Do you have your Sunday planned out yet? Y’all got your dispensation, so it’s time sleep in late, waste countless hours on social media, and binge Netflix, right?
Nope. Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day. http://drbo.org/chapter/02020.htm
Here are my suggestions. Adopt or adapt as you may:
1. Attend Mass if it’s available, if you are well and if it seems right to you, given your immediate family situation and whatnot. Also consider the size of the church/chapel where you have access to Mass, and how close to capacity it might be. If it’s not your regular place, and it’s packed, stay outside.
2. Watch a live stream or TV Mass. Pray the Mass as you watch; it’s Laetare Sunday, ironically not ironic. You always have livemass.net, and most dioceses have made access to live streams. I know here in Phoenix, Bishop Olmstead is taking the 9am TV Mass, and will pronounce the sermon to an empty cathedral, which will be surreal.
3. Try out a Dry Mass, if you’ve never done it before. This is where you read through the Mass in your missal as if you were actually at Mass. Assuming you have already attended or viewed the Mass of the day, might I suggest one of the following Votive Masses… page numbers are from the Baronius Press 1962 missal:
Mass for the Defense of the Church (formerly known gloriously pre-1955 as Mass Against the Heathen), pg 1650
Mass for the Unity of the Church, pg 1652
Mass for the Deliverance from Death in Time of Pestilence, pg 1661
Mass for the Sick, pg 1668
Mass for the Grace of a Good Death, pg 1671
4. The Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have you ever prayed all 15 Decades at once? Give it a try! Get out of the house, go for a walk, or a hike. If you are under an unconstitutional involuntary house arrest, maybe you will have an evangelizing opp with local LEO.
Pro tip: When praying the whole thing, you only need to do the Credo, opening prayers, and closing prayers once (in other words, Credo + opening + 15 Decades + Salve Regina + Fatima Prayer).
5. Litanies and various prayers. All of these are easily searched online: Litany of Humility, Litany of Saint Joseph (Terror of Demons), Magnificat, Prayer to Our Lady Undoer of Knots, Act of Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Prayer to St. Lucy for Perfect Vision (i.e. the Visibility of the Church), Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose.
6. Talk to your Guardian Angel. You’ve given him quite the workout. Say a prayer of thanksgiving, and enjoin him for future battles.
7. Go straight to God. You don’t know what you got til it’s gone, as they say, so if you have an empty feeling, loneliness, yearning, hunger, etc… be happy, because it means you’re normal, and rightly ordered. We all desire union with the Triune Godhead. Even those who refuse the way of truth retain the desire for union, so they seek to unify with something else – everyone worships something. Go to your Lord. He knows exactly what you are thinking, He knows everything that’s going on, and He is in control. Go to Him, and seek that mystical union. Close your eyes and imagine the Beatific Vision. Desire to dwell within it.
Congratulations, you just made a Spiritual Communion. Isn’t it awesome?
Thanks Mark. Wonderful tips. So far, I am beyond blessed. Have attended “private” Mass daily since last Sunday’s stoppage. Don’t know about FSSP, but my ICK parish has private Mass at regularly scheduled Mass times. And confession, Adoration and Vespers. I’ll keep going until or if it stops. Praying for all who don’t have this available. Maybe Burke’s message will change some minds and make Mass and such available to more.
Thank you…to the point and nothing wishy-washy like the bishops mumbo-jumbo.
Excellent! Thank you.
Saving this.
When praying a Dry Mass, do we say the priest’s parts? Even the Consecrations?
I don’t say anything out loud, I just pray it the way I pray it at a Low Mass. Yes, the priest parts too.