Are you being fed?

[Buford]

I was watching “Web of Faith” on EWTN today and this point came up. It is a common question, asked by Protestants to Catholics. They want to know if the Mass meets out spiritual needs.

I would have to answer yes, I am fed, and clothed, and housed, and well armed. What spiritual nourishment is in a Protestant symbolic communion?

I receive the Eucharist, nothing is better than that, my venial sins are forgiven and I am clothed in righteousness, I kneel (reside) among the Saints and Angels as a foretaste of where I hope to spend eternity. I even have the Word and my sword and shield.

 

[MrS]

Reminds me of a talk given by Jeff Cavins… why Catholics leave the Church because they think they are not being fed. Sad.

We hear more of the Gospels and the other Scriptures at Mass on such a regular basis… every day… and then have the blindness to slap the Mother who feeds us, walk away, and say we are not being fed. Great talk, great message,

 

[Annunciata]

MrS:

Reminds me of a talk given by Jeff Cavins… why Catholics leave the Church because they think they are not being fed. Sad.

We hear more of the Gospels and the other Scriptures at Mass on such a regular basis… every day… and then have the blindness to slap the Mother who feeds us, walk away, and say we are not being fed. Great talk, great message,

Good one:thumbsup:
I hear this “Are you being fed” thingy from some of my Protestant friends quite frequently. And, sorry to say, from some of my Catholic friends too! I don’t know about you but I think any good Christian should always have a “Hunger for God”…it’s built into us… “Our Hearts are Restless”… Augustine :twocents:
Annunciata

 

[Scout]

Just my opinion, but any member of the Catholic Church who says they aren’t getting fed doesn’t have their mouth open!

We have the body, blood, soul & divinity of Christ. Whatever else we may think the Church is lacking, when we have the Holy Eucharist we realize all the other things are just icing on the cake. There is no where else we can receive Christ totally and completely, so why go anywhere else? It would be like licking the tiny crumbs off the floor instead of sitting down at the table for the real meal.

We are fed. We are fed by Christ and with Christ. And we realize that only He can fill us.

Scout :tiphat:

 

[JimG]

If I want to be fed, there’s a Wendy’s down the street.

But if I want to meet Jesus Christ, receive his body and blood, and be filled with every grace and blessing, I’ll go to the Catholic church.

 

[rwoehmke]

You all have voiced one viewpoint which I would allow is absolutely the truth, but… Most protestant churches worth their salt have a rousing sermon and the hymn singing is loud, skilled, and enthusiastic. While it is true these are secondary to the Real Presence and the greater quantity of Scripture we get at each Mass, how nice it would be to have a jaw dropping wow of a sermon and a congregation that sounds and acts like it wants to be there. While the mind/knowledge is great, a little heart/emotion would be as you say frosting on the cake.

 

[MrS]

rwoehmke:

You all have voiced one viewpoint which I would allow is absolutely the truth, but… Most protestant churches worth their salt have a rousing sermon and the hymn singing is loud, skilled, and enthusiastic. While it is true these are secondary to the Real Presence and the greater quantity of Scripture we get at each Mass, how nice it would be to have a jaw dropping wow of a sermon and a congregation that sounds and acts like it wants to be there. While the mind/knowledge is great, a little heart/emotion would be as you say frosting on the cake.

I have found that having one (quality sermon) nourishes the other. And then viceversa. But if I can only have one… give me a sermon (like those of St John Vianney) anyday.:clapping:

 

[asquared]

rwoehmke:

how nice it would be to have a jaw dropping wow of a sermon and a congregation that sounds and acts like it wants to be there. .

we get a terrific sermon everytime our pastor preaches (although some Sundays the deacons do a fair job, it is not their primary gift, shall we say). Pastor has an uncanny ability to speak to every one in the congregation, adults, youth and children, with knowledge, conviction and passion. We are also gifted with an extraordinary preacher in a visiting priest from Africa who assists us from time to time. the congregation is knowledgeable about the Mass, can and does learn new hymns and mass settings, even in latin, and teaches their children well.

 

[Pug]

Okay, leaving the Eucharist aside, as so many have already covered, for me getting “fed” is getting refocused on what matters and what is true. Honestly, the mass does this well. All the prayers and little parts focus the mind on God and truth. Even something as simple as the memorial acclaimation, “Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again,” works its magic if we listen and pray along.

If I need emotion to be spiritually well fed, then I am in trouble when a dry spell or dark night comes along. Sometimes we just don’t have emotion. It is unpredictable. Jesus loves me, I hopefully love him. He is my King. That is what makes me well and healthy, not how exuberant I feel. It is Jesus himself who is my companion, not a full feeling.

 

[Scout]

I think people make up the heart/emotion of the Mass. Some people prefer to have it quiet and peaceful because they see that as reverant. Others prefer more out-going music and homilies that preach fire and brimstone. You just can’t please all the people all the time.

I think being fed comes down to a personal decision. We are fed when we choose to be fed. Those people who get the most out of Mass do so because they choose to fully participate in the Mass, and not treat it as a spectator sport.

