How Many Of You Use A Missal or Missalette?

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After my parish, in their infinite wisdom, decided to do away with the missalettes, I bought one. It’s great! Each day has an excerpt from the Catechism on which to meditate, and contains the revised NAB readings. It has really enriched my mass experience.
 
👍 I also use the Magnificat what a wonderful book it comes in the mail every month and I don’t have to worry about which of the three missals to use and where everything is at. I also purchased the childrens Magnificat to use when teaching and to go over the Sunday Gospel with the children. Then I don’t have to wonder at the end of Mass what the gospel is about or the readings and the meditation is great especially when you have a very poor homilist that day.
 
I have both the Sunday and Daily Missal put out by Pauline Books and Media.

The main reason is that the parish I attend uses Missalettes that do not contain the text for the readings. I normally like to read the readings before Mass and follow while mass is going on.

PF
 
Proclamation or not, a missal is extremely valuable for a Catholic trying to avoid distraction from what is being said.

Need it be pointed out that most non-Catholics will find Mass hopelessly complicated without readily available missals? (And sometimes even with one!) My husband, a non-Catholic, has often said that the Catholic Church is the least “user-friendly” church he has ever been in.

Missals are welcoming to non-Catholics and returning Catholics who feel self-conscious about “messing up”. Don’t take out the missals unless you want to have people in these groups join you only once.
 
As a lector in my church, I learned first hand why the church asks people to listen to the proclaimed word. Do you know how discouraging it is to look up from the ambo while lectoring and see the tops of everyone’s heads because all their eyes are glued to their misselettes? Sometimes, I get so frustrated that I just want to say, “As you all know the reading begins on page 89. Read silently to yourselves and look up so we all know that everyone is done.”
Why am I bothering to read if they are reading along anyway?
A piece of paper is coming between the words coming out of my mouth and what’s going into their ears. I can’t tell you the difference that even one set of receptive eyes and and listening ears and smiling face can make for me as a lector. Together, we can bring the word alive! It’s a two way street. A reciprocal relationship. The assembly’s active listening brings the Holy Spirit into my proclamation.

And, as a member of the assembly, I like to read in advance. Then, I can truly appreciate the lector’s interpretation of the readings. He or she may emphasize a word in a way that brings new light to the reading and gives me a new insight.
 
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EENS:
Studies show that what you read and hear you learn and know better than that which you merely hear. God bless.
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I totaly agree with this staement! I bought a three piece set Missal, it has two books for the daily cycle and one for the Sunday.
http://www.catholicbkpub.com/ONLINE_CAT/images/thumb/089942838X.jpg link

What I have found is that depending on the distractions, including my children, I will use it or not. Plus it has all the cycles.

Joao
 
I only use a Missal when I attend the Tridentine Mass. There’s no point to it when Mass is in English.
 
I use the missal because although the mass is celebrated in English, sometimes lectors speak too low and I cannot understand them, I also used it when I was learning the Nicean Creed.
 
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DominvsVobiscvm:
I only use a Missal when I attend the Tridentine Mass. There’s no point to it when Mass is in English.
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That’s when I use a missal most, too, but I am a person who learns and remembers best when I can read along and see it in print. I only use it when the Epistle and Gospel are read though.
 
I do not use one.A priest friend of mine says the translation is so bad that it isnt worth the paper it is written on.
 
Although the mass is celebrated in English, I use the missal. Sometimes the lectors speak way too low and I cannot understand them. I also used it when I was learning the Nicean Creed.
 
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rosarydancer:
As a lector in my church, I learned first hand why the church asks people to listen to the proclaimed word. Do you know how discouraging it is to look up from the ambo while lectoring and see the tops of everyone’s heads because all their eyes are glued to their misselettes? Sometimes, I get so frustrated that I just want to say, “As you all know the reading begins on page 89. Read silently to yourselves and look up so we all know that everyone is done.”
Why am I bothering to read if they are reading along anyway?
A piece of paper is coming between the words coming out of my mouth and what’s going into their ears. I can’t tell you the difference that even one set of receptive eyes and and listening ears and smiling face can make for me as a lector. Together, we can bring the word alive! It’s a two way street. A reciprocal relationship. The assembly’s active listening brings the Holy Spirit into my proclamation.

And, as a member of the assembly, I like to read in advance. Then, I can truly appreciate the lector’s interpretation of the readings. He or she may emphasize a word in a way that brings new light to the reading and gives me a new insight.
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If all lectors (and parishoners) were as conscientious and well prepared as you seem to be, it would not be an issue. However, from using missalette, I can tell you that the readings are often mangled or “edited” for PCness so badly that if you do not have a missal, sometimes you can walk away not even really hearing what was supposed to have been proclaimed.
 
