Missing Mass Conflict!

[onetimeposter]

onetimeposter;3944296:

What on earth is possibly more important in our lives than God?

Family.

I can see something more important in my life than my kid’s soccer game (work, if necessary to support my family, for instance). Therein lines the difference.

The soccer game is very important to the child and that should be important to the parents.

God is not just our “ruler.” He is our Creator, and the Creator of all things. He doesn’t “demand” that we worship him. It is our choice. However, like all choices, there are consequences. We are free to reject God, but the consequence is Hell.**

Yeah, can’t see a benevolent God doing that…either God isbenevolent or he is a vindictive, angry, bitter God who creates and condemns people for not worshiping him…I believe God is benevolent.**

God does not ask that we worship him because He needs it, but because WE need it. Worship of God only benefits us.
**
Agreed, but sometimes you can’t make it to Mass.**

Missing Mass (without a good reason, such as illness or whatnot) = rejection of God. What is difficult to understand about this?
**
Uhm, it’s not. There is nothing Biblical stating that missing weekly Mass means you reject God…if that is the rule, it is a rule created by the leadership of the Church.**

That’s not quite accurate. If one is unable to get to Confession, God can and will forgive a repentant sinner. However, since Jesus set up the sacrament of Reconciliation, of course He desires that we approach forgiveness through this Sacrament.

Like I said, salvation has been institutionalized.

Without Christ, there is no salvation, and Christ is the Head of the Church.

There are likely many paths to God. It is too hard to believe that the creator of the universe would make one route to him.

It’s nearly incomprehensible that a benevolent, omnipotent and omniscient being would institutionalize salvation.

Why? Institutions can become corrupted, unresponsive, archaic and depend on people, or customers to continue to exist. Institutions are controlled and directed by men who set the course of things, as they see fit.

Salvation is a free gift, but apparently, only through the doors of the Catholic Church.

 

[kage_ar]

Putting family above God is the sin of idolotry.

 

[wanner47]

wanner47: What on earth is possibly more important in our lives than God?

onetimeposter: Family.

Not according to Christ.

Matthew 10:37: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me…”

God gave you your family. How can they be more important than the One who gave them to you?

Moreover, if you have legitimate family obligations (e.g., your child is sick), it is not a mortal sin to miss Mass. But do you really think God would give you a thumbs up if you stood before Him on the day of judgment and said, “A soccer game was much more important than You, Lord.”

onetimeposter: The soccer game is very important to the child and that should be important to the parents.

The parents should also teach their children that there are more important things in the world than soccer games. God, for instance.

onetimeposter: Yeah, can’t see a benevolent God doing that…either God is benevolent or he is a vindictive, angry, bitter God who creates and condemns people for not worshiping him…I believe God is benevolent.

God doesn’t condemn people for not worshiping him. He desires that all should be saved. People condemn themelves by making a conscious choice to reject God and all the gifts He has given them.

onetimeposter: Agreed, but sometimes you can’t make it to Mass.

That’s right, and if you have a good reason (e.g., illness), or if you truly didn’t intend to miss Mass but something went wrong (too much traffic, you slept through your alarm, etc.) it’s not a mortal sin.

onetimeposter: Uhm, it’s not. There is nothing Biblical stating that missing weekly Mass means you reject God…if that is the rule, it is a rule created by the leadership of the Church.

“Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Deut 5:12). “The seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord” (Ex 31:15).

“Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy” is a COMMANDMENT. One of the big Ten. It’s part of the moral law and still applies to Christians.

Missing mass = refusal to worship God = rejection of God. I would think that refusing to worship God constitutes a rejection of God, wouldn’t you?

Also, Jesus gave the Church the *authority *to bind and loose. The successor of the apostles, the Pope, has the authority to bind and loose by extension. This authority was given BY CHRIST.

Like I said, salvation has been institutionalized.

I’m not sure what you mean by “institutionalized,” but it was the system that Christ set up. Perhaps you should discuss it with Him?

There are likely many paths to God. It is too hard to believe that the creator of the universe would make one route to him.

What you say has some truth. To quote the Catechism:

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338

Every religion contains some element of Truth, but only Catholicism contains the *fullness *of Truth; thus, it is the best and most desirable way to come to Christ. That’s why He established it.

onetimeposter: Why? Institutions can become corrupted, unresponsive, archaic and depend on people, or customers to continue to exist. Institutions are controlled and directed by men who set the course of things, as they see fit.

HUMAN institutions, yes. But the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, and has the promise from Christ that the gates of Hell will not prevail against her.

onetimeposter: Salvation is a free gift, but apparently, only through the doors of the Catholic Church.

That’s exactly the same as saying, “Salvation is a free gift, but apparently, only through Jesus Christ.” Would you disagree?

 

[Aramis]

Well, I doubt it. Do you actually know of anyone to whom this happened?

Yes, two weeks ago.

Missed (but was indulted by the pastor), and died Monday morning in car crash.

 

[onetimeposter]

Putting family above God is the sin of idolotry.

Judge not lest ye be judged.

 

[kage_ar]

Judge not lest ye be judged.

Huh? I’m simply stating a fact. Putting anything above God is a violation of one of the 10 commandments, as well as the commandments of Christ. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strenght, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus was very clear about the order there.

The Catechism and the Bible and some study in each would be a wise thing for you, with the assistance of a good spiritual director.

I’ll repeat what another poster said:

Not according to Christ.

Matthew 10:37: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me…”

God gave you your family. How can they be more important than the One who gave them to you?

Moreover, if you have legitimate family obligations (e.g., your child is sick), it is not a mortal sin to miss Mass. But do you really think God would give you a thumbs up if you stood before Him on the day of judgment and said, “A soccer game was much more important than You, Lord.”

 

[Sir_Knight]

Would an all good, all loving God commit a person to hell because they missed a Mass without feeling any contrition or remorse?

Does that not seem very legalistic for an all powerful, all loving and all good God?

Does that not seem more like the actions of a human King, rather than an all loving and good God?

I think because the man made one mistake…I just can’t comprehend why an all good and all loving God would refuse his entry into paradise.

If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered

-- Ezekiel 3:20​

 

[onetimeposter]

If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered

-- Ezekiel 3:20​

That contradicts what a benevolent God would do. Don’t forget, God is portrayed as being less than benevolent in the old testament, more along the lines of angry, bitter, Judge and King, than an all loving and good God.

God on more than one occasion is portrayed as having some kind of blood lust for having his creations killed…clearly, that is an absolute contradiction for benevolence.

 

[Jean_Anthony]

This thread is closed. Thank you all.