One of the beautiful customs of Catholic life is the practice of having a Mass offered for a particular intention. We see these intentions listed in the bulletin, announced before Mass, or requested at the parish office. But many Catholics have never really been told what a “Mass intention” is or why the Church has particular rules governing them. So, let me offer a little Catholic 101 over the next few bulletin articles.
First, what is a Mass intention?
At every Mass, the Church offers the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the Father. The Mass is therefore the greatest prayer we have. Because of this, the Church has always encouraged the faithful to ask that Mass be offered for particular intentions; for example, for the repose of the soul of a deceased loved one, for someone’s recovery from illness, for a wedding anniversary, or for some other particular need.
So, when you request a Mass for your deceased grandmother, you are essentially saying: “I want the Church to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for her.”
When you request a Mass for someone who is sick, you are saying: “I want the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be offered for this person’s healing and needs.”
When you request a Mass in thanksgiving, you are saying: “I want to join my thanksgiving to Christ’s perfect offering of Himself to the Father.”
The Mass intention does not add some extra power to the Mass. The Mass is already the infinite sacrifice of Christ. Rather, the Church allows us to direct the fruits and prayers of a particular celebration of the Mass toward a particular intention.
Can I have my own intentions at Mass?
Absolutely! The priest may have a particular Mass intention, but that does not mean that the rest of us are prohibited from bringing our own intentions to the Mass.
In fact, we should!
When you come to Mass, bring your family, your struggles, your gratitude, your sick loved ones, your deceased relatives and friends, your hopes for your children, your worries about the future…Bring everything to the altar and unite it to Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
A Mass intention requested through the parish is a particular canonical obligation of the priest. Your personal intention is your own prayerful offering to God. These are not competing intentions. The power of the Mass is more than sufficient to encompass all of our prayers. So the next time you see a Mass intention in the bulletin, don’t simply think, “That’s the name of the person the priest is praying for.”
Think instead: Someone has entrusted a person they love to the prayer of the Church, and that intention is being placed at the foot of the Cross.
More to come!
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor