Dealing with differences in mass

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Sweetdarlin1983

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How do you cope with differences in mass when you go out of town? This weekend my family decided to go the the church we started our conversion at. Until this weekend it didnt dawn on us how different mass could be. We went with the flow and received communion sanding and in the hand even though we all felt odd about it since its something we are not used to. We will be moving this summer and I would like to find a church that is like the one we attend now so as we visit other churches and with us being so new to our conversion we are not sure if we should just go with the flow of what everyone else does or take communion how we feel comfortable despite what others are doing.
 
I go with the flow and love every minute of it.

I have gone to Mass in Berlin Germany and to very old mission Church in Southern Arizona.

They were so very different yet so very much the same and I was at home in both.

I accepted the communion as I always have.
 
What is universal about the Mass is the prayers and the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. If you are able to go, you are blessed. Many in the world are being persecuted.
Try not do fall into critiquing the liturgy everywhere. It won’t lift your soul to the higher things. We see lots of bitter people lamenting this that or the other.
Go with a right spirit, a true love of God, and humility.
Be at peace.
God bless you, and welcome home.
 
Sweetdarlin1983 said:
How do you cope with differences in mass when you go out of town? This weekend my family decided to go the the church we started our conversion at. Until this weekend it didnt dawn on us how different mass could be. We went with the flow and received communion sanding and in the hand even though we all felt odd about it since its something we are not used to. We will be moving this summer and I would like to find a church that is like the one we attend now so as we visit other churches and with us being so new to our conversion we are not sure if we should just go with the flow of what everyone else does or take communion how we feel comfortable despite what others are doing.
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If you are upset by minor variances in the Mass at different locations, you should be thankful that you didn’t grow up when everything was in Latin!
I was educated in a Jesuit parochial school from kindergarten through 10th grade, and was thoroughly versed in our faith,
I was away from the Church for many years. When I left home and went to sea, it was well before V II, and everything was in Latin. I more or less left the church through neglect, since ships do not normally have priests on board, and I was hardly ever in port on Sundays.
When I finally came ashore and happened to undergo a conversion back to our church, everything had changed. For a long while I was very uncomfortable with Mass in English…it felt like I was in an Episcopal church! However, I accepted the fact that those in Rome knew more about it than I did, and if that was the way they wanted it, so be it. Just remember, God understands all human languages!!! It is what is in your heart that matters, not the language you speak.
 
Sweetdarlin1983 said:
How do you cope with differences in mass when you go out of town? This weekend my family decided to go the the church we started our conversion at. Until this weekend it didnt dawn on us how different mass could be. We went with the flow and received communion sanding and in the hand even though we all felt odd about it since its something we are not used to. We will be moving this summer and I would like to find a church that is like the one we attend now so as we visit other churches and with us being so new to our conversion we are not sure if we should just go with the flow of what everyone else does or take communion how we feel comfortable despite what others are doing.
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Even if it feels a little weird or uncomfortable, just go with the flow. It is a very good idea to try out different parishes after you move and find one that fits you and your family. If you log onto the new diocese’s webpage and check out the various parishes, you might be able to narrow down the search.
 
George_Stegmeir said:
If you are upset by minor variances in the Mass at different locations, you should be thankful that you didn’t grow up when everything was in Latin!
I was educated in a Jesuit parochial school from kindergarten through 10th grade, and was thoroughly versed in our faith,
I was away from the Church for many years. When I left home and went to sea, it was well before V II, and everything was in Latin. I more or less left the church through neglect, since ships do not normally have priests on board, and I was hardly ever in port on Sundays.
When I finally came ashore and happened to undergo a conversion back to our church, everything had changed. For a long while I was very uncomfortable with Mass in English…it felt like I was in an Episcopal church! However, I accepted the fact that those in Rome knew more about it than I did, and if that was the way they wanted it, so be it. Just remember, God understands all human languages!!! It is what is in your heart that matters, not the language you speak.
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How correct you are; those in Rome do know better than us at home which is why you can find at Masses offered by Pope Francis in the Vatican chanted in the Latin tradition of the monks at Solesmes, Holy Communion given out on the tongue, Ad Orientem worship, and a whole host of other customs handed down from the Roman Rite of the Mass.
 
I love going to mass at different churches and enjoy hearing new priest giving homilies. One of the greatest things about the Catholic Church, IMO, is how the liturgy for all is built around the same scriptures and basic structures. I have even been to mass that was in a foreign language, I did not know, but was able to follow using my Magnificat and observing the priest.

Being part of a universal Church for all people is truly a blessing.
 
I don’t “go with the flow”. I have the good fortune to be close enough to attend an EF Mass every Sunday. (by close I mean under 100 miles each way). 🙂
 
corsair said:
I don’t “go with the flow”. I have the good fortune to be close enough to attend an EF Mass every Sunday. (by close I mean under 100 miles each way). 🙂
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If I have an opportunity to go an EF Mass I go with the flow and love it just as much as I do the Ordinary Form.
 
George_Stegmeir said:
However, I accepted the fact that those in Rome knew more about it than I did,
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Except that it wasn’t the ones in Rome who were totally responsible for the seeming change in theology by the translations into their vernaculars. The main change there was the theology from “pro vobis et pro multis” to “for you and for all” but there were other instances as well.
 
pianistclare said:
What is universal about the Mass is the prayers and the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. If you are able to go, you are blessed. Many in the world are being persecuted.
Try not do fall into critiquing the liturgy everywhere. It won’t lift your soul to the higher things. We see lots of bitter people lamenting this that or the other.
Go with a right spirit, a true love of God, and humility.
Be at peace.
God bless you, and welcome home.
Click to expand...
Exactly! When in Rome… 🙂

Regardless of where or how Mass is celebrated, the core of the Mass remains the same, and that is the source of its value: you are worshipping the One, True God. Isn’t it a miracle that wherever you go, at any point in time, you are receiving Jesus as he sacrificed Himself at Calvary? Keep your heart on Him and you’ll never go wrong.

Also, can I just say how happy I am that you’re Catholic? Amazing! Sending you and your family a superabundance of love and prayers as you settle on the faith!
 
You do understand that there are a number of other liturgies and rites that are celebrated within the Catholic Church, especially by the Eastern Catholic branch of the church? ALL of them are legitimate, and many of them have multiple options for how they may be celebrated. There is a fair amount of diversity that is allowed within the Mass / Divine Liturgy.
 
The RCIA director at the parish I converted at said that there are thousands of versions of Catholicism because every parish does things a little bit differently. (So don’t expect other parishes to do things exactly like we do!)

Still, I was surprised to find that some parishes don’t have kneelers. Or I show up at the mass with contemporary music. Or I show up and the parish is louder and more charismatic than I’m used to.

In the end, we are still doing the liturgy and showing our reverence for the Lord.

If I don’t like the differences, I show up to a different mass or I just don’t go to that parish again.

I just accept that it isn’t the right parish/mass for me and move on. Not a biggie.
 
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