Set aside a few minutes on a specific day each week to read the First Reading, the Psalm, the Second Reading and the Gospel for the following Sunday.  Let the words penetrate your mind and your soul.  How do these readings apply to your life?  What is the Lord saying to you in these readings?  Is there something that you are being asked to do?  Is the Lord leading you in a new direction?  Finding the weekly readings is easy Click here to find this Sunday's Readings for the Mass.  As you become accustomed to review the readings ahead of time, you will begin to look forward to going to Mass.  During the Mass you will have a deeper awareness of how the introductory prayers tie into the theme of the readings.  When you hear the readings proclaimed and the priest give the homily, the insights you receive will be more profound, and you will have a heightened spiritual awareness.  

When you come to Mass you bring everything you are to the altar as an offering to the Lord.  It's a good idea to spend a little time throughout the week thinking about what you will offer to the Lord.  What joys will you share?  What sorrows would you like to unburden?  How have you used the gifts you have been given?  What anxieties or tensions are troubling you?  Do you want to offer up any pain or suffering you have experienced?  Do you have questions or doubts that you want to give to God?  Think also about the state of your soul.  Are you ready to give yourself to God entirely?  Are you holding anything back, carrying any anger or resentments?  Do you need to forgive someone or seek the forgiveness of someone you hurt?  Do you need to seek the Lord's forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?  It is also a good idea to think about what you want to ask God.  Is there something or someone you want to pray for?  Do you need guidance in some area of your life?  For what are you grateful?

Your experience of the Mass begins the moment you arrive at church.  Plan to get there a little early.  Outside the church, smile and speak to the other people who are arriving, keeping in mind that everyone in the OLPH community is part of the Body of Christ.  You might take a moment in the parking lot or the vestibule to introduce yourself to someone you don't know.  A friendly hello makes everyone feel wanted and welcome.  As you enter the church, bless yourself with holy water.  Making the Sign of the Cross with holy water is a reminder of your baptism, which made you a part of the Body of Christ.  It is through your baptism that you can participate in the fullness of the Eucharistic celebration.  You might try sitting in a different pew every once in a while.  It will give you a new view of the altar and a chance to interact with different people.  Be sure to genuflect or bow before entering your pew.  We do this as an act of reverence and an acknowledgement of God's presence.

 Spend some time in silence before Mass begins.  Quiet your mind.  Get rid of any tensions or anxieties that you brought with you.  Think about how you purposely avoided food for an hour before Mass.  One reason for this fast is to create a feeling of hunger for the Eucharist.  Allow your soul to yearn for the Lord.  Ask God to fill all of the empty places inside you.  Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you in the readings, the music, the homily, the prayers of the Mass, and your Communion meditation.  Everything that you think and do in these final moments before Mass instills in you a joyful anticipation for your encounter with the Lord.