Pastor’s Letter & August 22 Bulletin

Pastor’s Letter & August 22 Bulletin

20 Aug 2021 | Posted by: chadmin

The August 22 bulletin is now available online. 

Dear friend,

Recently we had some questions about Mass Intentions and the process of offering a Mass for a particular purpose. The celebration of the Mass dates back to Holy Week. The night before Jesus died on the cross, He celebrated the Passover meal of the Jews. During that meal, He asked His followers from then on to offer the Passover meal and the bread and wine in memory of Him. Jesus promised His disciples that the offering of the Mass would make Him present to them. As we’ve recently read through Gospel of John – Chapter 6 at the Sunday Masses, we know Jesus also proclaimed that the Bread of Life, which He would give the world, would be His flesh and blood. This Bread of Life was promised to bring us to eternal life. The celebration of every Mass is not only the process of remembering the crucifixion of Jesus, but through this memory, also making Him present. In a similar way that our loved ones can feel present when we look at old pictures and remember past events, the celebration of the Mass is a similar type of remembrance.

The Church allows each Mass celebrated by a priest to be offered for a particular intention. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, the process of consecrating the Eucharist at Mass makes the grace of the crucifixion present. We believe the Spirit essentially applies the grace of the crucifixion to whomever the Mass is offered, living or deceased. For those living, the Mass brings the grace of healing, protection, guidance and love. For those deceased, the grace of the Mass is a help to enter the gates of Heaven. At death, we meet God and no longer have freewill. There is no longer an opportunity to choose or reject God. No longer an opportunity to change one’s life and follow the will of God. While we believe God is perfectly merciful, we also believe God is perfectly just. The doctrine on Purgatory is based on the perfection of God’s heavenly household. To enter into the perfection of heaven, one must be perfect. Only God can fully cleanse us and eternally welcome us. A Mass offered for a deceased loved one asks God to see that person’s soul through the saving death of Jesus Christ, essentially the grace of the cross is applied to perfect or purify a soul to enter heaven.

Everywhere the Mass is celebrated, the Mass can be offered for a particular intention. The Bishop of the local church sets an offering or stipend amount for each Mass. In the Diocese of Peoria it is $10. The stipend is part of the priest’s salary. It is important to know that a Mass can be requested without the $10 offering and that the offering is not purchasing the Mass, but establishes an agreement that the Mass will be said. If you want a Mass offered for a particular intention, you can call the office or fill out a Mass Intention envelope. Even though we have two Masses each day and four on Sunday, we typically receive more Masses than can be said in a year. Masses are often scheduled out months in advance. The date and scheduled time of the Mass can be requested, as long as the Mass is not already scheduled. As we do receive more Masses than can be said at St. Philomena, we ask for patience in the scheduling or permission to send the Mass intention to another church or chapel that could sooner schedule the Mass. Offering a Mass for an intention is a true form of praying united with Jesus Christ Crucified.

God bless,

Father David