A Catholic in a Protestant church

[mullenpm]

Michael W. Smith is not a Catholic. He and his wife have attended a Protestant church in Nashville for many years.

Not to say there is anything wrong with listening to his Christian music.:heaven:

But wouldn’t a CD with beautiful Gregorian Chants be also very uplifting.:harp:

 

[mullenpm]

Whitacre_Girl, if you are still with us on this thread,I am curious.

In your OP you say that you came into the Catholic church while you were studying to become a Pastor in your then non-Catholic church.

You say that two years after you became a Catholic you became discouraged. To become a Catholic did you attend RCIA classes? That would have taken a year. At your present Catholic parish? And I assume that you were Confirmed as a Catholic after completing the classes.

During that year or so of RCIA classes you certainly must have realized that the parish where you were taking classes to become a Catholic was not a good fit for you.

Did you at that time talk to your Priest about this situation?

Did I read your OP correctly?

You seem to be filled with such disapproval of the Catholic church (you say your husband took you to many different churches and you didn’t like any of them) that I wonder if you really had the commitment that is necessary to become a Catholic. Is your husband Catholic?

Yes, it is difficult. On those days you say you don’t feel like getting up to go to Mass on a Sunday, you must. Not because it is an “obligation” or “duty” as some here have put it, but because of your love for our dear Lord Jesus Christ. As a Catholic when you say I don’t want to go to Mass you are turning your back on Jesus. And when you decide not to go you slap our Dear Lord in the face - and that is what makes it necessary for you to go to Confession and humble yourself and ask for forgiveness -and you will get forgiveness.

Forgiveness is always there for those who ask.:yup:

Love and Humility are the keys — not praise music.:knight2::knight1:

 

[Prodigal_Son]

OK, here’s my story, a bit different than most…

I was raised in a charismatic Catholic church, but that church quickly lost its “charism” because of selfishness and sin. I met Jesus, in part, during my mother’s “wanderer” phase. My father had just had a terrible accident and nearly died, and my mother was looking for support that she couldn’t find in the Catholic church.

(And please, don’t tell me she didn’t look hard enough.)

We went to tons of Protestant and non-denom prayer meetings and services. Some of what I experienced was shallow or dangerous. Some of what I experienced was extraordinarily powerful; I am convinced that the prayers of Protestants have been extraordinarily life-giving to me. All this time, we attended mass weekly at our unsupportive Catholic church. When I got to college, I found a charismatic ecumenical prayer group, which – strangely enough – was mostly Catholic. This prayer group connected me to a charismatic, ecumenical community which I have been a part of for a decade now. It is more supportive than any Catholic church I’ve been to. That’s not a criticism, but a fact.

People will knock charismatic prayer, but they don’t understand it. It is just one response of the body to holiness. It’s not necessary, but it is nourishing. The best kind of charismatic prayer occurs during the Catholic mass, right after communion. You can shout and clap and raise your hands, or you can kneel and bow your head – these are both responses of the body to holiness, and they are both charismatic.

I wish there were a community like mine where you’re at – maybe there is. It’s worth looking, or even looking to be part of starting one. If you look at the book of Acts, church is built around liturgy and communion, but it is so much more. May God mold all of our churches into the image of the early church!

 

[TheQuestioner]

ok…i’m going to say this now because i don’t know if anyone ever said anything but…

Whitacre…there is the Charismatic Catholic community.

 

[Premontre]

This is going to sound very harsh, but I do not mean it to be. I think this is a problem with a lot of Charismatic Catholics and protestants alike.

I think the Charismatic groups focus on emotion perhaps a little too much. The rationality is there, but what is most important is an emotion brought on by guitars and drums. I think this is very problematic given the nature of who God is, and what the Catholic Church is.

