When we enter the church, we renew our baptismal promises with Holy Water. When Mass begins, we are no longer in the world, but participating in the life of God Himself.
We are no longer in the world’s linear time, but in God’s eternal time.
We are on sacred ground, and when we attend Mass, Jesus Christ is ministering to us from the heavenly altar before our Heavenly Father, the angels and the saints. He stands wounded but triumphant, the Lamb of God.
We may be standing still in the pew, but the Holy Spirit is carrying each one of us, both individually and the entire gathering, we being brought before the Father.
You can say that in this world, the Mass is the first step into heaven, into the Holy of Holies.
True and deep participation of the Mass is hearing the Word of God with full attention and recollection, and letting His Word penetrate us. From here we go into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and witness the Father through Jesus Christ preparing us for the Sacred Banquet.
True participation at Mass is knowing the parts of the Mass and what they do, the understanding of sacred space and time, and seeing that the greatest work we can do for God is to participate in full comprehension the Mass as atonement for sin in the world, and for new life and redemption. At Mass, we stand united with God to overcome the world through Jesus Christ, active through the Church.