Could I ask, please: Where do you go when you’re discouraged? What puts things in their right perspective and renews you? For me, I go to the Mass. Much of the time, I come to Mass tired, or frustrated, or with things on my mind. I might look focused on the outside and I’m trying to be, but inside, I’m preoccupied. Usually, however, when I get to the consecration, my peace returns because of Jesus’ words.
He says today, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk 13:31). Jesus’ words don’t pass away because the One Who speaks them is eternal and the content of His words is eternal; they are eternal truths. So, during Mass, when I hear His words, “This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you,” I remember that He loves me; He poured out His blood for me; my suffering has value because it’s united to His suffering; my suffering makes sense because love means self-giving and that hurts. So, when I hear these words, I hear words of love. Do you?
I once looked up ‘most meaningful death scenes’ in movies, and it gave the example of Star Trek II, where Spock sacrifices himself for his crewmates. Why has his death been considered so powerful? Because this person, who shows no emotion, communicates with words and signs that he loves his friends. He doesn’t say he loves them, but says to Captain Kirk, ‘I have been and always shall be your friend.’ In the Bible, this is what we would call covenantal words, words that express a covenant, a family relationship. Contracts exchange goods or services, while covenants create new relationships, as in marriage or adoption.
Every Mass, we hear Jesus’ covenantal words from the Last Supper, which express that He’s made us part of His family. We’ll come back to this point.
When we look at the context for today’s Gospel, Jesus begins with images of apocalyptic character regarding the end times. “In those days, after the time of suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven” (13:24-25). This refers to the end of the world but can also symbolically describe our lives when they fall or seem to fall apart.
But notice Jesus’ next words are more important, “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory” (13:26). Pope Benedict XVI said that these words mean that “he [Jesus] is the True Event which remains the firm and enduring point in the midst of the world’s upheavals”. Our lives sometimes fall apart or feel like they are. The danger is that we focus on these things more than on Jesus, Who’s our rock. Of course, we have to address our problems, but we do so while united to Jesus, from a place of peace.
Let’s go back to this notion of covenantal words. For example, why does it hurt so much when we’re dating and then break up? Why do we keep on thinking about it? Because a relationship that was heading towards becoming a covenant (i.e. marriage) ended. Whenever there are big arguments in marriages, or between us and our parents, or us and our children, it hurts because we’re designed by God to thrive in these covenants. This is also why, during Mass, when we hear the words of consecration, ‘Take this, all of you, and eat of it. For this is my body, which is given up for you,’ we should start experiencing peace. For me, when I hear these words and am not doing so well, I start out thinking: ‘This relationship is always strong.’ And the more I reflect on it during Mass, my heart slowly uplifts, because Jesus is actually the most important Person in my life, and so my perspective changes.
Allow me to give another movie reference (since, prior to today, I haven’t used movie references in a long time). One of the underlying themes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Tony Stark’s relationship with his father. It’s strained and Tony doesn’t think his father loves him. In Avengers’ Endgame, Tony goes back in time and meets his father, whose wife is pregnant, and he says, ‘I tell you, this kid’s not even here yet, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him’. These words are moving because they’re covenantal. Tony then gives his father a hug that’s awkward because he can’t reveal who he is.
Jesus’ words are eternal; they’re fresh every day. We need to learn to recognize and relish them. It’s like when we’re having a bad day, and we receive one text or email that cheers us up. We read it, and then read it again—why? Because we’re relishing the message, letting it sink in.
When we hear Jesus’ words every Mass, it’s good to enjoy and appreciate them, to think about them over and over in our minds and let them sink into our hearts. The Eucharistic prayer is the most important prayer of the Mass (this is when the priest stands at the altar and says, ‘The Lord be with you,’ and finishes with, ‘Through Him, and with Him, and in Him…’), the priest prays on our behalf and we participate by silently appreciating these words in our hearts.
Whenever someone says the words, ‘I love you,’ that person is hoping we’ll say, ‘I love you, too.’ Jesus hopes that one day, we’ll say to Him, ‘I love You, too.’ Just as He’s made us the center of His life, He hopes that one day we’ll do the same for Him.
For the past few months, we’ve mentioned that next week is our Christ the King Challenge, where we ask three questions: Put up your hand if you’ve made Jesus the center of your life. If He isn’t, put up your hand if you want Him to be. And, if you’ve made Him the center of your life, did you do so for the first time in the past 12 months?
Remember, we can’t say, ‘I think Jesus is the center of my life.’ This choice is like marriage—you’re either married or not. If I ask you, ‘Are you married?’ you won’t say, ‘I think so.’ Making Jesus the centre is a covenant because it’s a lifelong choice of love; for many of us, we’re already in a covenant with Him through Baptism but it hasn’t been a conscious choice on our part. So, once we do, it’s like a marriage. We may not have a good marriage, but He’s faithful and will strengthen our marriage.
Whenever we’re discouraged, focus on Jesus’ covenantal words. Let’s end with a video from The Passion of the Christ which compiles the various times of the movie when Jesus is shown at the Last Supper. All of His words and actions say that He loves us perfectly, and these words will never pass away (Please watch 0:00-2:03).