{"id":68204,"date":"2018-06-16T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-16T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=68204"},"modified":"2024-02-06T08:31:37","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:31:37","slug":"attending-mass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2018\/06\/16\/attending-mass\/","title":{"rendered":"Attending a Catholic Mass for the first time?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This weekend, a friend of mine will be attending his first Catholic Mass. It got me thinking: What is the best way to prepare someone who will be attending Mass for the first time? What advice might be helpful? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously you’d prepare someone to attend a Catholic Liturgy differently, depending upon the visitor’s religious background. If that person were Eastern Orthodox, he would already have a very good theological grounding to understand the Mass. Depending upon the particular denomination, a Protestant might also understand much, although that’s not guaranteed, particularly if she were from a non-Liturgical tradition. Those of different religions entirely and those with no real exposure to spirituality would likely have a harder time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of all this, it’s rather hard to write a general, suitable-for-all article for someone going to Mass for the first time. Fortunately, I’ve never let either a difficult challenge or my lack of ability hold me back from trying anything, therefore I’m going to give it a go! So, without further ado, here are my top ten tips for those of you attending Mass for the first time…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Turn up in good time<\/strong>
Speaking as someone who has often turned up late for Mass, I can tell you that there are few experiences more awkward than arriving late to church. So, if you don’t want to feel stressed, do yourself a favour and turn up a little early, perhaps fifteen minutes beforehand. Doing this will give you a chance to find a seat, settle in, admire the art, and take in your new surroundings, which may well be very unfamiliar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the remaining time to calm your soul. After all, Catholics claim that, in the Mass, Heaven comes to earth, so it would be good to take a few minutes to quiet yourself and prepare for what you are about to experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure where to sit? I’d suggest somewhere in the front third, so you can clearly see everything going on, but you’ve also got some folks in front of you so you can see what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and don’t forget to turn off your phone as you enter the Church. You don’t want it to be your<\/span> phone blaring Beyonc\u00e9’s “All the single ladies”<\/em> during a quiet moment of prayer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. You won’t understand everything (but that’s okay)<\/strong>
At Mass, we Catholics do things and say things which are likely to seem rather alien to you. Don’t worry, it’ll all become less strange over time. The Mass is based on 2,000 years of Christian theology and practice, and this itself rests on the even older foundation of Judaism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things at the Mass are sometimes initially hard to understand because it is so rich and it has so many layers of meaning. For example, consider incense… Incense is used at Mass for a host of reasons. It is symbolic of our prayers rising to God, but it also harkens back to the incense which was offered in the Jerusalem Temple in Ancient Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can promise you that if you keep coming back each week and start digging into the roots of the Mass, it’ll all start to make sense and you’ll come to discover the profound richness which can be found there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. There’s a script<\/strong>
When you visit, you’ll soon notice that there’s a “script” for Mass. The priest and the people have prescribed parts. The priest will say something (e.g. “The Lord be with you!”<\/span>) and then all the people will respond in unison (e.g. “And with your spirit”<\/span>). These exchanges and prayers have been prayed by the Church for\u00a0over 2,000 years<\/a>\u00a0and are\u00a0worthy of a lifetime of meditation.\u00a0Everything will probably be entirely in English, but there may be a few small parts sung in Latin or Greek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re at a Mass during the week, the service will likely be slightly simplified, with minimal music and with some of the optional parts dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

4. Expect a bit of a workout<\/strong>
Not only is there a “script”, there are “stage directions” too! God made us body and soul. Therefore, at Mass we don’t just think pious thoughts, we also worship with our bodies. This means that we stand<\/span> to hear the words of Christ proclaimed, we sit<\/span> to listen to the priest’s homily and we kneel<\/span> in prayer at Communion. As Marge Simpson famously said about Catholicism, “All of that standing, sitting and kneeling… It’s like ‘Simon Says’ without a winner!”<\/span>. With all these Catholic calisthenics, you won’t need to go to the gym later or, if you do, you can at least probably skip the cardio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Don’t worry about “doing something wrong”<\/strong>
