it comes with an explanation of an upcoming test or paper. Other times it is accompanied by an excuse of having gone twice in a week already. All too frequently I get the response that taking less than half an hour out of a day to go to a Mass that is about a 30 second walk down the hall is too much of a time commitment - from someone who has already wasted the past hour on their computer. My least favorite is when people joke "Oh, yeah, if I had to choose between God and [insert alternative here], I would definitely choose [insert alternative here]." I usually fake a laugh to please them... but then they do exactly what they were joking about! Ah, the irrationality of the human to choose temporal and short-lived pleasures over the rewards of eternal pleasure!

This prompts me to ask two questions: Do you really believe in the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist? I won't claim that I fully grasp this beautiful and overwhelming mystery! If I did, I would be prostrate in front of the Blessed Sacrament 24/7. But if we come to a greater understanding of Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity fully present in the Blessed Eucharist, we would no longer have a hard time going to Mass.

My other question is as follows: How do you keep living your busy life without getting the nourishment you need? The busier we are, the more we frequently we should attend Mass and spend time in prayer! This is how God nourishes us and helps us manage all that we have going on. It is actually COUNTER-productive saying that one is too busy to go to Mass. No, it should be just the opposite. The busier one is, the greater the need to go to Mass and receive the necessary nourishment.

Hopefully this can give the spark to try going to one extra Mass each week. Yes, we only HAVE to go every Sunday and the other Holy Days of Opportunity as a favorite priest of mine calls them; but it is hard to grow closer to Christ or in any other area by just doing the bare minimum. Challenge yourself to make the extra effort to spend more time with God, particularly present in the Blessed Eucharist. It is easy for me compared to most because I have a chapel down the hall from me with Mass there almost every day, and a Mass within an 8 minute walk every single day. But for those of whom this isn't the case, maybe just adding one more daily Mass can help us connect more deeply with Christ and grow in Him, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.


Ave Crux, Spes Unica