For Catholics......What is your favorite part of the Mass? And Why?

Question

Each mass I attend I find some beauty that I feel God uses to reach me in a personal way. They are things to me that reaffirm my faith and uplift my spirit. I was wondering if other Catholics felt the same way and what little thing at Mass does it for them?

For Non-Catholics I am not trying to exclude you from the discussion but my question revolves around the Catholic Mass with it's Liturgy of the Word and The Liturgy of the Eucharist and other things that are uniquely Catholic. If you have attended Mass and would like to answer please tell us the same, like what you found beautiful that was different from how your services are held. I would politely ask all to refrain from answering if you can't keep to the question matter and are just looking for the opportunity to crash and Bash. Thanks and God Bless!!

WOW!!! I am overwhelmed by the response. I want to thank everyone who took time to respond with a heartfelt answer. May God continue to bless you. I had a really tough time choosing the best answer because so many have resonated with me. I'd like to highlight a few of these;

micheypoo - I also feel he is talking directly too me and he is giving me what I need to hear to sustain me.

suggirbear- There was a period when I was not in a "state of grace" so i couldn't receive the eucharist. Just saying those words brought me comfort because I realized none of us is truly worthy.

amesanita1- THANK YOU for sharing your perspective from outside of the Catholic. It is refreshing to gain such insight when usually you get bashed.

palomino - a very interesting perspective on the entrance procession. Thanks for sharing it.

imacatholic2, BrotherCharles, Bob - Thank you for such beautiful and moving responses. God Bless!

mommy to seven - I used to belong to a parish with a priest who didn't sing very well but every mass at this part he would sing this so fully I didn't care if he ended flat everytime. It became something I looked forward to. Offkey and everything. It was one of those moments I was talking about. Thanks.

Almeida girl 24 - see above

Once again, Thanks and God's Blessings to all. But now, the moment you have all been waiting for. And the winner is............Cindy Einstein!!

Answer 1

There are times during the Mass when I intensely feel God's presence. Sometimes it is during the homily. Sometimes it is at consecration. Sometimes it is a crying child. Sometimes I see it in someone receiving communion. The whole Mass is a prayer. God reveals himself in every instant and in every person. The most common time, for me however, would be during the consecration, especially when the priest says, "this is my body GIVEN UP FOR YOU" and "do this in memory of ME". The command to celebrate in Christ's memory seems like such a human thing for God to desire.

Answer 2

Favorite part of Mass? The entire Mass.

Where else can you witness Heaven on earth...

From the beginning of the mass to the end of mass, the entire service is strewn with blessings and honor given to the Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit. From the entrance procession, to the final blessing. From the Old Testament reading, New Testament reading to the Gospel reading. The homily gets me prepared for the culmination of The Catholic Mass. From the presentation of the gifts to the prayers to the holy ones. Being on my knees before Him as His Body and Blood are presented to the congregation, then, finally coming before My Savior, and receiving Him in the Eucharist, I feel that all the Saints and Angels are there among us gathered, singing praises to Him. Finally, again being blessed to be there to witness Heaven on earth, and being sent forth to share the good news. WOW! Words cannot describe the feeling I get when I attend Mass. The love that is expressed is unimaginable, and indescribable.

By the Grace of God, I am blessed each time I attend Mass. For those who will never witness such an awe inspiring event, they will never understand the Catholic faith. But as Jesus said to St. Thomas "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Answer 3

Originally, I'm a baptized Catholic, went to parochial school, Nuns for teacher's mostly,confirmed, and attended mass everyday during school. Back then the mass and songs were sung in Latin, then changed to English when I was about in 7th grade. I loved going to the mass, and couln't wait. I liked making the signs of the cross,genuflec, holy water, the stations of the cross and the Benediction and incense, before mass sometimes, and going to confession, so I could be worthy to receive Holy Communion. I loved looking and kneeling before the statues and praying. I'd like to see the priest open the golden little box that the golden chalice was in and see it, going through the last supper, raise the eucharist up, eat it, drink the wine, and clean the cup. The whole mass is a holy ,magical experience. I also, liked the end when the priest walked down the aile. That was a holy experience for me.

