Holy Eucharist

3 Mistakes We make at Mass

by Melody Laila

(01) Come in Late: Can you imagine if you were given the chance to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama? Regardless of what your political views are, it would be a great honor & opportunity that no one would miss. Most likely, you’d pick your clothes out carefully, if you’re a woman, you’d probably also get your hair done, you’d ‘casually’ let it slip that you were going to meet the president (or perhaps not so casually, by blogging about it!). Whatever you’d do however, this is one thing you would not do: you would not be late.
You’d probably even be very early, just so that you could get a good place if possible & to make sure the security checks didn’t make you run behind time. All this to meet with a human being.
And when we’re given the Amazing, Miraculous, Divine honor & opportunity to meet with & receive Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of Mass, what do we do?
Often times we do it on automatic, routinely, just doing what we have to do to complete an obligation. I’ve been late to Mass one time too many. If I say I love the Lord and if I truly believe He’s really present during Mass, then how can I be late, no matter what the human justification?
To combat this area, I now pick out my clothes the night before (helps especially since I go for an early Mass on Sunday). I also aim to reach church a whole 15 minutes before Mass starts - that way even if I get 5 to 10 minutes before Mass starts, it helps me settle in & pray before, rather than run in all huffing & puffing just in time or miss anything because I’m late.



(02) Paid more attention to the Punctuation & Pronunciation of the Reader than the Reading: I fancy myself a good orator. And so, many times when the lector (churcy term for the person who reads the readings during Mass) makes a mistake in pronunciation or the like, instead of letting it go & concentrating on what the Lord is saying to me, I have laughed in my head. Or wondered how “these people” can go to read.
This shameful pride of mine is just the door Satan needs to enter into me and steal away the precious gifts the Lord intends to give to me during the Reading of His most Holy Word during Mass.
To combat this area, I consciously ask the Lord to remove all pride from me & if my focus does shift off the reading to the reader, I ask the Lord for pardon & consciously try to focus on the reading again.

(03) Post Communion Fashion Parade: Am quiet ashamed to say I ever did this, but yet it is true. There was a time that after communion, I’d settle down & quite happily look at whatever everyone else receiving communion & walking down the aisle - or the fashion ramp in my head - was wearing. Worse still, I’d judge them: “too skimpy for church / what, no time to get out of tracks? / too fat to be wearing that!” Yes, I know. I was horrible.

Mercifully the Lord pardons all sinners who’re truly repentant - which means those who are not only sorry but also make a concerted effort to not repeat the sin.
And to this extent, I now sit on the first pew & pretty much kneel & close my eyes until well after communion is over.
As an added benefit of doing this, I’m able to concentrate on praying after communion better and the whole experience of receiving the real Presence of our Lord is now a valued one. Have noted only three mistakes, but there are so many other things we are all sometimes guilty of:

* Being distracted by the Choir / Cantor / Musicians (for no fault of theirs)
* Being judgmental about the Priest celebrating / giving Holy communion
* Being distracted by other people in Mass (again for no fault of theirs)
* Not actually praying the prayers, but only saying them automatically like a machine
* Rushing off before the last hymn is sung!
* Fussing about with children during Mass - good tip: sit near the exits so that in event of an emergency / crying baby, you can leave without a big to-do!
* Keeping Cell phones on during Mass!
* Talking to person near by during Mass
* Fussing about with hair / adjusting clothes too much

Remember Holy Mass is a Community form of prayer - if we fail to do our part, besides You are preserved from dangers and misfortunes which otherwise might have befallen you. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs despite you not realising it. nce, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's Goodness and asked Our Lord "How can I thank you?" Our Lord replied, "ATTEND ONE MASS."