Probably the most common concern I hear from people in anticipation of their first Mass is that they’re afraid they’ll “do something wrong” or stand out in some way. Don’t worry! All you have to do is copy those around you. I suggest finding a pew halfway down the church and then just sit when everyone else sits and stand when they stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only point in the Mass where you’ll actually have to do<\/span> anything is when the Priest or Deacon invites you to turn to the person next to you “and offer one another a sign of peace”<\/span>. Typically this just involves shaking your neighbour’s hand, although it does vary a little in different cultures. If you’re English, this unnecessary touching of strangers is going to be very uncomfortable, but don’t worry, it’ll all be over soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to follow along with the congregation’s responses, they’ll be available in the “missal”, a book which is typically found in the pews. However, I’d generally encourage newcomers not to have their heads stuck in a book for the entire time – I think it’s much better for them to just pay attention to whatever is going on and listen to the words being said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. It’s a game of two halves<\/strong>
The Mass is divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The former part is devoted to prayer, the reading of Sacred Scripture and the priest’s homily, which is his reflection on the Bible passages which have just been read. The latter part of the Mass focuses of Holy Communion, or as it’s more commonly called, The Eucharist. If you’ve been to a Protestant service, the first part of the Mass will probably seem reasonably familiar, but the second half maybe less so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. It’s all about Jesus in the Eucharist<\/strong>
Unless you understand the Catholic belief about the Eucharist, much of the Mass will seem incomprehensible…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is<\/span> the Eucharist? Well, in the part of the Mass known as “The Offertory Procession”, bread and wine (mixed with water) are brought forward and placed on the altar. Catholics believe that, by the authority of Christ, when the priest calls down the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine, while the appearance of bread and wine remain, they are transformed into Jesus’ Body and Blood. By consuming them, we are filled with the Divine Life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the Eucharist illuminates so much of what might be confusing about the Mass. This is why Catholics take the Mass so seriously. This is why we fast from food beforehand. This is why we dress nicely<\/a>. This is why Catholics kneel at Communion and why we bow towards the tabernacle, the shiny box which contains the Eucharist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Come to Communion… once you’ve joined the Catholic Church<\/strong>
Since Catholics believe that Jesus is truly present in the bread and wine, we take the receiving of Holy Communion very seriously. As a result, Communion is restricted to practising Catholics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since you won’t be able to receive Communion, you have a couple of options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(a) Stay put<\/strong>
You can simply stay where you are and people will shuffle past. You can also get out of the pew to make it easier for others in your row to go to Communion. While they are receiving the Eucharist, if you would like, you can make a “spiritual communion” by simply praying the following prayer in your pew:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament [of the Eucharist]. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(b) Go up
<\/strong>Alternatively, you can actually join the Communion line in order to receive a blessing from the priest. You don’t have to be Catholic or even a Christian. You indicate that you wish to receive a blessing by crossing your arms across your body like you’re from Wakanda<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9. Cream and sugar?<\/strong>
Most parishes have coffee and donuts available afterwards. Please come and say hello! Don’t be afraid of identifying yourself as a visitor! Say “Hello” to the priest – he might dress like a ninja, but he’s actually very friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re interested in learning more about the Catholic Church, you might ask about signing up for RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), which is a course that you can freely attend in order to ask more questions about the Catholic Faith. Speaking of which…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Ask questions!
<\/strong>If you were confused or curious about anything you experienced at Mass, don’t be afraid of asking questions. You could ask people at coffee after Mass, or when you meet the priest. And please don’t be afraid of asking questions which you might think are “too basic”, I’m sure they’d love to help. If you somehow don’t manage to find someone to ask, please feel free to leave your question in the Comments Section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agree? Disagree? Is there something else you would say to someone visiting a Catholic parish for the first time? If so, please leave a comment below!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This weekend, a friend of mine will be attending his first Catholic Mass. It got me thinking: What is the best way to prepare someone who will be attending Mass for the first time? What advice might be helpful?  Obviously you’d prepare someone to attend a Catholic Liturgy differently, depending upon the visitor’s religious background. If that person were Eastern Orthodox,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[276,4885,676,2969,223,4886,1097],"class_list":["post-68204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith","tag-catholic","tag-catholic-mass","tag-church","tag-featured","tag-mass","tag-rcia","tag-visit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Catholic-Church-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68204"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87889,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68204\/revisions\/87889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}