Required to attend Church?

[Jeane]

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

 

[CARose]

How about the ten commandments, Keep the Lords Day Holy?

CARose

 

[newby]

Jeane,

Attendance at Mass is required by the Magesterial Teaching Office of the Church. Deut 5:12 says, “Observe the Sabath Day and keep it Holy.” The church changed the sabath to Sunday in observance of the Resurection of Jesus and that is where the requirement to attend Mass on Sunday.

Bless you

 

[Steven_Merten]

Jeane:

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

Did you mention the third commandment to keep holy the Sabbath? Are we not judged by the third commandment along with the rest of the commandments?

Here is a link describing the commandments. christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/part3_2.html

Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com

 

[Leo44]

Jeane:

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

Sounds like he’s trying to justify his not attending, misery loves company. He’s also trying to get at you for converting, this may not be an argument you’ll ever win, pray.

 

[jordan]

Jeane:

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

Jeane:

A good Scriptural reference is Leviticus 23: 1-3

The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, the appointed feasts which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed feasts are these. Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings. (RSV-CE)

In other words, a sacred assembly, or holy gathering, is a divine requirement for all the faithful. Our blessed Savior Himself, God incarnate, kept the sabbath. After the Resurrection, we know from the Acts of the Apostles (13:5), that the Word was preached in the synagogues on the sabbath.

And as the CCC (2174) says regarding our new day of gathering:

Jesus rose from the dead “on the first day of the week.” Because it is the “first day,” the day of Christ’s Resurrection recalls the first creation."

…and quotes St. Ignatius of Antioch, martyred for the Faith (sent to the wild beasts in the arena circa 110 AD), third Bishop of Antioch and considered have been associated with the Apostle John:

“Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord’s Day, in which our life is blessed by Him and by His death.”

…and St. Justin the Martyr (beheaded circa 165 AD):

“We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day [after the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God, separating matter from darkness, made the world; and then on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead.”

Oh, and the Jews also have Holy Days besides the sabbath. Hmmm…kinda like us!

God bless.

jb

 

[BLB_Oregon]

“We must consider how to rouse each other to love and good deeds. We should not absent ourselves from the assembly, as some do, but encourage one another; and this all the more because you see that the Day draws near.” Heb 10:24-25

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Jeane:

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

There is a difference between the obligation of a day of rest and the determination of which day it will be.

If you are Jewish then of course Saturday is your Sabbath day!

If you are Christian however that day is no longer Saturday, but Sunday and it has nothing to do with Constantine. He just enacted a civil law requiring rest on the already well established “Christian Sabbath” day. The Commandment does not specify a specific day just “a day of rest”, the meaning of the word Sabbath. The Jewish people chose the 7th day, the day God rested in Genesis, and the Christians chose the “8th” day, the day of the resurrection. The day has “shifted”, by who’s authority? The Church’s. The Church established by Christ and clothed with his authority ( MT 2:28 / JN 20:21) and by “the power of the keys” ( Mt 16:19) given to Peter to bind and loose! Peter chose to replace Judas on the Church’s authority, the Apostles added Paul to their number by their authority, the authority given them by Christ.

Is the “Sunday Sabbath” unbiblical?

No, it may not be found in the Bible, but it is not against any teaching of the Bible.

John does mention the “Lord’s Day”. If one studies the writings of the Apostolic Fathers and the pre-Nicene Fathers one finds that Sunday is well established as the day of Christian worship from the close of the first century on. St. Ignatius of Antioch, at the beginning of the second century, referred to the drastic change that took place with the coming of Christ when "those who walked in ancient customs came to a new hope, no longer Sabbathing but living the Lord’s Day, on which we came to life through him and through his death.’’ Since the Apostles and disciples were “Jewish-Christians” they met in the synagogue on Saturday and in the Christian home communities on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist until Christianity separated itself from Jewish practice. Before the year A.D. 100, we already have written record of the Sunday practice of assisting at Mass in the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. It is expressed in mandatory form in the Didache.

In the middle of the second century, Justin the Martyr left a detailed account of how the faithful gathered together for the celebration of the sacred mysteries. He also explained why Sunday was observed among Christians.

The Bible does shed some light on the subject; Jesus rose on the first day of the week, he appeared to the Apostles on the first day of the week, and never again on the Sabbath. The Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost Sunday. The Apostles met on the “first day of the week” (Act 20:7) etc.

There is also a passage in James that speaks of “not neglecting the assembly”, the coming together for worship.

 

[Cephas]

“We must consider how to rouse each other to love and good deeds. We should not absent ourselves from the assembly, as some do, but encourage one another; and this all the more because you see that the Day draws near.” Heb 10:24-25

Excellent scripture!!

Also, it might be good to have in mind that when God made Adam (prior to Eve) He said that it is NOT good that man should be alone.

Also, if it were not necessary, why would Jesus say, "I will build my CHURCH’, then later say,…if your brother doesnt listen then take it to the “Church”. He is implying and expecting community.

The example of the church in acts shows full well that Peter , John , James all the apostles thought in very necesssary to assemble.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

1 Peter 2:9
But you are …, A royal PRIESTHOOD…

We are priests and as such we are OBLIGED to offer sacrifice. That’s what priests do. We do so at Mass, with the ordained priest offering on behalf of those assembled. As Catholics we don’t merely attend a service, we ASSIST AT MASS. We assist as part of the royal priesthood, offering sacrifice and participating in the one sacrifice of Christ. This is so important that the Church has used her power of binding and loosing to BIND us to the obligation of assisting at Mass.

Hebrews 10:24-25
and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

We are not to forsake the assembly, that is, Mass. Paul isn’t presenting it here as an option but as an obligation.

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[jimmy]

Jeane:

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

Going to church is part of the life we lead. If you are unwilling to spend an hour at church each week to worship God then how can you say you are willing to live a life according to God? His arguement contradicts itself.

I know some people who say you do not need to go to church. They say “You can live your life like a prayer.”
The point of going to church is to pray and to worship God. If your unwilling to pray then you are not living your life like a prayer.

 

[Importer]

Jeane:

My father is a Protestant (Church of Christ) who stopped attending 25 years ago. He has never accepted my conversion to Catholicism and, recently, we got into a heated argument about attending worship services.

He says that Christians are judged by the life they lead and aren’t required to attend Mass/a worship service. I disagree, but can’t find a Scriptural reference to back it up.

Help! Am I wrong? Is he?

Jeane. I am a member of the Church of Christ. Perhaps I can help.

Your father is not going to listen to any comments about the Sabbath. The Church of Christ does not accept the claim that the Sabbath was moved to Sunday. We believe Sunday is the day of worship for other reasons, and that the Sabbath was abolished (Colossians 2).

BUT … it is a COMMAND of God to attend worship. It says so right in Hebrews 10:25. Sadly many, like your father, do exactly what this verse says not to do. Sadly many have many excuses for this. No church is made up of perfect people … a lot of people within the Church of Christ who want to justify themselves would respond to me that I am being a “legalist” in reading Hebrews 10:25.

 

[DianJo]

If someone said they loved me, as I’m sure your father loves Jesus, then I would probably think he wasn’t being honest. I would think that person does not love me, he won’t even come and visit me for one hour, once a week. Jesus also says that many will knock to come in and will cry out, “Jesus, Jesus”, but Jesus will say, “Who are you? I don’t know you!” How can anyone really know Jesus if they do not take time to learn about Him?

People often say they don’t have to go to church. They can pray to God anytime they like. Well, ask them when was the last time they put aside time to pray? They probably won’t remember. Beside, praying is not the same as worshipping.

It’s an excuse, that’s all. I hope you can help your father to see the truth.