Itte missa est!

“The Mass has ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord”. “Thanks be to God.”

At the end of each Mass, the above is said between the Priests and the congregation. Some may think we are thankful that the Mass is over and we can leave. But rather it is thankfulness for graces that have been received and the charge that has been given.

While at Mass, we receive grace from God in an amount that can be found no where else on earth. The Mass is the highest prayer we have. And in it we receive Christ who is actually present in the Eucharist. We become, all the more, tabernacles—houses—of Christ. We become a means for others to experience Christ’s love in action. So we are charged at the end of Mass to go forth in the service of our Lord. What a charge to receive!

We truly should be thankful for this charge! Of course it is not an easy charge to receive and naturally we might try to shy away from it out of humility. But what other charge could we want? This is a charge that gives meaning to our life on earth and hope for the end of our life here when we die. Hence, we should exclaim, “Thanks be to God!”

If we wish to live eternally, to have something more after we die here on earth, should we not strive to live out this charge and only this charge?