- 02 September, 2025
September 2, 2025: When I read Pope Leo XIV's recent words to the altar servers whom he addressed on 25th Aug in Rome, something stirred deep within my soul, a moment of reflection from my own life which I want to share here. His declaration that "the celebration of Mass saves us today! It saves the world today!" wasn't just theological truth rather it is my lived experience. Let me share how attending Mass has completely transformed my life and brought me into the most beautiful friendship I never knew I needed.
The Knock I Almost Didn't Hear
My story isn't one of lifelong devotion, it's messier and more human than that. From July 2014 through December 2016, I barely attended Mass at all. College life had swept me away into what I thought was freedom but was really spiritual emptiness. I got caught up in the "cool" college lifestyle, thinking I was too sophisticated for church, too busy for God, too independent to need faith.
Pope Leo XIV's message reminded me of Christ's words: "I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." During those lost years, Jesus had been knocking persistently, but I was too distracted by chill scenes, grades, and trying to fit in to hear Him.
The Pope asked the altar servers a question that now haunts me: "What are we waiting for to love Him in return as He deserves?" For too long, my answer was the arrogance of youth, thinking I had time to figure out this faith thing later, after I had my "fun."
December 31st, 2016: The Day Everything Changed
The transformation didn't happen during Mass itself rather it happened in the silence before it. On the day before New Year in 2016, 31st Dec, something prompted me to attend the Thanksgiving adoration before the evening Mass. I can't say it was pure devotion that brought me there; maybe it was desperation, maybe it was homesickness, maybe it was the Holy Spirit working through my emptiness.
As I sat before the Blessed Sacrament in that quiet Church, two and a half years of running from God caught up with me. In that sacred silence, I finally heard what Pope Leo XIV described: Jesus knocking at the door of my heart. But this wasn't gentle tapping, it was the persistent knock of someone who had been waiting outside in the cold for far too long.
During that adoration, I experienced what the Pope calls the proof of Jesus's love: "He gave His life for us by offering it on the cross." For the first time in years, I truly grasped that while I had been rejecting Him, ignoring Him, living as if He didn't exist, He had never stopped loving me. The weight of His persistent, patient love brought tears I had been holding back for years.
The Treasure I Never Knew I Had
The Pope calls the Eucharist "the Treasure of the Church, the Treasure of Treasures," and I can testify that this isn't religious hyperbole. Once my eyes were opened to what was really happening at Mass, I couldn't stay away. I began attending daily Mass whenever possible, and each time felt like discovering buried treasure.
What changed? Everything. I began attending Sunday Mass faithfully again, and made sure to be present for the important liturgical celebrations, Christmas, Easter, Holy Week, feast days that I had previously seen as optional. Each Mass became precious because I finally understood what Pope Leo XIV calls "the Treasure of Treasures."
The anxiety about my future that had been eating at me throughout college began to fade because, as the Pope beautifully expressed, this hope became "like a solid anchor cast toward heaven." When you know that the God who conquered death is personally present with you every Sunday, offering you His very life, your perspective on daily troubles completely shifts.
The Friendship That Changed Everything
The most profound change has been discovering that Jesus truly wants to be my closest friend. The Pope's words to those young altar servers spoke directly to my heart: "His only desire is to be part of your life, to enlighten it from within, to become your best and most faithful friend."
This isn't abstract theology rather this is daily reality. When I approach the altar for Communion, I am not just following a ritual. I'm accepting an invitation to the most intimate friendship possible. Jesus wants to dine with me, to share His life with me, to be present in every moment of my day.
From Duty to Desperate Need
Pope Leo XIV hit the nail on the head when he said: "Christians do not go to Mass out of duty, but because they absolutely need it; they need the life of God, who gives himself without return!" This describes my transformation perfectly.
During my college years, I had convinced myself that Mass was just another obligation, something that got in the way of my "real" life. Now I can barely make it through the week without Sunday Mass and the major feast days. Not because I am suddenly super holy, but because I've discovered what the Pope describes: I absolutely need the life of God. Those two and a half years without the Eucharist taught me what spiritual starvation feels like.
The Beauty that Drew me to Mass
One aspect of the Pope's message particularly resonates with my experience. He spoke about how "the beauty of the liturgy, the order and majesty of the gestures, draw the faithful into the sacred grandeur of the Mystery."
I used to be bored by the "repetition" of Mass. Now I see that every gesture, every prayer, every moment has been carefully crafted to draw us deeper into God's presence. The incense is not just pretty smoke, it carries our prayers to heaven. The priest's careful movements aren't theatrical, they reflect the sacred nature of what's happening. The liturgical responses aren't mindless repetition, they're our participation in the worship of all heaven and earth.
When the Altar Became My Hope
I've walked through my share of valleys, and I can testify that Mass has been my lifeline during the darkest times. The Pope acknowledges that we all face "suffering, illness or disability, failure, the loss of a loved one."
When I was at my lowest, when family relationships strained, when health scares arose, when depression threatened to overwhelm me, it was in the Mass that I found hope. Not because my problems magically disappeared, but because I encountered the God who "loved us to the point of death." If He was willing to die for me, I could trust Him with my struggles.
The Most Important Event
Pope Leo XIV declared that Mass is "the most important event in the life of a Christian and in the life of the Church." Before my transformation, I would have thought this was exaggeration. Now I know it's simple truth.
My weeks literally revolve around Sunday Mass. Not because I'm religiously obsessed, but because I've discovered that everything else in my life flows from this encounter with Jesus. My relationships are better because I'm receiving love from the source of all love. My work has purpose because I'm united with the one who gives meaning to everything. My future has hope because I'm connected to the one who conquered death.
The Call That Echoes
While Pope Leo XIV was speaking to young men about potential priestly vocations, his words about discovering "the beauty, the happiness, and the necessity" of serving God echo in every believer's heart. Through the Mass, I've discovered my own calling, not to ordained ministry, but to live as a witness to the transforming power of the Eucharist.
A Personal Invitation to You
If you're reading this and thinking, "I wish I had that kind of faith," let me share what I've learned from my own journey away from and back to God: you don't need to be perfect to approach Him. You don't need to have your life together. I certainly did not on Dec 31st, 2016.
Simply do what Pope Leo XIV suggested: "take the time to talk to Jesus in the secret of your heart and to love Him more and more." Sometimes that conversation begins with admitting how far you've wandered, how empty you feel, how much you need Him.
Start by truly paying attention at Mass. Look with new eyes. Listen with an open heart. Receive Communion not as a routine, but as Jesus Himself coming to dine with you. Allow, as the Pope said, "the beauty of the liturgy, the order and majesty of the gestures" to draw you into the Mystery.
The Friendship That Awaits
Jesus is still knocking. He's still waiting to enter. He's still offering Himself completely in every Mass. The same transformation that changed my life is available to you.
As Pope Leo XIV told those altar servers, "Life becomes beautiful and happy with Jesus." I can testify that this isn't just papal rhetoric, it's the most beautiful truth I have ever experienced. The friendship that began for me in the Mass has become the foundation of everything good in my life.
The door is still open. He's still knocking. The greatest friendship in the universe is still waiting for your response. All you have to do is say YES.
Abhishek Joseph
Catholic Connect
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