St.Antony's Diocesan Shrine

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Mass - The Golden Key to Paradise

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Saint Gertrude the Great once reported that for each and every Mass that we hear with devotion during our lives, Christ sends a saint to comfort us in death. 

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Here are a few great benefits St. Leonard attributes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as written in this little treasure of a book (again, these graces are associated with simply attending or serving at Mass even apart from receiving Holy Communion):

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• The Holy Mass calls down spiritual graces such as repentance for sins, victory over temptations, and the grace to walk in the ways of God.

• Mass gives us good and holy inspirations and impulses which helps us to shake off spiritual tepidity and increase in spiritual fervour.

• Hearing Mass gives us more upright and pure intentions.

• Holy Mass is the most effectual means for obtaining from God the grace of final perseverance of eternal salvation.

• The Holy Mass calls down temporal blessings, so far as these may not oppose the salvation of the soul.

• In addition to those graces we ask for, God grants us many that we do not ask for too.

• It is possible to gain more favour with God by attending with devotion one single Mass than by opening the treasure of your wealth to the poor.

• Every Mass is a healing experience. It heals wounds caused by our sinful nature, it heals our relationship with God and with one another, bringing us closer to our Lord, giving us opportunities to draw near and receive Him not only in the Word, but also in the Blessed Sacrament.

• You meet your Creator, your friend, your love. On the day we see Him face-to-face, we will realize that which we have missed throughout our lives.   

• We will come to yearn for the Lord knowing that our day is incomplete without prayer and worship.  We will find no greater solace than in His Word, in His sacraments, and in surrendering to His love.  In accepting the challenge of meeting Jesus daily in the Eucharist, we will find more joy than ever.

• Every Mass is a healing experience. It heals wounds caused by our sinful nature, it heals our relationship with God and with one another, bringing us closer to our Lord, giving us opportunities to draw near and receive Him not only in the Word, but also in the Blessed Sacrament.

• If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy. ~ Saint Jean Vianney 

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Few great quotes about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass from the saints:​

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• “It is most true that he who attends holy Mass shall be freed from many evils and from many dangers, both foreseen and unforeseen” ~ St. Gregory

• “In Mass are contained all the fruits, all the graces, all those immense treasures which the Son of God poured out so abundantly upon the Church, His Spouse, in the bloody sacrifice of the Cross.” ~St. Thomas Aquinas

• “Without doubt the Lord grants all the favours which are asked of Him in Mass, provided they be those fitting for us; and, which is a matter of greater wonder, ofttimes He grants that also which is not demanded of Him, if we, on our part, put no obstacle in the way.” ~St. Jerome

• If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy. ~ St. Jean Vianney ​

 

With such great graces associated with hearing Holy Mass (even if we do not have perfect devotion in our hearts every time) in the words of St. Leonard, “Holy Mass is the golden key of paradise; and while the eternal Father gives us this key, which of all His other benefits can he refuse?” Mass is a gateway of God’s grace, let’s not forget that and go as often as we can!

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