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KCT
Guest
Right . . . so if a friend would be offended, how much more so our Creator? I can’t commit an hour a week for Him?
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Oh I don’t know about that. Difficult, perhaps, but not impossible.
And you’d be surprised at some of the things we would probably have in common or be able to talk about easily. But I’ll grant you that sometimes it is difficult. Honestly, I do hope that some of what I said was helpful, I really do. And I apologize if I came off too abrasively when you were just trying to bring a little bit of ‘leavening’ to the conversation.See, I was raised back in the 1960s with all the bells and whistles. (Baltimore catechism and all).
I do think there can be legitimate reasons to miss (as I said earlier) like not being able to get there physically, having to care for minors, being ill enough not to be able to go anywhere let alone church. . .but I don’t think that being ‘too tired’ is a legitimate reason. Like I said, being ‘too tired’ wouldn’t be a legitimate reason not to feed your toddler, or not to show up at work, because those are obligations (and so is attending Mass). Now, having a child is a joy (mostly) and having a job can be a joy (certainly having a paycheck in this recession is a help) so it’s not like these things are heavy onerous unending burdens in life, right? The joy of raising a child can have the occasional days of feeling tired, the worries when a child is ill. . .but overall, it’s a positive experience. Ditto with work. And ditto with Mass.
Now, if a person is always feeling ‘tired’ getting up, not just for Mass, then it’s time to see a doctor. . .
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Vico
Guest
It is a precept of the Church. What serious sin means is a lack of charity, even though we have faith and hope. One way that we express a lack of charity is in not setting an example for the weak: it is called scandal. The scriptural example is:
(Galatians 6:2) “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”
(Heb 10:25) We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.
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Lapey
Guest
sorry if i’m impossible…
what am i supposed to say? breaking a commandment is not sinful?
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jsaldar
Guest
Just go. It’s not like you have to work out at mass or anything.
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Bezant
Guest
Technically, if you’re not seriously ill or weak, if you’re not a caretaker for someone who ordinarily can’t go to Mass, if you’re within reasonable distance of a church and the weather permits – the Church teaches it’s a grave sin to miss mass. Tiredness doesn’t count.
IMO the idea that someone who skips mass could POTENTIALLY be in the same state of hell as a murderer or a rapist sounds rather paranoid.
However, it’s important to attend church regularly, although it sounds we agree on that.
But if you miss one or two in months…don’t stress over it. All sins are called to be repented. That’s why God made the Sacrament of Penance.
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Bezant
Guest
My sympathies Deborah.
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Debora123
Guest
Lisa,
I’m not going to focus on what does/doesn’t put your soul in mortal peril, because in the end, only yourself and God know your heart and the state of your soul, regardless of what the rest of us see you doing on the outside.
I hope my response can help you understand the importance of attending mass.
When you find yourself not really in the mood to go to mass, or “too tired” to go to mass, think of it as being a sacrifice - “God, I am tired and I really don’t feel like going to mass today, but I will go anyway as a symbol of my dedication and love for you.”
Mass is 1 hour a week out of our lives that we dedicate to nothing/no one, but God. It may be tedious, it may be inconvenient at times. But during those times, we must find the will within us to go anyway, and this will power is an action that demonstrates our commitment to the Lord… and I am sure this means a lot to Him.
We must also remember that sure, we can pray/think of God outside of mass, but we can ONLY receive HIM, Jesus Christ HIMSELF, in the flesh and blood, during mass. Think about it - Jesus Christ is right there, physically… and we take him inside of us!
This is an amazing, incredible miracle that can happen only during mass!So yes, going to Church is very very important. It is very significant to us because we receive HIM in the flesh and blood, and it is very significant to God because we show Him our devotion by sacrificing our time and being there even when we are tired.
I hope that helps,
God Bless.
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Debora123
Guest
:hug3: Thank you.
This is, after all, about the OP… so I hope my response above can help her (or him!).
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Bezant
Guest
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lisahiku
Guest
this thread got to be rather silly.
I was wondering why it was so bad to miss an OCCASIONAL mass.
