Why do we go to Mass? We go to Mass because of Jesus. He came to Earth to tell us the Good News that we don't have to worry. God is our Father and He will take care of us. Jesus taught us all about God and showed us by His miracles. Some bad men had Jesus killed. But on the third day He rose again! He appeared to His disciples every Sunday. Even though He ascended into heaven, He is still here with us. We come to Mass because Jesus is here, teaching and showing us every Sunday that we don't have to worry: God is our Father and He will take care of us. (7 Oct 2012)

Teaching Mass 1: Why do we go to Mass?

Do you notice something different at Church? Do you notice how we feel peaceful? Why do we feel peaceful when we are at church?

Because God is here with you – this is God’s house

Because we are all here with you – like a big family

Why do we come to Church on Sunday?

It started with Jesus. Jesus is God’s son, and God sent him to tell us the good news about God.

The good news is this: God is our Father.

He’s not mean and nasty. He’s not big and scary. He’s not bossy or arrogant. God is our Father.

He made us, and we are His children.

Any father takes care of his children. So God our father will take care of us.

Jesus said we don’t have to worry about what we eat. God will provide for us.

We don’t have to worry about what we wear because God will give us what we need.

We don’t have to worry about messing up and making mistakes; God will forgive us if we ask him to.

We don’t have to worry when we die; God will take care of us.

He has a big Mansion in heaven and He wants us all to be with Him. God will take care of us when we die. If we are good children and trust and follow Him, he has a big party all ready with all the great people in the world.

To prove what he was saying, Jesus worked miracles.

He fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. – God will provide.

He healed many, many sick people. – God will heal us.

He raised three people from the dead. – God will take care of us when we die.

Some Bad men didn't like Jesus. They said mean things about him. They told lies about him. Finally they got so angry that they planned to kill him.

Jesus knew that his Father would take care of him. But he also knew that his Father was going to let them kill him. Jesus wanted us all to be safe forever. In order to do that, he had to sacrifice himself for our sins. So Jesus gathered his best friends together (they were called the Apostles) for a final meal.

This is called The Last Supper.

He was going to die. He wanted his disciples to never be alone.

He wanted to be with them always.

So while they were eating he took bread, blessed it and broke it and gave it to them saying:

“Take this all of you and eat it, this is my body, which will be given up for you.”

Then he took a cup of wine and said, “Take this all of you and drink of it, this is my blood, which will be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”

That night he and his disciples went out to pray in a little garden. But just like the Garden of Eden so long ago, there was a snake waiting. His own friend Judas went and found his enemies and showed them where Jesus was. They arrested him, beat him, tortured him, made fun of him, and finally nailed him to the cross where he died. This was on Friday. They buried him in a tomb and put guards in front. They were so afraid of him.

Three days later, on Sunday, an angel came to the tomb. He stunned the soldiers with his bright light, rolled away the stone, and sat on top of it. Some women came and they found the tomb empty. They ran and told his friends that Jesus was alive, but no one believed them. They saw him die, and dead people don’t come back again.

Two of his disciples left. It was Sunday afternoon and they were walking to a town called Emmaus. As they walked and talked, they ran into a stranger. It was really Jesus but they didn’t know it.

“What are you talking about?”, he asked.

“Our best friend was a really great guy. We thought he was the Son of God. But he made lots of enemies. And some bullies arrested him and told lies about him and beat him up and killed him. Now some people think he’s alive again!”

“Well, if he was the Son of God then he had to suffer and die. Don’t you read the Bible? That’s what it said,” and Jesus began to explain to them how we had all sinned and one man had to suffer and die so that we could be free and go to heaven.

When they got to their destination they it looked like Jesus was going to keep going. But they said, “Come and have dinner with us, it’s getting dark.” So he did. They sat down and he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Suddenly they realized it was Jesus! But he vanished.

They got up and ran back to Jerusalem – “We’ve seen Jesus!” they said.

His friends said, “Simon Peter saw him too!”

Then Jesus suddenly appeared in the room where they were. “Peace be with you!” He said.

They were shocked. He said, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled."

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

Now one of his friends was missing. Thomas wasn’t there. They all told him how great it was that Jesus was alive but he didn’t believe them. He said, “So you say he has holes in his hands from the nails? I have to put my fingers in the holes before I’ll believe.”

Next week it was Sunday again. Suddenly Jesus appeared and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he turned to Thomas and said, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."

Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

Jesus spent 40 days with them and then he was taken up to Heaven in a cloud. When he left, he promised them that he would come back to get them. He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

That is why we come to Mass on Sunday!

Jesus is risen from the dead! He comes and meets us here, even though we can’t see him. Jesus is really here with us right now.

He reminds us that God is our Father and we are his children:

• Here Jesus tells us stories from the Bible that we read every Sunday.
• Here our Father feeds his children:
• Here Jesus breaks the bread and gives it to us to eat.
• Here the Father forgive us:
• He washes us with blood and we are forgiven.
• Here we are reminded that the Father will take care of us even when we die.
• Jesus reminds us that he is coming back for us and will take us to Heaven to party forever.

Did you know that all this stuff was happening here on a Sunday morning?

What a great thing that we are all here to celebrate together!

Because we can’t see Jesus even though he is here, we need to remind ourselves every Mass that the things Jesus said are true. We do that by reciting our Creed. So take your sheet, turn to the Apostle’s Creed, and all together we will say what we believe.