Considering ceasing from going to mass

[AllSaints1631]

If the Holy Spirit guides you go for it. Offer prayers, sacrifices, and almsgiving.

I am currently not in good spiritual standing in the Catholic church and considering ceasing from going to mass. There is a family of 8 that lives just up the street from me who all converted to the Lutheran church after leaving the Catholic church about a year ago. The family was Catholic for generations. They have invited me to go to church with them at Christmas for service and communion. I haven’t decided yet.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I am currently not in good spiritual standing in the Catholic church and considering ceasing from going to mass. There is a family of 8 that lives just up the street from me who all converted to the Lutheran church after leaving the Catholic church about a year ago. The family was Catholic for generations. They have invited me to go to church with them at Christmas for service and communion. I haven’t decided yet.

You should visit the Blessed Sacrament and spend your time alone with Jesus Christ. Pray and mediate. He will lead you to all truth.

Why are you not in good spiritual standing with the Catholic Church?

If you are doubting the faith. I recommend buying Father John Corapi’s DVD set called Come Home to the Catholic Church. It’s only 45 dollars.

I will offer my prayers for you. Fr. Corapi is very straight forward and honest.

 

[AllSaints1631]

You should visit the Blessed Sacrament and spend your time alone with Jesus Christ. Pray and mediate. He will lead you to all truth.

Why are you not in good spiritual standing with the Catholic Church?

If you are doubting the faith. I recommend buying Father John Corapi’s DVD set called Come Home to the Catholic Church. It’s only 45 dollars.

I will offer my prayers for you. Fr. Corapi is very straight forward and honest.

What would be wrong with visiting the Lutheran church?

 

[Mannyfit75]

What would be wrong with visiting the Lutheran church?

You are still Catholic right? Well, you cannot partake in their Communion Service. You can sing in the sense of ecumenical sense.

Unless you plan to complete leave the Catholic Church completely and become Lutheran.

 

[AllSaints1631]

You are still Catholic right? Well, you cannot partake in their Communion Service. You can sing in the sense of ecumenical sense.

Unless you plan to complete leave the Catholic Church completely and become Lutheran.

I didn’t say that I was leaving the Catholic church but I may wish to receive with the Lutherans on Christmas.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I didn’t say that I was leaving the Catholic church but I may wish to receive with the Lutherans on Christmas.

Receive? Can you be more specific? Are you planning to become in full communion with the Lutherans on Christmas?

 

[bobzills]

I didn’t say that I was leaving the Catholic church but I may wish to receive with the Lutherans on Christmas.

I don’t know if you are Catholic or not. But my understanding is that it is a mortal sin for a Catholic to receive the Lutheran sacrament of Lutheran Holy Communion administered by a Lutheran minister in a Lutheran Church.
If this is wrong, I would be interested to know when this rule was changed.

 

[AllSaints1631]

Receive? Can you be more specific? Are you planning to become in full communion with the Lutherans on Christmas?

No, I do plan however on receiving communion though. I couldn’t imagine not taking Communion on Christmas an besides, wouldn’t it be just rude if I sat there and didn’t go up to receive Communion?

 

[Jlcastagna]

Yeah , don’t consider what God truely desires for you instead just don’t be rude to your neighbors, I’m really getting sick of being sarcastic but this is killing me.

 

[AllSaints1631]

Yeah , don’t consider what God truely desires for you instead just don’t be rude to your neighbors, I’m really getting sick of being sarcastic but this is killing me.

Would God not truly desire this though? Would it not be better to go to the Lutheran church than to not go at all?

 

[1ke]

All Saints…

First, as a Catholic you cannot attend a Lutheran service as a substitute for the Mass. Your obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days remains-- and Christmas is a Holy Day.

Secondly, you cannot receive communion in a Lutheran church.

Thirdly, it is unwise to accept the invitation of those who have left the Truth of the Catholic Church for a sect such as Lutheranism. They have put themselves in great moral peril, and they want to suck you along with them.

Here is documentation, from JPII’s encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, which explains this in detail why you cannot attend their service in lieu of the Mass nor receive communion:

The Catholic faithful, therefore, while respecting the religious convictions of these separated brethren, must refrain from receiving the communion distributed in their celebrations, so as not to condone an ambiguity about the nature of the Eucharist and, consequently, to fail in their duty to bear clear witness to the truth. This would result in slowing the progress being made towards full visible unity. **Similarly, it is unthinkable to substitute for Sunday Mass ecumenical celebrations of the word or services of common prayer with Christians from the aforementioned Ecclesial Communities, or even participation in their own liturgical services. **Such celebrations and services, however praiseworthy in certain situations, prepare for the goal of full communion, including Eucharistic communion, but they cannot replace it.

