First Mass experience

[RCCDefender]

the Catholic church is like beef jerky. you have to chew and chew and chew to get the flavor out. but once it gets going the flavor is incredible!

That is wonderful!!! I like it so much I may steal it from you!

 

[RCCDefender]

Nazarenes consider themselves distinct from most other Protestants - in that they are “holiness” people. This means no smoking, drinking, and going with those that do those things. Their doctrines teach separation from the world and abstaining from things “not to the glory of God”. Well, this would include just about everything! I won’t go into the havoc of my life as a Nazarene! Suffice it to say that since I was not supposed to be a sinner anymore but rather holy I fell short. And the more it bothered me the more depressed I became. There was no way out. I couldn’t be that Holy. On the other side of the coin, most evangelical Protestants don’t think they’re sinners anymore and those that do, presume upon the Grace of God without being penitent.
What does all this have to do with your friend? Well, nothing, I hope! The word “Nazarene” evokes some memories of lost years.
In your friend’s case, it may be a lot different. Her age and experience have a lot to do with it. And…the fact that she “felt God’s presence” in the Catholic Church - well, that says something. As far as your fears about the Priest being old, etc…I think a solemn Mass may be refreshing in contrast to an upbeat protestant/nazarene service.
Regards,
Don

Actually, that kind of explains a lot. She was telling me how much she used to obsess over sin and would beat herself up if she came close to what she even thought might be a sin, almost like scruples. Maybe like you felt? So maybe as she got older she got away from that kind of church thinking.

I was really surprised, too, that she said she felt such a strong presence when we were in the chapel. She was close to tears! That’s when I explained about the tabernacle and our belief of Christ’s physical presence in the Eucharist.

She’s coming over tonight. Maybe we will have a chance to go into some discussion about Church and Mass. I like how you put it, “solemn Mass,” as opposed to “boring” Mass. That sounds like a great way to explain it to her. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. Thanks!

 

[bbira]

My husband and I were extremely involved evangelical Protestants for over 40 years. When my youngest daughter was in high school, she was a member of a world-ranked synchronized skating team that practiced in the Big City 65 miles away from our hometown. Her practice times were Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 AM -1: PM. (There were other practice times during the week–it was and still is one of the best teams in the world.)

That meant we couldn’t attend our Protestant church on Sunday mornings. We tried going to church in a church near the rink in the Big City, but spent most of the service wondering if our daughter was alright. (Synchronized skating is dangerous, and it’s better if a parent is around when there is an accident. Our older daughter had to be taken to the ER when she was bladed in the nose; thankfully Daddy was there to take her.)

So one weekend I announced that I would go to the Catholic Church down the road, since they had a Saturday EVENING service. (We didn’t know at the time that it’s not a “service.”)

My husband and I went to the Catholic Church, and said, “We should keep doing this. The Bible says that we’re not supposed to forsake assembling ourselves together with other believers. Even though it’s Catholic, it’s still Christian, and it’s important that we obey God’s Word, even if we don’t agree with everything they teach.”

Bottom Line–we started attending Mass out of OBEDIENCE to God’s Word. We had always been taught to obey God’s Word, and we did so.

And God honored that obedience.

We went week after week, seldom missing a mass. Within a few weeks, we made an appointment to talk to one of the priests, and asked him to explain all that was happening in the mass, and what a Protestant could and couldn’t do. (We knew we shouldn’t take the Communion.)

He recommended that we attend the church’s Apologetics Class, which we did, and discovered that the teacher was a former member of one of the evangelical churches we had attended!

Within a few months, we both “recognized” Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I think we recognized Him all along, but prejudice against Catholic teaching prevented us from admitting it. But we had known Him as Savior and Lord since childhood, so of course we recognized Jesus when we saw Him, even though He was “veiled” as Bread and Wine.

It was so exciting to see Jesus, even veiled. If I may make an analogy, it was like recognizing your favorite movie star in an airport! But Jesus is so much more than a mere movie star! He is the LORD.

I think both of us said the same thing–“It is the LORD!”

That’s when we really started studying the Catholic Church–when we KNEW that Jesus was there waiting for us.

I think if Protestants had the opportunity to attend mass, many of them would also “recognize” Jesus, their Lord and Savior. After all, it’s really, truly HIM! It’s not just a “teaching,” it’s HIM!

