Believe that Jesus Himself is present in the Eucharist - enough to remain Catholic? Pt 2

[iwillrisenowinfaith]

Hello everyone

I started a discussion here about whether or not the Eucharist is enough to remain Catholic here: Believe that Jesus Himself is present in the Eucharist - enough to remain Catholic?

I came back to continue the discussion.

I still struggle with this issue and questions around whether or not I can continue to call myself Catholic when, more broadly speaking, I don’t fit in with parish life. In the months since I wrote the initial post, there have been moments of joy (such as seeing a very moving and not-shy-about-the-struggles play about the life of Fr. Augustus Tolton, who one member mentioned in the previous thread!) as well as moments of frustration (entering a new period of major life stressors and not feeling worthy as someone who cannot contribute greatly to parish life). I do believe that there are Catholic communities as well as individual Catholics out there who I could probably relate to and connect with better (the best experience with this I’ve had so far was a group I belonged to while living outside the US)…but unfortunately I still haven’t found them in my area.

It’s a funny feeling, because the minute I try to imagine what it would be like to join another kind of Christian group, I become aware that, relative to many of those groups, the Catholic Church is way more diverse, eclectic, nourishing for different worship styles, charisms, etc…and, on top of all that, feels like home no matter what church building you walk into anywhere in the world. At the same time, I do not think God wants any of His children to feel like outsiders or guests…but that does not mean He expects all others of His children to be more welcoming if it is not in their capacity to do so at the moment.

I don’t expect the church itself to ever meet me in my specific situation as a woman of color in the US. Only God can do that. But I do believe God also knows that I’m a human being with human senses. And that He loves me enough to want me to experience hope, healing, and belonging in church from tangible human sources, not solely from receiving Him in the Eucharist.

tldr: Please pray with me today. Pray for all who feel lost in their own Home. Those who feel adrift in our parish communities. Who have one toe (or maybe even a whole foot) out the door because they do not know what else they can do. Pray for flesh-human, currently walking the earth as corporal companions in addition to heavenly guardians and friends for these folks. The journey is hard. Very hard. Pray for insights into God’s deep and abiding love for them. Specifically. First name, middle name (s) if applicable, last name. Child of God. Pray for miracles that will enable them to be seen in all their humanity in earthly, tangible ways even when the societies they live in refuse to do so.

Amen.

 

[Crocus]

not feeling worthy as someone who cannot contribute greatly to parish life

Every parish I belonged to, has always asked for more people to step up to be involved, contribute more to parish life. Is there something specific you feel prevents you doing this, like age, disability?

What are your talents that you can offer?

My parish asks for people to collect the offerings; to bring forward the offerings; join the music ministry; consider serving on pastoral council; hospitality; care for the flower garden; care for altar linens; manage the library; join the women’s spiritual & service group; teach catechism, help parents prepare their children for sacraments.

Spiritually, perhaps you can pray for individuals and the community; attend daily mass, adoration.

List not exhaustive. Many more needs.

Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. When you speak to him about contributing to parish life, what does he say about where he wants to lead you?

 

[otrrl]

In the title question, about Jesus as the Eucharist, I think the Catholic Church stresses the incarnational aspects of God becoming man, God as Word, God as a mystical body of believers, God in ourselves and in our neighbor, and even God given to us under the forms of bread and wine.

Protestants seems to deny one or more of those propositions – i.e. how God has revealed himself to us.

Now, the narrative about your not fitting in well with parish life – well the most important way is in participation in the Eucharist. Beyond that we have different gifts from the Holy Spirit and we really do need each other – you are really needed in the Church in the largest sense and in the local parish as well.

With your range of questions and concerns – I suggest you look upward to developing your spirituality both in prayer and in action. These forums, for example, are a place for sharing your gift of membership in the mystical body of Christ and in encouraging others, with your knowledge of scripture, for example, or sharing experiences of how God has worked in your life. At the very least, these forums are a way of practicing you skills at evangelization.

 

[iwillrisenowinfaith]

Thank you both for your suggestions and insights

Part of what I struggle with is that, as Catholics, it’s a requirement for us to attend Mass weekly. And, yes, that’s a good and wonderful thing. Except involvement in parish life is an expectation that comes alongside that requirement for all people, all the time, no matter their life circumstances (with a few exceptions made for parents, the home bound, and the like).

Without getting into detail, I have three challenging situations outside of church in my life right now that require a great deal of focus and energy. If I were in a Christian community that did not require weekly attendance, I would ask some folks for prayers and respectfully step away until I felt truly prepared to participate in a church community at the level generally expected. This might be months, it might be years, but I wouldn’t just keep going for the sake of going.

As a Catholic, I feel a bit stuck. I do think I need to pull away for a bit. I do not have the energy right now to do even the things that you mentioned, and things like attending daily Mass and Adoration (which I do) seem to be seen as too much “taking” and not enough giving when it comes to what parishes expect. Plus, joining up isn’t a matter of simply raising a hand, at least not in my parish. There are some very strong old guard-type lines drawn up around who does what. It seems to happen in a lot of church communities. Just finding a way to get on a ministry and be accepted by the group that runs it would be a tremendous task on top of actually committing to the scheduling and doing the work of ministry.

 

[GiftofMercy]

Pray for flesh-human, currently walking the earth as corporal companions in addition to heavenly guardians and friends for these folks. The journey is hard. Very hard.

Can you explain what you mean here?

 

[Irishmom2]

You do not have to attend daily mass. Your obligation is for Sunday. As far as volunteering at your parish, if you can’t, for whatever reason, you can’t. I think most parishes get by with a minority number of volunteers. It is nice if people are able to, but if you can’t do it, there is no reason to feel that you are less Catholic than others.

