Is the Church Leaving Me?

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Female altar servers don’t bother me. They’re a fact, a reality. For me it’s the amount of laity our priest has up there on the altar. No exaggeration, it’s anywhere from 10 to 12. All adults. And not one is a deacon. Frankly, our two deacons just disappeared. Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist were to be just that, extraordinary. It’s distracting. I know the USCCB said projectors are not to be part of the Mass, yet there are images, words, Windows screens projected right next to our ten foot long crucifix. It’s not kosher. Frankly, I am going to, in charity, talk to him. If he blows me off, I tried.
 
So anything goes? Because “it’s not a museum?” Any beauty, because it’s old, is to be disposed? I have studied Church History and Denominational history. I can assure you the closed and almost empty mainline Protestant churches had the same attitude.
How sad you feel that way. And I don’t mean that as an insult.
 
And the USCCB will learn when it gives a thumbs up to Government, as it did with Obamacare, it will rue the day. History shows Church and State make strange bedfellows.
 
AJC said:
Female altar servers don’t bother me. They’re a fact, a reality. For me it’s the amount of laity our priest has up there on the altar. No exaggeration, it’s anywhere from 10 to 12. All adults. And not one is a deacon. Frankly, our two deacons just disappeared. Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist were to be just that, extraordinary. It’s distracting. I know the USCCB said projectors are not to be part of the Mass, yet there are images, words, Windows screens projected right next to our ten foot long crucifix. It’s not kosher. Frankly, I am going to, in charity, talk to him. If he blows me off, I tried.
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I’ve gone to Mass at dozens of churches over the last 20 years, and probably never seen a projector (it was used heavily at Protestant churches back in the day). I have seen a Power Point sermon, once.
 
The Bishops tell us “They come to the US illegally because they’re poor.” With that logic, which gives license to break the law if one is poor, they should put a sign up up, in front of every Catholic Church that says “RIGHT AFTER THE COLLECTION, IF YOU ARE POOR, COME IN AND STEAL THE OFFERING.” Maybe in multiple languages. It’s easy for the Bishops to be charitable with US Taxpayer money. But that’s not charity.
 
AJC said:
The Bishops tell us “They come to the US illegally because they’re poor.” With that logic, which gives license to break the law if one is poor, they should put a sign up up, in front of every Catholic Church that says “RIGHT AFTER THE COLLECTION, IF YOU ARE POOR, COME IN AND STEAL THE OFFERING.” Maybe in multiple languages. It’s easy for the Bishops to be charitable with US Taxpayer money. But that’s not charity.
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Like it or not, hasn’t that been basically the approach of the US Bishops for decades?

They didn’t wake up yesterday and decide for that to be their policy.
 
AJC said:
The Bishops tell us “They come to the US illegally because they’re poor.” With that logic, which gives license to break the law if one is poor, they should put a sign up up, in front of every Catholic Church that says “RIGHT AFTER THE COLLECTION, IF YOU ARE POOR, COME IN AND STEAL THE OFFERING.” Maybe in multiple languages. It’s easy for the Bishops to be charitable with US Taxpayer money. But that’s not charity.
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Many of the Bishops speaking ARE doing much for refugees. Many see the vast flaws in the system of immigration and how some people are treated badly. For instance, my bishop personally wrote letters for my (highly educated) friends from Indonesia who were being persecuted in their home country for being Catholic. The judges pretty much point blank pushed those who were persecuted through the system, but he had some angst against Catholics (common in my area).

Now, this has nothing to do with illegally entering the US, but I think it is incredibly short-sighted to say this is a problem bishops don’t understand at all. Often the dioceses is the front line with refugees and immigrants of all stripes and have a front row to the grave abuses and mistreatment commonly given to those who are new to our nation.

Not only that but understanding and accepting the reasons why people make bad choices is NOT the same as outright encouraging it. Until recently Catholics (and other Christians) were one of the only people who could reliably be counted on to visit the imprisoned. They also hand many programs for rehabilitation. Does that mean that the Bishops who pushed for prison ministries and took care of the women and children left behind and the men who got out were approving of crime? No. They simply acted in mercy. Catholics were seen then as being complacent in crime…when nothing could be further from the truth.
 
It’s not your place to worry about fiscal policy or merits of others. Put down that burden brother.
 
