4 Things I Learned from My First Month of Daily Mass
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
A simple question posed in a quiet chapel led to a 31-day Mass streak, a series of powerful spiritual lessons and a deep peace that only Jesus can give.
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon. I found myself in my parish’s chapel, yelling at God, angry at him for calling a dear friend to move away.
Between tirades came a reply that echoed in the silence: “What if you loved me this much?”
Now, I wish I could say I piously realized the error of my ways, repented, cried tears of joy and ended up levitating in prayerful ecstasy.
That was not the case — that day, at least. (I’m still waiting on the levitation, St. Joseph of Cupertino…)
Even though I may not have responded well that day, the Lord’s question haunted me in the weeks that followed.
What if I did love the Lord that much?
What if I did give him my all?
What would that look like?
As September ended, I decided to give it a shot, to go “all-in.” I’d started praying the Rosary daily a few weeks prior, so I committed to stepping it up by going to daily Mass every day throughout October.
That might be scandalous for some readers — the editor of a Catholic publication wasn’t going to Mass every day?! He only started praying a daily Rosary recently?!
I’m not here to justify myself. Maybe I should have started this sooner. Maybe you don’t get it. Maybe you’re in the same boat as me.
Regardless, after a 31-day Mass streak — better than any Duolingo streak I ever had, for the record — God has showed me a ton. Here are just a few lessons I learned from going to Mass every day for a month.
There will always be more work to do. Take a break.
I’ll admit, I fell into the “I’m too busy to go to Mass” camp far too often. The length of my to-do list, the howl of deadlines and the chirp of email notifications drowned out the gentle, quiet call of God to spend time with him on most days.
No matter who you are, what job you have or what state of life you find yourself in, there will always be more work to do. There’s another article I could write or edit. There’s another chore you could get a jump on. There’s always one more thing.
I used to balk at people like St. Francis de Sales who would recommend one hour of prayer every day — unless you’re busy, then two hours. St. Teresa of Calcutta and her Missionaries of Charity made no sense to me, with their practice of doubling down on prayer during busy seasons.
Now, 31 days of Mass later, I see the value of taking a break and a breath and turning to the Lord. And I’m grateful for the peace, clarity and stability that’s given me.
God wants a relationship with us.
Maybe this one’s obvious to you. Duh, André, God literally became man. He got to know us better than anyone.
But, after 31 days of going to Mass, I realized that still happens today and every day.
It’s not just that Jesus came and dwelt among us. It’s that he still comes and dwells among us — present tense. He does so in the Eucharist.
At any given moment, on any given altar, in any given place across the world, Jesus comes to meet his people. Heaven touches earth. God is made food to nourish, sustain and bless his people. He not only gave us everything necessary to know, love and serve him in his earthly life, death and Resurrection. He gives, now, all that we need to follow him.
In this month of Mass, the God of the universe has met little old me right where I’m at, every single day, and called me closer to him.
God speaks to us every day.
Well, if God wants a relationship with us, of course God would communicate with us! That’s what any good therapist will tell you — relationships are built on communication.
As obvious as it may sound, I realized that communication happens most often, most effectively and most powerfully through the Scriptures, through the daily readings.
More often than not, I’d walk into Mass to piously prepare and forget to check out the day’s readings. Then, when the lector would begin proclaiming the living, breathing Word of God, my heart would be pierced.
It was as if God was speaking directly to me — whether in the first reading, the psalm, the second reading on Sundays or the Gospel. No matter what I thought of the homily, either. (But y’all are doing great, Fathers!)
Daily prayer isn’t a talisman.
Y’all, this one was a doozy.
Partway through the month, I was feeling good — close to God, holier, peaceful and maybe a bit more patient. Things were going well!
Then, the winds changed and the storm came.
What was this all about? God, I’m praying more than I have in a while! I’m going to Mass every day! I’m doing this, that and that other thing! Why isn’t everything going well?!
Then it hit me. I was trying to “earn” goodness and grace by putting together an impressive spiritual resume: daily Rosary, daily Mass, prayer before meetings and in the car, Divine Mercy Chaplet…
But prayer isn’t a talisman. Just because we do a litany of laudable things doesn’t mean we’ve earned comfort.
In fact, Jesus promises us the exact opposite (see John 16:33).
It was a hard pill to swallow, but I’m grateful for the reality check. It might just bring me closer to Jesus in the next 31 days.
Take the Next Right Step
Whether you find yourself in shoes like mine or you’re much holier than I, I’d invite you to consider taking the next step in your spiritual journey today.
“But I’m too busy!”
“Mass is boring!”
“I don’t know what to do or say!”
I get it — I do. But it’s worth it to enter into the discomfort, the inconvenience, and try to figure it out with God.
I say that not as a levitating saint (looking at you, Padre Pio) or a pillar of peaceful prayer (hey there, St. Therese) but as a guy who’s still figuring this whole Christian life thing out. My halo isn’t quite formed yet, and I’ve got a long way to go!
But on only day 32 of daily Massgoing (as of this writing), I can tell you: there’s peace, security and joy in the arms of the Father. It won’t be easy. It won’t always be fun. But it will be worth it.
