What is Mass? 

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life," (Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, #11), so it must also become that for each of our individual Christian lives. Christ's sacrifice, the extreme demonstration of his love, is made present in the celebration of the Eucharist as a grace-filled event. It is more than a mere dramatic representation of a past event; in the celebration of the Eucharist Christ offers himself and his sacrifice so we can make it our own and share in it. 

The Church calls all of us to participate in the Mass actively and consciously. This requires us to learn about it, to give our heartfelt attention during its celebration, and to go beyond the minimum of a dutiful, routine attendance on Sunday morning - although that is an excellent place to start. 

Attending daily Mass once or more often during the week, in addition to Sundays, does wonders for our interior peace and our effective use of time. 

Doing it Better 

One way to improve our participation is to echo in our hearts the five fundamental attitudes of prayer in the Liturgy, which can easily be remembered by the acronym "ALTAR": Adoration of God's greatness and beauty, Love for each person of the Blessed Trinity, Thanksgiving for all the gifts we receive from God, Asking for all that we need, Repenting from our sins and our sinful tendencies. 

Paying attention to the meaning behind the words and gestures of the Mass helps us enter more fully in to this most sacred prayer of the Church. 

Getting to Mass a few minutes early gives us time to focus the attention of our hearts on the mystery about to take place, and remaining for a few minutes afterwards in intimate conversation with Christ who has come to us in holy communion can allow God's grace to take deeper root in our lives. 

Click here for some prayers to help your preparation for Mass and your thanksgiving after Communion.