1. Prepare. Don’t go into mass waiting to get blindsided. Find out what the readings are going to be before hand and read them. They can be found many places. They were probably in last week’s bulletin. You can find them in The Catholic Key and easiest of all you can find them on the US Bishops site. Read them before hand. Meditate on the readings. Let scripture speak to you.
2. Arrive early. A sure way to be distracted is by walking down the aisle either right before or after the processional. People should not be wondering why you are not wearing an alb.
3. Pray. What should you do with that extra time?? Sure, visiting with your fellow parishioners is nice but get to your seat 5-10 minutes before mass starts and spend it in prayer. Ask God to be with you during mass and to give you the grace to actively participate in the mass. And if you choose to continue visiting please do it in the entry. The sanctuary is a holy place and people are trying to pray.
4. Sing. During the processional, the Gloria and all of the other parts of the mass. It’s been said that when you sing you are actually praying twice. You don’t have to be Pavarotti to sing as mass (if you haven’t noticed by the singing of some of the cantors!) Don’t be embarrassed. None of us are great singers but we are singing God’s praise and that’s a good thing. That doesn’t mean that you have to belt it out louder than everyone else in the congregation either.
5. Follow along. I’ve heard pros and cons of following along in the missalette. I’ve heard that the lector is breaking open the word of God and we should be listening and not reading. Well, that’s a valid point but there are some of us out there who can comprehend better by reading than by listening. If this is you then follow along. Some churches have the readings in the back of the hymnal. Some have seasonal missalettes for you. Or you can bring your own. They sell them bound or in a monthly periodical called the “Magnificat.”
6. LISTEN to the homily!! Father has got something to say!! He may not be some inspirational speaker. He may have been busy this week and not prepared the best homily but you never know. You can always find some nugget in what Father has to say. Sometimes you may have an “Ah-ha!” moment and you wonder if Father wrote this with you personally in mind. You will think to yourself, “No—it couldn’t be. I haven’t talked to him about this issue I’m having –besides—I’m from out of town and have never met the man!”
7. LISTEN to the prayers of the faithful. For some reason I always find this a distracting time. It’s after the homily. It’s after the creed and my mind is stretched to the limit. Listen to each intention and when say, “Lord, hear our prayer” know what you are asking for. Maybe you will remember the name of a sick person or recently departed to take home to remember in your prayers there.
8. Meditate. If you are still too shy to sing during the collection than spend that time meditating. Think back to the readings. Think about Father’s homily. Or prepare yourself for what is about to come.
9. Repeat to yourself what Father is saying during the Eucharistic prayers. I admit that I get distracted during the Eucharistic prayers. So much is being said. After the priest says something simply repeat what he says in your head. A simple way to become a more active participant.
10. Visualize what is being said during the consecration. Imagine Jesus at the Last Supper. Only he is right in front of you saying, “This is my body.”
11. Appreciate what is going on around you spiritually. Sure, sure, you may be in a church surrounded by your friends and family but much more is going on in the spiritual realm. The mass is a unification of Heaven and Earth. You are in Heaven when you are at mass. It’s more than your wife and kids there with you. There is a giant cloud of saints there with you. Your loved ones who have passed are there with you. Even more than that—you are truly unified with the universal church and you are there with the church from across town as well from the church on the other side of the world.
12. Realize what is about to happen as you walk up to communion. You are about to hold Jesus Christ in your hands. The creator of the universe is about to be put I your hands and you, the created are about to consume the creator.
13. PRAY! The time after receiving the blessed sacrament is one of the best times to pray. Think of it. Jesus is never closer to you than at this moment. Jesus is literally in you. Thank him. Praise him. Offer him your petitions.
14. Stay!! Mass isn’t over after communion! There is still a closing prayer!! Don’t be like Judas who left the Last Supper before it was over!! Sing that final song!
15. Now here is probably the crazy suggestion. Stay after mass and pray some more!! Why rush off?? The parking lot is going to be crazy!! You are not going to get out of there for a good ten minutes anyway.
