An After-Hours Invitation to the Table of Immortal Life
“To withdraw from creatures and repose with Jesus in the Tabernacle is my delight; there I can hide myself and seek rest. There I find a life which I cannot describe, a joy which I cannot make others comprehend, a peace such as is found only under the hospitable roof of our best Friend” (St. Ignatius of Loyola).
Mass is essentially a supper with the Lord. What a sacred way to have an intimate moment with Christ—and nourish your immortal soul—at the end of the work day.
As welcoming as it may be, however, this supper can be an acquired taste. It may start as something to challenge yourself with every day, but soon, the feeling can become sweetly compelling. You reserve another evening with Christ. You need to show up for Him. You feel Him calling you and perhaps even asking, “Will you meet me at the altar again?”
Day After Day, I Heeded His Call to the Mystical Banquet
These words by St. Josemaría Escrivá should summarize our comings and goings: “When you approach the tabernacle remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.” Long ago, in the early centuries of Christianity, the Eucharist was celebrated in secrecy within the dark catacombs to avoid gruesome persecution. Nowadays, you will find customs of celebrating Mass before sunrise or even after sundown—but to account for people’s work schedules rather than to evade Roman officials. After all that planning of Mass times among neighboring parishes, how many laypeople actually arrive to the feast of Heaven and Earth? The invitation of Mass and the freedom of celebrating it has become lost on some of the most devout working Catholics.
It may be that we don’t realize that the more we attend this celebratory meal, the more we support the efforts of our clergy, the ones who present the body of Christ to us. I realized our ability to inspire our priests when I saw this video by Bishop Robert Barron: A Capuchin friar who said he was ready to throw out his habit became rejuvenated in his faith when he was able to be a part of ushering actor Shia LaBeouf toward his tearful conversion.
Every day, the work of these clergymen creates a sacred offering. St. John Vianney said that “every Mass will go with you to your judgment and plead for pardon.” In some parts of the world, where persecution of the faithful still exists, Catholics risk their lives to secretly commune with God. For these risk-takers, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not just an obligation but a possible martyrdom—a doorway to immortal life. Nevertheless, in other places, something beautiful still emerges: You start to see the hearts of the people who do attend Mass more frequently.
It is astonishing to see these persistent few in nursing scrubs, work uniforms, suits, or other attire attending Mass in the late evening or early morning. In one parish that sits by a Catholic school, it never fails to escape me that you will find just a couple of parents with their children in uniform in the back pew before school starts.
Attending Holy Mass during the week feels different than attending on Sunday. I’ve also found a different quality in my own demeanor—not better but different. There is a certain air of seriousness among the Catholics who come for daily communion. Rather than going out to breakfast or an after-work happy hour, those with jobs come straight to the Blessed Sacrament, present within the confines of the holy tabernacle.
You may quickly notice it isn’t a dense crowd. There is no break in focus as there might be on Sunday, with more people coming in and out or fidgeting with their bags. During the week, we become spiritually tuned in (who knows, for some it may help that they have an entire pew to themselves). Nothing can pull or deter us from our daily devotion to the Eucharist. The experience feels monastic. We aren’t accidentally exchanging glances, but we face forward, joined in spirit with our attention on Christ, approaching Him as one body.
A Spiritual Appetite Free of Restraints: When and How Does Your Soul Thirst for More?
It is not enough to come and go. In order to break free of going through the motions, we must find ways to constantly go deeper into love of and devotion to Christ. Seek His fruit in the Missal readings: the daily psalms, the lectionary, the Gospel, communion, prayer, or in others’ deep display of reverence. Seek His fruit and legacy everywhere, including your own soul. When you start to seek Him more inwardly, you will start to hold onto Him more preciously.
For the past three years, I have adored the Latin Mass, particularly the Low Mass, as it brings me deeper into inner prayer and teaches me how to assist with the Mass spiritually. It’s easy to think that daily Mass is too quiet and that even in a Low Mass, you become simply a spectator of what the priest is doing on the altar. However, we forget that silence is God’s main love language—a powerful dialogue from the heart that can face the heavenly throne without words.
