Opening Mass 2024

25 years ago and a couple weeks ago, in late August 1999, I had my first day of classes at a new school. Up to that point, I had attended public schools. That year, I was starting my first day as a student at St. Louis Priory School: an all boys day school run by a Benedictine monastery. As the first day of school started, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. The primary reason I was there was that my mom wanted me to go to a Catholic school and my dad wanted me to go to a school with a good academic reputation.
The first day started with a Mass of the Holy Spirit, and I would like to say that this was an obviously transformative event in my life, but it was honestly kind of miserable. It was St. Louis in August, which meant it was very hot, probably somewhere around 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and humid enough that it felt even hotter than that. I was wearing coat and tie, which was not my preferred wardrobe. And it felt like it took forever.

Fortunately, we are not in St. Louis August, so it is not nearly as bad weather. However, I would not be surprised if many of you are thinking something similar to what I did 25 years ago. This takes forever: why do we have a Mass to mark the first day of school? Didn’t we just go to Mass Saturday evening? Can’t we just get started with the fun stuff like Precalc?
This forces us to think through two questions: what is the Mass? And What effects can the Mass have on each of us individually and on us as a community?

So, what is the Mass? As a simple definition, the Mass is the re-presentation of the Paschal Mystery, the re-presentation of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By attending Mass, we participate in these central events of the Christian mystery. The Mass was instituted at the Last Supper when, as Abbot Matthew will say at the most important point in the Mass: Jesus took bread, gave thanks to God, said the blessing, broke the bread, and said to his Apostles “Take this, all of you and eat of it. For this is my body, which will be given up for you.” He will then raise what was bread for us to adore.

However, what was bread will instead have become the body of Christ: the body of the Son of God, who took our flesh in order to give up his life for us. The accidents remain, it still looks like bread, and tastes like bread. However, the substance has been transformed: what lies underneath the accidents and gives them meaning is no longer the substance of bread, but instead the substance of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The body of Christ.

Then the chalice with wine will similarly be consecrated and the substance of the wine within will become the blood of Christ. Through the Mass, we enter into the heart of the Christian life: a life of becoming more and more like Christ, becoming part of His body, the Church.

The Church says that the Mass is the source and summit of the Christian life. This means that the Mass is both the start and high point of everything we do as Christians, which is supposed to be everything we do. Every key moment within our Christian life is accompanied by the Mass, or some other sacrament. So, It is particularly fitting that a Catholic school mark its time similarly. Today, we embark on a great endeavor: the long journey through a school year. So we start this journey by making ourselves present at the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ.

This is not, however, a static presence. This takes us to our second question. What effects can the Mass have on us individually and on us as a community? How can going to Mass transform each of us individually and all of us together? It is important to note that this transformation does not happen automatically, although it can happen subconsciously. After all, the primary cause of this transformation is not us, but God. Nevertheless, we must dispose ourselves to receive the fruits of the Mass, and to cooperate with the grace God gives us in the Mass. At that Mass 25 years ago, I was not well disposed. I did not cooperate with the graces that I received that day. Nevertheless, that Mass was the first moment of contact with a monastery that eventually led me to become a Monk and a Priest. Without the effects of that Mass bearing some form of fruit, I would not be here today.

So, what are these effects? What can happen to us when we open our hearts to the grace that God gives us during the Mass? We are made capable of becoming transformed in the Holy Spirit, the primary theme of the readings and prayers of this Mass. Individually, this leads to what was described in the Gospel. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is sent to us from the Father and the Son. This Spirit of truth testifies to Christ. The Spirit guides us to all truth. As we are purified and become more fully alive with God, we also become more capable of seeing reality as it really is: we are made capable of seeing all of creation through God’s eyes. Until we are fully purified and enter into the heavenly kingdom, that reality can only be briefly glimpsed, but a brief glimpse is capable of transforming our whole view of reality. Through the Spirit, we receive everything that belongs to Christ, which includes everything that belongs to His Father. Individually, the Spirit makes us like Christ, and brings us closer to God. Ultimately, it brings us to the beatific vision, to the truth, to “Veritas,” as our motto says.

I do not think these individual fruits, however, are enough of a reason for us to gather together here this morning. There is a reason that we all come here for this gathering, and don’t leave it at each person finding their own Mass to attend. The Mass, and our transformation in the Holy Spirit enabled by it, has communal fruits as well. As we are brought fully into the life of Christ, we also become members of His body, the Church. This unites us to each other, as well as to the communion of saints, those who have successfully completed the race that still lies ahead of us.

Through baptism, we enter into that body. Through Confession, we restore ourselves to that body when sin separates us from full communion. Through our reception of Holy Communion, of the Eucharist, when received in a state of grace, that body is nurtured. This communion includes Jews and Greeks, slaves and free persons as St. Paul says. More relevantly for us, the communion of the body of Christ includes Asians, Europeans, Africans, Latin Americans and North Americans; honor students, B students, others; athletes, the physically weak, the healthy, the sick, students, teachers, other faculty, maintenance workers, janitors, kitchen staff and everybody else here. Through the Mass, brought into Christ’s body, all of these become one, each bringing unique talents and gifts to build up this body. This imposes a great duty on us to truly see Christ in each of us, but also makes possible the great work that we hope to do this year.
This school year will not be easy. There is a great deal of reading and writing that need to be done. There will be challenging problems that don’t make sense. There will be wins and there will be losses. There will be late nights and early mornings. The monks here will pray for all of you, that you may successfully make your way through the challenges, and emerge smarter, stronger, and, most importantly, holier. I ask that you also pray for us, and especially for vocations: that God may call men to join the Monastic community of Portsmouth Abbey, serving the wider community that we celebrate and bring together today.