Mass = *yawn* :(

[tequilamac]

Patience is a virtue and it begins at home. Most people I know have found themselves falling asleep with the Rosary at one time or another. Sometimes people are so wrapped up in the Rosary they say it deliberately while going to bed.
People have been known to fall asleep at Mass. The bottom line is it probably does not have anything to do with how much you love God or the Holy Mother.
I admit, I have fallen asleep while my loved ones speak.My husband, my kids, my parents and at Mass and during the Rosary and especially my mother in law. Off and on now for 51 years. Be patient with yourself. Sometimes you will fall asleep and sometimes you won’t and sometimes you will wish you could.

 

[teachccd]

I admit, I have fallen asleep while my loved ones speak.My husband, my kids, my parents and at Mass and during the Rosary and especially my mother in law. Off and on now for 51 years. Be patient with yourself. Sometimes you will fall asleep and sometimes you won’t and sometimes you will wish you could.

Even Judas stayed awake at the Last Supper. Take a nap and then go to Mass. You cannot compare Mass with the rosary. The rosary is devotional prayer and if you fall asleep while praying the rosary it is a blessing. The greatest Christian prayer, the Mass, is not “something” that you fit into your busy schedule. At least it’s not supposed to be. When you are at Mass you are participating in the closest event to heaven on earth. Our Lord hung on the Cross for three hours after being viciously beaten for us. The least we can do is to learn more about the Mass so as to appreciate it for what it is. We ,as Catholics, have the greatest gift this side of heaven and we try to excuse ourselves if we sleep through it. Jesus asks, " So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?"(Matt. 26:40)

 

[tequilamac]

Even Judas stayed awake at the Last Supper. Take a nap and then go to Mass. You cannot compare Mass with the rosary. The rosary is devotional prayer and if you fall asleep while praying the rosary it is a blessing. The greatest Christian prayer, the Mass, is not “something” that you fit into your busy schedule. At least it’s not supposed to be. When you are at Mass you are participating in the closest event to heaven on earth. Our Lord hung on the Cross for three hours after being viciously beaten for us. The least we can do is to learn more about the Mass so as to appreciate it for what it is. We ,as Catholics, have the greatest gift this side of heaven and we try to excuse ourselves if we sleep through it. Jesus asks, " So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?"(Matt. 26:40)

Nice judgemental response for those into justice. I prefer to remember the Lord Himself at Mass, though, particularly when He said that He desires mercy not sacrifice. Judas stayed awake as you say but might I remind you he also stayed awake long enugh to betray the Lord as well. Do you suggest we emulate that too?

 

[Jennifer123]

Maybe you could read The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn which will undoutbtedly lead you to a new, deeper apreciation for each part of the Mass.You’ll go from seeing it as an obligation to seeing it as an opportunity.

Also you could pre-read the readings for Mass and atleast during the Liturgy of the Word you will already be invested.

Also you can practice Eucharistic Adoration which will heighten your spiritual senses when receiving Cmmunion.

I second (or third…??) this idea - it really helped me to see the Mass for the magnificent thing it is - IMHO if every Catholic, especially the young teens, knew the POWER of what was occuring - us being mystically present at Calvary, the uniting of Heaven and Earth during the Mass - the churches would be full to bursting.

Now I love to be able to be fully present and attentive at Mass when I can, using the opportunity as a prayer of my whole mind and body, offering it up to God, for the hour of Mass fully aware that Heaven and Earth are united, and that I am in the presence of God himself in the flesh.

Anotehr thing that helped was reading some of the mystics’ take on the Mass. I can’t remember who saw this vision, but this person saw and understood that at every Mass at the consecration, a VERY large angel is behind the priest, united in worshipping the Host, Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul and divinity with the angels and saints in Heaven. We can’t see it as human beings, but this person was given this special gift. I can’t help but think of that every time at Mass.

 

[teachccd]

Nice judgemental response for those into justice. I prefer to remember the Lord Himself at Mass, though, particularly when He said that He desires mercy not sacrifice. Judas stayed awake as you say but might I remind you he also stayed awake long enugh to betray the Lord as well. Do you suggest we emulate that too?

We can go back and forth but I just hold the Mass as being the core of our Catholic faith. I hold that we should be so informed as to know that there are places to be bored and fall asleep and there are places where we should be attentive. I doubt that anyone would fall asleep while meeting a world leader or a favorite actor and these pale in comparison to being present with our Lord at Mass. If you inferred that we should emulate Judas from my devotion to the Eucharistic celebration then you need to turn my posts upside down for a more accurate interpretation. Anyone who finds the Mass boring is either very young or improperly catechized and that’s not being judgemental it’s being appreciative of the glorious gift of Christ Himself. God Bless.

 

[Gertabelle]

I don’t have time to read all the previous posts, so forgive me if I’m just repeating what others have already said.

I am a firm believer that being bored is a choice we make. If you are bored with Mass (or anything else) then you are entirely responsible for being bored. It is not the “fault” of the priest, the people at Mass, the liturgist, the bishops who designed the Mass, etc. It also is not your “fault”, just your responsibility to choose to be personally engaged, personally involved, personally related and connected to each and every part of the Mass.

There are many ways to make this shift, but in the end it’s all about a choice you make. Rather than trying to fit Mass into your life, try fitting your life into the Mass.

Many blessings. And you are in my prayers.

Gertie
(who also used to hate going to Mass, but when I was 12 God gave me a way to be in it, and I have loved it ever since)

 

[Damascus]

When I was going through a period like this I found what caused my innattention was a preoccupation with private thoughts and problems that at times of silence would be ringing loudly in my ears (therefore I found the Mass boring since It was competing with my thoughts and always lost out)
When I think this may happen to me, as I enter the Chruch and cross myself I step to a corner and tell myself that I can pick up my thoughts when I leave and take them home with me, but I am going to keep them in the corner for the Mass. It sounds really silly and I dont blame anyone for laughing at that method. It worked for me most of the time when I thought that would happen. Now I have my toddler that asks me lots of questions about what we are doing and tries so hard to keep up with the Our Father prayer, crosses herself, and sings (even if its her own version) and never hesitates to genuflect before we enter the pew. Watching her love of what is going on helps me feel the Love of Jesus all around me at Mass. The only thing I wish she would stop doing is clapping and saying yeah! We can go now! when the Mass is over. People laugh, but I want to cry.

Shake up the dry periods with a different devotion. I never had a long term dry period so I dont know long term solutions but I would try some other routine, mix it up. If your routine is the Rosary, try something else like the Jesus prayer the Eastern Orthodox pray (yes, its okay to pray it) or try silent meditation. How about listening to chant? Fasting, your patron saint might want to hear from you…
That kind of thing. Mix it up. See what happens. Experiment with all the medicines we have in the cabinet and see which cures you. LOL. You cant overdose on any of it.