Posted on 08/22/2010 3:55:33 AM PDT by markomalley
Come and See
Since becoming Catholic in 2004, I have asked myself over and over, why I was never invited to attend a Mass. I could attend funerals and was invited to a few weddings, but not one Catholic ever invited me to Mass.
I was obviously a believer: I loved the same God, I taught the Word of God and many Catholics came to an interdenominational group Bible Study I taught. I always behaved well; I would never have embarrassed anyone. The Catholics who came to class all seemed to like me. I have always been approachable. Why, in more than 35 years, did no one ever once ask me to visit his or her parish for Mass? Why didn’t they ask, “Will you come to Mass with me Sunday and let’s go out for brunch?”
My husband, Tom, and I went to our first Mass at the Cathedral on February 2, 2003. The minute the Mass ended, we turned to each other. Wide-eyed, I said, "This is worship!" Tom said, "Yes, and we are coming back!" As we stopped to say hello to the priest Tom told him, “We want to become Catholic.” One visit to one Catholic Mass; that is all it took. That one visit and a ton of grace - but God provided the grace. The time was right for us. The time was perfect.
We attended Mass for one year and one day – and on February 3, 2004 we were received into full communion in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. It is true, we did not “get” to come forward for the Eucharist for one year and one day, but it was always clearly stated in the Cathedral bulletin: “All those who have not yet made their First Communion, and those who are not members of our faith, are invited to come forward and receive a blessing. At that time, please cross your arms across your breast and come forward for a blessing . . .” We could live with that. What was wrong with that? A blessing. We loved it. We loved that blessing for one year and one day.
I can remember one of our grandchildren, hearing we could not “take” Communion “yet” said, “Grandmother! They would not let YOU take Communion? You are the best Christian I know.” But I told our grandchild, “The Eucharist is so special – first, the Eucharist is a sacrament. Second, they wanted us to fully understand what the Catholic Church knows and teaches as Truth. It is like waiting for the wedding night – being ready for it – anticipating - and we loved the blessing while we waited.”
Tom and I kept inviting people to Mass; we invite our family now, but others, too. We both know that our believing Brothers and Sisters “in Christ” in the many other Protestant denominations, although not believing in the “Real Presence” in the bread and wine at the consecration, do understand that Communion is not just a sip of wine and a chunk of bread. We know we all love the same God.
So what is the reason many Catholics don't invite friends to Mass? Is it because we can’t explain to our friends or to our family that they will have to wait, like everyone else had to wait, until they understand what Catholics believe before they are ready to receive the Eucharist?
Any person who is secure in his or her faith would find it easy to come to Mass with us. The stronger the Protestant-believing Christian is in his knowledge of the Bible and his faith, the more he is going to see the Mass as beautiful. He will know the untruths of what many Protestants have been told in the past - that Catholics crucify Jesus all over again and again, it is a bloody Mass, or Catholics have a death cookie at Communion. He will know we don’t worship Mary, or the saints but we do worship Christ who has died, Christ who has risen and Christ who will come again. He will be amazed at the beauty of the Old and New Testament seen and heard in the liturgy and how much Sacred Scripture we hear at Mass every day. He just might fall in love all over again with the Lord and want to come worship with us. Tom and I did just that.
We have it ALL in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Why then are we all not sharing it? Pope John Paul II told us to be evangelical. Why do Catholics keep this a secret – this wonderful worship – exquisite worship? It is clear we do keep it a secret. If we don't ask friends or family to come with us to a Mass, most of them are not going to fall in the door of the Cathedral when they walk by, as Tom and I did.
Sure, you will be turned down. I can promise you that. You will be rejected. Embarrassed? Yes, you will be embarrassed and some people will tell you things that hurt you about your faith. Who cares? Call it suffering if you like – Catholics do that well. Catholics understand suffering and how it unites us to Christ. Protestants get turned down right and left when they invite people to church, but they still invite people. Do you know why? Because they believe, with a passion, that faith is a life-and-death situation. Do we believe that? Do we believe, with a passion, that faith is a life-and-death situation? Sure we do. Do we want others to know what we believe and why we believe it? Sure we do. For some reason, we just don’t know how to tell them.
The Mass might show them.
