Orthodox here... The point of the mass (which we call the Divine Liturgy) is to prepare and distribute the body and blood of Christ to the faithful. Your point for being there should be to be properly prepared for receiving the Eucharist, and to do so in a God-loving community setting. Your spiritual growth is up to you, and most of it should take place outside the mass!
If you prepare during the week by reading the designated scriptures and be faithful in prayer, and otherwise prepare properly (you could even ask the priest what you should be doing.) then when the mass comes, it will be a joy, not a bore. Forgive me. /Orthodox.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.