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antoniont1
Guest
I think in short, the answer would be “If you really love Jesus, you would not want to miss Mass”
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Walden_Pond
Guest
You raise a great question, and I won’t reiterate what others have written.
Think about why we go to church. Is is just to pray with others, or hear the Word of God? Think about John 6:53 , when Jesus said “Very truly I tell you,unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” You won’t get that by staying at home.
I can tell you are a good person, but being a good person doesn’t get you to Heaven. Read the evangelical christian book “Since Nobody’s Perfect, How Good is Good Enough?
'” by Andy Stanley. It’s a small booklet but discusses this age old question. The advantage you have is you’re Catholic, so you know an can learn what it takes to get to heaven. The bottom line is no one is good enough to deserve it…
Think about why we go to church. Is is just to pray with others, or hear the Word of God? Think about John 6:53 , when Jesus said “Very truly I tell you,unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” You won’t get that by staying at home.
I can tell you are a good person, but being a good person doesn’t get you to Heaven. Read the evangelical christian book “Since Nobody’s Perfect, How Good is Good Enough?
'” by Andy Stanley. It’s a small booklet but discusses this age old question. The advantage you have is you’re Catholic, so you know an can learn what it takes to get to heaven. The bottom line is no one is good enough to deserve it…
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peace2u2
Guest
DO NO READ MATERIAL BY ANDY STANLEY. He writes in that book how Mother Teresa rejected the gospel for the false gospel of the Catholic Church.
Read for yourself what he writes:
completeinchrist.net/HowGoodisGoodEnough.html
In case you couldn’t open the link, this is what he writes:
On page 46 Stanley says, “Or what if God’s holiness and perfection outweigh his mercy and he requires that 90 percent of our deeds be good? Or what if God grades on a curve and Mother Teresa skewed the cosmic curve, raising the bar for good deeds beyond what most of us are capable of? Granted, heaven would be sparsely populated, but who knows? When she was around, Mother Teresa was constantly calling men and women out of their comfort zones to follow in her commitment to love the poor and downtrodden. Maybe God was speaking to us through her. Maybe she knew something most of us have missed. Again, we don’t know.”
Yes, we do know. Because God is holy, He demands perfection. No one is perfect. All men are totally depraved. God gives perfect righteousness to a man when He saves the man. It is the imputed righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Mother Teresa was not “good.” She thought she was. She tried to be. All she had was her own “filthy rags” as she stood before God. Only the perfect righteousness of Christ would have satisfied God’s righteous requirements. Mother Teresa did not know something we don’t. She rejected the gospel in exchange for the false gospel of the Catholic Church.
Andy Stanley and his anti-Catholic Church in Atlanta, GA should be avoided by all means:
I leave you food for thought:
Hebrews 13:9
“Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings”.
J
Joan_M
Guest
Quite simply, if you are not going to Mass each Sunday, you are committing grave sin and endangering you soul, which makes you NOT a good person.
What on earth do people mean by being a “good person”? Being a good person, seriously, means being obedient to God and His Church. It means striving to become a saint. It means when you sin (hopefully only through weakness, and hopefully only venial sins) that you repent, go to confession and continue on the one road to happiness - striving to get to Heaven when you die.
Any reason you may have for not going to Mass is an erroneous reason. There is absolutely no good reason for skipping Mass.
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Walden_Pond
Guest
Peace 2u2 quoted a paragraph from How Good is Good Enough? out of context. The site it was copied from is written by an Associate Pastor at Christ Community Church in Plainfield, NH who adheres to Sola Scriptura, and who does not like the book or the author. I respectfully disagree that Stanley’s book, or any non-Catholic writing, should be avoided. We need to understand the misinformed’s stance in order to help refute their claims and lead them to the Truth. Know thy enemy. Understanding who the author is (he is a former Baptist, now a Non-Denominational, Evangelical Christian pastor of a megachurch) and the reason behind why the book was written is always the first thing one must do before cracking the binding.
