The Refining Day 4: The Power of Daily Mass

I’ve never been one to attend daily Mass. I attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, arguably one of the most Catholic places on Earth (if you know you know), and I don’t think I stepped into the church on campus ONCE for Mass on a weekday. And they offered Mass THREE times a day.

I always felt tangled in a web of studying, therapy, working out, multiple jobs, and keeping some semblance of a social life. God will understand. He knows I am busy and stressed. It isn’t a requirement to attend daily Mass.

While this is all true, I never realized how much God desires to encounter us in the Eucharist everyday.

When I briefly attended daily Mass when I moved to Chicago, I felt the Love of God so tenderly in my heart. I was excited everyday to see Jesus in the Eucharist. It felt like meeting up with a dear friend.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the church doors slammed shut, and I soon fell out of the habit, even when the church doors opened again.

Recently, I started making the effort to go to Mass multiple times. And once again, I was astounded by the love, affection, and personal attention of God to an imperfect creature like me. I felt the delight of our Lord Jesus in my heart so tenderly. It was like picking up the habit of seeing an old friend again for coffee and hearing them say, “I haven’t seen you this often in a while. My goodness, it is good to see you.” 

Jesus is not some distant, far off God that does not care about us. He is present, with us, waiting for us to invite him into each moment of every day. He wants to hear about our lives. He wants to walk with us, cry with us, dream with us. He longed to be with us so intimately that he humbled himself in a tiny white host that we can receive into our bodies every day. 

Jesus is our Lord and our God, but he is also our brother, our friend. He loves us so dearly, and the reality of this brings me to tears when I really let it settle in. 

It humbles me when I ponder on the truth that the God that created the seas and the skies, the mountains and the plains, wants a deep and personal relationship with me.

I know life is busy. I know it isn’t always convenient or even possible, but when you can, stop in to see Him at daily Mass in the Eucharist. He would be delighted to see you.