Susan pulled into the church parking lot on Sunday morning, early as usual. The children had just finished their morning Rosary. During Mass, the choir was perfectly on key and the priest’s sermon seemed tailored to Susan’s life. Each moment felt spiritually fulfilling and uplifting. When the service was over, Susan breathed a sigh of contentment. “Ah,” she said, “another perfect Mass.”
It doesn’t take long to realize that this story is fiction. In the Mass we know, someone’s cell phone rings, or someone’s child starts crying in the middle of the eucharistic prayer. Our minds wander, or we get bored. With all the distractions, the imperfections, how can we have a spiritual experience? How can we get any meaning out of Mass? The following tips may help:
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1 Keep the big picture in mind. The Mass is more than the homily, more than the music, more than the prayers, more than any one separate experience. The Mass, along with the other sacraments, is the way we enter into the mystery of our salvation, the dying and rising of Jesus. Some have compared the Eucharist to a blood oath. In the Mass we remember what Jesus did for us, and by eating of his Body and drinking of his Blood, we commit ourselves to live as He did. This is true, whether the music or homilist at any one Mass is inspired or not.
2 Embrace imperfection. When Jesus spoke his Sermon on the Mount, He probably didn’t have perfect conditions. Maybe people couldn’t concentrate on what Jesus was saying because someone else was carrying on a gossipy conversation or eating extremely smelly fish. In the days of Jesus’ ministry, and the days of the early Church, distractions were just as common as they are now. Even the great St. Augustine complained that people gabbed through his homilies. Dwelling on these interruptions and distractions does no good. Inwardly acknowledge the annoyance, take a deep breath, and redirect your focus to the Mass.
3 Sit in a different spot. A new pew might bring a whole new perspective.
4 Ask a saint for help. Read about the saints and their relationship with the Mass. You may find renewed insight into and appreciation for the Mass as a whole, or for its individual parts. Pray to these saints and ask them to help you on your spiritual journey.
5 Do some homework. The more we know about the Mass, the more we can feel a part of it and appreciate it. Obtain a book such as
The How-to Book of the Mass (Michael Dubriel, Our Sunday Visitor), which explains the meaning behind different parts of the Mass.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has very rich sections on liturgy, the paschal mystery, and the Mass. Read especially nos. 1066-1209; and 1322-1419.
6 Prepare ahead of time. Read the readings before you go to Mass, asking God to speak to you in them. Gather with friends to read the readings and discuss how you see these Scriptures coming to life in your own lives. Do the same with the prayers of the Mass. Sometimes these prayers go by so quickly that we don’t get much of a chance to know what we are saying “Amen” to. How do they speak to your heart? (
Living with Christ is a monthly spiritual companion containing all the Sunday and daily Mass readings and all the prayers of the liturgy:
www.livingwithchrist.us.)
