Having your own missal can come in handy if you go to daily Mass or if you go to a church and there aren't any communal missals. It's also great to have if you can't get to Mass but would like to read the readings at home. Before you get your own, you might be wondering exactly what is in the Daily Roman Missal and if it is worth the investment. I think it is, but to convince you I'll take you on a tour of the missal and I'll explain what it's used for, why you should have one and then, lastly, we'll take a look inside at all the different parts.
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The Missal (not a missile) Makes a Great Gift
One year for Christmas, my son, who was not a very good speller at the time, put down on his list that he wanted a roman missile for Christmas. Granted he had been watching a lot of documentaries on war lately, but I was still perplexed by this line item on his list. I finally had a chance to ask him what it was he was really asking for and we both got a good laugh when he explained it was a Roman missal he wanted.
I was much happier to oblige him on this request and he received one for Christmas that year.
Most of our other children have received them as gifts for their Confirmation, as that is a great age to introduce this gift from the Church. If you have a Confirmation coming up, consider giving this as a gift as there are many benefits to owning one.
A Tour of the Daily Roman Missal
The Tour Timeline
0:55 Advent
1:40 Lent
2:25 The Order of the Mass
3:40 Ordinary Time
4:55 Feasts of Jesus
5:10 The Propers of the Saints
6:00 Commons
7:20 Prayers
Why You Should Have Your Own Daily Roman Missal
It Helps You Stay Focused
Having your own missal definitely helps you follow along with the entire Mass much better. I know that most churches have books for that purpose, but this missal gives you all of the readings for every day of the year, plus feast days and optional memorials, all in one volume.
You can even use it to pre-read the readings at home before Mass.
If you go to daily Mass you will now have the readings and responsorial psalm right there in front of you. No more trying to figure out what the lector is saying!
I find that following along helps me to stay much more focused.
It Helps You Learn Church Latin
All of the Mass parts in the Roman Missal include their Latin counterpart.
Some parishes only say/sing the Mass parts in Latin once or twice a year so this book comes in handy when you are at a Mass and the prayers are being said in Latin. You can also use it to teach your kids the Latin prayers.
The Supplemental Material is Awesome
Not only are there the readings for all of the Saints' days and feast days, but there is an entire section at the back that has many extra prayers and devotions.
- Need to know the order for Exposition and Benediction or prayers during Adoration? All of the prayers and songs are here.
- How about a good Examination of Conscience? Got it.
- Stations of the Cross and Rosary? Yep
- Plus many, many more things to help you boost your spiritual life
I'm telling you, adding the Daily Roman Missal to your prayer arsenal will bring your Mass participation to a whole new level. It will also help you during your personal prayer time because there is so much right in this one book.
Be forewarned, if you get this missal there is a definite learning curve involved, so don't get frustrated. Give it some time and it will get easier to navigate.
You'll also need a few extra holy cards to help you keep your place for important parts of the Mass. Other than that, once you use it a few times you should find that it is a very beneficial addition to your Mass-going experience.
This missal makes a great gift for Christmas, a birthday and especially for someone's Confirmation. If you have any questions about the missal, drop a comment below and I'd be happy to help!
Thank you for this video – I received a Daily Roman Missal for Christmas and haven’t used it yet. This was very helpful!