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Liturgy

Critical Moments: How should Catholics pray before and after Mass?

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It happens every Sunday. Parishioners scurry into their pews moments before Mass begins. A few sneak in during the opening song or even the first reading, hoping that no one…

It happens every Sunday. Parishioners scurry into their pews moments before Mass begins.

A few sneak in during the opening song or even the first reading, hoping that no one will notice. After Communion, the church is noticeably emptier than it was only minutes before. Several members of the congregation have slipped out the door to hurry off to their next activity. Many others bolt to their cars after the final blessing or file into the parish hall for coffee, donuts and friendly conversation.

Catholics who neglect to arrive early at Mass and hesitate to stay late are missing out on critical moments they could be using to cultivate their spiritual lives and grow in their relationship with God. Taking a few minutes for silent prayer before and after Mass can help Massgoers focus their attention, prepare their hearts for worship, express their gratitude and carry their experience of God back into their daily lives.

Zeroing in on God

Human minds wander. At one moment, a person is devoutly focused on singing the praises of God in the Gloria. In the next, she is thinking about what she would like to have for lunch. These lapses in attention happen to everyone from time to time, but they can be minimized by designating a few minutes before Mass to quiet the mind and zero in on God.

Begin by simply greeting God and reciting a few familiar prayers — perhaps the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be — to direct the mind toward the divine. Set before the Lord anything that is troubling or burdensome, and surrender it to His all-powerful care. Examine your conscience and repent of any sins that might be weighing heavily upon it. Lift up family, friends and acquaintances to the Lord and place them in His loving protection. Let go of anything that might distract the mind from offering God full praise, devout prayer and reverent worship over the next 60 minutes.

Now that the mind is focused on God, it is time to prepare the heart to worship Him. Focus especially on what is about to happen in the Mass. Recall that the lector and deacon or priest will be reading from the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Remember that Jesus is going to be really present — body, blood, soul and divinity — in the Eucharist. Recollect that this Eucharistic Jesus will come in a highly intimate way to each and every person who receives Him in holy Communion during the next hour.

Most importantly, ask God for help. Ask Him for the attention and devotion necessary to pray and worship well during Mass. Ask Him for the grace to receive Him worthily in holy Communion. He will always respond graciously and powerfully to an open, longing, loving heart.

Moments of Thanksgiving

When Father says, “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” do not take that as a cue to dash out the church door as quickly as possible. Instead, when the closing hymn ends, remain in the pew for a few minutes to bask in the intimate presence of the Eucharistic Jesus and to thank God for the great gifts He has just provided in the Mass.

Express heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to worship with the saints and angels; to hear God’s Word solemnly proclaimed; to witness the sacred moment of consecration when Jesus became truly present on the altar under the appearance of bread and wine; and to receive the Lord of heaven and earth in holy Communion.

Do not rush through these moments of thanksgiving. God has given His very Self to His people in this Mass; the least His people can do in return is give Him thanks.

Before returning to the activities and cares of daily life, spend a few moments placing these in God’s hands. Beg Him for a share of His overflowing love and the courage to spread it everywhere throughout the coming week. Ask Him for grace to avoid sin. Tell Him about difficulties at work or at home, and ask Him for solutions. Talk to Him about troubled relationships, and ask for His guidance toward reconciliation. Recall and obey the comforting command of 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.”

Practical Tips

For many Catholics, taking time to pray before and after Mass requires some adjustment and effort, at least at first. The following suggestions might help:

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier on Sunday mornings or start getting ready for Mass 15 minutes earlier on Saturday evenings. Then, be ready to leave for Mass 15 minutes earlier than normal.

2. To avoid feeling rushed, do not schedule any activities until at least a half-hour after Mass.

3. Make a firm commitment. Spiritual growth requires discipline, but God rewards His people’s efforts thirtyfold, sixtyfold and even a hundredfold (see Mt 13:8).

4. Invite others to pray. Sharing a prayer commitment with family, friends and fellow parishioners provides necessary motivation and support.

5. Do not fret about distractions during prayer before and after Mass. Gently guide the mind back to prayer whenever it wanders.

