Balancing God and Family

[georgewithfaith]

How does a lay person participate in daily mass, eucharistic adoration or confession when these are offered at inconvenient times? I have to be at work at 8:00 a.m. so I cannot make the morning mass at my church. Why doesn’t the church be proactive and have daily mass at times most people can participate? Also, how much worship is too much and considered neglect of one’s family?

 

[water]

Have you looked around in your city, there might be some church where you can go to daily mass, adoration, etc …

 

[chrysostom15]

Do not think of it as balancing. Think of it as doing whatever God is calling you to do at a given time. Discern what God wants, and don’t worry about any ideas of balancing. You need to pray more, it sounds like, so you can discern this.

 

[dwc]

Our parish has daily mass at 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. Maybe suggest to your pastor that morning mass be an hour earlier or that he add a 5:30 pm mass at least a few times a week. I work downtown and the nearby church has a 12:05 pm mass M-F so I can catch it on my lunch hour. Maybe there’s a church near your work, too?

 

[bmajkowski]

Our church offers a 6:30AM Mass as well as a 8AM. Also, check your local colleges and see when they have Mass. Ours has a 12:05PM Mass, a 5PM Mass and a 8PM on Sunday evening. Another local college has a 7PM daily Mass and a 10PM Sunday Mass.

 

[Sr_Sally]

Not all lay people are called to go to daily Mass, regular adoration, etc. We are called to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, to receive confession and communion once a year. That is certainly do-able. If you have the desire to do more, you need to figure out how it will work within your own family. As others have said, you can look for another church that has a daily Mass at a more convenient time for you. You can go to adoration as a family. You can say the rosary or other private prayers as a family in the morning or evening when you are together. You can always make an appointment for confession, or again find another church that offers a better time.
What you do beyond your obligations is up to you and your family. You are responsible for making it work. The Church has not required those things from her lay people, but it is a wonderful thing that you have a desire to do them.