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Well, I look bored during the sermon because our new priest seems to love the sound of his own voice. He gives a half-hour sermon, and the acoustics of the church being what they are, and the way he holds the microphone, I can hardly understand a word that he says. Sitting there for half an hour while the priest pontificates to himself is hardly inspiring.

But I do certainly go in order to attend Mass and receive the benefits of the Sacraments—the Body and Blood, soul and divinity, of Christ, our Lord. And at least the priest says the sacramental words correctly.

1.) Talking before, during, after Mass.

2.) People allowed in dressed like idiots. Women dressed like skanks in church.

3.) People allowed in after Mass starts. People allowed to leave during Mass before the very end.

4.) Ridiculous posing, pompous phony greeting, handshaking, socializing before Mass starts. Demanded by the celebrant.

5.) Music so bad that it makes the Sacrament of Penance almost unnecessary. Centering prayer music, hippy music, electric guitar, harmonica, folksy songs, songs with heretical lyrics, banal songs, communist anthems.

6.) Always, always, Mass read intentions that are promoting illegal immigration, unilateral disarmament, socialistic income redistribution, dependency and welfare, and acceptance of gay culture.

7.) The handshake of peace that is phony and disruptive.

8.) No mention of Hell. Ever.

9.) At election time, always, always a plug for the Democrat platform or even candidate in ways subtle and not so subtle. (At the time of Slick Willy's reelection, the priest lectured on how we shouldn't "discard" politicians just because they have a few imperfections. Puke.)

10.) A pope who hypocritically bashed Trump several times during the election, and even ON THE EVE of the election. Went so far as to repudiate our legal immigration stance. Meanwhile, he has the Vatican locked down like Fort Knox. Fortunately, Catholics did better supporting Trump this go round.

11.) Preaching by priests about families and births being great, the more the merrier, even though most births today are illegitimate and upper classes are forced to finance prolific birth rate of irresponsible indigent classes. We are bad if we don't support these poor families with multiple illegitimate births.

12.) Richness being evil, except of course, when the Building Campaign or Peter's Pence or the Archdiocesan Appeal is going on. Then it is OK to be rich.

13.) Overwhelming support for the Democrat Party by the clergy.

14.) No instruction of the people in the rules of Catholicism.

15.) AT ALL TIMES diminish and disrupt the holy, thoughtful, meditative, ritually quiet, supernatural, other-worldly, Godly, beautiful, and mysterious at Mass.

16.) Sermons that try to be cute, funny, timely, witty.

17.) Sermons that are banal and avoid teaching hard truths.

18.) Accountants, Boy Scout Troop leaders, Janitors, everyone, being allowed to address the congregation during the time reserved for the Homily.

I’m very blessed without parish. Generally the people seem to be engaged and devote. I’m an EME and I see people (most of them) coming up for the Eucharist with something approaching rapture on their faces.

As far as looking for Jesus and longing for him, it took me until my sixties to really know what that means. In September Mr. Mercat and I were in Europe and wherever we went we looked for the churches. Even in the biggest tourist trap cathedral (St. Vitus) in the most secular city in Europe (Prague) we found the red candle and the side chapel where the Host was reserved.

But making disciples and being disciples is about more than just “membership.” To become a true disciple is to have a personal, life-changing, transformative relationship with Jesus Christ. It is to witness to the power of the cross to put sin to death, to bring every grace alive, and to make of us a new creation in Christ. We cannot and should not reduce discipleship to mere membership. The goal is to connect people with the Lord Jesus Christ so that He can save them and transform their lives in radical and powerful ways.

I find this very funny coming from someone in the Catholic religion...I've been here for a long time and one thing we've been told for years by you guys is that there is no personal relationship with Jesus...It doesn't exist...Now you have a priest preaching it like a Baptist...

And it wasn't that long ago that the Catholic religion didn't do Evangelism...

Thing is you can't have a personal relationship with Jesus unless Jesus is part of you...In you...

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

But Jesus in not in your stomach...He's in your soul...What need is there of a wafer in your stomach when you have Jesus already in your soul when you are a born again Christian...