In our continued Advent journey, I want to conclude with the reminder that Mass offers you something you cannot get at home or anywhere other than at a Catholic Church, Jesus in Holy Communion. It cannot be underestimated the incredible amount of grace one receives by worthily participating in the reception of our Lord’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity offered to us from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Yes, it is a sacrifice. Sacrifice is mentioned frequently in the prayers of the Mass but unfortunately it has had little explanation from the pulpit or religious education in recent decades. The religious practice and concept of sacrifice is what ties the Old Testament and New Testament together. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people participated in sacrifice, from the time of Adam and Eve up to the temple sacrifices of the time of Jesus. After the coming of Jesus, we still participate in a sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice of God’s only Begotten Son, revisited and renewed in every valid Catholic Mass. We get to be present and participate, showered with unseen grace and blessing. But we must be present, and we cannot get this anywhere else! It is sacrifice that defines, reveals, and expresses to us the full vision and definition of God’s love, a love we receive and are called to share with the world. Yours in Christ. Fr. Sid.