Help bored!

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Livingthedream

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I used to only go to church a few times a year, but for the last 7 Sundays, I’ve not missed a Mass! I was 40 minutes late for last Sundays, but made it in time for communion…I’d slept in, a few too many the night before! However, I was really happy I made it on time and felt invigorated after receiving our Lord!

But it got me thinking. I really liked that Mass, cause it was so short and I realized that I’ve been quite bored. Going to Mass weekly would be really cool, but I’m afraid that if I stay this bored, I’ll just stop going.

Is there anything my Church can do to make Mass mor interesting? Do you have any suggestions that I could maybe email the parish office, in the hopes that they’d incorporate the fresh ideas into the service?

I found this forum and figured you guys would be chalk full of great ideas to throw at me. Thanks!
 
If it were my goal in life to gain material wealth and I had a generous friend with a gold mine who gave me permission to enter it once a day and haul off as much as I could, I’d make sure I got there each day without fail. Whatever strain the trip put on me I’d ignore for the sake of the treasure I was building.

At every Mass Jesus, our High Priest, is offering to the Most Holy Trinity his passion and death at Calvary for the benefit of those present. Consequently, Holy Mass is a spiritual gold mine where a person can gain an increase in divine grace, an increase in merit, an increase in eternal glory, blessings for his daily life, pardon of his venial sins and a decrease in the accountability he will have on the day of his judgment. Mass is not meant to be entertaining. Better that you see the treasure so easily available to you and show up every day with a wheelbarrow.

Also, consider that God called us into existence without our deserving it in any way. The mere fact that we have the privilege of being one of his creatures makes us indebted to Him in an amount we can never repay. And, with loving care He maps out each of our days to guide us on our way to eternal happiness with Him. Then, if that’s not enough, despite our countless sins, He grants us the exquisite blessing of receiving God himself in Holy Communion. At Mass Jesus renders thanksgiving for all this on our behalf: "What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things that he hath rendered to me? I will take the chalice of salvation; and I will call upon the name of the Lord.” (Ps 115:12-13, DRV)

Finally, as Fr. Martin von Cochem says in his book on the Mass, we were created to serve God and glorify him, and we cannot do this better than by hearing Mass, which is the highest act of worship.
 
i have a very low attention span. but i’ve been to Mass where the priest just keeps me attentive all the time. you can go “parish shopping” and find a priest who can keep you interested in Mass.

its no secret, not all priests are great at speaking or delivering homilies. if you’re willing to drive, you can go look for one that will appeal to you
 
What do you particularly find boring about Mass? And why do you believe that you should be entertained at Mass?
 
JMJ_coder said:
What do you particularly find boring about Mass? And why do you believe that you should be entertained at Mass?
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entertainmetnt is not the opposite of boredom
you can be bored in class but you’re not in class to be entertained
i’ve been to Mass where the Homily can be prescribed as a cure for insomia
and i’ve been to Mass where i had a few drinks the night before, but the priest was such an excellent speaker he captivated me enough to keep me up, awake and attentive
 
JMJ_coder said:
What do you particularly find boring about Mass? And why do you believe that you should be entertained at Mass?
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I guess I have trouble when the regular people do the readings…most of them read sooooo slowly like it’s the last thing they’re ever going to read. I’ll have read the entire reading myself and they won’t even be half done!

The homily is Ok sometimes, but sometimes it drags on and on and on…The music is also so slow…I try to sing along, but the music is just blah blah blah to me.

The last thing, is after getting the host. I have a heck of a time resisting the urge to bolt out the exit, instead of having to go back to my seat…but it’s not a big deal, I usually duck out early anyhow.

I don’t know if I need to be entertained, but I wouldn’t mind if something interesting happened or if someone said something that would keep my attention.

I want to get in good with God and start going to Church, but like I said, it’s awfully hard to get out of bed knowing what’s in store. 😦
 
Livingthedream said:
Thanks for the links. It sounds good on paper, but I’m faced with the reality that I’m still going to bored. I’d love a few tips that I could pass on to the admin office to jazz things up a tad.
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Perhaps more Gregorian chant, incense, better vestment, and the Canon of the Mass said silently and facing God instead of the congregation?
 
