“Celebrate every Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass.”
These words stayed with me (almost) every time I celebrate Mass. They have helped me become aware of the immense privilege and responsibility that comes with celebrating the Eucharist. Many times I have been deeply moved by the grace of the moment, by the people present, by the children shouting or the babies crying, for everything is the presence of Christ—those men and women, that church, those fields, those mountains, the falling rain, every heart, every tear, every joy, and every sorrow—all form the Body of Christ. 42 years of celebrating the Eucharist—unforgettable, wonderful, tragic moments! Moments when I was happy to be a priest and moments when I wanted to do more for those sick people, for those disabled children, for those orphans, or for that widow; moments when I did not understand that God was asking me for THIS and nothing else. Moments when I felt I was the luckiest of men, blessed a thousand times over by friends, by family, even by strangers. Wonderful moments in which I tried to bring Christ closer to others.
I want to share with you those Masses, those moments when Christ truly made Himself present among us. I share them with a grateful and humbled heart. I know that you will be able to look beyond the priest to see Jesus, the Christ, the Lord, the one who loved me and gave himself up for me.
François Chauvet sm
