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Click here for full listing of announcements »Why going to Mass is worth the effort (Part II)
Discipline: When we believe something is beneficial to us, we do it often. We eat three meals a day, brush our teeth, exercise (hopefully anyway), and we make sure our kids finish their homework. While it's true we may not always feel like doing any of the above, we discipline ourselves to do things we know are important.
Going to Mass each week requires discipline. We may not know exactly the problems we're preventing by spending time listening to God's Word and receiving the Eucharist each week. Studies show, however, that couples who attend church together each week are less likely to divorce. Regular churchgoers have a lower incidence of depression than other people.
"The few times that we've skipped church just because we're busy, we seem to have a bumpier week," says John, father of four. "My wife and I seem to bicker more. I think it's because during Mass, you're thinking about becoming a better version of yourself. A week without Mass means you didn't take any time to do that." John's comment points to one more reason: Mass is not a self-centered consumer event. It's about praising God and taking part in the meal that reminds us who we are: the Body of Christ. That gives us new energy to help transform our world. The Mass nudges us toward "Becoming a better version of yourself," which is really about others, not just ourselves.
Our gift to our community: The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls Sunday worship "outward, visible, public, and regular," and "a testimony of belonging and being faithful to Christ and his church." Every week we show up at Mass is a week that we say to our community, "We believe." Faith can be contagious.
"When I see parents with kids younger than mine at Mass, I think to myself - if they can do it, so can I," says Nancy, mother of two preschoolers. "A family doesn't even know I'm watching them, but I am. And for whatever reason, that inspires me to keep coming."
A great mission: Writing in U.S. Catholic, Greg Pierce offers a reason that he uses with his older children: "I point out ….that what they are searching for is a guiding principle, what I call a 'mission worthy of their lives.' I tell them that the church has such a mission to send them on, the very mission on which Jesus of Nazareth sent forth the original disciples. That mission is to make this world a better place, a place more like the way God would have things." Pierce notes that we need a community to accompany us and send us forth, which is exactly what the Mass does each week. -Annemarie Scobey
