Are You Prepared?

Elizabeth Estrada discusses the importance of taking time for quiet prayer before and after Mass.

For several years now I have been attending Traditional Latin Mass on Sundays, but usually during the week I will go to a Novus Ordo Mass since it is so much closer to my home.

Most of my life I went to the Novus Ordo Mass. It wasn’t until several years ago I began attending the Latin Mass regularly. I discovered many new devotions and the beauty of the Catholic tradition. The more I attended the more I wanted to learn more about the Latin Mass.

Perhaps these traditions were also common in the Novus Ordo Mass, but I never learned about them or saw them practiced where I attended. I know that getting to Mass early was always a priority, especially when I attended as a child. As I learned more about my faith I also learned that offering the Mass for a particular intention was also something you could do as you prayed before Mass.

When attending the Latin Mass, I learned about the beautiful prayers you could pray in order to prepare for Mass and then some other beautiful prayers you can pray after Mass. As I began this practice it really made a difference in how I participated and prayed during the Mass.

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Giving thanks after Mass was also something I never thought about. The beauty of the prayer is thanking God for the gift of the Mass and asking Him to pardon me for the times I was distracted. Being able to see that in this prayer made me feel so much better. It’s weird to say that but many times, even though I sit very close to the front, my mind will wander.

Sadly, what I have experienced lately is having a very difficult time being able to pray in silence before or after Mass. Many times, families, couples, and others are having a conversation or even laughing before Mass. It many times it isn’t a whisper. It of course is very distracting, but it breaks my heart.

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My prayer is that more of us will pray before and after Mass and perhaps we will inspire others to do the same with the help of the Holy Spirit. #CatholicMom

Have we forgotten Who is waiting in the tabernacle? Were we not catechized to understand that we are there for no one else but Him? Trust me when I say I have made many mistakes on my journey to be closer to Christ, but in the last year the noise before and after Mass has become worse.

My prayer is that more of us will pray before and after Mass and perhaps we will inspire others to do the same with the help of the Holy Spirit.

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