"Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the holiest act of religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more nor profit your soul more than devoutly assisting at it, and assisting as often as possible." 

-- St. Peter Julian Eymard

Have you ever heard of "the more we attend Mass, the holier we will become"? It's true that if you know and understand the priceless value of the hidden treasure* and mystery of the Holy Mass, you definitely can't resist to attend as frequent as you would.

Each time we receive Holy Communion, we are receiving sanctifying grace. The Catechism states that sanctifying grace is God's own life in our souls. Grace makes us holy and pleasing to God. If received properly, these graces help increase our faith, help us to live how God wants us to, and lessens our inclination to sin.

The following are some excerpts taken from the book entitled “Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” by Fr Martin Cochem. Hopefully they will help our readers to understand the graces and benefits of devout attendance in Holy Mass, Traditional Latin Mass in particular.

1.      For thy salvation God the Father sends His beloved Son down from Heaven.

2.      For thy salvation the Holy Spirit changes bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ.

3.      For thy sake the Son of God comes down from Heaven and conceals Himself under the form of the Sacred Host.

4.      He even abases Himself to such an extent as to be present in the minutest particle of the Sacred Host.

5.      For thy salvation He renews the saving mystery of the Incarnation.

6.      For thy salvation He is born anew into the world in a mystic manner whenever Holy Mass is celebrated.

7.      For thy salvation he performs upon the altar the same acts of worship that He performed when on earth.

8.      For thy salvation He renews His bitter Passion in order that thou mayst participate in it.

9.      For thy salvation He mystically renews His Death, and sacrifices for thee His precious life.

10.   For thy salvation He sheds His Blood in a mystic manner, and offers it up for thee to the Divine Majesty.

11.    With this precious Blood He sprinkles thy soul, and purifies it from every stain.

12.   For thee Christ offers Himself as a true burnt-offering, and renders to the God head the   supreme honour which is its due.

13.    By offering this act of worship to God thou dost make reparation for the glory which thou hast   failed to give Him.

14.    For thee Christ offers Himself to God as a sacrifice of praise, thus atoning for thy omissions in   praising His Holy Name.

15.    By offering to God this oblation which Christ offers thou givest Him greater praise than do the   holy angels.

16.    For thee Christ offers Himself as a perfect sacrifice of thanksgiving, making compensation for   all failures on thy part to render thanks.

17.    By offering to God Christ’s act of thanksgiving thou dost make ample acknowledgment of all   the benefits He has bestowed on thee.

18.    For thee Christ offers Himself as the all-powerful victim, reconciling thee to the God Whom   thou hast offended.

19.    He pardons thee all thy venial sins, provided thou art firmly resolved to forsake them.

20.    He also makes reparation for many of thy sins in omission, when thou didst leave undone the   good thou mightiest have done.

21.    He removes many of the imperfections attaching to thy good deeds.

22.    He forgives thee the sins, unknown or forgotten, which thou hast never mentioned in   confession.

23.    He offers Himself as a victim to make satisfaction for a part at least of thy debts and   transgressions.

24.    Each time thou hearest Mass thou canst do more to pay the penalty due to thy sins than by the severest work of penance.

25.    Christ places to thy credit a portion of His merits, which thou mayst offer to God the Father in   expiation of thy offences.

26.    For thee Christ offers Himself as the most efficacious peace-offering, interceding for thee as   earnestly as He interceded for His enemies on the Cross.

27.    His precious Blood pleads for thee in words as countless as the drops which issued from His   sacred veins.

28.    Each of the Adorable Wounds His sacred Body bore is a voice calling aloud for mercy for thee.

29.    For the sake of this propitiatory victim the petitions proffered during Mass will be granted far   sooner than those that are proffered at other times.

30.    Never canst thou pray so well as whilst present at Mass.

31.    This is so because Christ unites His prayers to thine, and offers them to His Heavenly Father.

32.    He acquaints Him with thy needs and the dangers to which thou art exposed, and makes thy   eternal salvation His particular concern.

33.    The angels also, who are present, plead for thee, and present thy poor prayers before the   throne of God.

34.    On thy behalf the priest says Mass, by virtue of which the evil enemy will not be suffered to   approach thee.

35.    For thee and for thy everlasting salvation he says Mass, and offers that Holy Sacrifice to God   Almighty.

36.    When thou hearest Mass, thou art thyself in spirit a priest, empowered by Christ to offer the   Mass both for thyself and others.

