Why do I keep skipping Mass?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pilar
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Pilar

Guest
I converted to the Catholic Church a little over six years ago - the best thing that has happened to me! I feel so Blessed. That said, my biggest challenge is getting to Mass. For whatever reason I can go for months of faithfully attending on Sundays and even some weekdays, then all of a sudden I will get lazy, find a dumb excuse, or otherwise not attend on a Sunday. I feel horrible! I then beat myself up about it for about a week or so, go to confession in tears/feeling miserable and firmly resolve never to do it again!

I know that one of my challenges is that my husband is not terribly dedicated to attending, when he is out of town I almost never miss. But I can’t blame him, I have a car and can drive myself.

One idea I had was to volunteer as a eucharistic minister or lector (after having gone to confession, of course) so that I would have some addditional accountability.

Please help! Any advise you can give wouuld be very much appreciated!
 
Just a couple thoughts. . .

Pray for the desire to go to mass. Ask the Lord to give you a **deep desire **to be with Him at mass and in the Eucharist. Years ago, I remember reading the praise psalms and thinking, ‘gee, I wish I really felt this way.’ I prayed to God, asking that I receive the desire to give Him praise and glory. Over time, I have come to know great joy in acknowledging His glory and continue to grow in awe of Him. A byproduct of that has been looking forward to waking up in the morning to go to mass.

Also, read “The Lamb’s Supper,” by Scott Hahn. It is a concise and wonderful explanation of what is really going on in church. When my mind drifts or if I am sleepy, I remember what he wrote, telling me where I am and in whose Presence I am. It puts things into perspective.

Hope that helps. God bless.
Dan
 
Pilar said:
One idea I had was to volunteer as a eucharistic minister or lector (after having gone to confession, of course) so that I would have some addditional accountability.
Click to expand...
This idea is a good idea but I think that this idea is just the beginning or a discipline; it is like you are forcing yourself to go and that can be no good for long term.

Danonwaveland’s idea is great. Once, you believe what the Eucharist is all about and more meaning of the Mass, you will love to go to mass not because you must go. So, I’d say that you just pray for this as Danonwaveland suggested.

Another service besides the volunteer work you mentioned in your post is Nursing Home ministry. Personally, through this ministry, it helps me a lot more. Seeing the elderly receive the Holy Eucharist with their belief in the real presence of Jesus strengthens my faith.
 
Pilar said:
I converted to the Catholic Church a little over six years ago - the best thing that has happened to me! I feel so Blessed. That said, my biggest challenge is getting to Mass. For whatever reason I can go for months of faithfully attending on Sundays and even some weekdays, then all of a sudden I will get lazy, find a dumb excuse, or otherwise not attend on a Sunday. I feel horrible! I then beat myself up about it for about a week or so, go to confession in tears/feeling miserable and firmly resolve never to do it again!

I know that one of my challenges is that my husband is not terribly dedicated to attending, when he is out of town I almost never miss. But I can’t blame him, I have a car and can drive myself.

One idea I had was to volunteer as a eucharistic minister or lector (after having gone to confession, of course) so that I would have some addditional accountability.

Please help! Any advise you can give wouuld be very much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Hi Pilar…Most of all pray about the difficulties you are having.

…Feelings, while an important part of being human and can be wonderful, are only secondary to Faith. Faith transcends feelings.
In spirituality good feelings are known as “consolations” or when we feel good in some way about the practise(s) of our Faith and prayer. However, it is what one believes and puts into practise that is prime…or Faith and what it tells us and residing in the will and following through on that. What you are experiencing is a lack of consolation…or ‘the honeymoon period’ is probably over - and most all our good efforts are intitally accompanied by good feelings or a ‘honeymoon period’, after which we need to apply resolution and consistency to our decision to some good whatever it may be, despite what one may feel. Probably all our life consolation of some kind will come and go…but Faith residing in the will is ideally, and should be, constant and is independant of what one may feel.
In times when consolation may be lacking it is a good time to consolidate in our intellect or mind the reasons why we took up the good practise, and especially going to Mass and receiving the Blessed Eucharist, in the first place…or what The Mass and The Blessed Eucharist actually are. What our Faith tells us about them and no matter what one may feel, these truths remain constant. The reality does not alter according to what one may feel about them.
Many Catholics and probably most if not all have days or times when they do not feel like going to Mass…but go anyway.

In the final analysis it is the duty of a Catholic under pain of mortal sin to go to Mass on Sundays unless there is some good reason not to attend and to receive The Blessed Eucharist at least once during the year, along with the Sacrament of Penance, within the period prescribed by The Church. If nothing else moves us, this law of The Church should get us about our duties as Catholics.