I’ve recently begun singing with the choir at our 9:30am service. Actually, this morning was my first time. I noticed, though, that my mind was so focused on the parts I had to sing and getting ready for the next piece of music that I hardly focused on the Mass at all. I can’t live with that. So, I’ve decided to either go to the 5:30pm Saturday Mass or to the 8:00am on Sunday morning, in addition to the 9:30am Mass, so that I can fully participate in the Mass the way that I want. My desire is to be completely focused on Christ, and I can’t do that if I’m too focused on the music. Yes, I’ll be going to two Masses with the same music and homily, but I don’t mind that at all. Besides, Father’s homilies are pretty good so I don’t mind sitting through them twice.
Scout :tiphat:

 

[jaz1976]

I echo the thoughts of everyone else here as to “being fed”. I have heard this question so often from protestants that I am fed up :banghead:

Usually when a Catholic is able to explain his faith the protestant will drop the subject. If the Catholic gets the “deer in the headlights” look, then we all know what follows. That person is fed a line of manure.

I was reading the testimony of a “bible believing Christian” who just so happened to be an ex-catholic. Of course he went on about how devout he was. He went to Mass all the time and followed the Churches rules and felt that he had to work to get into Heaven. He went on to explain that all of his 30 years as a Catholic he never read or heard from the Bible. He never was told of Jesus’ love for us. He said he just wasn’t “fed”. Then of course a co-worker shared with him that Jesus loves him and that Catholics aren’t really Christian because they haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

So sad, so sad. It is a shame that all of these ex-Catholics not only lie to others but lie to themselves too.

 

[Scout]

jaz1976:

I echo the thoughts of everyone else here as to “being fed”. I have heard this question so often from protestants that I am fed up :banghead:

Usually when a Catholic is able to explain his faith the protestant will drop the subject. If the Catholic gets the “deer in the headlights” look, then we all know what follows. That person is fed a line of manure.

I was reading the testimony of a “bible believing Christian” who just so happened to be an ex-catholic. Of course he went on about how devout he was. He went to Mass all the time and followed the Churches rules and felt that he had to work to get into Heaven. He went on to explain that all of his 30 years as a Catholic he never read or heard from the Bible. He never was told of Jesus’ love for us. He said he just wasn’t “fed”. Then of course a co-worker shared with him that Jesus loves him and that Catholics aren’t really Christian because they haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

So sad, so sad. It is a shame that all of these ex-Catholics not only lie to others but lie to themselves too.

What I don’t understand is how an ex-Catholic says he was a devout Catholic and went to Mass all the time but never heard anything from the Bible. What does he think the Readings were from? And the responses? Where does he think those came from?

Scout :tiphat:

 

[SeekerJen]

Scout:

I’ve recently begun singing with the choir at our 9:30am service. Actually, this morning was my first time. I noticed, though, that my mind was so focused on the parts I had to sing and getting ready for the next piece of music that I hardly focused on the Mass at all. I can’t live with that. So, I’ve decided to either go to the 5:30pm Saturday Mass or to the 8:00am on Sunday morning, in addition to the 9:30am Mass, so that I can fully participate in the Mass the way that I want. My desire is to be completely focused on Christ, and I can’t do that if I’m too focused on the music. Yes, I’ll be going to two Masses with the same music and homily, but I don’t mind that at all. Besides, Father’s homilies are pretty good so I don’t mind sitting through them twice.
Scout :tiphat:

You’ll get used to fitting choir duties in with the Mass. I’ve been a choir member at my parish for 5.5 years now, and while it was a challenge at first, I find that I pay more attention to the Mass now, and have a better understanding of it. Once you get your organizational system worked out for your music, you may find that it frees you up to really pay attention to the readings and prayers, and once you have somewhat memorized the sung parts of the Eucharistic Prayer, it will free you up to truly focus on what you are singing and what is happening during the consecration. You’ll also have a better understanding of the liturgical year. Before I joined up, I didn’t pay much attention to it other than “now it’s Advent; oh, now it’s Lent; oh, now it’s Easter. Look at the color changes”. It’s exciting now to prepare special music for the Feast of Christ the King, or Epiphany, or Pentecost, or the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

Although I never mind attending two Masses, either. You learn different things at the different Masses, plus you get “fed” even more. On Christmas and Easter, a large part of me is always tempted to attend all the Masses, and camp out in a pew overnight, with Christ in the tabernacle for my companion and the sanctuary lamp for light.

Topic: How can anyone say that Catholics are NOT fed? Unlike many, we take the 6th chapter of St. John’s Gospel literally. Christ tells us how to “get fed”, so that is what we do. And jaz1976, those obviously false testimonies that say “I never heard the Scriptures; never heard that Jesus loves us” bug me too. When I was in college, I was accosted by a young woman from a local evangelical church who claimed to have been raised Catholic. She fed me the lines “Oh, we never read the Bible. We didn’t even have to go to church on Sunday.” I told her that she obviously hadn’t really been raised Catholic, because I had, and we went to Mass and heard the Bible every Sunday, and we read the Bible at home and at school. At that point she gave up, wished me a nice day, and disappeared. At least she didn’t try to bluster her way through the lies.