Livingthedream said:
I used to only go to church a few times a year, but for the last 7 Sundays, I’ve not missed a Mass! I was 40 minutes late for last Sundays, but made it in time for communion…I’d slept in, a few too many the night before! However, I was really happy I made it on time and felt invigorated after receiving our Lord!
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I don’t have much of an answer for your question, but I do want to make a comment. I’m really happy you’ve been going back to Mass! But I would encourage you to (if you haven’t done so) work to make sure you only receive the Eucharist when you are in a state of grace. Missing Masses on Sundays would mean you would need to go to Confession before you started to receive. Also, having “a few too many” and then being 40 minutes late to Mass as a result could be another reason to need confession. I’m not saying I assume you are in a state of mortal sin, I have no way of knowing that and it’s not my business - just a reminder in case you hadn’t been back to confession yet.

As to your actual question - study up on the Mass, the theology of the Eucharist, and so on. If you can bring yourself to focus on what’s actually happening in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that may help you to not get so bored - because the Mass is amazing!

That said, there’s a certain parish around here that, if it had been the first place I ever went for Mass (instead of going first to what is now my parish, a beautiful, traditional place), I may never have made it back to another Mass. Old 70s-80s music not very well done in a very plain building, half the people leaving early… so I can understand to some extent. I won’t say you need to go to a traditional Latin Mass (the Extraordinary Form) although you could - but at least find a place that celebrates the Mass properly and reverently, if your place doesn’t do so.
 
MarkThompson said:
Perhaps more Gregorian chant, incense, better vestment, and the Canon of the Mass said silently and facing God instead of the congregation?
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👍 Bunch of friends got a local pastor to go for 3/5 next week for the parish feast (during the week yet!)
 
haha thanks to all of you with your links to books… I just had a shopping spree on Amazon!
 
Bbigam said:
I don’t have much of an answer for your question, but I do want to make a comment. I’m really happy you’ve been going back to Mass! But I would encourage you to (if you haven’t done so) work to make sure you only receive the Eucharist when you are in a state of grace. Missing Masses on Sundays would mean you would need to go to Confession before you started to receive. Also, having “a few too many” and then being 40 minutes late to Mass as a result could be another reason to need confession. I’m not saying I assume you are in a state of mortal sin, I have no way of knowing that and it’s not my business - just a reminder in case you hadn’t been back to confession yet.

As to your actual question - study up on the Mass, the theology of the Eucharist, and so on. If you can bring yourself to focus on what’s actually happening in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that may help you to not get so bored - because the Mass is amazing!

That said, there’s a certain parish around here that, if it had been the first place I ever went for Mass (instead of going first to what is now my parish, a beautiful, traditional place), I may never have made it back to another Mass. Old 70s-80s music not very well done in a very plain building, half the people leaving early… so I can understand to some extent. I won’t say you need to go to a traditional Latin Mass (the Extraordinary Form) although you could - but at least find a place that celebrates the Mass properly and reverently, if your place doesn’t do so.
Click to expand...
👍
 
Bbigam said:
I don’t have much of an answer for your question, but I do want to make a comment. I’m really happy you’ve been going back to Mass! But I would encourage you to (if you haven’t done so) work to make sure you only receive the Eucharist when you are in a state of grace. Missing Masses on Sundays would mean you would need to go to Confession before you started to receive. Also, having “a few too many” and then being 40 minutes late to Mass as a result could be another reason to need confession. I’m not saying I assume you are in a state of mortal sin, I have no way of knowing that and it’s not my business - just a reminder in case you hadn’t been back to confession yet.
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I didn’t know being late was bad. I thought making it on time to get communion was all that counted?

Anyway, I don’t do that whole confession thing, it’s just not for me. I haven’t been to confession since they made me go when I was a kid and I got confirmed. I’d recently thought about it though, so I said prayer askin God to give me a sign if he wanted me to go to confession. He didn’t give me any kind of a sign, so I figured I’m ok not to go.

I guess if I get a sign, I’ll think about going, but it’s been almost a couple months and nothing.

I searched around on the net for some ways to make things better. I read that some Church’s have drums, electric guitars and key boards…that’d be kinda neat and would help mix things up.

Someone asked me what I find boring, I thought of something else. When that lady stands up and sings some lines and then everyone in the Church sings back at her…one day they didn’t sing, they just read it and it was 5 times faster that way. They should just read it every week, I’m gonna suggest that as well.

Thanks for tips everyone.
 