The problem is, many Protestants are committed to various ministries in their own churches, and they simply can’t miss those ministries for more than a few weeks. (E.g., Sunday School teacher, Children’s Church teacher, choir member, nursery aide, kitchen helper, communion preparation, etc.). So they might go to a Catholic Church once for a wedding, but they simply aren’t going to go week after week.

We are very thankful that our daughters were synchronized skaters, otherwise, we might never have visited the Catholic Church! Isn’t it neat the way God worked that out for us?

There is more to the story than that. About a year after we started going to mass at the Catholic Church, we were kicked out of our evangelical church when a woman pastor made accusations against me that were not true. (A year later, she was fired after being caught in a lie.) It was terrible, awful, but thank God, He had a Church all ready for us!

BTW, both of my daughters attend Catholic churches, even though they aren’t Catholic. But in recent months, both of them have stated that they think they should become Catholic.

So my theory might be true. Get Protestants to come to mass week after week, and they will see the same Jesus that they “accepted into their hearts.”

What do you think of my theory?

BTW, since that time, many Protestant churches have started doing Saturday evening services. So if God’s timing hadn’t been perfect, my husband and I might have started attending a Sat. night Protestant service, and we would have missed coming home. Again, thank God!

Beautiful story!
I’m lead the RCIA team in my parish and it’s like Christmas morning for us each year when our Candidates and Catechumens attend Mass…many for the first time ever! More often than not they are moved to tears by the experience as are many of us old Cradle Catholics!
God Bless You!

 

[lak611]

When I took dh for his first mass he was amazed at how similar it was to Lutheran MO synod services. He said it was more reverent than the Lutheran Church and he liked it better…

When I took him to a healing mass he became visably moved by the experience…guess they don’t do those in the Lutheran Church…

Who or what is dh? I’m clueless.

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

Who or what is dh? I’m clueless.

DH = Dear Husband.

 

[AlegreFe]

My husband and I were extremely involved evangelical Protestants for over 40 years. …

That meant we couldn’t attend our Protestant church on Sunday mornings. We tried going to church in a church near the rink in the Big City, but spent most of the service wondering if our daughter was alright. …

So one weekend I announced that I would go to the Catholic Church down the road, since they had a Saturday EVENING service…

My husband and I went to the Catholic Church, and said, "We should keep doing this. The Bible says that we’re not supposed to forsake assembling ourselves together with other believers. …

Bottom Line–we started attending Mass out of OBEDIENCE to God’s Word. We had always been taught to obey God’s Word, and we did so.

And God honored that obedience.
…

Within a few months, we both “recognized” Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I think we recognized Him all along, but prejudice against Catholic teaching prevented us from admitting it. But we had known Him as Savior and Lord since childhood, so of course we recognized Jesus when we saw Him, even though He was “veiled” as Bread and Wine.

It was so exciting to see Jesus, even veiled. If I may make an analogy, it was like recognizing your favorite movie star in an airport! But Jesus is so much more than a mere movie star! He is the LORD.

I think both of us said the same thing–“It is the LORD!”

That’s when we really started studying the Catholic Church–when we KNEW that Jesus was there waiting for us.

I think if Protestants had the opportunity to attend mass, many of them would also “recognize” Jesus, their Lord and Savior. After all, it’s really, truly HIM! It’s not just a “teaching,” it’s HIM!
…
We are very thankful that our daughters were synchronized skaters, otherwise, we might never have visited the Catholic Church! Isn’t it neat the way God worked that out for us?
…
BTW, both of my daughters attend Catholic churches, even though they aren’t Catholic. But in recent months, both of them have stated that they think they should become Catholic.

So my theory might be true. Get Protestants to come to mass week after week, and they will see the same Jesus that they “accepted into their hearts.”

What do you think of my theory?

BTW, since that time, many Protestant churches have started doing Saturday evening services. So if God’s timing hadn’t been perfect, my husband and I might have started attending a Sat. night Protestant service, and we would have missed coming home. Again, thank God!

Oh my goodness… !!! Aahh!! You should see my face right now… a full mix of emotions. I love your story!! A huge smile!!! I cried too!! Happy tears of course… but also sad tears because of what all the other Protestants are missing, they are missing Jesus Christ in a real substantial way. Oh my goodness… God bless you and God bless your daughters too. I hope they do one day become Catholic. Place your girls in Mary’s heart, after all, Jesus’ heart is also Mary’s heart. His Heart once beat right under Mary’s heart.