Faith is more than a matter of life and death. Faith is a matter of divine worship. Absolutely divine. Invite someone to come to Mass this week. Bring a friend for a blessing. Tell them in the words of Jesus, “Come and see.” They will like it. We did.
The best resources for understanding the sacrifice of Jesus’ death on Calvary are the letter to the Hebrews and the letter to the Romans.
God’s eternal Word gives a full, rich, lively description of all aspects of the power of the cross.
That’s how it happened for me. Someone asked me to come to Mass; one visit and I knew I was home.
Marking
The couple would really be impressed if they attended to true Tridentine Mass.
A pontificale...you are right. A high Mass...maybe.
But most Protestants (as well as, sadly, most cradle Catholics) don't have the theological background necessary to understand a low Mass.
...and unfortunately proper missals are more difficult to find nowadays.
Really? I have my Angelus Press one that I bought at the Shrine and I see a lot of them floating around at Old St Mary's in DC and at St. Alphonsus in Baltimore (the two places I go when I go to a usus antiquior Mass).
Usually the Shrine's bookstore is well stocked with them. But maybe the EF is gaining enough in popularity where they are being sold out most places.
Why must so much be understood Mark? It seems to me Christ taught..the people listened. There was expectation Christ would time and again share His words. Is this not what we attend church for..to hear what he might have to say to our hearts? How is it one must have a theological background to understand Mass?
To undo what they have been taught all their lives. The Low Mass is not a catechism class. If you have ever been to a Low Mass (not saying you have, not saying you haven't), you will realize that there is minimal interaction between the celebrant of that Mass and the worshipers. It is quiet and contemplative. There is, at maximum, between 5 and 15 minutes of teaching (and the 15 minutes is if the priest has a relatively LONG homily). The rest is strictly quiet, contemplative worship. And if you don't understand what is going on (a/k/a the theology), you will just be there...doing the motions...and wondering what is going on, rather than worshiping in union with the priest and the whole Church.
The Pontificale and, to a degree, the High Mass, has enough pageantry and music to keep one entertained. And the Novus Ordo Mass is specifically designed to have crowd interaction. But not the Low Mass.
But for some this is enough...how can any judge the heart of that person sitting there? Jesus seemed to pay attention to people just "being there" and it is He who drew them out of the crowds and addressed their concerns.
I know of a man who attended church every Sunday...the only words from his lips were...Thank you Jesus. He knew who and what he was and who and what Christ had done for Him...it was enough.
I think it is wrong for those learned in the deep things of theology to look down on those whose humble trust in Christ is not sufficient. When we get to heaven the question will not be how much one has learned about Mass...but how much have they loved Christ.
First of all, I am not a theologian.
I know of a man who attended church every Sunday...the only words from his lips were...Thank you Jesus. He knew who and what he was and who and what Christ had done for Him...it was enough.
And that is wonderful. And it sounds like this man has a true contemplative spirit. Unfortunately, in the Novus Ordo parish where I go (and it is better than most), many people expect to be entertained. Parents bring books in for their kids to keep them occupied (along with, ugh, cheerios for the younger ones who can't stop eating for even an hour).
Some people like liturgical abuse...because it provides them more visual stimulation.
Now if you say that teaching people to be quiet inside and contemplatively pray (like the gentleman you speak of) is looking down my nose at them, so be it. But people today are not used to that. They have been educated out of it by society (and by modernists in the Church). And they need to be re-taught.
But where does that expectation for entertainment in the church come from? Some call it worship these days..but all too often I see it as lights camera and action...and the worship leaders always seem to be into their role rather than that of lifting up Christ...it’s about their “performance”.
I agree society has become conditioned to being stimulated on a constant....be it attachment to forms of electronics and or “things” which entertain. It is rare if not impossible for most to “Be still and know that he is God”.
It comes from media, it comes from cultural mores of our society (from the family on up) and it comes, all too often, from the pulpit (a/k/a poor catechesis)
There is an old Catholic saying: lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi. It means: as you pray, you believe. And as you believe, you live.
Judging from your last post, I think you can see the wisdom of this ancient saying.
We cradle Catholics need to take lessons from people like you and invite friends to Mass with us!
I just sent this to some friends who keep inviting her brother to come to Mass. Great article!
I just sent this to some friends who keep inviting her brother to come to Mass. Great article!
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