We go to High Mass for three main reasons.
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| photo copyright Emily Byrne |
- We go to High Mass because the third commandment is “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.” Going to High Mass forces us to keep the Lord’s day holy. High Mass at our parish is the later Mass. We live almost an hour away from our parish and High Mass lasts a little over an hour. Thus, Sunday in our house revolves around going to Mass.
- The High Mass is the highest form of worship that is available to us on a regular basis. The Pontifical Solemn High Mass is the highest form of worship, followed by the Solemn High Mass, then the High Mass, and finally the Low Mass. Unfortunately, the first two aren’t offered every Sunday or holy day. Thankfully, the High Mass usually is offered on these days. We want to worship God in the highest way possible.
- Laura Berquist often talks about exposing our children to “the good, the true, and the beautiful”. The Mass is good, true, and beautiful. The High Mass is “the most beautiful thing this side of heaven!” Low Mass has its place on weekdays and in the summer when the choir is, to quote my pastor, “taking a much needed break”. However, when High Mass is offered on a Sunday, since we do not have any good reason to go to the Low Mass (age, health limitations, a job that requires us to work on Sunday, etc.), we go to the High Mass. Everything about the High Mass draws us to God. Exposing our children to the High Mass will help our children fall in love with God. I will always remember Agnes, at age nine, saying to me about the High Mass, “Mommy, each time that I go to Mass I feel like I am getting closer and closer to Heaven”. The sacred music at the High Mass is beautiful. I know of at least one person who was drawn to the Catholic Church because of the sacred music at our parish. The High Mass helps us not only expose our children and ourselves to what is beautiful, it helps all of us to love what is beautiful and in loving what is beautiful, we will grow in our love for God. As our pastor wrote in the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s 25th anniversary publication, “…the Missa Solemnis or Missa Cantata should have a prominent and regular place in the liturgical schedule of the parish. The regularity of these more solemn forms of worship will make sacred music normative for the faithful, and whatever is normative becomes formative.” (emphasis mine)
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| photo copyright Emily Byrne |
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| photo copyright Emily Byrne |
What Agnes said is (in my opinion) very true! The High Mass does bring you closer to Heaven and the music really helps to do that. It's really neat that someone was drawn to the Church because of the music. The excerpt from what your pastor wrote is excellent. Is it possible to read the whole thing somewhere?
Also, I just noticed the quote of the day by St. Frances of Rome in your sidebar. I really needed to read that 🙂
~Anna~
I have not been to a High Mass in so long. What a blessing to have it each week!
It is a blessing!
My pastor's article appeared in the FSSP's 25th anniversary publication. You might be able to find it by searching online. I need to remember St. Frances of Rome's reminder sometimes too. 🙂
We love the High Mass too Christine, we are very blessed!
Meredith, you are so right when you say, "We are very blessed!"