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Attend Mass with Greater Devotion

by Rev. Fr. Dominic Radecki, CMRI

Originally published in The Reign of Mary, No. 132 (Fall 2008)

St. Francis de Sales described the Mass as “the most holy, sacred and royal sacrifice… the center of the Christian religion, the heart of devotion, the soul of piety; an ineffable mystery which embraces the untold depths of divine charity, and in which God, giving Himself to us, bestows upon us freely all His favors and graces.” According to Fr. Frederick Faber, “The traditional Mass of the Roman rite is the most beautiful thing this side of heaven.”

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most important action in the Catholic religion. During the Consecration of the Mass bread and wine are changed by the priest into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Then They are offered to God in sacrifice.

The Mass is offered to God for four reasons:

1. adoration (to love and worship God)
2. thanksgiving (to thank God for His goodness and love)
3. petition (to ask God for what we need or for what others need)
4. satisfaction (to make amends for our sins).

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the perfect prayer because it does each of these four things in the way that pleases God best. When we assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass devoutly in the state of grace we obtain great graces. That is why it is obligatory for Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

Many Catholics attend Mass at the same time in the same church each Sunday, but not all derive the same spiritual advantage, nor receive the same graces. One person can gain greater treasures of grace in one Mass than another who hears 10, 20 or 30 Masses, if the former has more devotion, reverence and love of God during the one Mass than the other in the many Masses.

During the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each soul receives grace according to his capacity, disposition and preparation. Accordingly, if we could see the state of peoples’ souls as they come out of church, we would find a great difference among them. Some return home with an immense increase of sanctifying grace because their souls gather the infinite treasures of the Mass by their recollection, devotion and prayerful spirit. Others, who had once strayed from God, are converted during Mass because of their humble and contrite spirit. Many go away from church just as spiritually poor and miserable as when they came, because they fail to draw from the inexhaustible fountain of grace and, thus, do not gain the least merit. Sadly, some wretched souls come away from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass more spiritually deformed and hardened in guilt than before due to their willful distractions, irreverence and apathy.

Fr. Hunolt states that those who attend Mass without devotion will receive little or no grace. “For what advantage can they expect who hear holy Mass through… routine? Who are present in body only, while their minds and hearts are a thousand miles away? Who …have neither a lively faith nor a good supernatural intention? Who, during the whole time of Mass almost, allow their thoughts, desires and eyes to roam about unchecked?”

It can be compared to a man who finds a vast treasure but does not bother to pick it up, or one who tries to take water from a spring with a vessel full of holes, so that not a drop remains within it.

“What advantage can such people expect to find in the holy Mass? Truly, the only treasure they will gain from it will be that of which St. Paul speaks: ‘But according to thy hardness and unrepentant heart, thou dost treasure up to thyself wrath on the day of wrath and of the revelation of the just judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his works’ (Rom. 2: 5-6).”

The devils have an indescribable hatred for the Mass because it is an unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of the Cross which inflicted the greatest harm on Satan and his efforts to ruin souls. The evil spirits are fully aware of the great spiritual blessings which are imparted to the Church, the faithful and the world during Mass. Therefore, they strive to inspire us to tepidity and carelessness during Mass, so that, instead of benefiting by it, we offend and dishonor Almighty God.

Pico de la Mirandole stated that although the evil spirits relentlessly attempt to distract us during Holy Mass, they do not disturb heretics, heathens and infidels at their religious services “because those rites give the devil little trouble; they are false sacrifices from which men have little good to hope; and therefore he does not interfere in such superstitious practices; nay, since the honor of them comes to him alone, he tries to increase the devotion and reverence of those present at them.”

“Since the devil knows well that the holy Mass… is of the greatest advantage to the faithful there is nothing he desires more than to keep them from it altogether, or, if he cannot succeed in this, to inspire them with such tepidity and carelessness that, instead of benefiting them, it will rather be a means of adding to their sins and increasing their damnation.”

Jesus Christ declared, “My house is a house of prayer.” The church is the special place for prayer because it is the house of God. Almighty God dwells in our churches as in no other place on earth. Our Divine Lord remains in the tabernacle in order to dispense His mercy, grace and love upon us. Under the humble appearance of bread He conceals His greatness and His majesty so that we may approach Him fearlessly and with full confidence. The church is truly the most suitable place for prayer; in no other place can we pray so well.

