In our prayer, let us not forget that we are before the Lord. This forgetfulness can take on many forms: we can consider our prayer as insignificant, we can throw away the rubrics or actions which have been handed down to us, we can make up rubrics or actions, we can become so fixated on rubrics and the external form of worship….

We are at an interesting time in the life of the Church. Christ tells us: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13) – if we partake in the Sacrifice of Christ, and forget His mercy, His love, His motive – then we make liars of Christ as He hangs on the cross.

We can’t know or make a judgment about the interior lives of others. But we can look at ourselves. Are our eyes fixed on the Lord when we pray? Especially when we assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass…