Going to “Short Mass”

The value of going to “short Mass” during the week. 

Our youngest son calls weekday Mass “short Mass” and weekend Mass “long Mass.”

At a weekday Mass (also called daily Mass), there is no music and usually there is one less Bible reading than on a weekend Mass, so these Masses end up being about 20-30 minutes shorter. Our son noticed the difference!

When we were expecting our third child I started going to a weekday Mass once in a while with our kids. Going to Mass or not depended on when everyone woke up and ate breakfast and how my children’s behavior was. If it was a challenging morning already, I knew most of Mass would be the same and going to Mass would be more frustrating than spiritual for us.

I enjoyed going when we were off to a good start in the morning. It added something wonderful to our day to get out and go to Mass.

Why go to a weekday Mass?

Time in prayer

Mass is the ultimate prayer.

Yes, we can pray anytime and anywhere, but Mass is the ultimate prayer. We hear the Word of God proclaimed from the Bible, we pray as a community, and we receive Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity in Holy Communion. Time in prayer after Communion is a special time we only have at Mass.

At Mass, we bring ourselves to Jesus and our prayers are lifted up to Him with the prayers of the community gathered together.

We hear the Word of God proclaimed.

We have the first reading, a Psalm, and a Gospel reading at weekday Mass. Mass is an opportunity to learn more about Jesus and His people as we listen to the readings.

I can think of many times when I was going through a struggle or needing to make a decision and the Bible readings or Father’s homily was just what I needed to hear at that moment.

We receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

At Mass we are closer to Heaven–Jesus Christ is present on the altar and in us when we receive Him in Holy Communion.

We receive strength and grace from God to live the lives He has called for us to live. I cannot think of anything more powerful than this.

We spend time as part of community.

Being a Mom can be isolating at times. Depending on the day, it can feel like our daily lives are a monotonous cycle or a roller coaster ride. Sometimes I want to be around others, and other times it seems like the effort is too much.

In going to Mass, we are surrounded by others of faith. This was encouraging to me. We are one community in Christ.

We learn from others.

One of the men who goes to Mass during the week says “Peace be with you, brother,” or “Peace be with you, sister,” at the sign of peace. I always smile when I hear him. It reminds me that we are all one family in Christ. We are all brothers and sisters. At a daily Mass where there are fewer people (and often the same people each day), it is easier to see how we are part of a family.

I was surprised to sometimes see other moms there with their kids! Sometimes grandparents will bring their grandchildren, too. It was encouraging to me to not always be the only mom with young kids at Mass.

We are an example to others.

Another thing I did not expect was to be encouraging to others. When our third baby was born and our oldest decided that it was the perfect time to act up during Mass, one of the women at Mass would come and take our baby so I could focus on our oldest. I appreciated that so much. Many people have told me how they remember me going to Mass when our oldest kids were so little. Now that they are older (and we have two more kids), I am still surprised how many times I hear comments from other parishioners who have watched our kids growing up (and learning to behave) at Mass.

We set an example for our children.

By going to Mass during the week I show our children that Mass is not limited to the weekend.

God is always available to us and for us at Mass. We can meet Him there in a way that we cannot meet Him anywhere else.

Tips for going to Mass with kids

Before Mass, I remind our children what behavior was expected of them. I bring religious books and children’s Bibles with us for our kids to look at during Mass. After Mass, I give them time to run around outside or we go to a park for a little while to play.

(For more in-depth ideas on this topic, see “Tips for Going To Mass with Young Children” and “More Tips for Going to Mass with Young Children.”)

Go to weekday Mass.

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For me, making the effort to go to a weekday Mass means I put extra effort into my relationship with Our Lord.

By going to Mass, I let Him know I want to be with Him, learn more about Him, work to grow closer to Him, and receive Him in Holy Communion.

For the past few years, I have been attending Mass every Friday morning. Going to a weekday Mass has been a nice addition to my schedule. I like having this additional time for God in my week. Going to daily Mass is one more way I can show God I love Him.

What about you? Do you like going to “short Mass”?

A resource about the Mass.

“The Greatest Prayer of the Church” by Jeff Cavins is a great article explaining the Mass. 

You may also like A Biblical Walk Through the Mass Understanding What We Say and Do In The Liturgy by Edward Sri or The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn.