The Morning Star And Catholic Messenger

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
"Of all the duties prescribed by our holy Religion," says St. Alphonsus, "the Sacrifice of the Mass is that which is most pleasing to God and most salutary to man."
And, "When we hear Mass we give more honor to God than all the angels and Saints in Heaven give him, because their honor is only that of creatures; but in the Mass we offer to God, Jesus Christ, who gives him infinite honor."
Again, "To him who hears Mass an indulgence of Three Thousand Eight Hundred years is granted."
A spiritual son of this illustrious Saint (Rev. Michael Mueller) in his recent work, "The Holy Mass, the Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead," says:
"If we go often to Mass, this holy sacrifice will correct our faults without bitterness; will heal our wounds without pain; will purify our hearts without violence; will sanctify our soul without alarm, and almost without a struggle; it will detach us from ourselves without the confusion of death: it will withdraw us from creatures and unite us to God without agony. It is the remedy which Jesus Christ has left us in all its sweetness. The poor and the rich, the mechanic and the merchant, the married and the unmarried, the sick and the strong, all can easily participate in this adorable Sacrifice without leaving the world, without injuring their health, or abandoning their family or employments. The holy Sacrifice of the Mass, then, is the most beautiful, the most sublime, the most powerful, the most acceptable, universal, the easiest worship that we can ever offer to God.
This is the reason why Holy Church commands her children under pain of mortal sin to hear Mass at least every Sunday and holy-day of obligation; why she forbids us to come too late to Mass; why we always find good Catholics so eager to assist at the divine sacrifice."
Notwithstanding the innumerable indulgences granted to those who assist at the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the many blessings and favors, both spiritual and temporal, they might obtain for themselves and their families, how few Catholics avail themselves of the many opportunities afforded them to obtain these priceless treasures. How many Catholics are there who could easily attend Mass every day, but who seem to consider it of little importance, and who also appear to think lightly of failing to attend on Sunday, though thereby they incur the guilt of mortal sin.
"We easily suffer ourselves," says Father Mueller, "to be prevented from hearing Mass by our friends and acquaintances, by our occupations, and by our sloth. Often it is a burden to us to go and assist at the Sacrifice, and when there we hardly know what to do. A day will come when a single quarter of an hour spent in hearing Mass will appear of more worth to us than all the riches of the world.
Let us ever remember that we are advancing rapidly towards eternity, that the time of Mass is the best to prepare for it, and that eternity will not be too long for our regrets at the loss of one single Mass."
Father Mueller's valuable book is filled with matter as important and consoling as the few extracts we give above, and we therefore earnestly recommend it to the attention of all our readers.