 

[po18guy]

I have never experienced a parish so desperate for help that involvement is asked of everyone all the time. Praying is part of parish life - so why not pray?

Too busy? People on sinking ships, crashing airplanes and those being executed have time to pray. Look for the time. You will find it.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

If I were in a Christian community that did not require weekly attendance, I would ask some folks for prayers and respectfully step away until I felt truly prepared to participate in a church community at the level generally expected.

The issue here is that Catholics don’t have these kinds of “general expectations” for parish participation beyond Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation, and similar required activities (confession at least when in mortal sin and preferably regularly, etc). The idea of Mass and Adoration as too much “taking” if you’re not somehow giving back is on the one hand laudable that you want to give, but on the other hand not a good way to think because when you are in need, Jesus wants to strengthen you and he does not expect you to do anything but reach out to him.

Your being present at Mass or Adoration IS giving, and for many people that may be all they can do, and that’s fine! Some parishes I attend are so huge that from a practical standpoint it would be hard to involve everybody in a parish group or ministry. Many people are also ill, disabled, burdened with big life responsibilities etc and simply can’t participate in parish life beyond Mass and prayer. And that’s fine!

It would be dangerous to your faith to step away from the Eucharist and Mass and Adoration in your time of need. Regarding supportive communities, have you looked into the Charismatic community in your area? It often draws a number of Catholics of color.

 

[JoeShlabotnik]

Just remember, it is not what we want. It is want God wants. Pray on this thought.

 

[po18guy]

As a Catholic, I feel a bit stuck. I do think I need to pull away for a bit. I do not have the energy right now to do even the things that you mentioned, and things like attending daily Mass and Adoration (which I do) seem to be seen as too much “taking” and not enough giving when it comes to what parishes expect. Plus, joining up isn’t a matter of…

1. Walking away from the Eucharist is one form of rejecting or denying Christ. Think of the martyrs who could have walked away but greatly preferred imprisonment, torture and death.
2. Have you discussed your situation with Father? You might be loading more on yourself that others are loading on you. You might be perceiving things that are not as serious as they seem. Your other stresses might be magnifying the stress over this situation. We can easily get the wrong impression - that is simply part of our human weakness.
3. Attending mass, praying before the Blessed Sacrament and the other things that you do are NOT “taking” anything. You are sacrificing - giving - of yourself in each of these actions. Mass attendance should not be thought of as a mere obligation. It is an act of love and self-sacrifice, bearing in mind that:

Love desires the good of the other.
Love does not count the cost.

1. Are you receiving help with the other issues in your life? Christ will never over-load you. It is we who overload ourselves.

 

[iwillrisenowinfaith]

Pray for flesh-human, currently walking the earth as corporal companions in addition to heavenly guardians and friends for these folks. The journey is hard. Very hard.

Friends, basically. But in the sense of friends we have here on earth rather than the ones who are in Heaven

Your being present at Mass or Adoration IS giving, and for many people that may be all they can do, and that’s fine! Some parishes I attend are so huge that from a practical standpoint it would be hard to involve everybody in a parish group or ministry. Many people are also ill, disabled, burdened with big life responsibilities etc and simply can’t participate in parish life beyond Mass and prayer. And that’s fine!

It would be dangerous to your faith to step away from the Eucharist and Mass and Adoration in your time of need. Regarding supportive communities, have you looked into the Charismatic community in your area? It often draws a number of Catholics of color.

Until recently, I did not really understand why I found myself in a state where most of what I do is Mass and Adoration. I do believe it is enough for God and would never frown at anyone who could “only” do that, especially not knowing the full extent of their circumstances. The issue is when we, in our very human reactions, start putting the burden of our own expectations on others. Rather than seeing others as God sees us, we see them as we do. And, in many of our eyes (especially in this day and age where we’re all expected to be “human doings” in many areas of life), someone who isn’t serving in the specific ways we value isn’t carrying their weight.

As for Charismatic groups, I’ve encountered some in the past but not recently. The worship style wasn’t particularly my cup of tea back then but maybe I’ll pray on it and consider another go.

Are you receiving help with the other issues in your life? Christ will never over-load you. It is we who overload ourselves.

Actually, going to Mass this past week and taking some time off to organize and prepare really helped a lot. I’m largely going to have to manage these things on my own, which makes it even harder to avoid just feeling flattened and overwhelmed sometimes, but hopefully things will be a little less stress-inducing once some decisions are made (possibly around the end of this month for one situation, and within the next two months for another).

 

[po18guy]

Actually, going to Mass this past week and taking some time off to organize and prepare really helped a lot. I’m largely going to have to manage these things on my own, which makes it even harder to avoid just feeling flattened and overwhelmed sometimes, but hopefully things will be a little less stress-inducing once some decisions are made (possibly around the end of this month for one situation, and within the next two months for another).

When we feel heavily burdened, it is largely our own work. When we worry, we create our own burden, our own complication, our own despair. At such times, it is most efficacious to abandon all wants, needs, desires to God in prayer and submission. Put into today’s words, solving our problems alone is above our pay grade.

You are His creation and when you are weak, He is strong. We need not wait for weakening from the outside. By the force of our will, we can command ourselves to be weak from the inside. This opens the door to God’s grace. It requires both faith and trust on our parts, but once we let go, it is utterly amazing how ready God is with help.

We err when we try to be big, to have the mental and physical strength to face life’s challenges alone. There is One who is bigger, older, wiser and infinitely stronger Who waits to help when we call out.

Once we let go, we can be astonished by how freeing, how liberating it is.