Prepare and Proclaim: Enriching our Mass Experience
UNL Newman Center "Teaching Mass"
To explain the deeper meaning behind the symbols, prayers and actions of the Mass. St. Thomas Aquinas - Newman Center at UNL offers a Teaching Mass as part of its OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program to help students deepen their understanding of Catholic liturgy. The "Teaching Mass" is a regular Mass where the priest pauses to provide explanations, and this guide is provided to accompany the experience.
Preparing for Mass
- Days Ahead
- Read the Mass Readings from the USCCB
- Look for what ties the readings together, there is usually a common thread. (Watch: Finding Christ on Every Page of Scripture)
- Listen for what God is trying to tell you … this is His word speaking to you directly.
- The Day of Mass
- Arrive early and sit close to the front – it helps both children and adults stay focused. (Watch: Contemplating God's Beauty through Scripture and Art)
- Call on the Holy Spirit to open your heart, mind, and soul to God.
- Bring a journal and listen for key scriptures or thoughts from the homily that speak to you. Jot them down to meditate on over the coming week.
- If you do get distracted, acknowledge it, and focus your attention back on the Mass.
- The Time Before Mass
- Pray Prayers Before and After Mass (or download as PDF).
- Read the Collect or opening prayer of the Sunday in the missallette.
- Prepare your intentions for the Mass - What do I want to pray for when the Priest invites us to pray?
Dr. Joshua McManaway
“Reading Scripture as a Christian: Finding Christ on Every Page”
Carolyn Pirtle
Contemplating God's Beauty through Scripture and Art
Preparing for this Sunday
- Sunday Connection - activities and reflections for Families and all Grade Levels to connect to the Sunday Reading
- Holy Heroes Sunday Mass Prep - a weekly video and activities to assist your children (and whole family) in preparing for the upcoming Sunday Mass together
- Emmaus Institute: Opening the Word - a video short commenting on the Sunday readings by the Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies
- SOLT Liturgy Prep - reflections on the Sunday readings from Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity members
- Preach Podcast - preachers unpack the making of their homily
- Sundays with Ascension - Encountering the Word w/ Jeff Cavins and Homilies w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz
Preparing for Mass Resources
- “The Perfect Prayer: The Mass”, a brand-new video series with Fr. Boniface Hicks and Christopher Carstens at SpiritualDirection.com
- A Step-by-Step Walk Through the Mass by Fr. Luke Spannagel at EucharisticRevival.org
- 20 Ways to prepare for Mass at bridgeportdiocese.org
- How do I prepare for Mass on Sunday? at creighton.edu
For your Purchase
- Word on Fire’s The Mass Video Series - Walk through the Liturgy with Bishop Barron and be transformed though insights on this most privileged and intimate encounter with our Lord
- Scott Hahn's Parousia: The Bible and the Mass - Discover how God’s actions throughout salvation history find their fulfillment in the Mass
From the Southern Nebraska Register
-
‘I don’t get anything out of Mass’ — I and II
- Preparation for Mass a great way to experience a ‘winning’ Sunday
- Why do we have an obligation to attend Mass? - I and II
- Why do Catholics have to go to Mass on Sunday?
- Is Mass is Boring or are We?
Ask the Register Q&A
- Ask the Register: Can you explain what the word ‘Mass’ means?
- Ask the Register: how can I be more focused in prayer and at Mass?
- Ask the Register: different Eucharistic prayers?
- Ask the Register: which Mass "counts"?
- Ask the Register: is the vigil Mass 'worse'?
- Ask the Register: vigil Mass time?
- Ask the Register: do I gain grace watching Mass on TV?
- Ask the Register: should I ever leave a Mass?
- Ask the Register: how do I bring up the gifts?
- Ask the Register: late to Mass?
- Ask the Register: holy water after Mass?
- Ask the Register: does coffee violate the Eucharistic fast?
- Ask the Register: Are non-Catholics permitted to take up the gifts at Mass?
Links to Additional Resources
- Compelling Preaching Initiative / McGrath Institute for Church Life
- Books of the Bible in a Minute by Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies
- Jesus and the Eucharist by the National Eucharistic Revival - a dynamic, 7-session small group video study series designed to help you explore the mystery of the Eucharist and connect with your fellow parishioners as you fall deeper in love with our Eucharistic Lord.
- Read “A Biblical Walk Through the Mass” by Dr. Edward Sri or Watch the Video Presentations (Online Access)
- Read “Understanding the Mass: 100 Questions, 100 Answers” by Mike Aquilina
- 8 Elements of a Phenomenal Homily by Dr. Tom Neal at Word on Fire
- Active Participation: A Recommendation by Dr. Richard DeClue at Word on Fire
McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame presents
Dr. Joshua McManaway
“Reading Scripture as a Christian: Finding Christ on Every Page”
Description: The Bible often seems bewildering with so many books written in different languages across many centuries. What is it that ties these books together as a single, coherent story of God's saving action in the world? The New Testament authors understood that Jesus Christ stood at the center of the Bible's story, especially in the books we now regard as the Old Testament. This talk discusses how the New Testament and early Church read the Old Testament to find Christ on every page.
Carolyn Pirtle
Contemplating God's Beauty through Scripture and Art
Description: At every Mass, we hear the Scriptures proclaimed, the "living and effective" Word of God. But sometimes, we can struggle to hear and receive that Word fully, to discern what God is trying to say to us. Come and learn how the beauty of art can help you not only to encounter the Scriptures in a new way, but also to deepen your relationship with the One who is speaking to you: the living God.
