Missing Mass

One day I was trimming bushes in my yard when I realized that I had wandered too close to a bee hive.  When I discovered that I was in a bad place, I started flailing my arms to swat the swarm away and turned to run.  In all the confusion, I fell and injured my ribs.  For the next week I was nearly immobilized and had to miss Mass.  On Sunday morning, I reflected on missing Mass.  When I was young I was told that missing Mass was a sin, that we needed to attend Mass every Sunday or face the consequences of going to Hell.  But this Sunday I realized that there were two aspects of missing Mass.  Yes, I missed Mass in the sense that I did not attend; but I missed Mass in another way too.  I missed being there.  I missed being in the presence of my faith community.  I missed the opportunity to praise God with my family.  I missed hearing the Word of God as it was being read to the congregation.  I missed receiving the Holy Eucharist and I missed standing in line with all the others who were going forward, wanting God to come to them in this very real, physical way.  I missed Mass.  I wished I had been there.  I wished I had been able to be there.  When I realized that being there at Church was so important to me, I knew that missing Mass was not a sin.  God would not be sending me to Hell because I missed Mass.  Mass is not a requirement.  Attending Mass every Sunday is not another Commandment.  I was blessed with this new insight. I was blessed to realize that Mass was a gift that God had given us.  Mass is an opportunity for those who love God to  come together and share their faith.  Mass is a blessing that helps each of us come closer to God and to those who love Him.  Mass is a blessing; and if we were to realize that, we would never miss Mass unless it were absolutely necessary.  As I reflected on this, I grew closer to God and realized that my injured ribs had become a gift that led me to this reflection and this new understanding of God and His wonderful Mass.