Adventures of an Agnostic Attending Catholic Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter atheos_sum
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

atheos_sum

Guest
so last week i went to the St. Patrick’s in my nieghborhood, just to see what all the consecration was about. this website partly inspired me to go, even though i’d been before. i went thinking that i was going to be forced to, like, accept jesus into my heart, but i was all wrong.

when i got there i wasn’t sure what to do exactly.

I forgot to kneel before i sat at my pew, and the guy next to me seemed to take a disgusted notice. once i got comfortable, i noticed that a large pillar was in my way of seeing the priest and all the little altar-children. but i didn’t really want to move seats, because then i would surely have to kneel and i wasn’t sure exactly how i supposed to do it anyway. so i just sat there. hangs head

Then the guy suddenly turned to me and said, “Peace be with you.” I shook his hand and said thanks.

then everyone pulled down the benches in front of them and started to pray n stuff. so, like, i just sat there for a little bit since i thought that part was going to be over pretty quick… and since new people don’t really have to do everything all the experienced people do, right? But they actually prayed on those benches for a long time. and once i started to bend down and get in position, they all got up into their seats. The man next to me looked over at me and exclaimed softly, “it’s over now!” snaps fingers

then it was time for the eucharist. everyone got in line and started walking up to the altar. i was really nervous and sweaty cuz i didn’t know if i was supposed to be up there eating flesh and blood without permission. i was trying to watch the people ahead of me and listen to what they were saying so i would know what to do by the time i got to the priest. but i couldn’t hear them. when it was my turn, i took the wine and the eucharist and drank it without saying anything. The man said to me something like, “behold, the body and blood of christ…” so i drank heartily and afterwards said sheepishly “thanks…”

it was fun and interesting, and i think i might do it again this week. I want to be able to enjoy it more though, and know what’s going on. And i might want to confess my sins to the priest. I know when you walk in you’re supposed to say, “Father forgive me for I have sinned…” but then what do you say?
 
You may not receive the Eucharist OR go to confession, because you’re not a Catholic! Find a new hobby instead of going out and mocking our religion.
Come back when you’re ready to be humble and respectful and learn. Maybe someday, God willing, you may receive the sacraments of holy Eucharist and confession, as a Catholic.
 
I’m glad to hear you’re attending Mass and are interested in exploring our faith. It takes a little while to understand what’s going on and all the gestures and responses, but you’ll get used to it after you’ve gone a few times. Pay attention to what those around you are doing and just imitate them, it isn’t hard to kneel, stand, and sit when everyone else kneels, stands, and sits. Read the missal in your pew rack, somewhere in there it has the text of the Mass and all the responses you are to make with the congregation are in bold lettering.
Let me remind you though that, since you are not a Catholic, you may not receive Holy Communion or go to confession (why would a non believer want to confess anyway??) It would be considered sacrilege and very offensive to us if you did receive communion or go to confession without believing in it. So, hopefully, God willing, you may someday decide to become a Catholic and then you can receive the sacraments. But until then, just stay in your pew and sit or kneel, whichever you prefer, while everyone is receiving communion.
God bless.
 
40.png
atheos_sum:
it was fun and interesting, and i think i might do it again this week. I want to be able to enjoy it more though, and know what’s going on. And i might want to confess my sins to the priest. I know when you walk in you’re supposed to say, “Father forgive me for I have sinned…” but then what do you say?
Click to expand...
Atheos Sum,

Quite an adventure, isn’t it? It reminds me of my neighbor’s story of how, when he was in the military during WW2, he and his buddy went to mass–in Latin. They were both raised Methodist, and a short ways into it his buddy leaned over and whispered “Jim, this ain’t like no meetin-hall I ever been to!”

I hope you’re being serious about this and not sarcastic; from what you wrote I couldn’t really tell. And I must admit that I don’t find your screen name encouraging. But that is probably a fault on my part.

The sacraments are a Catholic thing, the primary way God gives His graces to Catholics, and generally are open only to Catholics. Baptism, of course, is how a person becomes Catholic, and is open to anybody and everybody–who hasn’t already been baptized. I don’t know whether you have been baptized, but if you haven’t then you should call the priest and arrange for that before you try going to confession.

If you do decide to go to confession, here is what you do. You can either sit in a chair facing the priest or you can kneel behind a screen where the priest doesn’t see you; I usually go for the kneeling because I am embarrassed enough by my sins that I want the anonymity.

You say “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” That’s a lot like a teenager saying “Help me, Dad, I just wrecked the car.” But that’s okay. The priest will say a few words of blessing about making a good confession. A good second thing to say is how long it has been since your last confession. Then you get into the sins you have committed since then. It’s a good idea, if you are really trying to get rid of your sins (and not just looking for a little adventurous fun), to have spent a little time in advance trying to remember what these sins are; some people write them down on a slip of paper.

When you get through, you tell the priest that you’re through. The priest will say a few words of counsel on how to avoid the sins in the future, will assign you a penance, and will then absolve you. (If you’re not Catholic, I have no idea about the theology of the absolution as to whether or not it will actually take your sins away.) You sign the cross (touch your hand to your forehead, stomach, one shoulder, then the other shoulder), thank the priest, and get up and leave. Then you go do the penance.

