Liturgically Speaking: Bringing More to Mass

“How can I get more out of Mass?”  It’s not an uncommon question.  But perhaps it’s the wrong question.  First, by faithfully attending Mass, we receive the flesh and blood of the Savior, the substantial indwelling of our God, the forgiveness of venial sins, grace to avoid mortal sins, a participation in the sacrifice of Calvary, the opening of the Word of God in the Scriptures, and fellowship with other believers.  Given all of that, it seems odd to ask “How can I get more out of Mass?”  Second, this kind of attitude turns us into consumers and the Mass into just another product for our consumption.  That’s not the right kind of attitude with which to approach our Lord at Mass.

Perhaps the better question might be, “How can I bring more to Mass?”  Here are a few practical suggestions on how to more fully, totally, and consciously participate in the Mass:

·         Read the readings ahead of time.  If your mind wanders during the Liturgy of the Word, consider reading the Mass readings as early as Monday, or throughout the week.  Read them together as a family after dinner one night, or at least as you’re driving to Mass.  That way, when the readings are being proclaimed, you’ll have some familiarity with them.

·         Read and pray the Eucharistic Prayers.  The Eucharistic Prayers are beautiful, ancient compositions.  Study them.  See what they are saying at each point.  Work them into your personal prayer so that you have a deeper familiarity with those prayers.

·         Get to Mass early.  Now, I know this may be hard for parents of small children.  But we tend to arrive early to things that are important to us.  Very few of us would show up to a job interview late.  Come to Mass five or ten minutes early to quiet you mind and prepare yourself for the Mass.

·         Sing and respond.  This one should be obvious, but I’ve been to many Catholic Churches where no one sang.  The Mass is not a spectator sport.  We cannot expect to sit in the pew mindlessly and derive its full fruits.  Engage your mind, heart, and voice in the actions of the Mass

·         Journal “one point” about each Mass.  I steal this point from speaker and writer Matthew Kelly.  Get a notebook or journal and at each Mass, ask yourself, “How is God trying to make me a better person through this Mass?”  It may be in a reading, a hymn, the homily, or your own quiet prayer, but try to see how God is speaking to you in each Mass, and write it down.  After a year, you’ll have fifty-two ways God was asking you to follow Him through the Mass.

·         Remain after Mass and offer a thanksgiving.  Yes, I know our parking situation is less than ideal.  But we also don’t leave important events early.  I’ve had the opportunity to stand outside of a number of Masses at Ss. Peter and Paul as Mass was ending.  We have three “exoduses” from Mass: one group of people leaves having received communion; another group leaves as the first note of the closing hymn is played; a final group leaves after the priest has processed out and the hymn is finished.  A word of encouragement:  unless it’s an emergency, don’t leave Mass early.  It says something about how we are approaching what’s going on.  Instead of rushing off, kneel down after Mass and offer a brief thanksgiving.

·         Eucharistic Adoration.  We are blessed with a perpetual adoration chapel at our parish.  This is a marvelous way to extend the graces of Sunday Mass throughout the week.  Stop in from time to time, even if for just five minutes.  Consider signing up for a weekly hour.  The Eucharist is so central to our Catholic lives, it makes sense not to leave our devotion to Christ in the Eucharis to Sunday alone. 

·         Continued Learning.  There is so much depth to our Mass, so much to learn.  The more we know about something, the more we can appreciate that thing.  Consider starting with Scott Hahn’s very accessible book, “The Lamb’s Supper.”