In Stanley’s book, prior to the previously quoted paragraph, he writes “I’m not trying to be silly. If you believed good people go to heaven, then this is a relevant question. What percentage of your deeds do you think need to be allotted to the positive side of the balance sheet in order to secure a slot in heaven? Come on. Play along. Make a guess. Never thought about it? Have no idea? Neither do I. That’s because God has not revealed it to you or me.”
He then goes on to mention Mother Theresa as the pinnacle of human goodness, and what if God grades on a curve and your good deeds have to be compared to Mother Theresa’s good deeds? You’re gonna lose. His book is very simple and puts forth common arguments people make for not going to church, not reading the Bible or not seeking God. The all-too-common response from the populace “I’m a good person and good people go to Heaven”. Stanley’s book challenges this defense and he ends the book hoping the reader will continue their investigation of how to get to Heaven. Yes, it’s a non-denominational evangelical Christian book, but it might get a lost soul thinking about Eternity. This is where we can step in.
My answer to Jestgirl’s original question:" Is missing mass ok as long as I’m a good person and love Jesus?" is No.
Missing Mass is not OK (check out WHY SHOULD I GO TO MASS ON SUNDAY? - catholicmissionleaflets.org/sunday.htm ). Even though you are a good person, you can never be good enough on your own to attain Heaven. And if you love Jesus, wouldn’t you want to be with him? Christ is there in actual body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist. He loves you too and wants to be with you. Spend an hour once a week to be with someone who loves you.
In Stanley’s book, prior to the previously quoted paragraph, he writes “I’m not trying to be silly. If you believed good people go to heaven, then this is a relevant question. What percentage of your deeds do you think need to be allotted to the positive side of the balance sheet in order to secure a slot in heaven? Come on. Play along. Make a guess. Never thought about it? Have no idea? Neither do I. That’s because God has not revealed it to you or me.”
He then goes on to mention Mother Theresa as the pinnacle of human goodness, and what if God grades on a curve and your good deeds have to be compared to Mother Theresa’s good deeds? You’re gonna lose. His book is very simple and puts forth common arguments people make for not going to church, not reading the Bible or not seeking God. The all-too-common response from the populace “I’m a good person and good people go to Heaven”. Stanley’s book challenges this defense and he ends the book hoping the reader will continue their investigation of how to get to Heaven. Yes, it’s a non-denominational evangelical Christian book, but it might get a lost soul thinking about Eternity. This is where we can step in.
My answer to Jestgirl’s original question:" Is missing mass ok as long as I’m a good person and love Jesus?" is No.
Missing Mass is not OK (check out WHY SHOULD I GO TO MASS ON SUNDAY? - catholicmissionleaflets.org/sunday.htm ). Even though you are a good person, you can never be good enough on your own to attain Heaven. And if you love Jesus, wouldn’t you want to be with him? Christ is there in actual body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist. He loves you too and wants to be with you. Spend an hour once a week to be with someone who loves you.
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peace2u2
Guest
Yes, Walden Pond, you are correct and I am sorry as I inadvertently misread the book commentary and assumed that Andy Stanley made those derogatory remarks about Mother Teresa and the Catholic Church.Peace 2u2 quoted a paragraph from How Good is Good Enough? out of context. The site it was copied from is written by an Associate Pastor at Christ Community Church in Plainfield, NH who adheres to Sola Scriptura, and who does not like the book or the author. I respectfully disagree that Stanley’s book, or any non-Catholic writing, should be avoided. We need to understand the misinformed’s stance in order to help refute their claims and lead them to the Truth. Know thy enemy. Understanding who the author is (he is a former Baptist, now a Non-Denominational, Evangelical Christian pastor of a megachurch) and the reason behind why the book was written is always the first thing one must do before cracking the binding.
In Stanley’s book, prior to the previously quoted paragraph, he writes “I’m not trying to be silly. If you believed good people go to heaven, then this is a relevant question. What percentage of your deeds do you think need to be allotted to the positive side of the balance sheet in order to secure a slot in heaven? Come on. Play along. Make a guess. Never thought about it? Have no idea? Neither do I. That’s because God has not revealed it to you or me.”
