How we can receive more from the Mass - 1 (being prepared)

In this series of short reflections, we will explore how we can get more from the Mass that we celebrate each Sunday.  We won’t go through the Mass in a strict order, but today we will look at the beginning.  And the beginning……is before we even leave our homes and head for church.

If we think of football supporters (please stay with me here), they don’t suddenly start thinking of the match when they take their seats in the stadium; they have been thinking about it all week.  They will most likely have been reading about the team, checking up on injuries, interviews given by the manager, etc.  They may have thought about the tactics for them to win.  The day of the match will be a conscious buildup of anticipation – this is not just another day of the week.  They will greet their fellow supporters, they will sing their songs, they will ‘kick every ball’ even though they are not on the pitch.  And their emotions will be heightened as the drama unfolds before them.

We can learn from this.  We, too, come together as the local Church, we greet each other, we sing our songs, we closely focus on the readings and the prayers, and we respond to what happens before us.  If we are to get more from the Mass, then we cannot only think about it when we take our seats in church.  Neither can we simply allow the Mass to happen, while we are merely physically present – we must be as engaged and involved as the football supporter; with all our hearts and minds.

In future reflections, we will explore how we can do this.