Protestant prayer service

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EvelynEVF said:
Well, that was a useful response.

You seem to write as if Protestants could contaminate Catholics.

Do you really believe that their prayer is not to the very same God?

It’s one thing to go unprepared to a Protestant Bible study or service and get confused by the differences in doctrine. It’s entirely another to be prepared for those differences (as I assume OP is, having been concerned enough to ask here) and participate as much as one is able.

The first step in my conversion was prayer with Catholics. I’m so glad they didn’t refuse because it could be sin for them!

Good gravy.
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Before condemning my stance, why don’t you look at what the Church has taught since the beginning. Look also at the Church today: Catholics are now mingling at non Catholic prayer services and are what? Leaving the Church more than before we started doing this and creating religious relativism. If that’s wasn’t the way it worked for you, fine. However, I was disgusted with it and put off returning to the Church because Her members were putting “nice” before Truth. Jesus never said “I am a nice guy,” and He wasn’t much for compromise. He did say, however, “I am Truth.” Anyway, non Catholics I know tend to throw up this new compromising prayer ideology in my face to show how the Church is in fact no different from every other denomination. That’s not the way you see it, I can’t change that. Just research the constant teaching of the Church in this matter before advising someone to oppose. Please.
 
The link provided is from 1928. More recently I find:

Participation in common prayer without taking part in a communion rite is an act of true ecumenism—promoting unity without denying the truths of the one true faith—and should not likely be a cause of scandal. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, in its 1993 Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, encourages such participation:

In liturgical celebrations taking place in other churches and ecclesial communities, Catholics are encouraged to take part in the psalms, responses, hymns and common actions of the church in which they are guests. If invited by their hosts, they may read a lesson or preach (no. 118).

Which is 1993. I’ll grant you that I don’t have access to the document referenced, but that quote is pretty clear, and isn’t somebody’s interpretation. A prayer meeting/service is a liturgical celebration, even though many protestants cringe at the word 😉
 
Now I have the document:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/general-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19930325_directory_en.html

Starting at #108, we are clearly instructed to pray together.
  1. Prayer in common is recommended for Catholics and other Christians so that together they may put before God the needs and problems they share—e.g., peace, social concerns, mutual charity among people, the dignity of the family, the effects of poverty, hunger and violence, etc.
  2. Where appropriate, Catholics should be encouraged, in accordance with the Church’s norms, to join in prayer with Christians of other Churches and ecclesial Communities
  3. The term “sharing in spiritual activities and resources” covers such things as prayer offered in common, sharing in liturgical worship in the strict sense
Those are just some bits I pulled out on the first reading.

183 has a bit on common Bible study:

. Everything that can be done to make members of the Churches and ecclesial Communities read the Word of God, and to do that together when possible (e.g., Bible Weeks), reinforces this bond of unity that already unites them, helps them to be open to the unifying action of God and strengthens the common witness to the saving Word of God which they give to the world.

It finishes off with: On March 25th, 1993, His Holiness Pope John Paul II approved this Directory, confirmed it by his authority and ordered that it be published. Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.
 
JPII’s approval only shows that his approval of (already condemned, might I add) false worship hasn’t changed over the years, that being the “nice guy” is more important, as most of the cardinals seem to think. His support means nothing if the Church has already condemned it.
 
latinmasslover said:
JPII’s approval only shows that his approval of (already condemned, might I add) false worship hasn’t changed over the years, that being the “nice guy” is more important, as most of the cardinals seem to think. His support means nothing if the Church has already condemned it.
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Perhaps his support means that you are incorrectly interpreting what you believe to be a condemnation.
 
One individual wanted to know if your friend would attend Mass if you asked? Suppose your friend said, no. I had that situation, but I wasn’t going to limit my sense of Christian charity, because my friend was afraid of appearing foolish. He said he wouldn’t know when to sit, stand or kneel.
 
latinmasslover said:
JPII’s approval only shows that his approval of (already condemned, might I add) false worship hasn’t changed over the years, that being the “nice guy” is more important, as most of the cardinals seem to think. His support means nothing if the Church has already condemned it.
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So you do not accept the authority of Pope John Paul II? And that phrase I made sure to tack on at the end, clearly shows that this more recent teaching trumps the older, by his authority.

