25 Days of Blogmas 2018, Day 23

Holiday Mass: Calling All Catholics

On the twenty-third day of Blogmas
my true love sent to me: 
Day 23: Hey There Christmas Chreasters
Day 22: Christmas Spirit
Day 21: A Blogmas Review for Thee
Day 20: Sunday Prepping
Day 19: Feel the Love
Day 18: Let’s go shopping
Day 17: Tips to Holiday Travel
Day 16: Meet Shanice
Day 15: Meet Lasonia
Day 14: Meet Erriel
Day 13: Meet Angeli
Day 12: Meet Javi
Day 11: Meet Girl on the Fly
Day 10: Meet Stephanie
Day 9: Meet Natasha
Day 8: Blogger Spotlight
Day 7: Never Ever
Day 6: New Years Resolutions
5 Favorite Things!!
Day 4: Stocking Stuffers
Day 3: Holiday Getaways
Day 2: All Things Advent
and a Posting Explaining to Thee!

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Chreasters, Cultural Catholics, Seasonal Catholics, Poinsettia and Lily Catholics, Submarine Catholics, CEOs, APECs and the list goes on and on to describe that segment of the Catholic population that hits the Church during Easter and Christmas only. Don’t let these colloquialisms keep you from heading to Church this Christmas. The Lord loves His children, no matter how often you go to Mass.

But, now that we are on the topic of seasonal soul awareness, do you feel ready to attend Mass or does it seem like something relatively alien. Here are my tips and tricks to attending Mass on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. This is a no judge zone.

• Mass options – You have a lot of choices. There is Vigil Mass, Midnight Mass, Mass at Dawn and Regular Day Mass. The readings and Gospels are slightly different. The message is the same. We come together to rejoice in the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
• Mass with children – Totally encourage you to find a Christmas Mass for kids. Every Church has this kind of service. You won’t regret it! It’s super informal and playful. I used to attend the Children’s Mass at St. Matthews, San Antonio when my children were little. It was a great experience for them and the parents. 100% stress free!
• Mass times – Plan on arriving to any Christmas celebration at least 30 minutes prior. And if you’re an everyday Catholic, head over 45 minutes before. We like to sit in our same seats every weekend, don’t we? Wink.
• Mass prep work – Before heading over to Church, go online and pull up the 2 readings and Gospel for December 25th. Spend about 30 minutes just digesting what the Word is all about. This will allow you to connect during Mass versus hearing the message for the very first time. It really does make a difference and the readings are not very long.
• Christmas Mass – Unless you’re in a rural location, you will have so many options for both Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. God doesn’t care which day or time you attend. Just pick a time that works for you and head over to pay your respects. If you’re not a morning person, 9 a.m. Mass may not work for you. Personally, I’m a Sunday 530 p.m. teen Mass kinda girl. The vibe and music are always off the chart!
• Midnight Mass – Like Socialism, attending Midnight Mass works in theory only. If you don’t regularly come by His house every weekend, you’ll soon dread attending Midnight Mass. Sure it’s a beautiful event; but, it is twice as long. You don’t attend a weekly 60 min. Mass, do you really want to attend a 3 hour one? You won’t get extra points and honestly, it may just keep you from coming around more often.
• Midnight Mass with children – If you must attend with tiny tots, don’t be that parent that spends the entire celebration either scolding their kids or allowing them to scream at the top of their lungs. Take a deep breath and be ready for sour sleepy faces, ants in pants, and general angst. Midnight Mass is not entirely kid friendly, in my opinion. If you’re bringing the kiddos along, leave the Sunday attire at home and let them show up in PJs with their baby pillows, a plush toy, etc. Don’t worry about the stares, you’re there for Him. And don’t shush or ignore them when they’re fussy. Quietly get up and take them to the vestibule. Let them run around for a while and tire themselves out.
• Midnight Mass doesn’t always start at midnight. Check your Church bulletin for more information.

So, now that you have some solid tips to maximizing your bi-annual experience, do you feel comfortable with what Mass is all about? We sit, we stand, we kneel, we shake hands. Why?

Mass is essentially a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. We relive the Last Supper in a back and forth response – priest and congregation. Beautiful words and rites are said that reveal the mystery of the Eucharist. We are spending 60 minutes in preparation to say Yes to God as we come to the altar to take part in it.

The Mass ends with a blessing. We are encouraged to go in peace and spread His word.

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Are you a Seasonal Catholic or the 24/7 kind? We are all on our own journey and fortunately, our God is a patient Father who is happy to see His children. Would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment below.

Happy Holidays, Happy Blogmas!

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