Mass is no longer fun; what do I do?

[dchet121272]

I go to Mass now and it’s just not fun like it used to be. I try to figure out why, but I can’t. The music is low, the message always seem to be doom-and-gloom or money-motivated and the congregations are always non-vocal and flat. I find myself going to Mass and going through the motions and being there just because I know I have to.

I went to a serivce at a local Bible church and found it to be the exact opposite. The music was refreshingly upbeat, the people were cheerful, and the homily/sermon was very lively and relevant.

I read once where someone said: “If God seems too far away from you today, ask yourself ‘Who Moved?’.” I don’t feel like I moved though. I still love my God and my Jesus. I believe myself to be a good person and do my best to please him.

My question is: What’s the big deal with the fact that I get charged up for God by going to another church? They’re not evil people just because they’re not Catholic. These churches make me feel the way my Catholic church used to make me feel. Passion for the Lord.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

It is interesting that the question is closed with the comment that the local Bible church inspires “passion for the Lord” at its services. The Mass itself is the re-presentation in time and space of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even when the “setting” of the Mass, such as the priest’s homily, the congregation, the music, seems to be blah and uninspiring, at every Mass Jesus Christ himself becomes present on the altar and offers his very self to be our spiritual nourishment.

Mass is not intended to be “fun.” It is intended to be solemnly joyous because it makes present Christ crucified and resurrected. Imagine Calvary two thousand years ago: Should we expect Jesus to have given a lively and relevant final “sermon” and should we expect his disciples to be cheerful and upbeat? Now imagine the women at the empty tomb: Should we expect them to be entertained? Mass makes present for us Calvary and the empty tomb; it makes us present at Calvary and the empty tomb.

This does not mean that a priest cannot give a better homily, or that congregants could not be more friendly and join in the singing. But it does mean that attendance at Mass and participation in the Mass should not be dependent upon the strengths or weaknesses of the priest and the congregation. Perhaps the recommendations below will be helpful in better understanding the Mass and its relevance to Christian worship.

**Recommended reading:

How do I pay attention at Mass?
Catholics and the Cult of Fun** by Mark P. Shea
Mass Appeal by Jimmy Akin
The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn
If Your Mind Wanders at Mass by Thomas Howard