Mass is Mass

About 20 years ago, I was spending the day in the city, walking around, shopping, going to the library (and avoiding the crowds as well as I could; being jostled is not good for me. Not, of course, that it is good for anyone. But I digress.)
I went to evening Mass in one of the many Catholic churches in New York City; I forget the name
of the parish. That is probably just as well!
The readings were mumbled, and I do mean mumbled.
The singing was waaaaaaaaaay off-key.
The homily was more of a ho-humily.
But these are, after all, not the most important elements of the Mass; they
do not even make up the Mass.
The priest, for all his shortcomings as a homilist (and it's really not fair to judge on the
strength, or weakness, of one sermon,) offered the Eucharistic Prayer beautifully.
THAT is what makes the Mass; the Eucharistic Prayer. The Consecration. Otherwise, what
we have is a Communion Service.
As we walked out after Mass, a woman turned to me and grumbled, "That Mass stunk, didn't it?"
"No," I answered softly. "Mass never stinks."