On a practical note, parents must keep in mind that children should be taught that it is not acceptable for them to act the same way in church as they do elsewhere. The church is a sacred place; therefore, they should not be allowed to behave at will. A sense of respect and reverence can only be imparted to children if their parents possess it them­selves. Unfortunately, we live in a very permissive age in which just about anything goes. This permissiveness is often reflected in the behavior of today’s children. It is important, therefore, that, from a very early age, children should be shown that the church is a very special place different from all others.

Some parents do not seem to think that childish prattling, fussiness, whimpering, short bursts of yelling out, tantrum fits, willful behavior and even eating during Mass are matters about which to be concerned. Because parents may be used to putting up with this kind of behavior at home, they sincerely do not realize that it can be extremely disruptive and disturbing to those who are trying to focus on the prayers of the Mass and meditate upon the great miracle taking place: that bread and wine are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. But far more important than lack of consideration for those present is the affront to Almighty God. This is especially magnified when such behavior is allowed even during the Consecration itself.

Before anyone takes affront at this, please consider this comparison. If you have to make an extremely important presentation for your boss, on which depended your job, and your children were with you, would you allow them to behave as they wished in his office, tearing up envelopes, shouting and interrupting the focus and attention of the important matter at hand? Almighty God is far more important than anyone on earth whom we might hope to impress. Perhaps because He is so loving and forgiving, we tend to take advantage of Him and make Him conform to our lifestyle rather than we to His will.

If you have your small children with you at Mass, please take immediate action when a child first disrupts and acts out. This will not only let the child know that his behavior is unacceptable but also that church is different from elsewhere. It will help instill in him a reverence for what takes place during Mass and will establish a habit of behavior pleasing to both you and God as your child grows older. Moreover, if children are accustomed to family prayer at home and are instructed about the prayers and ceremonies of the Mass, they will develop a love for prayer and will be well behaved in church. It is the parents’ responsibility to administer appropriate corrective action each time a disturbance occurs during Mass. If the corrective action does not stop the distracting noise or behavior, please take your child outside immediately.

Parents need to also remember that in order to fulfill the obligation of attending Mass on a Sunday or holy day, one must be present for the Offertory, the Consecration and the priest’s communion. One who is absent for any one of these three essential parts does not fulfill his obligation of Mass attendance. This makes control of children quite necessary since a parent would not want to have to remove a child during any one of these required periods for this would mean that the parent has not fulfilled his Sunday obligation. Also, if babysitting is offered at the church, please do not go back and forth to check on your children, as this will interrupt your attendance at Mass, distract others and defeat the whole purpose of babysitting.

In some churches, a cry room is available, or pews in the back of the church are reserved for parents with small children. Others should remember that these pews are reserved for this purpose and should not occupy them.

But let us return now to our consideration of the treasures of grace which are available to us in the Mass. Once, as Fr. Alvarez was absorbed in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, he beheld a vision of the Child Jesus in the Sacred Host. Our Infant Savior extended His tiny arms toward the priest and in His hands there sparkled as many precious pearls and gems as He could hold. Then the Christ Child said, “If only someone were here to take them from Me.” It is during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that Our Lord dispenses these choicest graces, if only our hearts are disposed to receive them.

Suppose that someone was told that there was a million dollars, tax-free, waiting for him 500 miles away; all that he had to do was to get there, pick it up and it was his. That person would do whatever was necessary to claim his treasure. Yet, how many Catholics are complacent and even culpably negligent when it comes to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! Sometimes they attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and other times they don’t. Sometimes they arrive late and leave early. If something else comes up, they just skip Mass. If people truly believed that the Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, would they not make any sacrifice necessary to receive Him in Holy Communion?

If you live some distance from the church and are tempted to excuse yourself from your Sunday obligation, remember how the people who traveled great distances to see and hear Christ were rewarded by the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Our Lord will multiply grace upon grace for your least effort to love and honor Him. Reflect often, then, upon the inestimable treasures that He holds out to you in every Mass, and make it your firm resolve to draw as many graces as possible from this inexhaustible fountain whenever you attend the Holy Sacrifice.