If you attend the NO mass, what is causing the lack of faith?

[Lycorth]

Seems clear to me that this would be left up for a priest to decide–not you or I.

Precisely, which is why we ought to obey the Church’s teaching on Mass attendance under normal circumstances and unless ill health or bad weather or something else obviously prevents you from safely getting to Mass within a reasonable distance.

 

[PJM]

Originally Posted by Milesius
It should not matter how the people react as far as the priest is concerned, he must tell them whether they like it or not, sanctification is painful if they want to run away rather than accept it that is their problem the priest must do his job without bearing any heed to human respect.

THE REPLY And for how long can he remain a priest, if he drives away his parishioners? He’ll be bagging groceries at Walmart in a year, and telling people that he used to be a priest, if he can’t keep the people coming in.

Let us NOT FORGET, God has a very active roll in what happens.

 

[jmcrae]

Ok…I broke my own rule…

The occasional problem that may take someone far away from Mass is not the same as someone who is just too lazy to attend Mass.

**Canon 1245:**Without prejudice to the right of diocesan bishops mentioned in can. 87, for a just cause and according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop, a pastor can grant in individual cases a dispensation from the obligation of observing a feast day or a day of penance or can grant a commutation of the obligation into other pious works.

Canon 1247 lists Sundays as a feast day. Thus the pastor does indeed have the authority to either dispense or commute the obligation.

CC
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

Seems clear to me that this would be left up for a priest to decide–not you or I.

Right. And you have to wait for the priest to say “Yes, you may skip out on Mass,” before doing so, or assuming that of course because you are just so special that he will certainly say “Yes,” and going ahead on your own authority. The reason has to be serious - he’s never going to dispense you for something trivial, or even something that could be done on a different day.

 

[ac_claire]

You all miss my point…and perhaps didn’t READ the entire thing.

Did you miss the part where I say I GO TO DAILY MASS…??? Or that I was talking about a Sunday dispensation…which whether you like it or not…the Church allows it. You don’t like it…take it up with the Church. But people post like there is no such thing…which is not the truth and is not what Holy Mother Church says. Yes I have had to have a dispensation since my return to the Church…am I going to hell according to you all?

Yeah I did miss your point. I don’t know anything about the Sunday dispensation argument you’ve been having. I was referring soley to the accusations of all these “holier than thou” people who run the rest of yall away from the Church.

Who here said you were going to hell??? Again, I think you’re being judgemental, and projecting.

And before you become quick to judge…I was put in a foster home in protective custody from my parents. My grandmother had a chance to be a good example…she was not. I went thorugh abuse in my childhood…my formative years…if you all think you know what that is like…fine…but I would say not unless you walked in my shoes.

As far as Al Anon…well…right…you don’t make someone drink and you can’t make someone stop. Right… But where does God say you are not responsible for how you treat people? I didn’t realize that commandment was taken out…but hey I’m new…I’ll ask them in RCIA…

I’ve never said that people aren’t responsible for their own actions and I don’t believe that at all. Glad you don’t either.

Also…does not the end of the Mass say…go and serve the Lord in peace…???

You guys also seem to have ENTIRELY missed the point where I say we ALL need to examine ourselves…which would include myself.

But–don’t bother responding to me…I’m out of here. Silly me…the OP asked a question…I was relaying my experiences and those around me out in the Protestant world. I didn’t realize that it was going to be an all out attack on my for being honest.

Forget I said anything…you all are fine…we are fine…the faith is increasing…we are good. Ah but we aren’t.

But for me…to increase my faith…I have to stay away from this forumn…because all the attacks are seriously depressing on the soul… Sadly I can get more charity from the Non-Catholic forumn section.

Who has been uncharitable on CAF to you?

 

[pnewton]

However, when we look at any institution or business that is in crisis, it’s the “management team” that is responsible for the poor performance and the “management team” that has to solve the problem.

So, no matter how we got in this situation, the “management team”, in the persons of the Bishop and Priests, is the appropriate group to effect the fix.

We are not a business and there is not managment team. We are a body. We are a family. We are losing ground for one reason. Our enemy is more sucessful in his war than we are. He fights with sin and temptation. While we can look at the particulars in the society of the 60’s, it is useless. We can not hope to persuade the Devil to take it easy on us.

We fight with sanctity. We will never gain ground by change, progress and programs or traditionalism, charismaticism or ecumenism. We will only succeed in being the salt of the world by retaining or saltiness, that is, growing in sanctity. As bad as we think we need priests, we need saints more. In that regard, we all bear a burden of guilt commensurate with our lack of sanctity.

 

[pnewton]

To the question: “What is the weakness in the Church?” Was it Chesterton who answered: “I am”?

I agree with him completely. It is all Chesterton’s fault.

 

[PaulinVA]

We are not a business and there is not management team. We are a body. We are a family

We are the Body of Christ, yes. But, there* is* a management team. The local Church is the diocese and it’s run by a Bishop. His is
responsible for the souls in his geographic area.

As bad as we think we need priests, we need saints more. In that regard, we all bear a burden of guilt commensurate with our lack of sanctity.

I bear a personal level of guilt for my lack of sanctity. My lack of sanctity is not the reason that people in the next parish over don’t believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Why are people so set against placing the responsibility of success of the Church on the ordained?

None of us who are not ordained can ever vote on the Pope, elevate a Bishop to Cardinal, name a Bishop, ordain a Priest, allow someone to go to seminary. If you believe that these men have an impact on the Church, on it’s direction, on how it delivers it’s product at the parish level, then you have to acknowledge that they have the responsibility.

 

[pnewton]

Why are people so set against placing the responsibility of success of the Church on the ordained?

Here is my list:

It is not my place or job assignment in the Church to judge them.

Paul warned the lay against defying the Lord’s annointed.

Jesus made it clear that judgement was not our task unless we were will to be judged by the same standards.

I do not see the same level of crisis others do.

I do not see any incompetance that exceeds the normal imperfections we all have.

But hey, if God has put it in your heart to be a prophet to the Church, if you have heard His voice in the night calling you to rise up against the clergy, then go right ahead and do so. However, posting under usernames on the internet is probably not what a prophet of God would do.