Active Membership Pillar: Faithful Participation at Sunday Mass and Holy Days

Jesus longs for us all, as he says in this weekend’s Gospel. He has taught us about the Father and continues to do so. He wishes to bring us to perfection all as one, in him.

“But I’m not perfect, and there’s no way I can be,” we say. “I get frustrated when drivers cut me off and overreact. I really do like gossiping about my coworkers. I bet a little too much on the Brewers, way more than what I told my wife. And mainly, I don’t think to pray when I have the chance. Well, I pray hardly at all.”

God knows that we are not perfect but loves us anyway. He is the perfect parent, kind and merciful, and forgiving of our faults. He wants the best for us and is happy when we turn to Him. 

Sin is an offense against God, something that turns our hearts from Him. (Catechism 1850) It can be enticing. Try as we might, conquering sin is difficult, something we need to work on daily. God delights in that progress, in seeing us work at it. That is much like any parent seeing their child work become a better musician, a better artist, a better soccer player, a better robotics competitor, a better… person.

A great way to get better at our relationship with God is to faithfully participate in Mass each Sunday. We’ll be around other children of God also working on their relationships, and we’ll be praying, and we’ll be learning more about the Father. We aren’t perfect, but we don’t need to be. God loves that we’re working on it.