How to Pray During MASS?

Written by Benoît Santos - Updated on Oct 26, 2024

Praying at Mass

The prayer of the Mass is the fully conscious and active participation in the Eucharist. It is the prayerful engagement in the Mass, aided by proper understanding, preparation, and the application of its power and blessings to our lives.

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Preparation for Mass

We can prepare well for Mass in general by studying the structure and prayers of the Mass so that our participation is better informed. Furthermore, the more our lives are in conformity with the Gospel, the more we will enjoy the Mass.

We can prepare well for a particular Mass by going to confession and arriving in time to pray before Mass. If we receive Communion , we must abstain for at least one hour beforehand from all food and drink except water and medicines.

During the mass

One can participate well in the Mass generally by being attentive and uniting one's own interior prayers with the words, actions and gestures of the priest. It is also important to: respond and sing clearly; listen attentively; try to understand what is happening; maintain prayerful silence; receive the Eucharist with the greatest reverence and genuflect respectfully.

After Mass

It is good to spend a few minutes in prayer in church after Mass. It is a way of thanking God for His blessings. It also allows us to keep in mind the resolutions we have made so that the power of the sacrament may be fruitful in our lives.

Difficulty praying Mass

It makes no sense. The Mass is rich with meaning and it is unlikely that it will make immediate sense. Patience, prayer and study help us appreciate its greatness.

Boredom . Mass is a prayer and something we need for our souls. It is not mere entertainment. However, in practice it will engage us deeply if we pay attention to the words and think and pray about what they mean.

Inability to receive Communion . If we are aware of a grave sin, we should not receive Communion without first making Sacramental Confession. However, there is great value in devoutly attending Mass even when we cannot receive Communion. We can still make a 'spiritual communion'.

The most important help in praying the Mass is to realize the supernatural and miraculous dimension of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the presence of heaven. At Mass we join the heavenly liturgy of which the New Testament speaks.

You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to angels innumerable gathered together in celebration, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel. (Heb 12:22-24)

The composition of the mass

Introductory Rite

The Mass begins with the sign of the cross, to commend the sacrifice to the Trinity. In the penitential rite, all ask forgiveness for their sins in order to be able to participate worthily in the Eucharist . The Gloria, a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, is followed by the opening prayer.

Liturgy of the Word

Readings from the Old and New Testaments, including the Psalm, are proclaimed. The priest or deacon reads the Gospel, on the words and life of Christ. The homily explains a point from the readings or from the teaching of the faith. Then comes the creed, a public prayer and a profession of faith. Finally, the needs of the Church and the world are brought before God in the intercessions .

Liturgy of the Eucharist

At the offertory, the faithful offer bread and wine as a sign of their own sacrifice which will be offered by the priest. The preface gives thanks to the Father for his work of salvation and the Sanctus unites it with the heavenly worship of the angels and saints. At the epiclesis, the priest extends his hands over the gifts and invokes the Holy Spirit to sanctify and transform them. When the priest pronounces the words of consecration, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. He raises the host and the precious blood for adoration . In the remainder of the Eucharistic prayer, the priest recalls the paschal mystery made present in the Mass and intercedes for the living and the dead. Finally, he raises the host and the precious blood in a gesture of sacrifice and prays the doxology. The faithful assent with an 'Amen'.

Communion Rite

The faithful pray together the Our Father and express their unity and forgiveness in the Sign of Peace. While all pray to the Lamb of God, the priest breaks the host. Once the priest has lifted the host, all acknowledge their unworthiness and the healing mercy of God . The priest then receives Holy Communion and distributes it to the people.