Layman have their role, my role appears to be listening patiently to your endless complaints.

Tomorrow take an act of exceeding charity going out of your way.
 
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@AJC. If you do not have problem with the mass and the Catholic Church, then what is your problem?

It did strike me that you have a problem with what’s happening during the mass you attended. I was only saying, if you do not like the parish you are attending now, then look for another that you may like.

I said, bottom line, a mass, if valid, is still a mass, no matter how much you dislike it. You can have my sympathy at the your situation, but you are a Catholic, and what I said is basic for a Catholic.

There are other posts, which also speaks my mind in this situation. Close your eyes during the mass and know that you are participating in a Sacrament and what it entails.

If the congregation is substantial, it also can be said that there are people who find it valuable to them.

Just in case I miss out on what you want, can I ask you, what do you expect to get out from this thread, which you are the OP?
 
@Reuben_J is DA MAN!!! And you’d profit from pondering his wisdom he shares.
 
LET THEM BE !!!

there is poison in your heart my brother!!!

Understanding is a privilege!
Spiritual pride is of the pharisee!
Take example in those lesser who manage to find meaning to partake in mass.

God bless you my brother.
 
Mr_Freeze said:
To avoid any mis-labelling by our loving and tolerant brethren, perhaps seek out an SSPV chapel. They started out as SSPX, but somehow are in “full communion” even though they operate almost exactly the same way as the SSPX.
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I find this difficult to agree with. At one time my son was going with a girl who was SSPV, so both he and I studied SSPV. Eventually my son broke with her because of her allegiance to SSPV. If they’re not in schism, then there’s no such thing as schism. Some of their branches have their own “pope”. They are definitely “sedevacantists”, which SSPXers are not. The consecration of their bishops is almost impossible to consider valid. If their bishops aren’t valid, then neither are their priests.

SSPX and SSPV are very different.
 
The SSPV is most certainly schismatic.

I’m not sure where @Mr_Freeze is coming up with this stuff (is he making it up?) but he’s absolutely wrong.
 
Actually it is a mantra I’vd heard and seen more than once from more than one Bishop. And I am sure you have too.
 
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I understand what you are saying and often feel the same way. The thing to remember is that there is the human/secular part of the Church and that of God.

The God part cannot lose. As I recall, it was Peter who said “Lord, where else are we going to go?”.

The answer isn’t to turn away from the Church entirely. That’s what the enemy. The solution is to make it better.

Of course, you’ll get push-back from other Catholics, get called a bishop-basher and be accused of calumny against the Pope.

But it is the nature of a Catholic to experience persecution, and it’s not easy.

It’s important to realize you are not alone in this and you have allies like me.

Also, it’s not your obligation to agree with the Vatican or USCCB political views or a sermon. It’s our obligation to receive the Sacraments and better our relationship with God and our neighbor. You don’t have to be a mouthpiece or virtue-signal to be a good Catholic.

I was actually thinking about a lot of what you said before I read your post today, and thinking how Jesus and the Saints would grab the reigns if they were around today. I think a lot of Catholics would not like what they would have to say about what’s going on today. It sure wouldn’t be this blow-with-the-wind SJW Facebook feely nonsense.
 
Oops! I kind of like “Hallelujah”. I’m in the choir in our parish and we sang it at Christmas. Sorry you don’t care for it as a hymn.

I really like the old hymns. Among my favorites are a couple by Mozart and some of the really old “traditional” hymns of various nations, particularly those of Ireland and Italy. I greatly love “Holy God we Praise Thy Name”, particularly at the end of Mass which is when we sing it now and then.

But I also like some of the old Protestant hymns; “Abide with me”, “Nearer my God to Thee”. Sometimes we sing those. But some of the real country songs we never sing; “Old Rugged Cross”, “I’ll fly away”, “In the Sweet By and By”. Begging your pardon for that, but I grew up in the Ozarks and I learned them from the hillbillies in the strawberry patch. Now and then, they would start up a hymn and I learned some of them.

I don’t hate Gregorian chant, but I’m not terribly taken with it either.

Some would really disapprove of this, but in one of “my parishes”, a lady who is the convert daughter of a Baptist preacher plays the hammer dulcimer during communion. Old country hymns mostly. She’s really good at it and I like it a lot.
 
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