 

[1ke]

Would God not truly desire this though? Would it not be better to go to the Lutheran church than to not go at all?

Uh, no. God does not want you to attend a Lutheran service. God wants you to attend Mass.

You are just making excuses. You need to go to Mass. If you choose to purposely not attend Mass or attend this Lutheran service instead of Mass you have committed a gravely immoral act (if done with full knowledge and free will also a mortal sin) either way. These are both unacceptable acts.

If you go to the Lutheran service, refrain from communion, and* go to Mass also *then you would not be committing a sin-- but if you make a habit of attending the Lutheran church you might be.

You need to go talk to your priest and sort out your issues.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

No, I do plan however on receiving communion though. I couldn’t imagine not taking Communion on Christmas an besides, wouldn’t it be just rude if I sat there and didn’t go up to receive Communion?

The only purpose of joining in Ecumenical services is to pray for the reunion of Christianity. To pray with your separated brothers and sisters and to pray for their return to Catholic unity. Otherwise there is no purpose in a Catholic attending a Lutheran service, which does not have valid Sacraments to begin with.

 

[Mannyfit75]

No, I do plan however on receiving communion though. I couldn’t imagine not taking Communion on Christmas an besides, wouldn’t it be just rude if I sat there and didn’t go up to receive Communion?

I am reading you right? A Catholic cannot received Holy Communion in a Lutheran Church. That is against Canon Law. You as a Catholic should know better than this. To received Communion in a Lutheran Church would be agreeing to their doctrines.

 

[Mannyfit75]

Would God not truly desire this though? Would it not be better to go to the Lutheran church than to not go at all?

The Lutheran Church is completely different from us Catholics. For one they are not in communion with Rome. They are a complete departure from the Apostolic Church which Jesus Christ founded. Why do you want to join a bunch of Christians who adhere to the false doctrine of Sola Scriptura and Faith Alone? These are Protestant inventions in the 1517. Not to mention the Lutherans just ordain a lesbian priest and refused to take a vow of celibacy? See Article chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-pastor_18_bothnov18,0,4980968.story

 

[allhers]

…and if you can’t receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church then you can pray for a Spiritual Communion.
You can’t receive with the Lutherans either, so why bother going there to begin with? (sounds a little like you are saying, well, since I can’t receive in the Catholic Church, and the Lutherans don’t care, I might as well go there and receive.) Thats just wrong on many levels. God cares.

 

[IvanKaramozov]

No, I do plan however on receiving communion though. I couldn’t imagine not taking Communion on Christmas an besides, wouldn’t it be just rude if I sat there and didn’t go up to receive Communion?

I don’t take communion when I go to Holy Trinity(Episcopalian Church) and my grandfather is the (retired)Priest and sometimes does the servise

It’s not rude, just don’t take communion if you arn’t in communion with the Lutheran Church

 

[water]

Originally Posted by Mannyfit75
If the Holy Spirit guides you go for it. Offer prayers, sacrifices, and almsgiving.

AllSaints, this saying is not meant to do whatever one thinks he is lead by Holy Spirit. As a Catholic, I wanted to make sure what I do is in communion with the Church.

The main issue here is what makes you consider stop going to a Catholic mass and attend others?

You said you were not in “good spiritual standing in the Catholic church”? How does not going to mass help you at this point? Is there any teachings that you might have problems with?

 

[jimcav]

I am currently not in good spiritual standing in the Catholic church and considering ceasing from going to mass. .

What does it mean that you are not in good “spiritual” standing with the Church?

Have you committed a mortal or venial sin that makes you feel as though you cannot recieve the Eucharist? Do you just not feel right about something the Catholic Church teaches, or maybe it’s something the Church has done to you or something you did to it?

I don’t really understand where your going with this. Your pretty vague on specifics here, but it sounds as though your looking for an excuse to leave the Church and follow this family to Lutheranism. Maybe you like this family and respect them, and thats fine, but leaving the Church should not be done without some deep soul searching and a talk with a good priest or knowledgable Catholic lay person. Even Confession should bring you back into good “spiritual” standing with the Church. You can fix the problem, but something tells me your looking for an easy way out, and that means going to denomination thats easier and more conveniant.

I don’t mean to pile on, but I think we’re all concerned about you leaving the Church without a very good reason.

 

[NotWorthy]

Would God not truly desire this though? Would it not be better to go to the Lutheran church than to not go at all?

AllSaints, just look at the Old Testament. When Israel and Judah split up, the King of Israel tried to set up some Temples in Dan and Bethel so that his pilgrims wouldn’t go visit the True Temple in Jerusalem. God found this abominable.

You should consider this if you think that going to the Lutheran Communion service is an adequate “fill in” for the Catholic Mass.