Missing Mass: Here’s how to use this time to teach your children step-by-step to pray the Holy Mass

God has given you now, in His Providence, the opportunity to teach your young children not just how to endure the Holy Mass each Sunday (!), but to pray it and wonder at it and begin the lifelong journey to adore it.

For the Mass to hold their attention (as for anything in their lives):

Children need to know what is going on–and why.

And who is doing what–and why.

And what they are supposed to do–and why.

And so on and so on–and why.

But here’s the problem:

During Mass in public with people all around you, you can’t answer their questions, you can’t tell them where to look, you can’t tell them what is going on–at least not in a way that answers their (repeated?) questions of “Why?”

And–God forbid!–they should have a sudden insight which they so badly want to share with you RIGHT NOW in a child’s attempt at a stage whisper…which is easily heard by all in the congregation!

When children don’t understand what is going on, then they get bored, wiggly, ornery, cranky, and then, worst of all: slithery.

Then (especially if they are boys–if my brother was typical of boys), they slide off the pew to the kneeler and eventually they will either:

a. Do whatever it is they are doing which results in them falling off the kneeler and banging their heads SO LOUDLY

b. -OR-(For some reason that none of my sisters could ever fathom) Stick a finger into a hole in a convenient kneeler and discover that–sure enough, just as he suspected–the finger goes in easy enough, fits perfectly. Congratulations, boy brain! But–and this was not expected–it canNOT COME OUT. Result: a noise even LOUDER than head-crashing.

(Yes: this really happened, and we older girls recall Mom frantically trying everything in her purse to lubricate the finger to get it out before the Offertory when there would be witnesses from outside the family. You want to know what worked, so you can carry it in your purse? Nothing in the purse worked, but relax and never fear: what did work was good ol’ Mom saliva applied liberally right down there on the floor with him, and that finger was released just before basket reached our pew. Voila!)

Just think: now as you try to substitute for Sunday Mass, you find yourself now not in public, in a church, but in the privacy of your own home.

Here you can answer their questions and explain to them what is going on in the rituals and movements and gestures of the Holy Mass–without bothering anyone else nearby, without even needing to carry a child out of the church as fast as you can, with only the attractive nuisances you keep in the comfort of your own home.

You can talk about it and they can share their insights–as you invite the joy of the inspired Word of God into your family’s Sunday by this simple step-by-step through the Liturgy of the Word.

You can answer their questions and take your time. The Holy Mass won’t keep rushing along while you are whispering and shushing.

Yes: it is very sad not to be able to receive Holy Communion and be there during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

However, let’s pray, “Thank you, Jesus, for giving us a way to inspire wonder about and desire for the Holy Mass in our children. Teach us to anticipate and truly appreciate our return to the Holy Mass during the Easter Season.”

Here’s what you can do this Sunday.

Note: We followed this step-by-step in our own family last Sunday. And my parents were so pleased to hear what the two suddenly back-from-college kids had to add to the discussions (their time “in the world” gave them real insights into the truths of the Faith).