2 comments:
Good post, Father Weldon! I think above all we need to remember that we are to actually (fully) participate (assist) at Mass, though there is not necessarily "one best method" to do so, as pointed out in your post. To assist means to partake in something which cannot be accomplished by ourselves alone; thus, by our assistance, we partake in the Mass by praying to help the priest accomplish the Sacrifice, but also to ask for forgiveness from God, offer Him praise, and to thank Him. While it may very well be best to "remain in the texts of the liturgy," so to say, I do not think that necessarily means we have to be focused on the texts of the Mass to the exclusion of the mystery and true meaning of the Mass. I hope that makes sense. Here are a few methods I personally use to participat at Mass; maybe they can be of use to others.
1) Read the propers of the Mass (Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gospel, Secret, etc.) before Mass so that you already intellectually understand those prayers/readings and may meditate upon them to gain further insights during Mass.
2) Follow the Mass according to methods promoted by various saints, councils, and prayer books. For example, in St. Francis de Sales' "Introduction to the Devout Life," he suggests to meditate upon the following:
1. At the foot of the altar: Place yourself in the presence of God, acknowledging your unworthiness and asking pardon for your sins.
2. Until the Gospel: Consider the Nativity of our Lord and His life.
3. From the Gospel till after the Creed: Consider the preaching of our Saviour and promise to live and die in fath and obedience to Him and His Church.
4. From the Credd to the Our Father: meditate upon the mysteries of the Dath and Passion of our Redeemer, especially His Sacrifice.
5. From the Our Father to the communion: Strive to excite a thousand desires in your heart, wishing ardently to be for ever united to your Saviour by everlasting love.
6. From the communion to the end: Thank Jesus Christ for His Incarnation, Life, Passion and Death and His love as shown in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; receive the benediction of God from His priest.
The prayerbook published by decree of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore also offers some prayers to be said throughout Mass at various points to help aid our assistance. You can see this online at Google Books. Various other prayer books and writings of the saints contain similar suggestions. Due to the changes in the liturgy in the last forty years, the details of the above may need amended to fit the Novus Ordo Mass (e.g. change "At the foot of the altar" to "Introductory Rites").
3) Pray the Rosary. I know many people frown upon this, and possibly even yourself Father, but I have found it spiritually beneficial and a great method of assisting at Mass. I have found that reciting the Sorrowful Mysteries can be especially helpful, though the other Mysteries can lead to great spiritual insight and renewal, too. One method I use for the Sorrowful Mysteries is to meditate upon the Agony in the Garden during the prayers at the foot of the altar, Sourging at the Pillar through until/through the Gospel, Crowning with Thorns at the Creed, Carrying the Cross, then the Crucifixion which normally occurs around the Communion. The prayers/mysteries can be timed in such a way that you can still be attentive to the Epistle and Gospel and that the prayers/mysteries align better with whichever part of the Mass you wish to contemplate.
4) Above all remember the four points of prayer: glorification of God, prayers of sorrow for sins, petitions, and expressions of thanksgiving.
Father, I have noticed at Mass with the children there, that almost all of them receive Communion in the hand. Being the old fashioned person I am - growing up with kneeling at the Communion railing with the white cloth to cover our hands so that we would never touch the Eucharist - always receiving Communion on the tongue (and being a participant in the Latin Mass, where Communion in the hand is not allowed) it really bothers me to see so many taking the Eucharist in their hands so casually. Is that what they are being taught in school? I read recently that the Holy Father, when he distributes Communion, insists that everyone be kneeling and receive on the tongue. I guess I do not understand how people can be so casual about holding Our Lord in their hand. If they really understood what the Eucharist really is - I doubt that they would be so casual. I do not mean to be critical, but so many young people today do not seem to realize what it is all about and as they get older, they no longer even go to Church. You have been doing a great job and I feel you are a very good priest and Kingman is fortunate to have you - just wanted to express my feelings. Also, we are happy at the Latin Mass to have your brother start saying the Mass for us. We feel very fortunate. Pat Ekeler
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