4th Week of Easter - How to Hear Mass

"A little while and you shall not see me, and again a little while and you shall see me." St. John, 16:17.

One Sunday morning about two hundred years ago a missionary among the Seminole Indians of Florida was about to begin Mass. A horde of hostile Indians swooped down on the tiny church with the intention of putting the entire congregation to death. The priest asked the leader to allow them to finish the service. Reluctantly the chief consented.

The Mass went on, with priest and people praying as they never prayed before. As the Holy Sacrifice ended the helpless little group was put to death.

How that priest must have offered that Mass. How those people must have followed every prayer and ceremony. How closely they must have united themselves with the crucified Christ. It was their last Mass.

Suppose you knew that this was your last Mass. Suppose you knew that after this Mass you would die or be killed. How devoutly, how attentively, how thoughtfully you would spend the next half hour.

This might seem an extreme suggestion. But if it helps our attention and devotion it will be worth while. Of some it can be said today, of all it will be said some day: "A little while and you shall not see me, and again a little while and you shall see me." Mass lasts but a little while; in Mass we see God. After Mass we will not see God again until our next Mass. May our joy at Mass be the joy of which our Lord speaks today: "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one shall take from you." St. John, 16:22.

That joy will be ours if we attend Mass thoughtfully. The best method of attending Mass is with missal in hand, that is, with a book which gives you the prayers which the priest is saying at the altar. An intelligent Catholic knows what is being said and what is being done. In his missal he follows the ceremonies and repeats the prayers which have come down to us from saint and scholar and from the Apostles themselves.

Another method is to unite yourself with Christ, the Chief Priest. Offer Mass for the desires of His Sacred Heart. Just as the priest has a special intention for each Mass, so you should have some special desire or inten­tion each time you attend. Make that intention thoughtfully and clearly. Offer this very Mass for something definite - your family, your friends, the conversion of the world, universal peace. There are thousands of pos­sible intentions.

Another method is to offer Mass for the four purposes of sacrifice, namely, to adore God, to thank God, to ask favors of God, and to beg God's pardon. To adore God means to tell Him in thought, word and action that He is above everyone and above everything. He is supreme. The Mass does that. To thank God means to express your gratitude for His countless blessings of soul and body, especially for the Eucharist. As Mass is the best time to adore and thank God, it is also the best time to ask for favors and to beg for pardon. We offer God the Gift most pleasing to Him, His own Divine Son, asking Him for material and spiritual blessings, and begging His pardon for failing to use His gifts properly in the past.

Others find it inspiring to recall the rich and thrilling meaning of every action performed by the priest. To understand the ceremonies of the Mass requires some study, but such a study will be a labor of love to one who wants to get the most out of the Holy Sacrifice.

Some attend Mass with the thought of Calvary in mind. They picture themselves at the foot of the cross. They hear His dying words, they catch His dying breath. The Mass is Calvary re-presented. ­

Most prayer-books offer several methods of attending Mass. Find the method best suited to your talents and training. I repeat: The best way is with your missal, but I do not condemn those who have their favorite prayers and devotions. Let Grandma lisp her loving prayers, even though they are not literally the same as those said at the altar.

I even hold a brief for the Catholic who prays his rosary during Mass, if he prays it with thought. The Creed is a part of Mass. The Our Father is a part of Mass. The Hail Mary recalls Christ's coming: He comes in the Mass. The Glory Be pays tribute to the Trinity, present in a special way during the Holy Sacrifice. The mysteries, glad, sad, and glorious, call back scenes which are of the essence of Mass.

But I do insist that without a prayer-book or rosary it is almost impossible to keep one's mind upon the Mass. I urge you all, I beg you all to be intelligent, thoughtful, mentally alert during Holy Mass. Hear every Mass, as if it were your last. Serious as that may seem, it will bring you the joy Christ promises. Amen.
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Adapted from Talks on the Mass
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (© 1950)