{"id":1593,"date":"2017-10-22T05:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-10-22T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjcmetheology.wpengine.com\/?p=1593"},"modified":"2017-10-22T05:00:03","modified_gmt":"2017-10-22T09:00:03","slug":"why-attending-mass-is-the-most-important-thing-you-can-ever-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/why-attending-mass-is-the-most-important-thing-you-can-ever-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Attending Mass is the Most Important Thing You Can Ever Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Scott Hahn is a well-known Catholic speaker and author, and he\u2019s a professor of Biblical Theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. \u00a0But Scott Hahn was very anti-Catholic in school and in his seminary days. \u00a0He even gave out anti-Catholic literature, ripped apart a rosary and tore up a Catholic prayer book. \u00a0After his seminary training, he became the pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia. \u00a0He also became a part-time instructor at a local Presbyterian seminary.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first course that Scott was assigned to teach was the Gospel According to John. \u00a0While he was preparing his class for chapter six, something happened to him. \u00a0He began to question what he had been taught \u2013 and was now teaching others \u2013 about the Eucharist: that it was only a symbol of Christ\u2019s body and not the real Body of Christ. \u00a0This questioning was the start of a journey that led him into the Catholic Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first big step on that journey came when he persuaded his wife to go with him to study at Marquette University in the 1980s. \u00a0He wanted to learn firsthand about the Catholic Theology of the Eucharist. \u00a0The more he learned, the more he became convinced that Christ is really present in the Eucharist \u2013 body, blood, soul and divinity. \u00a0Then, one weekday, Scott decided to something that he never dreamed he would do. \u00a0He decided to attend a Mass in the weekday chapel on the campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

He got there early and sat in the back pew as an observer. \u00a0He didn\u2019t want anyone to notice him, and he made sure that there was an easily accessible escape route in case of an emergency. \u00a0As he observed, he was amazed at the number of people arriving and with their sincere devotion. \u00a0Then the Mass began\u2026.and, as he listened to the readings, he was struck by how they took on a special meaning in the context of what was about to take place: the Liturgy of the Eucharist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scott wrote in his book, called Rome Sweet Home, that all of a sudden he realized that this was the setting in which the bible was meant to be read. \u00a0\u2026\u2026.Then came the Liturgy of the Eucharist. \u00a0Scott said that when the priest held up the Host, after the words of consecration, all his doubt about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist vanished completely and forever. \u00a0Later he wrote, \u201cWith all my heart, I whispered, \u2018My Lord and my God.\u2019\u201d \u00a0He concluded by saying, \u201cI left the chapel not telling a soul where I had been and what I had done. \u00a0But the next day I was back, and the next, and the next\u2026I don\u2019t know how to say it, but I had fallen in love with Our Lord in the Eucharist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Justin the Martyr is one of the very early Church Fathers. \u00a0He lived at a time when the Roman Senate was very suspicious of the Christians. \u00a0At that time, the Romans saw the Christians as a sect that grew out of Judaism, and the Jews had revolted against Rome in the year 70A.D. \u00a0The Roman Emperor wanted to make sure that the Christians were not conspiring against the Roman government. \u00a0He asked Saint Justin to submit a list step-by-step of exactly what Christians did when they meet on Sunday mornings. \u00a0Here\u2019s the list:<\/span><\/p>\n