My column from our parish bulletin this week.

It’s not easy to prepare for Mass as a mom to active young children. My Sunday mornings (or Saturday afternoons) usually find me with my hands full of clothes and shoes and various other last minute details. On the drive to church, I am often entertaining discussions about various current events or savoring a few moments of silence.

And yet, that hour I spend in Mass is the most important hour of my week. During that hour, despite possible wrestling matches, bathroom trips, and even spontaneous tears, I find myself renewed, changed, inspired.

Lately, I’ve been trying to better prepare for Mass, and my approach involves about one extra hour throughout the week. I spend a few minutes each morning (or on the mornings I can) reading the Mass readings. When I have invested this extra hour, I find that Mass is different.

Though I may feel rushed and pestered, harangued and tousled, I no longer feel like a stranger. Greeting me are words I’ve familiarized myself with all week, comfortable touches from God’s mouth to my ears.

However you find yourself burdened through the week, try spending a few moments each day with God’s word…and see how it changes your Mass.