37.    By offering this Holy Sacrifice thou dost present to the Blessed Trinity the most acceptable of   all oblations.

38.    Thou dost offer an oblation precious indeed, of greater value than all things in Heaven and   earth.

39.    Thou dost offer an oblation precious indeed, for it is none other than God Himself.

40.    By this Sacrifice thou dost honour God as He alone is worthy to be honoured.

41.    By this Sacrifice thou dost give infinite satisfaction to the Most Holy Trinity.

42.    Thou mayst present this glorious oblation as thine own gift, for Christ Himself gave it unto   thee.

43.    When thou hearest Mass aright, thou dost perform an act of highest worship.

44.    By hearing Mass thou dost pay the most profound reverence, the most loyal homage, to the   sacred humanity of Our Lord.

45.    It is the best means whereby to venerate the Passion of Christ, and obtain a share in its fruits.

46.    It is also the best means of venerating the Blessed Mother of God, and increasing her joy.

47.    By hearing Mass thou canst give greater honour to the angels and saints than by reciting   many prayers.

48.    By hearing Mass devoutly thou canst also enrich thy soul more than by aught else in the world.

49.    For in this act thou dost perform a good work of the highest value.

50.    It is a signal exercise of pure faith, which will receive a great reward.

51.    When thou dost bow down before the Sacred Host and the Sacred Chalice, thou dost perform   a supreme act of adoration.

52.    For each time that thou dost gaze reverently upon the Sacred Host thou wilt receive a   recompense in Heaven.

53.    Each time thou dost smite thy breast with compunction some of thy sins are remitted to thee.

54.    If thou hearest Mass in a state of mortal sin, God offers thee the grace of conversion.

55.    If thou hearest Mass in a state of grace, God gives thee an augmentation of grace.

56.    In Holy Mass thou dost spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and drink His blood.

57.    Thou art privileged to behold with thine eyes Christ hidden under the sacramental veil, and to   be beheld by Him.

58.    Thou dost receive the priest’s benediction, which is confirmed by Christ in Heaven.

59.    Through thy diligence in hearing Mass thou wilt also obtain corporal and temporal blessings.

60.    Furthermore, thou wilt be preserved from many misfortunes that would otherwise befall thee.

61.    Thou wilt also be strengthened against temptations which would otherwise have vanquished   thee.

62.    Holy Mass will also be to thee a means of obtaining the grace of a holy death.

63.    The love thou hast shown for holy Mass wilt secure for thee the special succour of angels and   saints in thy last moments.

64.    The remembrance of the Masses heard in thy life-time will be a sweet solace to thee in the   hour of death and inspire thee with confidence in the Divine Mercy.

65.    They will not be forgotten when thou dost stand before the strict Judge, and will incline Him to   show thee favour.

66.    Thou needest not fear a long and terrible purgatory if thou hast already to a great extent   atoned for thy sins by frequently assisting at Holy Mass.

67.    One Mass devoutly heard will do more to mitigate the pains of purgatory than any act of   penance, however difficult of performance.

68.    One Mass in thy lifetime will be of greater service to thee than many said for thee after death.

69.    Thou wilt attain a high place in Heaven, which will be thine to all eternity.

70.    Thy felicity in heaven will, moreover, be increased by every Mass thou hearest on earth.

71.    No prayers offered for thy friends will be as efficacious as a single Mass heard and offered on   their behalf.

72.    Thou canst amply recompense all thy benefactors by hearing Mass for their intention.

73.    The best help, the greatest consolation, thou canst afford the afflicted, the sick, they dying, is   to hear Mass for them.

74.    By this same means thou canst even obtain for sinners the grace of conversion.

75.    Thou canst also earn for all faithful Christians saving and salutary graces.

76.    For the suffering souls in purgatory thou canst procure abundant refreshment.

77.    And if it is not within thy power to have Mass said for thy departed friends thou canst by devout
       assistance at the holy sacrifice release them from the tormenting flames.

You may click on the following PDF for the full version of Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

* Suggested reading - The Hidden Treasure: Holy Mass by St. Leonard of Port Maurice

"All the steps we take to hear Mass are counted by the Holy Angles and that person will be given a high reward by God in this life and in eternity."

-- St. Augustine

To all my Catholic friends and dear ones:

After knowing how beneficial and consolation to you and your loved ones by attending Mass, and the importance it is to our eternal happiness, you may want to find out what can we do to get prepare, to participate better and even more appropriate with all our mind and strength.

