#2 Prepare yourself. Before you go to sleep ask Our Lady, who always points to Christ, for her help in making you receptive to her Son. Before you attend Mass, renew your request and open your heart to her Son.
# 3. Fast. Abstain from food for one hour before Mass. As you are driving to church, turn off your radio and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet your heart. Let the worries of the week fade away into the silence before you arrive at church.
# 4. Dress nicely. If you want to get more out of Mass a good place to start is with your attire. How we dress expresses the importance we attach to the occasion. You should dress like you are going to a wedding because you are! It’s the “wedding supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9).
# 5. Arrive early. How early is ‘early’? 10 – 15 minutes is a good amount of time; 20-30 minutes is better. But even arriving five minutes before Mass would be a big help. Pray before the Blessed Sacrament, or meditate on this simple verse to help you prepare for Mass: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
# 6. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to the Word of God and to teach you what you need to know during the readings and the homily. Asks the Lord to “give you ears to hear.” The Lord has something He wants to say to you. Listen closely.
# 7. Pray for those who are at Mass with you. Even if you don’t know their names, pray for those around you. A spiritual bond develops with those you’re praying for. They need you, and you need them.
# 8. Go the daily Mass. One of the best ways to get more out of Mass is to go to daily Mass. Make a commitment to attend Mass daily for a season (say, Advent or Lent), for a month or until a specific date.
# 9. Use Catholic Calendars that call attention to feast days and saints’ days. Many parishes distribute Catholic calendars around Christmas. The Archdiocese of Denver has a calendar that’s distributed for free in the fall. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC has a beautiful calendar which you can order online for a small gift.
# 10. Pay Attention. Distractions are inevitable.; they are caused by our fallen natures, laziness, lack of preparation, or worry. When you find your mind wandering, focus your eyes on the cross and simply say “Jesus” quietly to yourself.
# 11. Offer it up. Offer your Communion for a friend who is sick or who needs a job; for your children, your grandchildren, godchildren, nieces or nephews; for your spouse; for a particular priest or seminarian; for an end to abortion; to protect our soldiers overseas. The more specific you are about your intention, the more your prayers will help you get more out of Holy Mass.
# 12. Keep your eyes on the “prize.” Focus on Christ. Great preaching, inspiring music and reverent worship are the goal of every Mass. But it doesn’t always happen. It’s not wrong to expect the best but we too must give our best to the worship of God in order to get the most out of it. The priest is there to lead us to Christ. Your active participation is a vital ingredient for making the Mass more satisfying.
# 13. Pray after Mass. We are never closer to Jesus than right after receiving his body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. Take a few moments after the closing hymn to thank the Lord for what He has just done for you. It is a time of great spiritual intimacy. Cherish it. We receive Christ together as one Body; and our love for one another obliges us to stay till the end of Mass.
# 14. Use a missal. The missal provides the parts of the Mass as well as the Scripture readings. The missal also includes a few traditional Catholic prayers that you can use before and after Communion.
# 15. Learn more about your faith. Read, attend classes, call the Archdiocese of Denver to find out about seminars, lectures, and events to enrich your faith.
# 16. Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord! The Eucharist is not complete until we put into practice that which we have received. “The love of God has been poured into our hearts,” (Rom. 5:5) and so we are dismissed to make that love a reality in the world.