If one comes from a background where they are used to having their emotions aroused by electric guitars and drums , it is easy to see that they will go through that “withdrawl,” and it will be hard to have your emotions aroused from a simple sight of a crucifix or the reception of the Eucharist. Think of it as building up tolerance to emotion…

This is why noise is such a problem in our day, and why many of us can get bored so easily by silence. We have built up a tolerance for excitement, so we need more and more of it to keep ourselves happy. A great example is the monks in the Into Great Silence movie…their whole life is spent in silence. One day they get to go sledding, and they seem happier than ever before!

We should be able to love God with or without drums and guitars, with or without praise and worship groups, and with or without even our sense of hearing!

So, perhaps this might be one of those things where the hardest answer is the only answer, which is toughing it out. It will be hard, but perhaps the emotional suffering will bring you even greater Graces than you can even imagine.

Read the Diary of St. Faustina, it shows how great a gift suffering can be!

Also, the advice of pro-lifemom is right on. The Lambs Supper helps one understand the Mass very well, and can give one a sense of awe when attending the Mass.

Pax

 

[GraceDK]

 As a Catholic when you say I don't want to go to Mass you are turning your back on Jesus.   And when you decide not to go you slap our Dear Lord in the face - and that is what makes it necessary for you to go to Confession and humble yourself and ask for forgiveness -and you will get forgiveness.:highprayer:

:

I dissagree. Luckily Our Lord is wiser than mortal men and women. He knows our hearts. An exhausted person who chooses to rest on the Sunday and spend time with her family once in a rare while does not “slap God in the face”.
Its nonsense.
Look in your Bible where God said:" Man was not created for the sake of the sabbath, but sabbath for man". (my own translation … you know what I mean).

 

[TheQuestioner]

wait wait. So you have all week to spend with your family, at least all Saturday, and you decide to sleep in or play catch instead of going to visit the house of the one who SAVED YOU FROM HELL for ONE HOUR? You are even given the option of going on Saturday night and yet you still wont? And shouldn’t you spend time with your family in Church? But you would rather sleep?

Dude…that’s a slap in the face.

 

[TheQuestioner]

This is going to sound very harsh, but I do not mean it to be. I think this is a problem with a lot of Charismatic Catholics and protestants alike.

I think the Charismatic groups focus on emotion perhaps a little too much. The rationality is there, but what is most important is an emotion brought on by guitars and drums. I think this is very problematic given the nature of who God is, and what the Catholic Church is.

If one comes from a background where they are used to having their emotions aroused by electric guitars and drums , it is easy to see that they will go through that “withdrawl,” and it will be hard to have your emotions aroused from a simple sight of a crucifix or the reception of the Eucharist. Think of it as building up tolerance to emotion…

This is why noise is such a problem in our day, and why many of us can get bored so easily by silence. We have built up a tolerance for excitement, so we need more and more of it to keep ourselves happy. A great example is the monks in the Into Great Silence movie…their whole life is spent in silence. One day they get to go sledding, and they seem happier than ever before!

We should be able to love God with or without drums and guitars, with or without praise and worship groups, and with or without even our sense of hearing!

So, perhaps this might be one of those things where the hardest answer is the only answer, which is toughing it out. It will be hard, but perhaps the emotional suffering will bring you even greater Graces than you can even imagine.

Read the Diary of St. Faustina, it shows how great a gift suffering can be!

Also, the advice of pro-lifemom is right on. The Lambs Supper helps one understand the Mass very well, and can give one a sense of awe when attending the Mass.

Pax

I agree with you, but, everyone worships differently, and one may have more emotion than others, and they shouldn’t starve themselves if that is genuinely the way they tend to worship, in order to worship the same way as other people.

However, you are correct, a constant emotional high from worship could make it more about feeling emotion than properly glorifying God.

 

[Premontre]

I dissagree. Luckily Our Lord is wiser than mortal men and women. He knows our hearts. An exhausted person who chooses to rest on the Sunday and spend time with her family once in a rare while does not “slap God in the face”.
Its nonsense.
Look in your Bible where God said:" Man was not created for the sake of the sabbath, but sabbath for man". (my own translation … you know what I mean).