Like many others here I use Magnificat. I try to LISTEN but if I am in a distractable mood with my mind wandering off onto work or whatever I will read as well as listen.

Someone asked about the readings not matching up. I know that for the weekday readings the priest can choose between the readings for Mass of the day .(ie Wednesday of the 19th week or Ordinary time) or for the Saint (Clare on August 11) Of course for some Saints the readings are obligatory.

On Sundays too the Priest can choose the reading for A Bor C if there is a reason. THis doesn’t happen often. I admit One day when I went from a Mass at a women’s retreat to a Mass for my niece’s baptism I was glad that the Priest on the retreat had used another gospel.

I wish we wouldn’t be so worried about what others are doing,
 
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Fidelis:
from using missalette, I can tell you that the readings are often mangled or “edited” for PCness so badly that if you do not have a missal, sometimes you can walk away not even really hearing what was supposed to have been proclaimed.
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Well, it would seem to me to be less distracting to pre-read the readings in the missalette before Mass than to be jarred by the difference between what’s on the page and what’s being said. (It only takes a minute to read them (though hours to pray them!!)) And, as a lector, having everyone’s eyes on the words only makes me more nervous for my occasional stumble. It’s like they are checking up on me. Although, if I do stumble, at least they look up!!

I have used “Living With Christ” which has the daily Mass readings. It used to only come in the Canadian translation, so sometimes, after pre-reading, I was struck during Mass by the difference in the American translation. But, it was a bit of an ah-huh experience. I appreciated the different interpretation. It provided a new insight.

In fact, now I have a parallel bible with four different translations across the page. I really love it. Before I do anything with scripture, I read the different translations and I get insights from each one. Our scripture is so wonderfully rich!

What bothers me is that many people think they are supposed to read along during Mass. With all the emphasis on reinstating the liturgical norms, I would have liked the church to remind people to pre-read the readings and listen during the Mass.
 
I do use a Missal - but not during Mass itself. I generally preview the Sunday readings during the week and again immediately before Mass starts.
 
My wife and I bring one to Mass. I believe it’s the St. Josephs Missal. It has some very nice reflections about the readings for the day. My wife generally will follow the readings in the missal during mass, but she is not a native English speaker and sometimes she has a difficult time following the reading by just listening, especially if it is a Letter of St. Paul.

She has really aided me when I am rehearsing the readings when I am to be a lector. Our parish used to provide the little missallettes for the congregation, but got rid of them becuase to many people were reading not listening.

We also have the Creed bookmarked in the missal. I haven’t quite learned it yet and she learned it in Spanish and still needs to read the English version. I think we both about have it memorized now though.
 
Use Daily Roman Missal at home for lectio divina with daily readings. I urge all parents in sacramental classes to get a missal for their kids and use it. Magnificat now has a version for kids. I keep Magnificat at work for quick reference to daily readings, and for chapel visits, and I love it for travel. Missalette is useless, too hard to follow, but need it in for Spanish Mass.
 
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ATexasCatholic:
I use it before Mass to familiarize myself with the reading so that I may better participate in the Mass
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That’s what I do, too. I have a Sunday missal from St. Joseph’s and it has a short but good explanation of how the readings are tied together and how they apply to particular feast days and Sundays.

I also use the missalette in the pew for the responsorial Psalm and the Nicene creed, since I don’t have it memorized yet (I’m a terrible rote memorizer, but over time, it will commit itself to my memory – I’m still a recent convert). I don’t use a missal during the liturgy of the Eurcharist because it’s too distracting and I have most of it memorized.
 
I use the Magnificat as my missal. As a revert who was out of the Church for years it is imperative that I use something because I no longer remember the words to the Creed or some of the other standard prayers. The only prayers I know by heart are the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. Everything else I have to read.

Plus, I use the Magnicat to either go over the readings beforehand or read along with at Mass. I learn best by reading. I have very poor retention of things heard so I could never listen to books on tape 🙂

I’ve also started using the Magnificat for morning, evening & night prayer. I used to download the Liturgy of the Hours to my palm pilot, but I often found that if I hadn’t kept up to date with my downloads I’d just blow off saying the prayers instead of heading over to the computer to download and then pray. But my Magnificat is always with me 🙂
 
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robertaf:
I cannot understand why the Priest still has to read the Creed, for Heavens sakes!
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Heh. I know the rosary by heart, but when I once had to lead a decade out loud I completely forget the words to the Our Father after “hallowed be thy name.” I’ve never lead a decade out loud since without a little Rosary notecard in front of me. I think it must have been performance pressure.
 
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