"The Church earnestly desires that Christ’s faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration." (SC 48)
A "good understanding of the rites and prayers" is where I'll begin. Since I've been contemplating the prayers of the mass, as well as the Scripture, the mass has become so much richer.
As I've shared my reflections with others, many have asked the same question, "What's a Collect?"
Many missalettes don't print these prayers, or in some editions, they're hard to find. A subscription to Word Among Us with mass readings or the Magnificat is handy, but not necessary if you can find a good web search.
Check my Useful Information page for links to where you can find more resources online.