I think we can all understand that, and most of us have probobly been put into those situations before.

What we must realize, however, is the amount of suffering Christ did for us on the Cross (and the torturing before hand).

You quote about the Sabbath, and that is correct. God does not gain anything from us going to his Mass…but we gain something huge by going to the Mass, especially if we are suffering to get there! If we put our suffering in the right light, our soul will be so open to Grace that the by the reception of the Eucharist, we will gain that much more Grace!

We must also look at the quote that says that he has come to separate son from his father, etc.

Basically, God comes first, and family second.

Hope that made sense!

Pax

 

[Premontre]

I agree with you, but, everyone worships differently, and one may have more emotion than others, and they shouldn’t starve themselves if that is genuinely the way they tend to worship, in order to worship the same way as other people.

However, you are correct, a constant emotional high from worship could make it more about feeling emotion than properly glorifying God.

Well put

 

[Musician]

Dear OP,
I understand a lot of what you say. We converted about three years ago and I don’t know hardly any of the other parishioners. The Catholic Church is not really a place that puts an emphasis on socializing or fellowship the way that I think we ought to. I tried to start a Bible study and ended up with ONE person who came. I gave up after four months of trying to get other women involved. Yes, I sing in the choir; in fact, I was the organist/pianist for years. I can’t be in the Catholic Daughters because they meet when I am working. I know I sound whiny but I would give so much for just plain fellowship and Catholic FRIENDS!!! So I know where you are coming from.
But the fact remains that I am now Catholic, and thus have a responsibility to carry out my obligations in spite of feeling a bit lonely.
So I have immersed myself in Catholic doctrine, books, music, etc. I make pilgrimages when I can. I go to Mass whenever I can, including during the week.
I know I will eventually make Catholic friends and I will feel a little better. I just have to figure out how!
As far as the music/praise/worship at your parish, I think it is a good idea but I doubt you’ll get very far. Lots of Catholics just don’t get it.
Just do your best to fulfill your Catholic obligations. Go to Mass with a ready heart. Keep praying the Chaplet and studying your Catholic books. Things will look up, but not if you get back into Protestantism.
Just my opinion!

 

[ababbidg]

This reminds me of the book The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. The man that a demon was tempting recently converted to christianity and the demon was told to distract the man anyway possible becasue the person was new to his faith and it was a good time to distract him. He was told to make the man dissatisfied with the sermon, to notice the crying child, the person singing off key etc… This is meant to make the person fall away from the Truth and forget the true reason they are at mass. I think this is one of the ways satan tempts us, by telling us that only that strong feeling you get is what true worship is. Then once you stop getting that feeling, you think something is wrong and start doubting the faith. I saw that someone mentioned st. faustina and she is great example of persevering through spritual dry spells.

 

[GraceDK]

This reminds me of the book The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. The man that a demon was tempting recently converted to christianity and the demon was told to distract the man anyway possible becasue the person was new to his faith and it was a good time to distract him. He was told to make the man dissatisfied with the sermon, to notice the crying child, the person singing off key etc… This is meant to make the person fall away from the Truth and forget the true reason they are at mass. I think this is one of the ways satan tempts us, by telling us that only that strong feeling you get is what true worship is. Then once you stop getting that feeling, you think something is wrong and start doubting the faith. I saw that someone mentioned st. faustina and she is great example of persevering through spritual dry spells.

What strong feeling are you referring to?
The other day when I was at a service, I experienced that something was released within me and I could pray for the first time for a long time with hindrance. I could pray in new ways that it would take some time for me to explain. I experienced going from one spiritual and mental state into another while I was at church.
That was reality. It was good. I have no reason to believe God would let me be fooled when I for the first time in a while felt His eyes convey something to me that actually brought me great peace and joy… a joy and renewed faith that has lasted some days now.
That day I was at a Pentcostal Church and I do believe that the way that the service was conducted and the preacher preached was exactly what my soul needed at that time.