He then goes on to mention Mother Theresa as the pinnacle of human goodness, and what if God grades on a curve and your good deeds have to be compared to Mother Theresa’s good deeds? You’re gonna lose. His book is very simple and puts forth common arguments people make for not going to church, not reading the Bible or not seeking God. The all-too-common response from the populace “I’m a good person and good people go to Heaven”. Stanley’s book challenges this defense and he ends the book hoping the reader will continue their investigation of how to get to Heaven. Yes, it’s a non-denominational evangelical Christian book, but it might get a lost soul thinking about Eternity. This is where we can step in.
My answer to Jestgirl’s original question:" Is missing mass ok as long as I’m a good person and love Jesus?" is No.
Missing Mass is not OK (check out WHY SHOULD I GO TO MASS ON SUNDAY? - catholicmissionleaflets.org/sunday.htm ). Even though you are a good person, you can never be good enough on your own to attain Heaven. And if you love Jesus, wouldn’t you want to be with him? Christ is there in actual body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist. He loves you too and wants to be with you. Spend an hour once a week to be with someone who loves you.
But, what I do find bothersome about Stanley’s view for example you state in the book :
In Stanley’s book, prior to the previously quoted paragraph, he writes “I’m not trying to be silly. If you believed good people go to heaven, then this is a relevant question. What percentage of your deeds do you think need to be allotted to the positive side of the balance sheet in order to secure a slot in heaven? Come on. Play along. Make a guess. Never thought about it? Have no idea? Neither do I. That’s because God has not revealed it to you or me.”
So does that mean we just believe in Jesus and we shouldn’t be charitable to those in need because God doesn’t really care so we should just take care of ourself?
Do you believe the Catholic Church is the Church established by Christ? Well Stanley does not according to his lecture:
ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=478546&Pg=&Pgnu=&recnu=
northpoint.org/messages/christian
youtube.com/watch?v=tlps1Svr2Fo&feature=related
Peace in Christ
F
fred_conty
Guest
Originally Posted by Jestergirl
Please don’t talk about my parents that way I find it really upsetting. I’m lucky to have my parents…
Good reason to pray at Mass with them and for them.
It will be too late when they are gone to have that.
Something to think about.
Please don’t talk about my parents that way I find it really upsetting. I’m lucky to have my parents…
Good reason to pray at Mass with them and for them.
It will be too late when they are gone to have that.
Something to think about.
D
Dejagirl
Guest
I responded once already. I’m responding again because this post just saddened me so much when I read it…particularly when you said that your happier not going and feel better about yourself…I’m still very glad that you reached out on this forum. I wish the words and advice of those who responded would have had a greater impact on you at this time. I hate to see anyone give up on the Catholic faith - even for a short time. Especially in our world today that has become so secular. Just know that there are some wonderful Catholic parishes and priests. I will pray that God will lead you to a parish where you can grow in your faith.
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Vico
Guest
Are you are feeling bad about yourself because of the opinions of others at church about you, or of being reminded of human sinfulness at church?
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anonymous_in_fl
Guest
Jesus is physically present to us at the Sacrafice of the Holy Mass!
If more people actually knew and believed that, there would literally be stampedes to Mass!
Remeber the multitudes who followed Jesus? They couldnt get enough of Him!
Why oh why do people not want to see Jesus when he comes specifically to see YOU!
So sad.
If more people actually knew and believed that, there would literally be stampedes to Mass!
Remeber the multitudes who followed Jesus? They couldnt get enough of Him!
Why oh why do people not want to see Jesus when he comes specifically to see YOU!
So sad.
M
Maybeasister
Guest
Well, what? It’s true. It’s the parent’s job to make sure their children go to Mass. I actually am incapable to go to Mass this weekend because I’m visiting my sister and she’s about as non-Catholic as it gets. Plus, my dad had to go back to Reno to work (He’s not Catholic either, but he would still take me to Mass).
So, you think this reason is better than what God has to offer you? A good person would go to Mass every Sunday and if they can, more than that.