Blessings…Barb:)
 
Probably at this point you may be relying too much on your feelings to advise you on what you should or should not do. We have, however, our duties as Catholics…much as we may have duties as an employee and no matter what we may feel personally about these duties. It is simply our duty to attend to these duties. As a Catholic then it is at very very least our duty to attend to our duties as Catholics.
Be that as it may good feelings or consolations are gifts of God and we should be very thankful and grateful for them, praising God. Our very basic duties as Catholics are laid out (for one) in the Precepts of The Church.
The Lord, and for His own reasons, can withhold these gifts or consolations which neither means that The Lord then is necessarily pleased nor displeased with one.
Luke 17 *
So you also, when you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are unprofitable
Click to expand...
servants; we have done that which we ought to do.*

The Precepts of the Church
The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor.

  1. *]To worship at Mass on Sundays and to observe Sunday as a day of rest.
    *]To confess one’s grave sins at least once a year in the Sacrament of Penance.
    *]To receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter Season (between Ash Wednesday and Trinity Sunday).
    *]To attend Mass on Holy Days of Obligation.
    *]To do penance by prayer, works of piety and charity, and fast and abstinence on the days commanded. The days of penance are each Friday of the whole year, and the season of Lent. The days of fasting and abstinence from meat are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The Church also requires all her members to contribute, as best they can, to the support of their priests, parishes, schools and the Church’s works of charity, and to observe the laws of the Church about the sacrament of Marriage.
    A fuller explanation of the above from the Catholic Catechism:

    scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a3.htm#2041

    II. THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH
    2041     The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:
    2042 The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor”) requires the faithful to sanctify the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord as well as the principal liturgical feasts honoring the mysteries of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints; in the first place, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration, in which the Christian community is gathered, and by resting from those works and activities which could impede such a sanctification of these days.82
    The second precept (“You shall confess your sins at least once a year”) ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness.83
    The third precept (“You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season”) guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.84
    2043 The fourth precept (“You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church”) ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.85
    The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church, each according to his own ability.86 The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his own abilities.87
    Click to expand...
 
Are you enjoying Mass? The ultimate key for going to Mass is wanting to be there. Pray, and make yourself go. When you do, listen attentively and sing songs of praise with all of your heart. Try to enjoy Mass, and if you do that you will feel a want and a need to come back. Get involved in other things, such as Apologetics or a Bible Study Group after Mass. Join the choir. Anything that will help you enjoy Mass more, try it.
 
Well, I’m going to take a different approach.

I think you should, on the mornings that you are trying to convince yourself to not go to Mass…stand up, shout as loud as you can, SATAN BE GONE!

Hey, it works for me.

Mass is not about feelings … I’ve been through all those religions, faiths, churches that are about feelings…we are to go to Mass to thank the Lord! We are to go to Mass to say to the Lord, thank you for fullfilling your promise to always be with us. Where else can you go and be in the presence of Jesus besides the Catholic Church? No where!

Just do it. Go, whether you feel like it or not!

Satan is lazy…nothing makes him more happy than to grab a Catholic who is in the state of God’s grace and make them fall…remember that… :mad:

God bless!
 
Pilar said:
I converted to the Catholic Church a little over six years ago - the best thing that has happened to me! I feel so Blessed. That said, my biggest challenge is getting to Mass. For whatever reason I can go for months of faithfully attending on Sundays and even some weekdays, then all of a sudden I will get lazy, find a dumb excuse, or otherwise not attend on a Sunday. I feel horrible! I then beat myself up about it for about a week or so, go to confession in tears/feeling miserable and firmly resolve never to do it again!

I know that one of my challenges is that my husband is not terribly dedicated to attending, when he is out of town I almost never miss. But I can’t blame him, I have a car and can drive myself.

One idea I had was to volunteer as a eucharistic minister or lector (after having gone to confession, of course) so that I would have some addditional accountability.

Please help! Any advise you can give wouuld be very much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Dont beat yourself up. If you do then Satan really gets his kicks. But it is a wonderful thing that you recognize this, humility. Most people let their pride not realize this. Keep on going to confession. I do the same things you write of and have really beat myself so badly at times I felt unforgiveable which just made things worse.
 
A little off-topic, but, after clicking on the link to Dana’s blog in the reply two entries above this one, I spent a good 45 minutes there. I recommend her blog site – very thoughtful, but not overly “heavy” – for lack of a better term. Good work, Dana!👍

God bless,
Dan
 
danonwaveland said:
A little off-topic, but, after clicking on the link to Dana’s blog in the reply two entries above this one, I spent a good 45 minutes there. I recommend her blog site – very thoughtful, but not overly “heavy” – for lack of a better term. Good work, Dana!👍

God bless,
Dan
Click to expand...
Thanks for the notice. I just read Dana’s conersion too! her conversion is amazing and her faith is not for her alone. There’s a lady named “Jennifer” responding to the conversion. Dana, with God’s grace, you are the witness. God bless and thank you for sharing your faith with us.
 
