For many Catholics, it can be so easy to just treat Mass as something that is simply part of their weekly routine. Some might see it as a chore that they’re required to complete for the sake of getting into Heaven.

I think this problem is only made worse in a world where everyone wants everything on demand and people cannot bring themselves to give more than an hour of their lives to the Lord each week. Even an hour is too much for some who end up seeking out a ‘quick’ Mass. They treat it like something that is necessary yet not incredibly important, like getting lunch from a fast-food place. They want something quick and easy so they can get back to what they want to do.

The lack of respect for God in our modern culture is bad enough as it is in secular society. It becomes more difficult to deal with when we have Catholics who have such a disregard for their faith and merely treat it as a free ticket to eternal life.

That’s not good enough.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is so much more than just a show you have to watch every week. It’s the re-presentation of the selfless sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross on Calvary. It is so Scripturally rich and so breathtakingly beautiful. Every week we are given the privilege of being a part of something that is far greater than us, far greater than we ever will be. It is Heaven on Earth.

The Mass is our taste of what Heaven will one day be like, when, God-willing, we will get to attend the Heavenly Wedding Banquet of Christ the Bridegroom and His Bride, the Church. We are so incredibly blessed to have even a taste of that. God could have left us with nothing when Christ ascended back into Heaven. Instead, He gave us the Mass, so that we could remember and commemorate the sacrifice of His Son for ever until this world passes away.

When we attend Mass, we should dress well. We are the Church, the Bride of Christ. The Mass is the celebration of the Lamb’s Supper, and so we must dress as if we are attending our wedding. That doesn’t mean you have to wear a suit and tie. Just make sure it’s something classy and not something incredibly casual. You’re not going to a football match or the movies or an arcade. You’re participating in the greatest sacrifice the world will ever know, the most beautiful ceremony you will ever attend (and you get to attend it every single week, even every day if you so wanted).

In order to prepare properly for Mass, you should be arriving at least 15-30 minutes beforehand. Getting to Mass in a rush is not going to prepare you well for what you are about to take part in. Arriving early will allow you to spend time sitting or kneeling in silence, bringing yourself into a state of prayer and uniting yourself to God, the Angels and Saints, and all His people. You might spend some time meditating on the day’s Readings, or you might prepare by praying the Rosary and meditating on the Mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

Now look, we all have families, and sometimes it can be difficult to arrive early for Mass. Sometimes we’re able to get there just in time. Other times we might arrive after Mass has begun, maybe during the Readings. But we should do the best that we can to arrive at least on time, if not earlier. Arriving early gives us time to speak to God and attune ourselves to His will.

Some Parishes will also have Adoration available prior to Mass, possibly with the Sacrament of Reconciliation available. If this sounds like your Parish, try to go to Adoration so that you can spend more time with Jesus. And, if it’s been a while since your last Confession, visit the Confessional and receive the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.

There are several things we can do during Mass to really make the most of it and deepen our participation and love for the Sacrifice.

Whenever the name of Jesus is said, we should all bow our heads to show respect and reverence His Holy Name. We should also bow our heads at the appropriate time when professing our faith by saying either the Apostle’s Creed or Nicene Creed. Although worded differently, the moment we bow our heads for each of the Creeds is when we recall the Incarnation. For the Apostle’s Creed, this is when we say “who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” For the Nicene Creed, the lines we bow our heads for are “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” I know it seems like it should go without saying, but it might surprise you how many Catholics don’t know when to bow their heads during the Creed. Some don’t even do it at all.

To be quite honest, I think the use of PowerPoints on projector screens at Mass has not helped the faithful to memorise prayers and actually understand what they are saying when they pray those prayers. That is not to say such PowerPoints cannot be used for hymns. But I think it would be better if they were limited to just the hymns, the Responsorial Psalm and Gospel Acclamation, and possibly the Mystery of Faith (although this could even be omitted, allowing for the Priest himself to choose which Acclamation is said or sung).

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t really know the Apostle’s Creed until I actually started praying the Rosary and learnt it by heart. I’ll also admit that I am still familiarizing myself with the Nicene Creed, which I still mix up with the Apostle’s Creed. There have been several times that I have started saying the Nicene Creed and ended up transitioning into the Apostle’s Creed. I think there are quite a lot of Catholics who wouldn’t be able to recite the Creed without reading it off a screen. We should all really be able to say it by heart.

During the Liturgy of the Word, we should listen carefully to the Readings, including the Psalm, and the Gospel. We should also try to take heed of what the Priest or Deacon reflects on in his Homily. There might be something you take from the Readings or the Homily that you can implement in your own life to better live a life of virtue.

When the Priest is saying the prayers of consecration, it is appropriate to bow our heads again, particularly when the Priest is repeating the words that Christ said to His Disciples on the night of the Last Supper. When the Priest elevates the Host we can bow our heads, then look up adoringly at the Body of Our Lord, and then bow our heads again. The same is appropriate when the Priest elevates the Chalice containing the Blood of Christ.

When the Priest is saying the Eucharistic Prayer, it’s worth paying attention to what he’s actually saying. The Eucharistic Prayers are so beautiful. While it may not be said as often, Eucharistic Prayer I is a personal favourite. I just love hearing the names of the Saints. The lines, “a pure victim, a holy victim, a spotless victim” are quite powerful as well. Just think about it – Jesus Christ was pure, holy, and spotless. He did no wrong. He was perfect. And yet He was put to death by the same people He had come to save. He gave His life willingly. That right there is selflessness personified.

After receiving Holy Communion, please don’t leave the church straight away. Spend time in prayer thanking the Lord for allowing you to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist. Thank Him for all He has given to you. Bring your prayers and intentions to Him. Talk to Him. He wants nothing more than to talk to you and have a relationship with you.

Some people will even stay and continue praying after Mass has concluded. If you have a few extra prayers to say or haven’t finished saying your regular ones, you can always just kneel there in front of the Tabernacle and pray. If your Parish is lucky enough to have a 24-hour Adoration Chapel, you might like to visit the Chapel following Mass and speak to Jesus more while looking at Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

My final tip for making the most of Mass is this: don’t rush off after Mass is finished. Stick around. Get to know other Catholics you haven’t met before. Be a part of the community. Good Catholic communities build each other up and help each other to grow in their faith. If you leave immediately after Mass, you might not realise what you’re missing out on.

The Mass is such a beautiful gift from God. We are so privileged to be able to take part in it. The incredible thing is that we are not restricted to taking part only once a week on Sundays. We can go to Mass as often as we would like. Most churches have daily Mass. Some even have more than one Mass available each day. Going to Mass is such an amazing way to enrich your faith and grow in love for God, to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ, to grow in understanding of the Scriptures, and to enhance your prayer life.

We can go to Mass once a week, and that’s fine. But we should be trying to give up more than just a single hour each week for Our Lord. He deserves so much more from us. After all, He gave His life for us so that we might be able to live forever with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Go to Mass as often as you can. But don’t just be a bystander. Be a participant. When the priest offers the sacrifice, offer your own sacrifice within your own heart. We can offer so much to our Lord, and there is no greater occasion on which to do it than at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, when we can unite our sacrifices not only with Christ’s loving sacrifice on the Cross, but with the sacrifices of all those gathered together at the Supper of the Lamb.

May God Bless us all and help us to continue to grow in our devotion and love for the Mass.