I have had the same experience sometimes in the Catholic Masses… this feeling… experience, that I think is actually the Work of the Holy Spirit. He is our peace.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

Dear OP,
I understand a lot of what you say. We converted about three years ago and I don’t know hardly any of the other parishioners. The Catholic Church is not really a place that puts an emphasis on socializing or fellowship the way that I think we ought to. I tried to start a Bible study and ended up with ONE person who came. I gave up after four months of trying to get other women involved. Yes, I sing in the choir; in fact, I was the organist/pianist for years. I can’t be in the Catholic Daughters because they meet when I am working. I know I sound whiny but I would give so much for just plain fellowship and Catholic FRIENDS!!! So I know where you are coming from.
But the fact remains that I am now Catholic, and thus have a responsibility to carry out my obligations in spite of feeling a bit lonely.
So I have immersed myself in Catholic doctrine, books, music, etc. I make pilgrimages when I can. I go to Mass whenever I can, including during the week.
I know I will eventually make Catholic friends and I will feel a little better. I just have to figure out how!
As far as the music/praise/worship at your parish, I think it is a good idea but I doubt you’ll get very far. Lots of Catholics just don’t get it.
Just do your best to fulfill your Catholic obligations. Go to Mass with a ready heart. Keep praying the Chaplet and studying your Catholic books. Things will look up, but not if you get back into Protestantism.
Just my opinion!

I know exactly how you feel about this. I am very heavily involved in my parish, and I am even planning to take on greater responsibilities when lent comes around. The problem is, there is no concept of fellowship. Especially for my age group. They come, they worship, they leave. It sucks.

I have considered attenting a protestant service for the sake of just trying to make positive CHRISTIAN friends. The people I HAVE been meeting through work or whatever have all been non-christian people who are generally pro-choice, and with whom I have no spiritual connection. At this point I have been wondering whether it is better to have protestant friends, or friends who are encouraging unhealthy non-christian behaviours. Or would it be better to go back to being utterly alone, no friends, no social interaction and spending nights where my husband is out with his friends wishing I was back in my old protestant church.

I have had the meeting with my priest, and he is helping to plug me into some groups that might be able to help. I have also talked with him about starting a charismatic adoration service during lent. He pointed me in the direction to go to start that. I am going to go through his suggestions, and even meet with him a few more times before I do anything so severe as go to a protestant church during the week and fulfill my weely obligation to mass. The sad truth is, I worship God in a few different ways…and my parish does not embrace any of these. It’s not that I think my way is better, but the sad truth is, they are starving me to death with their choice in music, and severely lacking homilies. Not to mention the community looking down so much on young people.

 

[Musician]

I know exactly how you feel about this. I am very heavily involved in my parish, and I am even planning to take on greater responsibilities when lent comes around. The problem is, there is no concept of fellowship. Especially for my age group. They come, they worship, they leave. It sucks.

I have considered attenting a protestant service for the sake of just trying to make positive CHRISTIAN friends. The people I HAVE been meeting through work or whatever have all been non-christian people who are generally pro-choice, and with whom I have no spiritual connection. At this point I have been wondering whether it is better to have protestant friends, or friends who are encouraging unhealthy non-christian behaviours. Or would it be better to go back to being utterly alone, no friends, no social interaction and spending nights where my husband is out with his friends wishing I was back in my old protestant church.

I have had the meeting with my priest, and he is helping to plug me into some groups that might be able to help. I have also talked with him about starting a charismatic adoration service during lent. He pointed me in the direction to go to start that. I am going to go through his suggestions, and even meet with him a few more times before I do anything so severe as go to a protestant church during the week and fulfill my weely obligation to mass. The sad truth is, I worship God in a few different ways…and my parish does not embrace any of these. It’s not that I think my way is better, but the sad truth is, they are starving me to death with their choice in music, and severely lacking homilies. Not to mention the community looking down so much on young people.

