Ooops! Did I offend someone? .
Hi Nicea,
Not picking on you, just trying to change the way you are thinking. Catholic have enough anti-bias in and out of the Church.
You have become a pharisee, the guy who stands up in front of the Church, and thanks God for not making like or less than the guy back there… but the guy back there knows God’s mercy, and remains humble.
Let’s put it this way, If you you’re having a party, you invite all the ‘Cool’ people right, not the nerds. Jesus invited the very people the religiuos upright disrespected. he sat with the guy wearing shorts sandals, with a wife beater shirt on, and educated him with divine unconditional LOVE.
Are we not to emulate him?
Jesus saw people in need of redemption, he resisted the proud, aristocrat, because those people believed they were a lock in heaven for the blessings they received here… but the opposite was true, they wasted their blessings on themselves and looked down on others.
Just today, I’ve moved from my community of five yrs. attending a different Church for about a little over a yr. attended Bible studies when they have’m, but
I’ve always felt something was missing.
Today, got a ride to Mass, the driver was late, we got there right after the Gospel,
so as the communion began, I backed out of the pew. went to stand in the back til communion finished.
The usher came to me, introduced himself as Sal, he said hello… he was genuinely concerned @ why I didn’t receive?
I introduced myself and replied, I miss the Gospel, and he said"oh its okay."
Bishop Fulton Sheen stated,“If you misst the Gospel, you probably missed the Mass” {parphrased here, because the entire mMass is the preparation to receive.}
He tried to reassure I didn’t miss the Mass, but I replied, when you hear a thing and you feel it in your gut, you have to believe it is of God.
but that is what the Catholic church is missing, people genuinely concerned for others, those who will introduce themselves and give someone a lift. Sal made a friend today, simply by reaching out.
It’s like the CITH thing, awhile ago Watching EWTN, a Philippine Priest was addressing The Pope Benedict teaching that we ought to be kneeling when we receive, I heard it, and felt it in my Gut, so @ Mas during communion, O kneel on one knee, I reach up and wait for the Priest, deacon, E.M. to place the Eucharist in my hand, receive and get up. It feels more reverent, and adds an awe within I can’t explain. But I do it because I heard it as a teaching, which moved me to kneel. I use to think I won’t kneel in front of the E.M. but I had to remind myself, it is not the person I am kneeling in front of but Christ Himself, who died and suffered for me, what’s a little kneeling in a line of people receiving by hand?
To many people are dotting the ‘i’ s and crossing their ‘t’ s, while the person next them unworthy as they are need a lift from us.
God bless,
John
Administration…