If you are invited to a royal banquet, you should be aware that somethings need to be well prepared. Holy Mass is far more serenity than what we see and imagine. Let's read and feel what Holy Mass is to you by a quote of St. Francis of Assisi -- "Man should tremble, the world should vibrate, all Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest."

Etiquette is not only about behaviour at a party or formal meeting. There is also Mass Etiquette which is neglected. Below are 30 most important things to remember at Mass:

1. Faithful Christian must fast for at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion (the Eucharist). The only exceptions are medicine, water or unless someone is ill and needs to eat sooner.
2. Never chew gum in Church. It breaks your fast.
3. Don't pack a snack basket for kids. It's no picnic. The only exceptions would be milk for infants, water for the priest or choir and the sick.
4. Dress modestly. Mass is not a fashion show, Christmas and Easter Mass in particular. One should always dress in a way that gives witness to your faith and not to seduce anyone.
5. Arrive early and be as close to the altar as possible. Don't walk in when half the Mass is over.
6. Cross yourself with Holy Water on entering and leaving the church. This is a reminder of our Baptism, which made us members of Christ's Church.
7. When we enter and leave church, genuflect (bow your knee) toward the Tabernacle. Christ is present for our sake. By allowing our right knee to hit the floor, we acknowledge He is our Lord and God. If someone is physically unable to genuflect, then a bow is sufficient. During Mass, if you pass in front of the altar or Tabernacle, bow reverently.
8. Observe silence. Avoid any distractions eg. Bite your nails, shake your legs or fidget with your hair...etc. It is wrong to focus on any other person or object when the focus should be on God alone.
9. Pray while waiting for the Holy Mass to begin.
10. Mobile phones should never be used during Mass for checking messages, making calls or texting. Keep them on silent mode. 
11. Youngsters should offer their seats to the pregnant, sick or aged who are standing.
12. Sit quietly in church. Don't talk or comment on others.
13. Take loud children behind. Sometimes the baby will be restless. Parents with young kids should sit at the end of a pew, so that you can take the kid behind quickly. Don't joke with them and disturb others during Mass. Stop them from playing with hymn books and reading material. Don't joke nor play with toddlers during Mass.
14. Actively and reverently participate.
15. Sing with the choir.
16. Participate with the Responses.
17. Prayerfully listen to the Gospel Proclamation.
18. Attentively listen to the Homily.
19. Focus your attention to the entire Mass celebration.
20. Prepare your offering before Mass. Christ tells us not to let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. When you make your offering, keeping the basket while you get your wallet out can be quite a scene. Digging the basket for change is wrong. Come to Mass with your offering prepared.
21. No sleeping, day dreaming, bulletin reading or saying the Rosary during Mass. Pay attention to God's Word.
22. Respect the worship. Stand during the Gospel Reading and other set time during worship. Kneel at the Consecration, it is part of worship. The only exceptions are for the sick, people with knee problems, aged and those with infants. If you can't kneel, occupy a pew that does not obstruct the view of the Lord from those who do kneel.
23. Bear in mind that in each Holy Mass Jesus is present as in the Last Supper**.
24. Say Amen and bow or genuflect before receiving Holy Communion, you are before God. Do not drop the Host, or play with it with your tongue or bite it but receive it reverently.
25. After Holy Communion, kneel and dialogue with Jesus in your mind and heart.
26. Sing or pray the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) reverently.
27. Say “Thanks be to God” after the Final Blessing with grateful heart.
28. Do not leave early. We should stay to the end of the Final Blessing and the Recessional Hymn that accompanies it, if there is one. Remember who left the Last Supper early (Judas).
29. Pray after Mass, thanking God for His abundant blessings.
30. Leave quietly. We encourage you to visit others especially your pastors as a part of Christian fellowship, but once you are outside of the main sanctuary of the church so you won’t disturb others who want to stay and pray. You may share with your family or companion the learning or impact of the Readings, Homily and Mass had on you.

** Mass is the sacrifice of sacrifices because it is the sacrifice of God for us. There is NO better activity that anyone in the entire world can do than to attend a Mass in the state of grace, and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we become living tabernacles of God after Communion. Through time and space, we connect with the original Last Supper (the Church does not re-sacrifice Jesus at each Mass; rather, each Mass is a re-creation of the original Mass.)

We may have not always behaved well during Mass, but it’s never too late to learn and exercise them. Let’s share this with all, to know how important it is to behave well in church.

May God bless you and your loved ones.

Prayer for Priests

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