Tuesday in the First Week of Lent

We explore how a simple habit—arriving 15 minutes early to Mass—reorders the heart for Lent and deepens participation in the Sacred Liturgy. Prayerful openings frame a practical call to make God first in our time, with honest notes on exceptions and resolve.

• opening prayers and morning offering 
• the shift from home preparation to church 
• the case for arriving early to Mass 
• attention, piety and reduced distraction 
• handling real-life exceptions without drift 
• reflective questions to examine habits 
• Marian intercession and closing blessing

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this land, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lent and Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com 
The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store 
More information on the Cristeros can be found at the Cristeros.org

Transcript

Opening Prayers

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Tuesday in the first week of Lent. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. World without end. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. Preparation for Mass. The modes of preparation for Mass discussed so far begin at home. Now we come to our actual pilgrimage to the Church for the Sacred Liturgy. Here I would like again to quote from Bishop Wall's Sacra Mysteria Venerari. I would also urge everyone to arrive at Mass early, at least by 15 minutes. When we show up right as Mass begins, or worse, late, we show that God is not a priority in our lives, and we have difficulty shrugging off the weight of the world as we try to enter into prayer. Arriving early allows us time to calm down and pray with more piety, attention, and devotion. It may seem simple, but this simple bit of time before Mass can really help to pray well. Without it, it can be hard to focus, and we might find ourselves easily distracted, if not totally absent in mind. There can, of course, be exceptions, such as trying to get small children ready or bad weather, but exceptions make for bad law. Our aim should be an early arrival at Mass each time. If we continually allow ourselves more and more wiggle room in this regard, we will find that we are never on time and are, in fact, often late. Do you prepare in such a way as to arrive at church early? Do you arrive just in time or late without good reason? All that I have and all that I am I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this land, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lent and Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at the Cristeros.org.