A Mass-centered Catechism

The usual “format” for Catholic catechisms follows traditional patterns, such as What We Believe (the Creed), What We Celebrate (the Sacramental life), How We Pray, the Moral Life, etc.

No complaint here.

However, as Vatican II taught, The Mass is The Center of everything in the Church. The Source, The Beginning; The Summit, The Peak, The End.

This reality of The Mass being The “Source of Everything” includes also each of the other Sacraments of His Church.

The point here is, at each moment of Sacramental Significance in our lives, at each moment of further “coming to life in The Spirit and in Grace,” it is The Mass that “is there” as His “method” of distributing these seven awesome, objective, Personal distributions of His Own Life, of growth in the very life of God Himself.

At each significant moment of my life, He is there in The Mass, associating me with Himself in The Mass, by The Mass, through The Mass, calling me forward in my life with Him, through Him, in Him.

Baptism comes from The Mass, through which He brings me to true life, Divine Life.

Confirmation comes from The Mass, through which I am given the graces to enter “spiritual Adulthood” in the Church, assuming a lot of human, intellectual, spiritual cooperation and growth.

The Mass

Matrimony, a Christian vocation, is (suppised to be) performed within The Mass, as the man and the woman are to pour themselves out to and for the other in mutual submission in the mystery of Christian marriage in Christ.

Holy Orders, received by those called to this vocation, is (of course) administered during The Mass, as the men called to tjis vocation are ordered to The Mass (Canon Law itself states that his first responsibility is that of offering The Mass).

Thus, we say again that The Mass…is indeed The Source of all that His Church has.

Thus, perhaps it might be helpful, in addition to the usual, more objective catechetical format, to also view things in a more “experiential” way. Catholics main “experience” is – surprise! – The Mass! From infancy (hopefully) until death (and after! At our own Funeral Mass!).

We experience Jesus and The Holy Spirit operating, outpouring to each of us and all of us, Personally, at each of these hugely significant moments of His Sacraments. But always first and only through The Holy, Ineffable, Mass.

They accompany us at the significant moments of our lives with new Sanctifying Grace to strengthen and derpen our lives in Him.

How?

Baptism

The Oil of Catechumens, Baptismal Waters, and Sacred Chrism are all used during this Sacred Ritual (CCC 1234 – 1241). The point here, is, that each of these essential elements are “produced” or “created” during The Mass.

The Oil of Catechumens and Sacred Chrism are created through the bishop at the diocesan Chrism Mass which (should) take place on Holy Thursday, the day on which the Church celebrates the great gifts of The Mass (and the three dimensions of The Eucharist) and the holy priesthood, which are so closely bound together that they almost make one thing.

Confirmation

Confession

Holy Eucharist

Matrimony

Holy Orders

Anointing of the Sick