I definitely understand your desire for more emotional worship. The Catholic worship service doesn’t embrace praise/worship in the ways that Protestants do, and at times we new converts hunger for more fellowship, more emotional worship, better music, and good sermons.
However, we now have the fulness of the truth and can’t really go back (or we shouldn’t want to!). What we CAN do is get CDs of good praise/worship music for home, listen to some really good preaching by preachers such as Fr. Fulton Sheen and other great preachers of the last 50 years or so, and observe such practices as Adoration, fasting/prayer, praying the Rosary, etc. I’ve been reading some great books such as “Introduction to a Devout Life”, all of Scott Hahn’s books, “Story of a Soul”, etc. Everything I can get my hands on. I listen intently at Mass to all readings and the homily (even when it seems dry I can usually get something out of it). It is helping. What REALLY helps is going to confession and to Mass whenever I can. I’ll go to Mass almost every day when I can. That is such a blessing!
I think I will try to get involved with another Bible study but I am not sure which one. It may be in a different parish. I need more fellowship since my whole family is Protestant and I just can’t relate to them in a religious sense. I don’t know. We’ll see.
Keep your chin up and keep practicing your new faith. This may be a test for you.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

Thank you. You are completely right. The fullness of faith isn’t something you can walk away from.

 

[chain]

First good luck.

I heard a good quote once, which I will now mangle. Essentially - Mass is not about your entertainment, it is about worshiping God.

That said, research churches and masses near you. I know my local church’s has poor music at most of their masses - but we have 2 services a month (not widely publicized) that are much more Glory and Praise (uplifting). I also am aware that parishes around us tend to have slightly different flavors (some more Cathedral like, others have teen masses with more G&P. I bet if I looked harder I would find at least monthly Charismatic masses (again, they might not be heavily publicized) - also look for teen life programs (for more energetic music).

Personally I often get less than than I would like at mass, as I wrestle with a 2 year old. Those days it is just about worship. I can really enjoy the days when I can lift my voice in praise. I also enjoy when I can pilgrimage to a Cathedral mass and listen to the angelic voices of a well trained traditional choir - a very different experiance than the dancing and singing, but equally or even more spiritual as you can imagine the glory of the Choirs in Heaven.

 

[mullenpm]

I don’t want to start an argument here but after reading some of the posts on this thread I am beginning to believe the title should be “Protestants in a Catholic Church.”

I have never before seen posts on CAF where so many “Catholics” seem to get nothing out of going to Mass. Why would one need dancing, clapping, swaying in the pews and generally causing noise doing the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I had not even heard the term “praise music” in a Catholic sense before this thread. Generally we have “sacred music” at Mass.

So many posters are concentrating on the lousy music, the bad singing of others in the congregation, a boring and dry homily, etc. etc. etc. This is all EGO; and what is in it for me.

Has anyone given the least thought as to why you are there in that church at Mass? You are there to worship the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and to receive that same Body and Blood in Holy Communion; I don’t know why that is not enough for anyone.:knight2::knight1:

 

[distracted]

I So, would be be sinning or cut off from the church if I went to an adult contemporary, charismatic protestant worship service, but refuse to take communion or become a member of that particular church? This may also prove an effective way to meet christian friends of my own age (something I am desparately in need of).

not a sin but i thought of going to a non-Catholic service once… and did… got lonely after only a few minutes… and left…

true, you are not me… but… i don’t know… i just can’t live w/o the Real Presence… even for one non-Catholic service…

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

not a sin but i thought of going to a non-Catholic service once… and did… got lonely after only a few minutes… and left…

true, you are not me… but… i don’t know… i just can’t live w/o the Real Presence… even for one non-Catholic service…

I can understant that. One thing I will say though, is that for the first 4 months of my catholic life, I was forced to attend a protestant worship servic`e 3 times a week for school. I have an especially thick hide when it comes to the nonsense