1. Go to HolyHeroes.com/MassPrep to do these things:
   • Print off all the printables there:
     • Mass Prep coloring page (it illustrates the Gospel reading)
     • Mass Prep quiz (includes answer key for you; this quiz is from Lenten Adventure, by the way)
     • Mass Readings (we added this new for use in your home)
     • Click to get your “Send your Angel to Mass” prayer and coloring page (save this to post on your fridge)
   • Watch the Gospel video
   • (Sign up for the free weekly emails with packed with Mass Prep, if you haven’t already)
2. Now, sit down together and celebrate the Liturgy of the Word for this Sunday’s Mass as a family, Do all the things you would do in Mass, step-by-step, and explain it as you go along:
3. Begin by saying this is the Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (it’s the last Sunday in Lent) and discuss the answers to the first 2 questions on the quiz;
   • The priest wears violet or purple every Sunday in Lent but this one–he wears red. Here’s our book for little ones on Liturgical colors, by the way.
   • This Sunday’s Mass begins with a Gospel reading, the blessing of palms outside the church and a procession inside. But not this year. The Congregation on the Sacred Liturgy issued a special decree on March 25th that this is to be celebrated inside the building this year.
4. For Palm Sunday, we begin Mass outside the church, then all follow the priest into the church (backwards from the usual Sunday when we are waiting for the priest inside.
5. Once we are all inside the church on Palm Sunday, we remain standing. Then the priest usually omits the Introductory Rites we are used to hearing.
   • He would say, “Let us pray” and read a short prayer before we all sit down to listen to the readings.
   • When the priest says, “Let us pray” there is a short time to pray silently your intentions for the Mass. Your family could say who you want to especially remember in all the Masses throughout the world being celebrated by all the priests.
   • Write them down, and then when you can, perhaps you can go to your parish and ask the priest to celebrate a Mass for this person? My mom went to our parish at the beginning of Lent with a list of people we wanted Masses for–she got our list in just in time it turned out!
6. Now, have someone read the first reading. Anyone doing the Mass Quiz should get ready to answer all the questions about the readings!
   • You can actually look them up in the Bible if you want to read them there. Kids need to know the Church specifically selects the readings from the Bible so every Catholic all over the world is hearing the same readings! We included in the printouts the citations with book, chapter, and verse.
   • Remember what you say at the end of the reading? The reader says, “The word of the Lord,” and we say, “Thanks be to God.” Why? Because all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit–the 3rd Person of the Trinity! God had people write everything in the Bible down so we could read it today–at this Mass on this date. Why today? What does this particular reading mean to your family?
7. The Responsorial Psalm is next–have someone lead. Does it bring anything to mind in your family?
8. Have someone read the 2nd Reading–and again end it and respond with the reading responses above. You can also take the time to discuss if you want.
9. What do we do for the Gospel? We stand and only a priest or deacon reads it. The Gospels are even more special than the rest of the Bible because they tell of Jesus Who saved us all by His Life, Death, and Resurrection. So we stand (like we stood for the priest to enter) and reading the Gospels in Mass is reserved to men ordained by the Church as deacons, priests, or bishops. Have Dad read as the head of your domestic church!
   • What do you do in church before the Gospel? On Palm Sunday, it is different from other Sundays.
     • Announce “The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to _____” and then proceed with the reading.
     • The priest will NOT make the sign of the Cross on the pages of the Gospel, nor would he greet us if we were there in Mass–that would have been all done with the first Gospel outside the church. But this is more solemn and sad reading, while usually the Gospel is joyful to hear.
     • Lent often has long Gospel readings–entire stories, not just excerpts from stories. But everyone can still stand through it. On Palm Sunday, it is even longer and different: it is not just read to us, but we all take part in the reading. A Narrator reads most of it, we speak the words of the crowd, and the priest–who acts in persona Christi–speaks all the words of Christ in this Gospel today.
10. Time to sit back down–but there is no homily today!
    • This is the time to instead really talk about what all these readings mean to your family right now. You will be surprised what your children might say.
11. When conversation dwindles (or gets silly), it’s time to stand up for the Creed. You can pray it from just about any prayer book (like our rosary prayer books for adults here or new ones for children here).
    • Sorry: it’s long so we didn’t included it in our printouts!
12. Then, the Liturgy of the Word part of the Mass ends with the Prayer of the Faithful, which you can imitate in your home by either having everyone say out loud their prayers (all respond, “Lord, hear our prayer”) or Dad can lead a list of prayers for you.
    • The priest always introduces these prayers in the Mass and ends them with a short concluding prayer.
13. Then, you can pray the Spiritual Communion prayer–for that part of the Holy Mass which we can’t have without the men Jesus calls and transforms into priests for us.
    • Those priests are all still celebrating Mass every day for our intentions–so say the Send your Angel to Mass prayer and put the page up on the fridge after your children color it. You can say it every day you can’t go in person!

Done! That shouldn’t be too painful for your children and fruitful for all of you!

You can informally show and explain actions, answer the “Why?” questions out loud in a normal tone of voice, in as much or as little detail as you’d like and not proceed to the next step until you are ready.

And your family “Mass time” can fit whatever home schedule you have!

We hope this helps you make this time apart from Christ in the Eucharist a little more peaceful. Pray for us!

PS We have a whole section on our website for “Learn the Faith” and even more details and explanations aimed right at the questions kids have about the Mass in our two Holy Heroes Inside the Sacraments videos and our complete “Learn the Holy Mass” multi-media set. Each one is kids-teaching-kids as the Holy Heroes Adventure Guides (myself and my siblings–and Father Leopold, too) take you back in time, into the Bible, and behind the scenes to reveal the truths of our Catholic Faith!