Answer 4

i would have to say that my favorite part of Mass would be The Liturgy of the Eucharist, there is just something about it that i can't explain. i feel as if this is what it is all about, that the simple breaking of the bread and pouring of the cup completes everything for me. i would also like to let you know that i am the wife of a Protestant minister, who finds that the way many Protestant's view The Eucharist as very disappointing, it's not held in the same regard as something special to be shared every time the service is held; sometimes it's given only 4 times a year: Christmas, Easter, and two other times that are chosen by the governing elders. my husband, also feels that at many times the Protestant denominations don't take the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior (ie The Eucharist) as seriously as it should be. God Bless!!

Answer 5

The Holy Catholic mass is the most beautiful worship service I've ever been to and have been going to all 48 years of my life.
I have an overwhelming love for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Catholic faith.
The reason is the mass.
From the Opening Sign of the Cross to the final Thanks be to God, The Catholic mass encompasses a mixture of music, scripture, prayer, singing and fellowship. And that's just in the Introductory part of the mass. But the best is yet to come. The bread and wine offered in the mass becomes the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ just as it happened at His last supper the night before He died. When we partake in this Communion with the Lord, we are receiving Him in the most intimate possible way.

THAT, my brothers and sisters, is the reason I live...
and love the Holy Catholic Mass.

Answer 6

I'm gonna cheat on this one.
My 9th grader had to do a term paper with a personal interview on 1 Sacrament for her religion class. She asked if I knew what she picked. I knew she would pick the Eucharist...and that she would want to interview our former associate- the priest who gave her her 1St Communion....and now lives 90 minutes away.

We went.....she asked Fr Mike this very question. We both were certain he would say the consecration....he lives and breathes the Eucharist. He literally LIGHTS up when he talks about the Eucharist. You see him and you know he is totally in love with Christ, as should be. He said, yes, of course he loves the consecration of the Mass....

But you know what he said was his favorite part of the Mass?

"Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is Yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever. Amen."

And it has become my favorite too. He reasoning was it really is a summary of what we believe- the Trinity...and that everything was, is and will be through Christ. There was a lot more to it, but I can't remember....


Pretty cool stuff...

And shame on all of you who have never put normal human effort into Mass. Nothing is lacking in the Mass. What is lacking is in you.

Answer 7

I love the consecration. Lately, I've been sensing the presence of angels and saints at that point, and I LOVE IT!
Also, after I have recieved euchrist is really special to me. I can sit and talk to God, alone with Him, but surrounded by people who feel the same with about Him that I do. And, when I feel so moved, I can join in the music.
My least favorite part of mass is probably the homily. Where I live, the Catholic church is very conservative, and many priests did not learn the 8 minutes or less homily very well. But, in this day and age of priest shortage, I suppose I can't complain about that.

Answer 8

I agree that the Liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist are very uplifting parts of the mass, but for me the entrance procession, where the servers and assistants enter, followed by the priest, is special. This is supposed to remind us of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where he was praised and glorified, yet a few days later the people were calling for him to be crucified. During the mass, through the prayers, readings and other symbolic rituals, we re-live Jesus' passion and death, and are reminded of the promise of his second coming, that finally defeats his death.

Answer 9

All the legitimate answers so far are great. I am glad to see that there are so many Catholics who understand what Mass is about.

MY ANSWER:

The whole Mass is awesome but I especially love receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.


A comment on the answers:

There seems to be 3 groups of people who have answered so far:

Catholic Christians who Love Jesus. Catholic Christians who, because of God's Grace, are growing closer and closer to Jesus each day.

CINOs (Catholics in name only). Catholics who are spiritually asleep and need to learn their faith. To these people I say, wake up and learn your faith. You are not reading this Q&A by chance.... the Holy Spirit is calling you.

People who hate the Catholic Church. To these people I say, Jesus commanded us to Love one another, so stop hating. Learn what the Catholic Church REALLY teaches and then decide if you hate Her.

May the Holy Spirit Guide you to the Fullness of Truth.

Answer 10

The entire Mass actually. I generally attend the 5:30 PM Saturday Mass in my neighborhood parish. I've always preferred the Latin Mass but, unfortunately, my parish church doesn't hold one. In any case, attending Mass is always a weekly highlight for me. I am proud to be a Catholic and so thankful to my late mother for providing me with twelve years of the best Catholic education!