Yes I do believe that if you get a good cradle Protestant who loves Jesus Christ and has no gripes about Catholicism or about anything for that matter and they don’t have any “blocks” against anything which would mean that they are blocking God’s Grace also, they will see and recognize Jesus in the “breaking of the bread” just as the Apostles recognized Jesus at that time.

You said that you love Jesus and wanted to be obedient to Him; that is love, real Love and real Humility in its real sense. That is how Mary is. She is very humble in her full obedience to God. And for that she said YES to God. I thank God for Mary’s Fiat! I am sure that Mary had her hand in this as we Catholics know that the Graces of Jesus Christ pass through Mary’s hands to us. :yup: She is, after all, Our Lady of Grace!
No Mary, No Jesus. Know Mary, know Jesus.

I’m not saying that all former Catholics who are now Protestants will never come to recognize Jesus in the “breaking of the bread.” I just find that most former Catholics who are now Protestants are thee worst anti-Catholics out there. I know from experience in knowing these former Catholics who are now the worst anti-Catholic people that I know; so I feel safe in saying this. I have also heard this from other people and from forums such as this one and others to which I belong.

This is another reason why I say that some of our better and possibly best Catholics here in the Church are former cradle Protestants.

I will keep you in my prayers Cat.

 

[AlegreFe]

If you find a good, reverent Mass, would you please share it with some of us?
I remember wondering what was going on at my first Mass, a Wedding of some adult friends.

Out of all the Catholic Masses that I have attended, I find that St Thomas More Parish in Chicago has a very reverent Mass.

I don’t have anything personally against Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist but I would rather take our Lord Jesus Christ from a very Holy and Reverent Priest, thank you. That is what you will see over at “Tommy More” Church. You go into an actual “confessional” to say your confession. You see the statues. You hear the bells. You smell the insence. You see Priests coming out of the Sacristy when it comes time for Holy Communion. And you can even kneel at the altar to receive Jesus if you want; they never took out the altar, thank you God! The Tridintine Mass is celebrated every Sunday. And even when they have the Novus Ordo Mass they are very reverant and the priests still use Latin within that Mass; especially the “Agnus Dei” which means “Lamb of God.”

That Church, St. Thomas More, has so many Graces flowing through there. I pray that the Church never closes. The school closed several years back so I keep praying that the Church never closes. Sometimes I don’t attend the Mass at that Church because it’s not very close to me (it’s not my Parish), but I do try to make it to their Tridintine Mass sometimes.

 

[AlegreFe]

Well…Nazarene and Baptist! Two very different doctrinal systems. If she was exclusively Nazarene - she’d be “stuck in the mud” like so many others. I was originally with the Nazarene church, then because military assignments all over I mixed with Baptists and other denominations. I can remember saying in those early Nazarene years _ "I’ll never leave the Nazarene Truth (church). Well, I’ve done it. Never say never. I’ve been through all the doctrines in Protestantism being left dry in the wilderness until I found The Truth in the Holy Catholic Church!

Pax and Best Regards,
Don

Alleluia! Praise God! I love conversion stories and hearing how different people have found the Full Truth within the Catholic Church; the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that Jesus Christ founded on Peter the Rock!

I like that saying, “being left dry in the wilderness.” We are pilgrims here on earth on the Journey to true paradise. But when a person finds the Catholic Church they will find that they have arrived. When we are in the Mass, we are in Heaven. For those who do not believe me, read the book of Revelations… study it, and read it again (but without any preconceived notions such as “only trials & tribulations” or being “left behind”), then read it again… then attend a Catholic Mass. You will see and believe! It would also be good to read some Scott Hahn books, especially “The Lamb’s Supper.”

 

[AlegreFe]

I took my baptist roommate to mass with me about a month ago. All I told him beforehand was to not receive communion.

He did alright, although he didn’t know what to do. Just make sure your friend has a missal and (s)he should do fine.

Oh, afterwards, my roommate said that he’d like to go again but ‘doesn’t want to make a habit out of it’

-Penitant

Heehee, too late. Well, it might be too late. If he goes again, if only at least once or twice, I believe he will be “hooked” and want to go again & again. I also believe that he might be hesitant if indeed he is “feeling” something, and only because he might think that this is really the “real” thing. :yup:

First thing to remember is not to “rub it in” his face. I’m sure you know that. I’m sure you also know not to “force” him to go again. God will “touch” him and have him go in His own time.

I shall pray for you and your roommate.