Pope Paul VI once called the Mass “the most perfect form of prayer.” Indeed, during holy Mass, God deepens and broadens His intimacy with His people as He speaks His Word to their hearts and nourishes their souls with the Eucharist. Is it not fitting, then, that Catholics should prepare carefully and thoroughly for this tremendous encounter with God? And is it not fitting that Catholics should express their gratitude for such an encounter? By spending time with God in prayer during those critical moments before and after Mass, Catholics will better appreciate the great gift of this most perfect prayer and, more importantly, grow ever closer to the Giver.

Amy Troolin is a freelance writer from Minnesota. She holds a master’s degree in theology and Christian ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

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1 min read
Liturgy

What is the Mass?

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Catholics of a certain age will remember learning the Mass is “the unbloody sacrifice of the Cross.” While concise and accurate, this definition may require additional explanation. In such a…

Catholics of a certain age will remember learning the Mass is “the unbloody sacrifice of the Cross.” While concise and accurate, this definition may require additional explanation. In such a case, we may turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches: “The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover … not merely the recollection of past events.… In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real” (Nos. 1362-63).

“Recollection” and “remembrance” are weak words in our modern vocabulary, because memories are what we put up with when the “real thing” is not at hand. But this is altogether the opposite meaning of these words in the Scripture and the liturgy. There, memory and recollection have immense power. At the first Passover, God told Moses, “This day will be a day of remembrance for you” (Ex 12:14). It is still so for Moses’ descendants today, and when they gather for their Passover meal, they relive the terror of a people in flight, and the relief of a nation saved. Likewise, when we gather for the Mass, Jesus’ words, “Do this in remembrance of me,” open a window onto eternity, and allow us to stand at the foot of the cross.

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Liturgy

Why are Liturgical Rules Important?

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On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His would-be-disciples to a deeper, fuller conversion. To follow Christ is not merely external obedience, but a matching obedience of the heart….

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His would-be-disciples to a deeper, fuller conversion. To follow Christ is not merely external obedience, but a matching obedience of the heart.

Our external piety and the motives of our heart should be directly connected. As the Catechism explains:

“Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before Him, does not aim first at outward works, ‘sackcloth and ashes,’ fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance” (No. 1430).

Jesus addressed this matter directly in His teaching on prayer, almsgiving and fasting: “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 6:1, RSV).

For those who sincerely want to grow closer to Jesus, who are striving by grace to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48), this can pose a sticky conundrum.

When we attend Mass, the most vivid occasion when we “practice our piety before men,” what do we do when the practices of people around us differ from what we believe is right? What should we do when few of the people around us are genuflecting, kneeling, bowing, crossing themselves or showing reverence to Our Lord in the tabernacle?

On the other hand, what should we do when the people around us seem to be going overboard in their piety, in ways that seem far too showy, extravagant or self-promoting?

In either situation, when expressing our piety in public requires being different from those around us, how can we be sure we’re doing it for God’s sake rather than as a statement to others?

Some, in the name of “freedom,” dismiss liturgical rules and rubrics as a straightjacket to spiritual expression. They protest: “It really doesn’t matter how you pray or what you do with your body; all that matters is uniting your heart with God. We should be free, and that means being spontaneous!”

But the devil laughs at such a notion, for in our striving to be “free” we find it nearly impossible to focus on God when the overpowering motive is to be different and separate from those around. Too often in these circumstances, the underlying motive is not to please others or even God, but to feed the ego of self.

How do we avoid this problem? Herein lies the beautiful freedom of the liturgy. In her wisdom, the Church insists that liturgical rules and rubrics free us from the tyranny of trying to please others or ourselves. The Church teaches in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

“The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and the participation of all is fostered.Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice” (No. 42).

Consider: When is a railroad train the most “free”? When it remains on the tracks, where it can roam full-steam ahead within trustworthy limits.

And when are we most free to worship God without the inner conflict of mixed motives? When in willing obedience we simply worship within the guidelines of our loving mother, the Church. For then we can be confident that our Father who sees in secret will reward us (see Mt 6:4).

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1 min read
Liturgy

How Are Readings Chosen For Mass?

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The cycle of readings at Mass throughout the year has been established by the Church; more specifically, with the Second Vatican Council’s reform of the Liturgy, and by the authority…

The cycle of readings at Mass throughout the year has been established by the Church; more specifically, with the Second Vatican Council’s reform of the Liturgy, and by the authority of the Pope, a new Roman Missal and Lectionary has been established. There are two cycles of readings: weekdays and Sundays (feast days).