I’ll go with Peter every time.
 
Well, it looks like God wanted me to do His work in a different way yesterday.
I was on my way to that Protestant church, a big famous church here. I was going to just kind of sit in the back and observe… but then just before I got there I saw a young woman crying and talking to herself on the steps before another building. I asked her if she needed anything and found out she was homeless, without a jacket, with health probalems and clearly disturbed… so I took her to a place where I hoped they could help her and got all involved with that. So I didn’t go to the prayer service.

Which doesn’t mean I will never go when my friend does one again. It sounds from that document that it is not only ok, but also recommended, to pray with other Christians. Which would make sense to me…

But this time anyway it wasn’t meant to be…

Kathrin
 
EvelynEVF said:
So you do not accept the authority of Pope John Paul II? And that phrase I made sure to tack on at the end, clearly shows that this more recent teaching trumps the older, by his authority.

I’ll go with Peter every time.
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Like I said, the 1993 doc. trumps nothing because false ecumenism has been condemned since the beginning, and we know that God’s truth never changes.

I accept the authority of JPII, I just don’t accept his every word as Gospel, unlike many Catholics. You’ll go with Peter every time? How about when he tried to turn Christ away from His mission? When he abandoned Him in the garden? When he denied Him not once, not twice, but three times? Not being with Him in His final agony? Do what you like, I side with Christ and the constant teaching of the Church, not the personal opinion of the pope that contradicts the Church he’s supposed to guard.
 
Kathrin said:
Well, it looks like God wanted me to do His work in a different way yesterday.
I was on my way to that Protestant church, a big famous church here. I was going to just kind of sit in the back and observe… but then just before I got there I saw a young woman crying and talking to herself on the steps before another building. I asked her if she needed anything and found out she was homeless, without a jacket, with health probalems and clearly disturbed… so I took her to a place where I hoped they could help her and got all involved with that. So I didn’t go to the prayer service.

Which doesn’t mean I will never go when my friend does one again. It sounds from that document that it is not only ok, but also recommended, to pray with other Christians. Which would make sense to me…

But this time anyway it wasn’t meant to be…

Kathrin
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Kathrin,
I’m glad that even though you didn’t get to attend, you were able to do work for the Lord. He wanted you right where you were at that time!

As far as going to a Protestant prayer service, I would go, but with caution. I know of a few denominations that, because of misunderstanding the Catholic Church, try to lead people away from the Church. Before turning Catholic, I attended a few services and was handed an anti-Catholic tract (which actually piqued my intrest in the RCC). I have only been to a few non-Catholic services since I have converted, and I didn’t volunteer the information that I was Catholic, but of course, didn’t lie if asked what church I attended. A couple of people said they were going to pray for me, and there were a few that were, frankly, horrified… :rolleyes: I would suggest any Catholic participating in any ecumenical services that they have a very strong knowledge of the Catholic faith to help dispel myths and try to educate (and, God willing, plant seeds) others.

God Bless!
Ericka
 
Kathrin said:
My friend leads a little prayer circle at a Protestant church at noon on the 24th, I think he would be happy if I’d come. Would it be ok to go?

Kathrin
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Sure why not…??
my Christian life would have missed some of my very best and deepest experiences of the Holy Spirit’s work if I had stayed away from protestant assemblies (I mainly mean my Pentecostal parish which is still in many ways my favourite place) including my initial meeting with the living Christ which eventually lead me into the Catholic Church.
I believe some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are dormant in the RCC these years much to my grief. Therefore I mean it most seriously when I say that we need our brethren as much as they need us… Go there… test everything and take with you what is good so that you can edify your own parish…
Work for unity and revival.
Peace and Shalom.

Grace
 
EvelynEVF said:
Go, and be a Catholic 🙂 As a convert myself, it meant a great deal to me that the wrong thing I had been taught about the Church were quietly, gently disproved by real live Catholics who loved and prayed with me.
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I agree. Go, and be respectful. 👍 Don’t receive their version of Communion, obviously, but if we cannot pray with our separated brethren, we are failing in charity. Consider it an ecumenical mission on your part!

I am surprised sometimes by Catholics who refer to Protestants as enemies of the Church.

I am glad to see that your friend has come to Mass with you. Blessings!
 
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