I need to mention that confession and mass and so on are not an end in themselves; they are supposed to bring us closer to (and finally into union with) God. As you have seen, though, it is quite the adventure, and I would like to invite you to join fully in the colorful life of being a committed and practicing Catholic!
  • Liberian
 
Like Liberian, I couldn’t really tell if you were being sarcastic or not. I hope its the latter. The only way a person can receive the Eucharist is when they are Cathloic and in good standing with the Church - to receive it any other way is considered sacrilege.
 
atheos,

I’m taking your post to be serious and I hope you will consider continuing to explore the Mass. However, as others have pointed out, please abstain from receiving Holy Communion until you have gone through what is commonly known as the RCIA process. You can probably even sit in on their classes if you are just exploring the faith. Why not ask at the parish you are attending.

ecatholic2000.com/rcia/rcia.shtml

Also, if you want to understand the Mass, here is some more information for you. It breaks it down.

catholic.org/clife/prayers/mass.php

When we first enter a Church, we look for the tabernacle, which is most often up around an area called the “sanctuary”. You may have seen priests going up to a box around Communion time. This would the tabernacle, where the consecrated Hosts (Body of Jesus) are held. They always keep extra in there for visits to the sick and for need when more people are at Mass than expected.

When you see other people kneeling down with one knee, it is called a “genuflection”. It is done with the right knee going down to the floor (for those physically able). If you look to where they are pointed when genuflecting, you are likely to find the tabernacle and should see a candle lit (ouside typically red). They are showing a sign of reverence to the Body of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament (you will find many expressions for the same thing (Host, Communion, Eucharist, Blessed Sacrament, etc.). Catholics believe it is truly the Body of Christ. We nourish our souls by eating of the Eucharist. The Eucharist should only be taken when free of mortal sin (which is taught in RCIA), and when in communion with the Catholic Church. Even Catholics who should doubt the existence of God seriously, should refrain from taking Holy Communion. Therefore, if one has not been initiated in the faith, it is not good to receive it.

We believe that there are graces associated with the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance (Confession). Graces are gifts from God that strengthen us, prompt us to do things we ordinarily would not do (visit a sick person, desire to come to Mass, etc.). In fact, if you are truly exploring the Catholic faith, then you yourself are receiving a type of grace from God prompting you to come and explore. Far more graces come from Him when we are in communion with the Church and receiving the sacraments on a regular basis.

I hope this helps. If you want more consider reading more about the Eucharist from the Pastor of my parish who publishes online.

assumptiongrotto.com/Sermons/eucharist_in_the_church_10-17.htm

Here are a bunch of reads on the Mass, the Eucharist, and the Imitation of Christ from the same site:

assumptiongrotto.com/Sermons.htm

God Bless and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
 
Let me first congratulate you, Atheos_Sum, for attending the Mass with an open, if puzzled mind. And for your desire to be fair to the Catholic Church and its teachings.

The Catholic Mass is really very simple once you know what is being done and why. And once you’ve become accustomed to following along, you become an active participant. And once you’ve done that, it becomes 2nd nature to you, like a good many other rituals that human beings create to keep things in order.

The Mass is roughly divided into 2 parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the first part we sing a processional or entrance hymn or song, confess our sins (in a general manner) and sinfulness, we praise/petition God in song, hear God’s word read (including the Gospel during which we stand out of respect), listen to a homily, pray for the people of God and offer our offerings on the altar of our treasure and the fruit of the earth in the elements of bread and wine.

In the 2nd part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest offers our offerings to God, we once again sing God’s praises, the priest consecrates the bread and the wine so that they become the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ. We pray the Our Father together and share in the Sign of Peace with one another. Then the people of God receive the Eucharist. Prayers are said, the Dismissal is announced, we sing a recessional or closing hymn or song and the Mass is over.

As to body posture, as a community we stand to pray or sing (except for the responsorial Psalm), sit to listen, and kneel for the consecration. We genuflect to the Presence of Christ in the tabernacle or bow to the altar if no tabernacle is present as we take our seat in a pew. Then we kneel to “recollect” our hearts and minds for participation in the Mass. After Mass, many people once again kneel to pray, thanking God for the Sacrament and the graces they received in the Mass and to personally rededicate themselves to God.

If you remember these things you should have no problem following along until it all becomes familiar to you. Please feel free to print out my post or go to a website on the order of the Mass and print it out, if you find it helpful and take it with you to Mass until you get used to how it goes.

I will remember you at my next Mass. Please remember us too! 🙂
 
I believe, and please correct me if I’m wrong, that a person who is not Catholic may go to Confession. I think that they do not receive absolution. Just tell the priest when you go in that you are not Catholic but would like to confess your sins. I have an Episcopalian friend who occasionally goes to Confession to her Episcopal priest. Unfortunately, I haven’t spoken with her in quite a while, so I don’t know her take on some of the more recent happenings in the Episcopal church.
Oops! I didn’t mean to hijack the thread! :o

Peace,
Linda
 
Good point, Linda. At our local prison, our pastor does hear confessions from non-catholics. He offers them a little hope in their sad situation.

Deacon Tony
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top