Years ago Father Paul Wolfer would remind worshipers of the four purposes of the Mass—Adoration, Reparation, Thanksgiving, and Petition. He has long gone to his eternal reward, and we have thought it good to keep reminding ourselves of these built-in aspects of the Mass. Thus, we pray as follows as we drive to Mass. –John & Sheila K.
Heavenly Father, we (or I) offer You this Mass today in adoration of the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We offer this Mass in reparation for our sins, the sins of our families, and for all the sins committed this day against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
We offer you this Mass in thanksgiving for the whole work of creation and redemption, for the work of the prophets, for the special work of John the Baptist, for sending your Divine Son to save us, for everything that Jesus said and did and taught us, for all of his miracles, for giving us his own Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, for suffering and dying for us on the cross, for his glorious Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, for the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and for the gift of all the Sacraments.
We thank you for all the priests who will celebrate Mass this day, especially those who will celebrate Mass in faith, obedience, reverence and personal chastity. We thank you for the priests who are using our (NFPI) resources to help their couples and to advance the mission of the Church, and we ask you to increase their number. We thank you for our students, and we pray that they will accept the teaching of your Church and be generous in having children.
We offer this Mass in thanksgiving for every blessing You have given us personally, especially for the families we were brought up in, for the educations we received, for our providential meeting and marriage, for the gift of our children and their spouses and their families, and for our grandchildren and any of their friends who are helping them on the narrow road that leads to eternal life.
We offer You this Mass in thanksgiving for excellent health almost all the time, for the health problems you have allowed us to encounter, and for all the healings you have brought about in us and members of our family. We thank you for the freedom to worship at Mass without fear of persecution and for the ease we have in getting to Mass.
We offer this Mass in solemn petition for authentic reform and renewal in the Church, for all the missionary works of the Church, for a rebirth of chastity, for a stop to abortion and contraception and sodomy, and for a culture of purity and life—all throughout the Church, our country and the world.
We offer this Mass for faith and perseverance for all those who are being persecuted for the Faith today; we offer this Mass for a stop to persecution of the Church; and we offer this Mass for a healing of divisions within the Church and for unity of Faith among all Christians.
We offer this Mass in petition for the conversion of Islam, for the conversion of the Jews, and for the conversion of China and North Korea and all other lands under the heavy hand of atheistic communism. We offer this Mass for the conversion of North America, for the re-conversion of Latin America and Europe, and for good government all throughout the world.
We offer this Mass also in solemn petition for all our personal needs and those of our families and friends—for an increase of faith, hope, love, purity and contrition, for a deep and true spirit of religion and discipleship, and for the gifts of wisdom and Christian prudence,
We pray this Mass for the continuation of good health, for the healing of all those for whom we have been asked to pray, for adequate employment throughout the world, and for a true spirit of Christian generosity.
We offer all of this in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amen.