I was wondering the WHY’s behind it. ,I did not need commandments quoted to me.
For those of you who tried to give a decent answer, (deborah) thanks.
the rest of them,or a high percentage were a little on the weak/silly side.
hey whatever.
lisa
I was wondering why it was so bad to miss an OCCASIONAL mass.
I was wondering the WHY’s behind it. ,I did not need commandments quoted to me.
For those of you who tried to give a decent answer, (deborah) thanks.
the rest of them,or a high percentage were a little on the weak/silly side.
hey whatever.
lisa
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Vico
Guest
I’m actually suprised that you think scandal is silly.
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Debora123
Guest
Let me give it one more shot.
Take what I said in my previous post:
…And with all that being said, the simplest way to put it is that it would be “insensitive” to go through with missing the mass when I don’t feel like going. I have an opportunity to show God my devotion to Him by going to mass even though I don’t feel like it, and I reject that opportunity.
It might help you if you look at it this way:
Don’t think “I will not miss an occasional mass because I don’t want to sin.”
But rather, think “I will go to every mass I can in order to show God how committed I am to Him.”
Try to focus on the positive aspects of going, rather than the negative ones of not.
Hope that helps.
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Debora123
Guest
If you really have the OP’s best interest at heart, comments like these won’t help her, but rather, only push her away. :nope:
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
From other threads lisa is a Catholic but having struggles right now. (don’t we all sometimes?)
Lisa, it’s not a ‘silly rule’. God loves us very much and wants us to be with Him forever, so He gave us a Church which Christ founded and which the Holy Spirit guides, guards, and protects so that through this Church we can all learn how to know, love, and serve God on earth so that one day we will be able to do the same thing in heaven eternally. One way we do this is by being OBEDIENT to God, even when we don’t ‘want’ to be, even when we don’t feel like we understand or when we think things are silly hidebound rules.
Now earlier I gave you a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Precepts of the Church. Not “throwing commandments” at you; this is right from the catechism, where most people will go to see what the Church teaches and why. Did it help?
Lisa, it’s not a ‘silly rule’. God loves us very much and wants us to be with Him forever, so He gave us a Church which Christ founded and which the Holy Spirit guides, guards, and protects so that through this Church we can all learn how to know, love, and serve God on earth so that one day we will be able to do the same thing in heaven eternally. One way we do this is by being OBEDIENT to God, even when we don’t ‘want’ to be, even when we don’t feel like we understand or when we think things are silly hidebound rules.
Now earlier I gave you a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Precepts of the Church. Not “throwing commandments” at you; this is right from the catechism, where most people will go to see what the Church teaches and why. Did it help?
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Bezant
Guest
There’s no need to make a great deal out of this. Remarks like these might devolve into a screaming match about who’s-submitting-to-Church-authority and whatnot, and it’s already come too close in the thread where it hasn’t needed to.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
And Debora’s comment above on focusing on the positive is an EXCELLENT example for Lisa. Sometimes all it takes to make something ‘click’ is realizing maybe “going to Mass on Sunday” isn’t all about, “I have to do this” but about, “This is a really good thing that I CAN do”. Instead of being, “dumb old rule” it becomes, "something positive I can do to show my love.’
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Debora123
Guest
A lot of times, people find it more personable and helpful if you use your own words and talk to them personally rather than quoting the bible, the catechism, or the commandments.
You can pretty much paraphrase what these holy books say in your own words, and make it more personable - talking directly to them. People usually tend to react to that a lot better.
…This is what I was trying to get across with my comment about the commandment, to which I got shot at.
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Debora123
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
That’s a good point. There was probably room for more of that.
I think, though, that there is also a tendency (and I’ve seen a lot of it on threads) when a question like this is raised, if a person comes on and says something, then the questioner will say, “But that’s just your OPINION, what is the real teaching?”
And then you kind of have to use the Catechism etc. to show that your paraphrase was correct.
Every case is a little different. Some people want the personal touch, some want the ‘official scoop’. I think you’re right, there is definitely room for more personal touches even with the ‘official’ stuff.
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