Daily Bread

My eyes were on the clock, calculating what time I’d have to start making supper, as I mentioned to my mom that my husband had suggested we go to Mass that evening. With a quizzical raising of her brows, she asked, “Why? Is that because you missed it yesterday?”

It was Monday night. Her question surprised me slightly, and made me realize how much I’d gotten used to going to daily Mass occasionally. When I worked downtown, there was a church a few blocks away. If I power walked over there, I could make it just in time for the noon Mass. It was a nice chance to get away from the office for some peace and quiet, some prayer and reflection.

Sunday is a mini-Easter, a weekly feast day to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Daily Mass doesn’t replace that. For me, it’s a way to take a break from my daily routines and focus on God, a way to make space for Him in my everyday life. I once thought that it would get boring to be saying or listening to the same thing several times a week. Yet even though the words are the same, my attitude, feelings, or circumstances are different each day as I come there, and that makes the prayers and readings different and fresh each time.

There are a couple families in our church who attend Mass every day. I admire them, and at first I thought, “Wow, they must be holy.” Then I realized that if I attend Mass more often, it’s not because I’m more of a saint, but rather because I’m more of a sinner and need the graces offered there. My husband explained that Catholics take literally the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” So we come there to join together and receive God in the Eucharist. I can pray and read my Bible by myself—and some days, I prefer that—or I can do it with others before the Eucharist.

Besides which, Sunshine likes Mass—there’s people to smile at, things to listen to, and hymn books and prayer sheets to munch and crunch. And for mommy, it’s a moment of fellowship with others as well as with God.