How to pray before and after Mass
Now that we are looking forward to being able to attend Mass together again, I wanted to mention a very helpful spiritual practice that I had planned to implement in the parishes long before Covid-19 hit. But these new circumstances for Mass in this pandemic era make them especially fitting: That's the practice of saying a prayer before Mass to help us to get in the right frame of mind for the holy sacrifice, and a prayer after Mass (traditionally called an Act of Thanksgiving) to thank God for the unsurpassable gift the Lord has just given us.
These are ancient practices for the Christian faithful (centuries old), but in very recent times, many people have fallen away from them and replaced them with socializing up the to the very minute Mass begins and then immediately again the minute Mass ends. That makes it very hard for others to pray these prayers. More importantly, in a way, it makes us forget why we are here: Once inside the church, the Lord Jesus is always present in the tabernacle (even when Mass is not being celebrated) and He is always the "guest of honor" -- more important than our friends.
I am not against socializing at all. (That's an important part of building up our Christian community). The question is when and where we do it. The Catholic custom has always been that, once we enter the doors into the nave (body of the church) then silence is observed for prayer. Likewise, after Mass ends, we wait until we leave the nave before talking and socializing.
I'd like to start that beginning on May 25th when we resume public Masses again. It may help if you print some of the prayers or bring a prayer book. There are many different versions. Some of them are attached to this blogpost (bookending this post and more below). So you can pick one that you like.
I hope to have some on cards printed out so you can take them home with you as well.
During this period when we have to usher people in to Mass, while you are waiting for Mass to begin would be a great time to pray the prayers before Mass. (You can of course also bring a Rosary as well). After Mass, while waiting for your row to be dismissed, that's a great time to do the prayer of thanksgiving after Mass.
Just a note that this might be a little challenging at St. Peter's since there is no covered gathering space outside of the nave. During social distancing time, we are asking that you socialize several feet apart in the parking lot anyway. Eventually, depending on the PREP schedule, we might be opening Kennedy Hall for a socializing space, so that people can do both: pray quietly in the church before and after Mass and still socialize together.
An act of thanksgiving, from Catholic Online
