I am a cradle Catholic. This means that I was born into a family that practiced Catholicism. I have practiced Catholicism all throughout my life. One area of my faith life that is important to me is to prepare for each Mass that I attend in person each weekend. My reasons for doing this include wanting to be familiar with the Bible passages that will be read during the Mass, having a deeper understanding of my faith, and growing closer to Jesus Christ and developing a more personal relationship with Him.
During a Sunday Mass, a Scripture passage from one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) is read to the congregation. The priest will then give a sermon on this reading. In order to learn more about this Bible passage and know what the priest is going to talk about in reference to the Gospel reading, there are several items I like to do before I arrive at a Catholic Church to attend a Sunday Mass. In no particular order, I enjoy doing the following:
- Read Sunday’s Gospel in the Bible.
- Read Monsignor Jospeh Prior’s Gospel reflection at CatholicPhilly.com. Monsignor Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Penndel, PA.
- Listen to the Gospel video reflection at USCCB.org.
- Attend a men’s faith sharing group the first and third Saturdays each month at my church to discuss the Gospel passage.
- Attend the podcast gathering Jesus and The Guys the second, fourth, and fifth Saturdays each month to discuss the Scripture reading. (Feel free to Google “Jesus and The Guys.”)
Everyone is different in terms of how one prepares for a Sunday Mass. Some people may not prepare at all. They may just show up without any preparation, attend the Mass, and then head home for the day. Can you imagine if everyone prepared for Mass like they did when they were younger and they were preparing for a basketball game, or practicing playing an instrument for a school concert, or memorizing line after line for their acting in a play? Doing so may make attending the Mass more meaningful, it may seem more interesting, and it may help people learn more about their faith and grow closer to Jesus Christ.
If you would like other ideas related to reading and learning about Scripture, please visit YourWillBeDone.life/bible-study. These resources are fantastic with learning about Jesus Christ in Scripture and developing a more personal relationship with Him. My ideas and the resources at this website may be what you need right now in your life to prepare for a Catholic Mass or some other Christian denominational church service each weekend.