- Catholics do these things too - just not at Mass. The Mass is a specific thing that was designed by Jesus - we can’t just come along and change it around to suit ourselves.
Jesus did not detail and write down the exact ceremony in all of it’s detail and repition as we see it today manifest, he was never that specific. The Catholic church evolved these afterwards, this proves they can and will further evolve it in the future.
Furthermore, I’m clearly not seeing the same interest in mass/service I do with the protestant denominations, this indicates a luke warm approach and we should avoid that type of mentality. Sure there are some that find it interesting, but most are thinking route, reciting what they need to without putting in any thought in the manner what so ever. Reintegration is going to require a less rigid approach, and the statement of “suited” was not my intention at all, the context of enriching was.
The sign of Peace when I was growing up was never incorporated in any mass I’ve ever attended and I attended quite a few different parishes. It was only put in place as a popular thing during my early teens, so someone higher up in the chain of command decided to emphasise it’s use. So, I shake hands like a good catholic, following orders just as everybody else. Yet afterwards, I try to talk to these same people and I get the cold shoulder, did they honestly mean “peace be with you” clearly not at all, for they would have changed their stance afterwards. You can call it what you want, but it’s meant to introduce yourself to your fellow bretheren and get a working dialog going.
Fellowship and socializing are two different things, you have them confused, when we fellowship, we discuss our faith, yet when you got to mass, everybody is talking about anything but that, they are simply socializing among themselves, and in most cases, only within their own inner circle.
An element I enjoyed with the Baptists was the longer sermon’s, those gave me something of great interest to look forward to, that it wasn’t a 10 minute break from ceremony, and this is one of the elements they lean towards which again, can and should be incorporated within mass.
Overall, the Church has “suited” things to accomodate the masses, because people do not want to think, they want to get in, do their duty, and get out, this is why I stress the importance of looking at this element, there are many creative ways to accomplish the exact same tasks, to teach the same elements and to make people pay attention for they have to stay on their toes during the process and actually participate and know what they are saying and doing.
