Bishop Martin and Personal Liturgical Preferences, by Dr. Jeff Mirus 

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture, May 29, 2025 

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org.

As I recently mentioned in an email to colleagues, I know that I have the liturgical sensibilities of a mouse. The Liturgy has never been, for me, something that I thought I was supposed to enjoy. When I consider the laws of the Church, I notice that one of those laws is to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. Because I understand what the Mass is, I regard this as a very minimal requirement, and in fact it is extremely rare that I fail to turn up at Mass on all seven days of the week.

But I have never enjoyed it, and so I have always assumed that my enjoyment is not the Church’s point. I have further assumed that the obligation to attend Mass was formulated by the Church for my benefit, and that going beyond the minimal obligation is even more beneficial. I may not enjoy Mass, but I do want to draw closer to God, and I know I need all the grace I can get. But if I am wrong about the unimportance of enjoying Mass…then I am damned. …