Hi there,
I know that one thing that many Catholic parishes do have to get better at (at least, where I live), is welcoming individuals to their Church. At our parish, for example, we have had one or two people speak to us, but the vast majority donât know us or seem to know eachother, with the exception of a few cliques, and everyone seems to rush out after Mass. One thing that some Protestant churches seem to do better than we do is the welcoming and socialization portion to church. It is something that we need to work on (at least, to my experience, but that may vary) and Iâm sorry that you have picked up on this, too, in your Catholic experience.
HoweverâŚ
Where the Catholic Mass differs from many Protestant services is that the service is not structured for us, we are expected to be structured for the service, if that makes sense. The Mass may have different music and a different âflavourâ at times, depending on who the celebrant is or how the music is (and I have my own opinions on the music thingâŚ), but the Mass is always the Mass, never changing. We are at Mass to celebrate the Eucharist. We are not there to âget something out ofâ the service or to hear great music (certainly not at my parishâŚLOL) or to hear a great orator. Weâre there to celebrate the Mass. The more you study Catholic theology, the more sense that will make.
We also arenât there for socialization or to make friends. Those things are nice and itâs great when we find a good, solid foundation of people to rely on in our parish community, but it isnât a coffee klatch or an interest group. There are many groups we can join, like the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Womenâs League, Bible studies, etc for fellowship, but going to Mass is not for the purpose of networking or âhanging outâ with people we have things in common with. We can do that at a coffee shop. I donât mean to sound trite, but sometimes, church gets mixed up with a social club. Itâs fine to meet people that we have things in common with and itâs great to make friends through our church and we should form community-but thatâs not why we are there.
Therefore, it shouldnât matter whether you attend Mass at a parish with great music, poor music, a great speaker for a priest, or a priest that can barely deliver a homily; Mass is Mass and will always be the same. There will be some Masses that may touch your soul more deeply, perhaps, but the great Paschal Mystery of the Real Presence (the Eucharist) is always the same.
I keep thinking of what Michael Coren said (author of âWhy Catholics are Rightâ) when I saw him interviewed on EWTN. Michael was a convert to Catholicism as an adult from a secular upbringing in England, then left the Church for a while to be an Evangelical Protestant. He said one Sunday, he had gone to his Evangelical service and his wife had returned from Mass. He asked her how Mass was and started talking about how great the music and pastor were at his service. His wife shrugged and said simply, âMass was Mass, it was the Body of Christâ. Michael realized that he was measuring his services in terms of how good the speaker was, the music, etc,âŚwheras Mass was eternal, always the same, and was not there to entertain you (Iâm paraphrasing here.). Michael said that when he goes to church, heâs not there to eat popcorn or to watch a big screen TV, heâs there to worship Christ.
The evangelical churches often are flashier and have more âstuffâ then the Catholics do: they tend to have lots of outreach groups, activities, etc. They also have alot of music and fun and accomplished speakers. But the Catholic Church has the Real Presence, the Sacred Tradition handed down from the Apostles, and the Sacraments. We may not be the flashiest, but we have the same Truth weâve had for over 2000 years. Could we improve at the welcoming bit? Yes. But are we there to be entertained or to have the Mass âwork for usâ? No. There will be times when we feel empty at Mass, but the more we pray and meditate on the Real Presence, the more we will realize that Jesus is profoundly Present at each and every Mass and in each and every Catholic Church in a way that no other Church can claim.
God Bless You.
) I have to pinch myself to stop it when my husband is there, he is rather mortified when I tear up. In adoration, I just let go with it if not many people are there. I mean, not sobbing out loud crying but quiet tears of joy and love.