The weekday readings are on a two-year cycle (I, II) except for Lent and Advent, when the readings are the same every year. The Sundays are on a three-year cycle (A, B, C), supposedly because during the time of Christ the Sabbath readings in the local synagogue were also on a three-year cycle, and in the Church we try to do what Jesus did.

Vatican II reforms introduced a much wider variety of readings for the Masses because of the Church’s desire that Catholics know a lot more of sacred Scripture.

Although the cycle of readings has been established by the Church, there is room for choice depending on the occasion. For instance, the readings for a funeral Mass on a weekday could be selected from Readings for a Funeral, and not necessarily the readings for that weekday; likewise with wedding Masses, etc.; and likewise for local celebrations of local saints. All of that is set forth clearly in the “Ordo,” an official guide for the daily celebration of the Liturgy available in every diocese. Usually there is a copy of the local Ordo in the sacristy of your Church.

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Liturgy

Charged For A Mass?

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In 1971, when the world’s bishops gathered for a universal meeting, they hoped they might separate priests’ sacramental ministry from any concern for clergy financial support. This proved a noble…

In 1971, when the world’s bishops gathered for a universal meeting, they hoped they might separate priests’ sacramental ministry from any concern for clergy financial support. This proved a noble — but elusive — goal, for in many areas priests depend on freewill offerings as a major source of funds to supply their needs. To guarantee adequate care of priests the Church’s Code of Canon Law states that the bishops of an area will meet to “determine the offerings on …   administration of the sacraments” (Canon 1264.2).

At the same time, the Church recognizes its obligation to the poor and wishes to avoid any hint that sacraments must be paid for. Thus its law also states, “The minister is to seek nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by the competent authority, always taking care that the needy are not deprived of the assistance of the sacraments because of poverty” (Canon 848).

This is stated explicitly with regard to funerals. Precautions are to be taken in funeral rites so that the poor are not deprived of the funeral rites which are their due” (see Canon 1181). Any Catholic has the right to request a Mass; ability to make an offering is inconsequential.

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2 min read
Lent

Lent’s Liturgical Somberness

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Just as we are called to fast and abstain from certain rich foods in Lent — in a spirit of penance and self-discipline — so, too, we “give up” for…

Just as we are called to fast and abstain from certain rich foods in Lent — in a spirit of penance and self-discipline — so, too, we “give up” for a time some of the more glorious and joyful aspects of the Liturgy: not only the Gloria — the joyous hymn the angels sang the night our Savior was born — but also the Alleluia (what could be more exhilarating than Handel’s Alleluia chorus from the Messiah?). Moreover, we also omit floral decorations and instrumental music in our churches during those 40 days (see General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Nos. 53, 62, 305, 313). Why? Because all of those elements are external and exuberant expressions of joy; Lent is not a “joyful” season, it is a “penitential” season. While it is true that we should always rejoice (Phil 4:4), during Lent we are soberly and penitentially preparing for the passion and resurrection of Christ.

You ask, “What does removing them do to make the Mass more solemn?” Personally, I don’t think the removal of the Gloria, Alleluia, flowers and instrumental music makes the Mass more solemn. I think it makes the Mass less solemn, but it does make it more sober and austere, more somber. And that sobriety, that frugality of spirit, helps to purify the soul and focus the mind.

The 40 days of Lent offer us an opportunity to imitate what Jesus did in the desert for 40 days: He prayed and fasted in preparation for His public ministry. The Church asks the faithful to perform works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving during the Lenten season in imitation of Christ and for the good of our souls. This “spiritual spring training” makes us stronger if we embrace these practices with mindfulness and generosity.

An essential aspect of the life of the Christian is to worship God at Mass. The Liturgy uses signs and symbols to teach and inspire us, and to help us along the way toward Christ. There are many elements to the Liturgy: sacraments and sacramentals, readings and hymns, gestures and actions, vestments and vessels, art and architecture, priest and people, and so forth. The selection, combination and arrangement of these various elements keeps the Liturgy fresh and engaging. As we read in the Book of Ecclesiastes (see 3:4), so we worship in the Liturgy: There is a time for weeping, and a time for rejoicing.

Rev. Francis Hoffman, J.C.D., Executive Director of Relevant Radio. Follow him on his Facebook page “Father Rocky.”

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