Mass Intentions

11-05-2017Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

We have once again come to this point in time when we use the month of November to pray for all the faithful departed. Today, I find it worthwhile to reflect upon Mass Intentions, something I have likely done before and will likely do again.

Celebrating Mass is one of the core prayer forms for our Catholic Church. At its basic form, the Mass has two parts, namely the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

We easily realize how we first reflect upon the Scriptures of the day and then move into the prayer where the priest consecrates the gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ. An interesting note is that the Liturgy of the Word has substantial changes at each Mass, while the Liturgy of the Eucharist has little change at each Mass. Next time someone tells us Mass is always the same, we might remind them that the Liturgy of the Word is seldom the same.

We know that at Mass there are spiritual benefits, also called fruits, received from God. These benefits come from participating in the Mass and not necessarily from receiving Holy Communion. In another way, our obligation is to attend Mass on Sundays and obligatory days; our other obligation is to receive Holy Communion at least once a year when we are free from any mortal sin after making a good Sacrament of Penance. God is so good to us He gives us graces just by being with Him at Mass.

Each of us benefits from fruits of the Mass. We each have our own particular intention or intentions for each Mass we participate in. For the priest, its no different. He offers Mass for the graces he receives from God; he also offers Mass for a particular intention. Consequently, at each Mass a specific intention is made by the priest himself; the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered for a particular object by the priest. These Mass Intentions are usually described by the people who offer them. Commonly, mass intentions are for the faithful departed, they may also be for the living. The priest prays for the intention of the Mass so that God will provide special graces or fruits for that particular need. So we understand this to mean that God is not only blessing us who are present at Mass, He is also giving graces to those for whom the Mass is offered; there is sort of a multi-layered sense of grace happening at each Mass.

We are reminded by Church teaching that souls live forever after death. Those which need purifying and are in Purgatory, cannot pray for themselves. We pray for them in many ways, including the Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great. Souls in Purgatory can also be aided by the saints in heaven who desire for all souls to be united with God forever in the Kingdom of everlasting life. Offering a Mass intention or more for a deceased relative or friend is a significant way to pray for them, especially since we do not know how God judges the condition of their soul. If our loved one is in heaven, they will, in turn, pray for another soul in Purgatory as a consequence of our prayers here on earth.

Regarding these particular intentions, the recommended stipend in the Diocese of La Crosse is $10. Locally, we have blue envelopes in the back of church for these purposes; complete the envelope and place it in the Offertory collection. The priest who offers the Mass receives the stipend after the intention is satisfied. He may choose to use the money personally, save it for and offer it to a relative or friend, or use it for some charitable cause.

Each of our parishes continues to be in need of Mass intentions. Also, because of the needs of many, sometimes a parish gets more offerings for one individual than the parish may be able to satisfy in a reasonable time frame. In some of those cases, intentions may be offered to other priests after consultation with the person offering the stipends. Among the most charitable things we can do for someone who is deceased is to offer Masses for them. Perhaps you might consider offering Mass intentions for someone you love.

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