Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

      We can all learn to How-To Mass better as a way to draw closer to God and the community and to enter more perfectly into Christ’s Holy Sacrifice. It may require us to set aside our DIY ways, but being a disciple means following after, particularly following after the Lord walking in His Way.

      I was born and raised in Indianapolis. As such, every May, all I would hear about was the Indianapolis 500. Yes, it is properly hosted in Speedway, which is its own municipality, but one completely surrounded by the city of Indianapolis. I’ve attended the Race once and time trials several times. This past May, I was at a family cookout and the Race was on the TV. I got distracted by a conversation and missed the last lap, which happened to be a re-start after a wreck brought out the red flag. Looking away for just a moment, I missed the closest finish in the history of the 115-year race. The time difference between first and second place at the 2026 Indianapolis 500 was exactly 0.023 seconds – about 6-feet. Felix Rosenqvist claimed the victory over David Malukas at the Yard of Bricks. That sort of close wheel-to-wheel shootout time difference is more like the photo finish to a Kentucky Derby than the typical Indianapolis 500, but it was thrilling. And I missed it because I got distracted.

     Yes, sometimes seconds don’t matter, but sometimes they really do! Lots of important things can happen in the blink of an eye. A second here or there, can mean the difference of a close-call or an accident. Missing a flight or making it. Catching the key phrase in a conversation that made everything clear or misunderstood.

     I thought about that when I was thinking about the Mass. We know the overall flow of Mass, so it can be easy to drift off or get distracted for a moment. Distractions happen. Every saint who has ever written about prayer, has a comment or two about distractions in prayer. They are ubiquitous & universal. They will happen and one ought not to beat themselves up over it. That self-reproach then becomes an even bigger distraction than the initial distraction itself. If you find yourself distracted at Mass, regroup & refocus & reengage.

    That said, maybe you should think about sources of distraction when you are coming into Mass. If you want to How-To Mass well, then do not set yourself up to be distracted. Completely silence your phone of all notifications & ringers & vibrations. Really, who do you need to speak to when you are at Mass than the Lord. It always raises an eyebrow and a small stifled laugh when someone’s ring tone disturbs the Mass – especially given some of the questionable choices of ring-tones that people have selected. I once heard “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood & The Destroyers in the middle of Mass! Is that really the ideal ring tone for any faithful Catholic Christian… let alone in Mass! Yes, it was an added distraction! Now, I would suggest you still bring your phone with you & leave it on but silenced. If there is an emergency and you need to call 911, it won’t do you any good out in your car or waiting for it to power up. Sadly, we must be prepared for such destructive distractions in our world, however unlikely. But avoid the ever-habitual distraction of wanting to check your phone during Mass. Texts, emails, notifications, they can be distracting. For this reason, I would caution against using an online app for daily readings. It’s too easy to check out other things, since you have it open. They are actually designed to distract you!

    It is also worth questioning, am I a distraction to others? Getting up to go to the bathroom for example? Mass is 60-65 minutes. You really can’t wait? During school, I have 375 K-8th graders and rarely an exit due to the bathroom. They know better. Parents of our students, I’m amazed how your children can remain seated at school but not on the weekends – the difference is your accommodation. It is a distraction to them, you, and others. Looking at someone walking out can mean missing those key words in the readings, the homily, the Eucharistic Prayer that help hold the whole thing together. It’s like when a person gets up in the middle of a theater just at a key moment. It distracts. My issue is less the bathroom and the reality that it is a distraction. It is putting your wants ahead of all. It isn’t the best way to How-To Mass. 

    To counteract the distractions, priests are instructed to have times of silence during the Mass. When we call to mind our sins at the Penitential Rite, between the readings, after homily, after Holy Communion, so we can have a moment to take in the profound experience. Try not to give into or be a distraction.

Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.

Holy Family, who worshiped God, Pray for us.

~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries