Interest in the Mass?

[mrs_abbott]

I have been away from the CC, especially the Mass, for quite some time. Due to guilt, I feel like I need to try and go back. The problem is that I’m not 100% interested in going back.
Any suggestions on how I can boost the interest again? I’m leaning towards Saturday evenings because it is extremely difficult for me to get up on Sunday mornings, since that is my only day of the week I get to sleep in.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I have been away from the CC, especially the Mass, for quite some time. Due to guilt, I feel like I need to try and go back. The problem is that I’m not 100% interested in going back.
Any suggestions on how I can boost the interest again? I’m leaning towards Saturday evenings because it is extremely difficult for me to get up on Sunday mornings, since that is my only day of the week I get to sleep in.

The first thing I would suggest is that you call your local parish and set up a meeting with the pastor. Telling him that you have been awayfrom Mass and want to return. Returning to Mass and the practice of the Catholic Faith is not as simply as starting to attend Mass and receive the Holy Communion again.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

I have been away from the CC, especially the Mass, for quite some time. Due to guilt, I feel like I need to try and go back. The problem is that I’m not 100% interested in going back.

The guilt you are feeling is probably the Holy Spirit nudging you.

Catholics have a serious duty to attend Mass every Sunday (or Saturday evening in anticipation of Sunday) and Holy Day of Obligation. To miss Mass without a serious reason (e.g., illness) is a serious (mortal) sin.

You should start attending Mass every week, right away. You should not receive Holy Communion until you have been to confession (confessing all the serious sins you have committed since your last good confession) and received absolution.

You say you’re “not 100% interested in going back.” Perhaps that is because you, like many people these days, expect to be entertained by the Mass, to “get something out of it.” What you should be more concerned about is what you are putting into it. As a matter of justice, we owe God, who created us and holds us in existence, the duty of worshipping Him in the manner He desires. He has given His Church the authority to decide how this is to be done, and the Church tells us we are to come together as a community and celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass every Sunday.

Spend some time learning about what the Mass is. When we are at Mass, we are really present at Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary! We are present at the Last Supper! We join with the priest in offering Jesus to the Father, and we offer our lives in union with Jesus’ sacrifice. And then Jesus feeds us with His own Body and Blood — really and truly, not just symbolically. How could we not be interested in this?

I urge you to go to confession (and then make a habit of going to confession at least monthly), go to Mass every weekend, and develop a habit of daily prayer. It will change your life for the better. God is waiting for you!

 

[SenorSalsa]

Do not worry about the feeling that you don’t want to go to Mass. There are many times I, and probably most people, wake up in the morning and don’t want to get up for Mass. Its called temptation. The important thing is we go, and try our best to give praise and thanks to God.

And there is nothing wrong with going to Saturday Night, it is just as valid as a Sunday morning

 

[mammallama]

The first thing I would suggest is that you call your local parish and set up a meeting with the pastor. Telling him that you have been awayfrom Mass and want to return. Returning to Mass and the practice of the Catholic Faith is not as simply as starting to attend Mass and receive the Holy Communion again.

That’s the way I handled it.I spoke to the priest first,explained my past poor behavior and felt much relief.Father H.was very kind and told me step by step what needed to be done before I could begin receiving the Sacraments.(in my case it was prev marriages etc)He suggested I begin coming to Mass right away even though I could not receive Holy Communion.I’ve never been happier.

And as far as boosting your interest again,as you put it,just go and if the Saturday Mass is too contemporary or too traditional for your liking then perhaps a different one??I know that the late Mass at my church is very much a contemporary service with a lot of teens and kids…don’t care for that as much as the 9am Sunday Mass which is much like those of my childhood…organ music,old-fashioned hymns like “Faith of Our Fathers”…Salve Regina…oh how beautiful!!

God bless you on your road back

 

[mrs_abbott]

Oh believe me, I was NOT going to receive communion if I went back to church. I would simply refrain from going and spend that time praying or something.
I don’t necessarily expect to be entertained. I’ve been Catholic my whole life and there was a time where I liked going to church and looked forward to it. One of my biggest downers is church being TOO crowded. Sounds petty, I know, but I hate touching shoulders with the person next to me, especially when I’m trying to focus and pray and I don’t even know them. We have a large problem with church overcrowding because there are too many people within a parish.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

We have a large problem with church overcrowding because there are too many people within a parish.

What a nice problem to have! Many of the churches in our diocese will be closing over the next couple of years because there are not enough people to sustain them.

Not to trivialize your discomfort, of course. Some people are bothered by crowds, and you happen to be one of them. Perhaps you could find a section of the church where it is a little less crowded? Or go to a different Mass (early morning ones tend to be a little emptier)? Or sit on the end of a pew, that way you’ll only have one shoulder to worry about!

 

[mammallama]

One of my biggest downers is church being TOO crowded. Sounds petty, I know, but I hate touching shoulders with the person next to me, especially when I’m trying to focus and pray and I don’t even know them. We have a large problem with church overcrowding because there are too many people within a parish.

All the Masses crowded or just Sat night?

 

[mrs_abbott]

All the Masses crowded or just Sat night?

The Sunday AND Saturday masses are crowded.

 

[mrs_abbott]

What a nice problem to have! Many of the churches in our diocese will be closing over the next couple of years because there are not enough people to sustain them.

Not to trivialize your discomfort, of course. Some people are bothered by crowds, and you happen to be one of them. Perhaps you could find a section of the church where it is a little less crowded? Or go to a different Mass (early morning ones tend to be a little emptier)? Or sit on the end of a pew, that way you’ll only have one shoulder to worry about!

I’m sorry that you have to close churches where you live. I guess I live in a highly Catholic area and they are building MORE churches here because of the overcrowding. Do you have to drive a ways then to go to church?
When I went to Mass for my son’s baptism, I put his carseat on the pew to keep people from sitting too close. Is that wrong?

 

[MarcoPolo]

I would read Dr. Scott Hahn’s book The Lamb’s Supper. I have never been away from mass, and yet it STILL opened my eyes to so much of what is going on. The angels are there with us at mass. How supernatural and amazing it is. I also follow the mass closer in the missal.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Do you have to drive a ways then to go to church?

About 15 minutes, since I live in the middle of nowhere. There are plenty of churches in the city (there will probably be fewer this time next year), but nobody wants “their” church to close.

When I went to Mass for my son’s baptism, I put his carseat on the pew to keep people from sitting too close. Is that wrong?

It sounds like a perfect solution! Everybody is a little different when it comes to “personal space.” It seems to be important for you; that’s OK. Just don’t let it keep space between you and God! God wants you to worship Him with the community of the faithful every Sunday (even if you try to avoid bumping shoulders with them!).

And it’s great to get your child(ren) in the habit of going to Mass. Let them think you love it, so they will love it too. It may feel like acting at first, but I hope it will become a real love! Remember, at your child’s baptism you promised to raise your child in the faith. You can’t do a good job of that if you don’t nourish your own faith. And the Catholic faith is the most important gift you can ever give your child.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Oh believe me, I was NOT going to receive communion if I went back to church. I would simply refrain from going and spend that time praying or something.
I don’t necessarily expect to be entertained. I’ve been Catholic my whole life and there was a time where I liked going to church and looked forward to it. One of my biggest downers is church being TOO crowded. Sounds petty, I know, but I hate touching shoulders with the person next to me, especially when I’m trying to focus and pray and I don’t even know them. We have a large problem with church overcrowding because there are too many people within a parish.

I am happy to hear that you are seeking to return to the Faith and even though attending Mass did not intend to receive Holy Communion yet. However it is still necessary to be guided back with support from the Church. You need to discuss with someone privately what caused you to leave the practice of the faith in the first place and what you can do to make sure it does not happen again.

 

[quiet52]

Oh believe me, I was NOT going to receive communion if I went back to church. I would simply refrain from going and spend that time praying or something.
I don’t necessarily expect to be entertained. I’ve been Catholic my whole life and there was a time where I liked going to church and looked forward to it. One of my biggest downers is church being TOO crowded. Sounds petty, I know, but I hate touching shoulders with the person next to me, especially when I’m trying to focus and pray and I don’t even know them. We have a large problem with church overcrowding because there are too many people within a parish.

The “Act of Spiritual Communion” is a beautiful prayer to pray during Holy Communion:

My Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I long for You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. As though You have already come, I embrace you and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from You./QUOTE]

I wish my parish had your parish’s problem! Anyway the crowded church on Christmas, Passion Sunday and Easter used to bother me. What has helped is imagining myself as part of the multitude nearly 2,000 years ago, aching to get a glimpse of Jesus, and to hear His words, with no care about anything else.

 

[mrs_abbott]

About 15 minutes, since I live in the middle of nowhere. There are plenty of churches in the city (there will probably be fewer this time next year), but nobody wants “their” church to close.

I’m glad that you don’t have to drive just too far to get to church, especially in instances of bad weather.

PhilotheaZ:

It sounds like a perfect solution! Everybody is a little different when it comes to “personal space.” It seems to be important for you; that’s OK. Just don’t let it keep space between you and God! God wants you to worship Him with the community of the faithful every Sunday (even if you try to avoid bumping shoulders with them!).

It really is just a pet peeve of me but I know it’s not a good reason to avoid going to church. I’ll figure something out, I’m sure.

PhilotheaZ:

And it’s great to get your child(ren) in the habit of going to Mass. Let them think you love it, so they will love it too. It may feel like acting at first, but I hope it will become a real love! Remember, at your child’s baptism you promised to raise your child in the faith. You can’t do a good job of that if you don’t nourish your own faith. And the Catholic faith is the most important gift you can ever give your child.

That’s part of the guilt I’ve been feeling. My boys are ages 3 years and a 7 month old baby so still too little to notice really. I do have a children’s bible that I read to my 3 year old and he knows about Jesus. We used to go to church around the holidays, like Christmas and Easter, so he is familiar with church to a certain extent. We say night prayers together and talk about Jesus. I’m not sure how much more I can do with him given his age right now. I always wanted him to know about Jesus and God before he went to school so that’s what I’m focusing on right now.

 

[mrs_abbott]

quiet52:

I wish my parish had your parish’s problem! Anyway the crowded church on Christmas, Passion Sunday and Easter used to bother me. What has helped is imagining myself as part of the multitude nearly 2,000 years ago, aching to get a glimpse of Jesus, and to hear His words, with no care about anything else.

I have seen the spiritual communion prayer before. It’s nice.
I know I just need to get creative but yet not offensive to others about how I can have a little personal space. I just don’t like having to touch others. It’s very uncomfortable and then I lose focus of the Mass and just start thinking how I can create more space. lol
The funny thing is that I’m a pretty laid-back person except when it comes to that. I become a little neurotic when it comes to “personal space”.

 

[mrs_abbott]

I am happy to hear that you are seeking to return to the Faith and even though attending Mass did not intend to receive Holy Communion yet. However it is still necessary to be guided back with support from the Church. You need to discuss with someone privately what caused you to leave the practice of the faith in the first place and what you can do to make sure it does not happen again.

I know but it’s gonna take some time because I’m not completely convinced of what the CC teaches on some things. I’m just wanting to get back “in the groove” of worshipping God in a community again. I know that until I can become truly “one” with the church, I can not receive communion. I just want to “psyche” myself up enough to get myself to church and stay til the end and not want to bail after communion. That’s my biggest struggle right now.

 

[ccfbob]

You could also attend Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, if not available at your Parish, then another nearby.

Adoration is awesome! :heaven: :bowdown:

If you go to www.masstimes.org , put in your zipcode, you will get a listing of churches in your area, and usually a listing of Adoration Schedule.

God’s Love and Grace on your Journey Home.

 

[mrs_abbott]

You could also attend Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, if not available at your Parish, then another nearby.

Adoration is awesome! :heaven: :bowdown:

If you go to www.masstimes.org , put in your zipcode, you will get a listing of churches in your area, and usually a listing of Adoration Schedule.

God’s Love and Grace on your Journey Home.

I used to attend adoration and loved the silence! Sometimes life gets too hectic and the silence is needed.
I will check out that website! It might help me find a parish to call home too.

 

[EasterJoy]

I would read Dr. Scott Hahn’s book The Lamb’s Supper. I have never been away from mass, and yet it STILL opened my eyes to so much of what is going on. The angels are there with us at mass. How supernatural and amazing it is. I also follow the mass closer in the missal.

This is a good one. Also good one is *What Happens at Mass *(Liturgical Training Publications, 2005), by Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB.