I grew up in an average Catholic family. We went to Mass on Sundays, said Grace, gave up stuff for Lent, went to CCD, and had a crucifix on the wall. I don’t ever recall missing Mass on a Sunday. Even when on vacation, Sunday Mass was always a priority.

I was a typical teenager doing things I knew were wrong. At age 16, I went on a high school retreat with my parish youth group. It was at this retreat that I learned something that would change my life forever!

One of the retreat leaders, Jim, who later became a mentor and my husband’s best man, shared something about he had heard at daily Mass. Daily Mass, what in the world was that? I was shocked and surprised, for I had no idea that Mass was celebrated other than on weekends for your Sunday obligation.

So that following Lent, and for the rest of my life, I attended daily Mass. Of course, seasons change - teenager, college student, young bride, new mom, growing family, pandemic closures, and now Grammy. Daily Mass remains a priority of my day. It’s amazing how many neat churches you find and wonderful people you meet when you carve out this important time with the Lord!

Nothing beats having some quiet time with Jesus, especially when one is dealing with challenging times in one’s life. I count all wise decisions or blessings in my life as a fruit of daily Mass. My 19-year-old daughter Mary would tell you that it’s Mom’s “Wisdom Pill!” I say it is my “OXYGEN!” I grasp any opportunity to put aside time out of my hectic and chaotic life to “BE STILL and know that He is God!” I have always been blessed with having four parishes less than 15 minutes away who all offer daily Mass. I realize it isn’t in everyone’s state in life to get to Mass, and many people find various ways to pray and offer their days to Our Lord. 

I fondly remember my childhood pastor who was watching members of our congregation drive here and there to seek miracles from different parts of the country. He plainly said, “You want a miracle? Come to Mass, it happens here on this altar every day!!!”

My friend Mary sent this great message from Will Peterson, director of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage: “My favorite pilgrimage is the one I make each time I attend Mass. At every Mass, we journey, surrounded by the Blessed Trinity and all the angels and saints, through the Paschal Mystery, encountering Jesus fully alive in the Eucharist. If our hearts are rightly disposed, every Mass takes us one step closer to Heaven.”

St. Lawrence Justinian says it so much better than me: “No human tongue can enumerate the favors that trace back to the Sacrifice of the Mass. The sinner is reconciled with God; the just man becomes more upright; sins are wiped away; vices are uprooted; virtue and merit increases; and the devil’s schemes are frustrated.”

Of course, there are many reasons to attend daily Mass. First and foremost is if one truly believes that at consecration the Eucharist is the real presence of Christ’s own body and blood, then getting to Mass would be a huge priority. A favorite is the removal of venial sins. Let me tell you, that it is important to me as someone who has a short-tempered, prideful temperament. I also love that at Mass we hear the Word of God proclaimed. We get to hear an Old Testament or New Testament reading, we pray the Psalms, and listen to one of the four Gospels writers each day.

In addition, frequenting any sacrament provides an amazing amount of grace to be the person God calls you to be. I love worshiping as a community, and as a stay-at-home mom it is so important to make sure I find creative ways to connect with others, especially Jesus. Just ask my husband and kids…MOMMA needs her Jesus time!!!

In a crazy, hectic world, what better way than getting to Mass is an excellent way to learn how to be still and quiet? As a busy momma who is constantly on the move, this gives me time to try to be quiet. This is especially vital to my homeschooled kids, who aren’t required to sit at a desk for long periods of time. Most daily Masses are sometimes as short as 20 minutes and hardly ever longer than 40 minutes.

Once the gift of being still and quiet has been mastered, it is time to learn how to listen. Listening to the readings, especially the gospel, the prayers of the faithful, and particularly the words of consecration, are all significant skills to work on. Trust me, I am 55-years-old and still trying to figure out how to listen and not get distracted during Mass.

Practically, as a homeschooling momma of 14, having a reason to get myself and the kids dressed, groomed, teeth brushed, and shoes on is more important than I could ever emphasize. This is a game changer that gets us up and motivated to get our school done after Mass and breakfast.

Trust me, I know my limitations and I would easily fall into the trap of staying in PJs all day and not grooming myself for my spouse. (Now that is a topic for another blog post!)

Give it a try. Pick one extra day a week to put in the effort to get to daily Mass. Use Masstimes.org to find masses and times near you. When traveling and in an unfamiliar parish, I also check the parish website or call just to make sure schedule changes weren’t made.

If you haven’t already learned about this secret treasure, trust me. Once you make daily Mass a habit in your life you will never regret it. Especially when you too obtain these many blessings:

1. True Presence of Christ’s own Body and Blood 

2. Removal of venial sins

3. Hearing the Word of God

4. Extra graces received

5. Learning to be still and quiet

6. Learning to listen

7. Getting up and ready for the day

May the God of the Holy Eucharist come to you in a special way.

“Man should tremble, the world should quake, all Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest.”
-St. Francis of Assisi