Throughout the week, once Mass is over, we tend to leave quickly—but it is like we depart with a new sanctity emanating from our soul. We take the remnants of Mass with us. After communion, where we fully consume Jesus, He now resides in us. We carry the divine Child in the arms of our soul, and we must be careful not to disturb Him with sin. We must tend to our precious Christ and keep Him snuggled ever so gently in our souls as we enter into our evening or work routine. His precious body now rests within us.
I recently started switching to Mass in the early mornings, because I am more prone to delay or skip daily Mass if it is toward the end of the day, especially if I am rushing to finish my work. It’s an issue I still need to work on, but I cherish making time for Jesus in the early morning, before the sun is up. I am seeking Christ, like the virgins in the night with their lamps seeking their bridegroom (Matthew 25:1). I seek Him knowing that the hour is near when the sun rises, right around the peak of consecration. If I do see Him at night, it is usually a spur-of-the-moment decision to go to Adoration when I hear Him calling me and feel that I cannot do without His radiating presence.
I focus on this thought, “Mass structures my day. My day must begin with Mass; the Kingdom of Heaven comes first.” Then, going to daily Mass slowly starts to refocus my priorities. It can be hard when you are busy, but find a way to be at peace with the necessity of Mass the same way you might need an extra 30 minutes to complete a task before work or bedtime. Make it feel mandatory for survival.
Sometimes, my day looks like me calmly driving to Mass and then rushing off as fast as I can to work—but when I am at Mass, everything becomes still. We all have hectic moments, but in the end, living for Christ in such a powerful way can reverberate into your activities later. Your perspective begins to shift, because the Mass reorients everything. You become more sensitive throughout your day to when God is smiling at you or rebuking you. Also keep in mind that at times, you will have to fight to hold onto or renew your strength. Find your own rhythm, and be sure to share your need to attend Mass with other professionals. As Blessed Dina Belanger said:
If souls but understood the Treasure they possess in the Divine Eucharist, it would be necessary to encircle the tabernacles with the strongest ramparts for, in the delirium of a devouring and holy hunger, they would press forward themselves to feed on the Bread of Angels. The Churches would overflow with adorers consumed with love for the Divine prisoner no less by night than by day.
Masses Dedicated to Professionals
There are special opportunities to celebrate the royal feast of the Lamb as a professional. Different color Masses are associated with select areas of work. For example, rose or white Masses are for health care professionals, blue Masses are for law enforcement professionals, gold Masses are for scientists, and red Masses are for government officials and legal professionals. A number of people also attend annually for support, as some of these services, like the ones for health care professionals, can be celebrated in combination with a healing Mass that’s open to all.
All of these Masses call on God’s blessings, honor professionals, and create a spiritual fellowship. They are celebrated near the feast day of a particular patron for that area of service, like St. Michael for police offices or St. Albert the Great for engineers. Seeing the pews filled with white coats, for example, is a powerful sign of just how in need people are of God’s presence in their work life.
Lastly, for people who cannot attend Mass, never underestimate the power of a spiritual communion. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that people do not consider the ability to seek a spiritual communion outside of live-streaming. As St. John Chrysostom said, “You can set up an altar to God in your minds by means of prayer. And so it is fitting to pray at your trade, on a journey, standing at a counter or sitting at your handicraft.” You can also seek an act of spiritual communion within the context of evening prayers, if you do not have the ability to receive Jesus in the Mass.
There are so many avenues to keep us spiritually fed on the gift of Christ. There are so many ways of saying “yes.” He is not just looking for people with time but also for people who are working tirelessly, who may be spiritually malnourished.
“At Nazareth Joseph’s days were filled with work which necessarily took him away at times from his Infant God. During these hours Mary replaced him, but when evening brought him home again, he would pass the entire night in adoration, never tiring, only too happy for the chance to contemplate the hidden riches of Jesus’ divinity” (St. Peter Julian Eymard).
Berthe Emmanuella Antoine is an interior designer who sees no distinction between her work life and devotion to God. She fine tunes others on how to create beautiful habitations in Christ from their domestic surroundings to the innermost parts of their being. Her rule of life has led her to launch INTERIOREM VITAM, a Catholic decor blog and boutique with a sleek and classic aesthetic. She is forever whisked away into the intricacies of hidden devotions and the silence of the interior life. She hopes to build a fruitful community around the brand’s mobile app. Feel free to join and start a conversation with your comments.