Livingthedream said:
I didn’t know being late was bad. I thought making it on time to get communion was all that counted?
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Mass is not simply communion. I’ve heard of many Priests telling the faithful that they must stay til the last note of the recessional song for Mass to count for their Sunday obligation.You can go to Mass without receiving the Eucharist. IMHO, you need to be there for the Sign of the Cross at the beginning of Mass through the end. If you are running late, that doesn’t mean you aren’t still supposed to go. Just don’t receive the Eucharist.
Anyway, I don’t do that whole confession thing, it’s just not for me. I haven’t been to confession since they made me go when I was a kid and I got confirmed. I’d recently thought about it though, so I said prayer askin God to give me a sign if he wanted me to go to confession. He didn’t give me any kind of a sign, so I figured I’m ok not to go.
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I guess if I get a sign, I’ll think about going, but it’s been almost a couple months and nothing.
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Confession is for EVERYONE!!! Missing Mass is a mortal sin and takes you out of hte state of grace. Receiving the Eucharist outside of hte state of grace is itself a mortal sin. It brings spiritual death upon you. The only way to put someone back into the state of grace is the Sacrament of Reconciliation! If someone dies with moral sin, the Church teaches that that person does not go to Heaven.
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying. ~1 Corinthians 11:29-30
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Is the Bible a big enough of a sign?
 
Livingthedream said:
I searched around on the net for some ways to make things better. I read that some Church’s have drums, electric guitars and key boards…that’d be kinda neat and would help mix things up.

Someone asked me what I find boring, I thought of something else. When that lady stands up and sings some lines and then everyone in the Church sings back at her…one day they didn’t sing, they just read it and it was 5 times faster that way. They should just read it every week, I’m gonna suggest that as well.
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Mass is not about us. It is about worshipping God. Can you not even give God an hour or so of your time one day a week on a Sunday? The Church has liturgical laws that prohibit (according to most people’s interpretations here) drums and electrical guitars. The Catholic Church is not the same as the Protestant churches (obviously not including Orthodox in this), and we in no way wish to be. The Protestants do not have the Real Presence. They simply sing and pray and read Scripture. Mass is so much more than that. Catholic Mass has its origins in the Mass of the early Christians.

Singing is praying twice. Again, Mass is not about us. It does not require us to be there and do anything in order that the Sacrifice takes place, but God requires our attendance and witness to that sacrifice.

I ask you to read some of the other threads in this forum.
You are in my prayers.

Pax!
 
That’sa some serious stuff. Maybe I should ask for another to sign to see if that stuff applies for me. I dunno, cause I asked beforer and didn’t receive a sign. In the past, I’ve asked god for signs and he’S given them to me. Like one time I asked God to give me a sign if I should break up with my girlfriend and it got really windy out, so it was a pretty obvious sign friom God and I broke up with my girlfriend. I have other examples where }od gave me signs, but that’s the best one.

I’ll ask God again if confession is for me, but I’ll make sure I’m outside…that way God will have more things to give me a sign with.

I’ll come back later and let you know what happens.
 
Livingthedream said:
That’sa some serious stuff. Maybe I should ask for another to sign to see if that stuff applies for me. I dunno, cause I asked beforer and didn’t receive a sign. In the past, I’ve asked god for signs and he’S given them to me. Like one time I asked God to give me a sign if I should break up with my girlfriend and it got really windy out, so it was a pretty obvious sign friom God and I broke up with my girlfriend. I have other examples where }od gave me signs, but that’s the best one.

I’ll ask God again if confession is for me, but I’ll make sure I’m outside…that way God will have more things to give me a sign with.

I’ll come back later and let you know what happens.
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Dear friend, God has given you a sign already. He has given you His Church which has the authority to teach you what you need to know. The Church in its wisdom has made sure to have a catechism which details what ALL Catholics need to do. Part of that catechism informs ALL Catholics (including you) that you MUST receive sacramental confession when in a state of mortal sin, not just if you ‘feel’ like it. Missing Mass is a mortal sin (unless you had good reason, and you did not. You simply didn’t feel as though you wanted to go. Not a good reason at all. The information you need is out there now if somehow you ‘missed it’ way back when.)

**So you have your sign. You have your information. Now. . .do what you are supposed to do. You don’t have ‘special privileges’. The rules apply to YOU as much as to any other Catholic. **

**This may sound stern but it is not meant to be nasty or angry; rather it is meant to HELP you to have the fullest best and most faithful life as a Christian–ultimately helping you to be ‘less bored.’ You made some mistakes --don’t worry, we all do. Now you need to repair those mistakes. Don’t worry, we all do. **
 
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