by Johannes Werder

The saddest word of a man is written in the Gospel of John: “Lord, I have no man to carry me….. into the pool” (Jn 5:7). How many people utter this lament, they are missing something, they just don’t know what. Unconsciously, they are missing the mystery of our faith, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Souls in purgatory also long for deliverance from their sin. “The Blood of Christ is the key to Paradise,” says St. Thomas Aquinas. As a result of the unfortunately diminishing appreciation of the Holy Mass among the faithful people, it is necessary to remind people of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper: “With longing I have longed to have this Passover meal with you,” as well as “Do this in remembrance of me!” (Lk 22:14 u.19). On the other hand, the shortage of priests makes it more and more difficult to request holy masses individually. The Mass Federation guarantees regular Holy Masses for all its members.

This certainty is a great comfort for those who, for health reasons or because of age, can no longer participate in the Holy Mass.  In particular, these Masses reassure many elderly people who unfortunately fear that no one will pray for them and their loved ones after their death. Also people whose salvation is endangered by their way of life can be enrolled in the Mass covenant. We receive encouraging mail from time to time.  In order to make the value of the Holy Mass and the Mass covenant known as widely as possible, I make use of the modern media. Using obituaries published by Funeral Directors on the Internet and the electronic telephone directory for their addresses, we give their relatives the gift of registering their deceased in the Mass covenant. One woman was so comforted by the registration of her husband that she took courage in her grief, knowing that he was safe in God’s mercy. She also registered herself and other people, deceased as well as living, who in return recommended the Messbund to others. Joyfully, this is not an isolated case.