Mass Intentions (Part 1)
Why do we offer Masses for the Living and the Dead?
“The offering of prayer at the Liturgy is more powerful than any prayer.”
-St John Maximovitch
Each Mass that is offered in the Catholic Church has an “intention.” The intentions are prayers offered for a person living or reposed.
Salvation is union with God. As we live in this world we see life in an imperfect way, but one day we shall see fully what God intended for us in the life of the world to come. Then we shall see God face to face.
Salvation is not just a one-time choice or event, it is a daily, conscious choice to unite ourselves with God.
We do not believe that there is one single point when we make a decision for Christ and we are “saved.” We do believe that salvation is an ongoing process throughout life.
Sometimes a protestant friend or person will ask, “Are you saved?” They believe that inviting Jesus into their hearts and admitting they are sinners in need of a Savior is all that is needed to be “saved.” Many believe, “Once saved, aways saved”, yet that is not found in the Bible. It is an invention of 18th century protestant teachers. The early Christians, our ancestors, wouldn’t even know what “getting saved” meant.
When we are asked the question, “Are you saved?” the answer is always,
“I have been saved, I am being saved, I will be saved.”
Salvation: union with God is a lifetime process. God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, are always working for our salvation. They are always calling us, loving us and willing us to accept life with them. It is about an ongoing relationship, not one choice made at a certain point in our lives.
Non Catholics may not accept this answer, but it is both Scriptural and part of what the Church founded by Jesus has always taught. Our protestant friends might quote some Bible verses, but most are taken out of context and all are a personal interpretation of their meaning. The Bible is the book of the Catholic Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, compiled by the Catholic Church and interpreted by the Church, not each individual. That is why there are so many protestant groups all claiming to be “the Church.” They believe in private interpretation so one passage means one thing to one person and something else to another. We cannot and should not presume to know the mind of God.
Salvation is union with God. Those who are “saved” have cooperated with God in this life and sought to live in union with Him.
For this reason we pray for one another, “…that all might come to the truth and be saved.” (1 Timothy, 2:4)
The greatest prayer we have is the Mass, with an intention offered for a person, living or dead, or for a special need. The prayers of the Mass offered and the offering of the Body and Blood of Christ to the Father have spiritual benefits. These are “applied” to the needs of the person for whom the Mass is offered.
When a loved one dies (or as the Church prefers say, according to the Scriptures, “falls asleep in the Lord”) they can take nothing with them except the love and prayers of the those they have left behind.
Contrary to non Catholic belief, we Catholics don’t suppose we know the mind of God and what was deep in the heart of a loved one who has fallen asleep.
The teaching of the Church is that if someone was faithful to Christ and His Church, obeying the Commandments, sharing in the Sacraments and striving to become more like Christ, we can have a well-founded hope that they will go to God to be with Him for all eternity.
Catholics and Orthodox Christians do believe that there is an “intermediate” state of being, where the souls who died in friendship with God might “wait” before entering Paradise.
While they may have died in the friendship with God, they may not be ready to look upon Him face to face. We might say using a phrase from our time, “There are unresolved issues.” Catholics call this “intermediate” state “purgatory” where some souls who died in friendship with God are prepared to enter the fullness of Paradise. Our prayers, acts of charity and especially the offering of the Mass help our beloved dead to enter into the fullness of God’s life.