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onjac
Guest
Hey there again.
Missing Mass as a Catholic is a big deal. Sure, you can be a good person and still love Jesus even if you don’t go to Mass. But can a Catholic honestly say that she loves Jesus with all her heart if she didn’t attend Mass when she is physically capable of attending? I know you brought up an issue in another thread but I won’t go into that.
As a Catholic, you have promises to keep which includes attending Sunday mass and holy days. I get what you mean about enjoying your time alone or with friends. If I didn’t have to attend Sunday Mass, that’d be great and way more convenient for me. But it’s only 1 hour of my time and considering what Jesus did for the whole world, I should at least be able to do that.
I don’t want to be harsh but this is a slippery slope you’re talking about.
I just wish the best for you.
T
The_Curt_Jester
Guest
I always remember a prayer book that has the quote from the bible of Our Lord saying: "Could you not watch one hour with me? "
It’s not much to ask.
Missing Mass because you have more fun away from it is putting yourself before Our Lord. How can you claim to love Jesus when you’re basically saying “Jesus, I love you so much but I have no time for you because I’d rather be with my friends”?
It’s not much to ask.
Missing Mass because you have more fun away from it is putting yourself before Our Lord. How can you claim to love Jesus when you’re basically saying “Jesus, I love you so much but I have no time for you because I’d rather be with my friends”?
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arkwright
Guest
Jesus wants you to do all of these things as part of living the Christian life .
Yes be a good person ,in the power of the Holy Spirit loving all who are part of your life .
Yes love Jesus , and also His Father and the Holy Spirit who pours love into our hearts so that we can love .
And don’t forget the Eucharist . Jesus is Lord , and he commanded us to celebrate His Supper in His memory .
Perhaps tomorrow , the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ , will be a good day to renew your committment to Jesus in the Eucharist .
God bless you .
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peace2u2
Guest
I agree with you. If they only knew that Jesus is really present at Mass, they would never leave the Catholic Church - “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
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7_Sorrows
Guest
i started a new job the end of March and am working many hours. i am getting up in years and recovering from a broken ankle last year. at my job, i am on my feet 9 hours a day. i have stopped atttending Mass because Sunday is my only day off and i am emotionally drained from starting a new job and physically exhausted from such a demanding job. i just haven’t had the energy to make the commitment on Sunday.
there are other issues i am dealing with at the moment, but i can’t say that i feel bad about it or that i am committing a grave sin. on Sundays it is more important for me to get the rest i need and to spend time with my family.
there are other issues i am dealing with at the moment, but i can’t say that i feel bad about it or that i am committing a grave sin. on Sundays it is more important for me to get the rest i need and to spend time with my family.
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Annabelle_Marie
Guest
You don’t think it’s important to spend time with your Father (God)? One hour out of the day is too physically exhausting? Do you go any other time?
Seven Days without Mass makes one weak…
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7_Sorrows
Guest
no, i don’t go any other time. to be honest, i really don’t see how attending Mass has been helping me since i converted to Catholicism over 3 years ago. i get burned out - especially from the start of Advent to Easter. i stayed away from church for 25 years and thought maybe being Catholic would make a difference. my faith was weak to begin with.
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Angel_Bradford
Guest
We come together as a community because we need to be reminded that I am not the only Christian in the world. As different as we all are, we are all searching for the same God. The community reminds us of that. And when we come to Mass, we hope and pray that we glimpse the presence of God in this place – in the scripture, in the Eucharist, and in one another.
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peace2u2
Guest
This is the perfect quote to use as an example of how the things of this world cloud our minds, our hearts and our souls and ultimately do what the devil wants. . . which is to keep you from knowing, loving, serving and glorifying Jesus.
Kind of like being an ancient Israelite and being a slave to the Egyptians.
If God did not think it was important to put Him first (thats right before your spouse, your children, and yourself) He would of instead said, “Remember To Keep The Sabbath Holy Any Old Way YOU Feel Like”. But that is not what He said. In fact the first 3 Commandments are about God. They are first and so He shall be first.
- I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
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