Well, I think the answer to your question may be quite simple: it is beacaue of the demonic attack… How do you think, why is it so that very often when someone starts praying they would instantly start to yawn, etc… Attending the Holy Mass is very important, because in this way you stay connected with the Lord… The main job of the forces of darkness is to prevent people from going to church, justifying it and making them presume that going there is not so important at all… suggesting that it is only important to have God in your heart… Well, that’s not true… Believing in Jesus is not enough - even demons believe in Him… Because they know He does exist and is the real Son of God… What we have to believe is that Jesus is our personal Savior and that He died on the cross for our sins… it is different, right?

To prevent any form of a demonic attack try using these simple prayers:

1st, a protection against demons:

The Lorica of Gildas
tertullian.org/fathers/gildas_08_lorica.htm

2nd, the Lorica of Saint Patrick:

catholicdoors.com/prayers/english/p03475.htm

In addition, another powerful prayer is:

Prayer for protection against demons:

catholicdoors.com/prayers…sh3/p02277.htm

Be blessed!
 
All good suggestions so far! You might also consider what your criteria for going to your former Sunday services were, which may still be influencing you. Did your former church make Sunday worship seem optional or not much different than staying home and reading the Bible? If all you did at these non-Catholic sevices was sing hymns and listen to a sermon, I can see how you might think it was no big deal to attend EVERY Sunday since you can do that stuff at home or even watch an evangelical preacher on TV.

The Catholic Mass is not so much about what we get out of the sermon, but what we offer to God, the perfect sacrifice of His Son (something you will never be able to offer to God from your home.) It’s not about what we do (singing and praying) that makes the Mass indispensable. The Mass is not just about the Gospel (as it is in most non-Catholic services), it’s also about the Offertory, Consecration and Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ, the eternal nourishment for your soul which you cannot get anywhere else.

Even when you feel you will not get anything out of the Mass, remember it’s not just about you. God deserves to be praised even on the days you don’t feel like it, and the Mass is the best and most perfect way to do this. If you can’t find a personal reason to praise God from Sunday to Sunday, go and offer your Mass for the rest of us. Remember, we are the “Catholic” (universal) church, and the Mass is not just a prayer service for your private needs. Attend Mass anyway and offer that Mass for the sick, the dying, the unrepentant, etc. and you will begin to experience the love that God is due.

Someday you may be physically unable to attend Mass and God will bless all the times you went even though you didn’t feel like it. May God bless your struggle with true devotion to the Mass.
 
The main reason I hear people say is, “I don’t get anything out of it”. The official real reason we go to mass is: To Worship God.
Remember when Jesus said, “give to Ceasar what is Ceasar’s,
but give to God what is God’s”. The Sunday mass is God’s. We
have to give it to Him. What we get out of it is an extra bonus.
 
My grandfather even unto this day, when we wouldn’t wake up for mass would sing this song in Spanish

El diablo esta cantando
No ir al misa
sigue dormiendo

Which roughly translates to:

The devil is singing
Don’t go to Mass
Keep on sleeping
 
I also feel too lazy to get to Mass… But… what I do to get motivated is to try to attend on Saturdays at 5:30P.M. to get it over with so I am free on Sundays. Plus, I get there early so I can go to confession and then attend church. Sitting around for awhile calms me down and I am better prepared for Mass.

If I miss on Saturdays… I try to attend the 12noon mass. I try to get there 30 minutes early so I get plenty of parking space and I can choose my favorite seat in Church.

You have to do a self-talk and just say I am going to church to yourself even if you don’t get all dressed up for church.

I also set it up that after church I can go have an ice cream cone or go shopping or do something that is fun for me.
 
forgiveall said:
My grandfather even unto this day, when we wouldn’t wake up for mass would sing this song in Spanish

El diablo esta cantando
No ir al misa
sigue dormiendo

Which roughly translates to:

The devil is singing
Don’t go to Mass
Keep on sleeping
Click to expand...
Wow! :doh2: Now THAT puts in perspective for me. Thank you forgiveall. This I will always remember.

God Bless you all.

Miss Rigby
 
Try reading some books written by saints about Eucharist. You have to realize that Mass is something far more important than we can understand. Everything else comes after Mass. Without it, nothing else you can do makes sense for heaven. The whole purpose of life is Heaven, that door was opened by Jesus on the Cross, how can you love anybody if you despise the love of Jesus in the Mass?
 
Others have said wise and helpful things which you will recognise in your mind as true. I can only pray for you. As I’m lucky enough to be able to get to daily Eucharist which so many can’t because of work commitments or distance, during Mass will pray for a heart-change for you regarding the Mass. You wish to, so you do realise to that degree how important it is to unite with the community in thanksgiving. “The journey from the mind to the heart is a long journey” May the Holy Spirit take you through that journey.
The Eucharist is many things but it is also the heart-gift of Jesus.
May you desire to share this gift as much as He wishes to give it to you, to each and all. God bless.
 
On EWTN’s show “Eucharist” last Thursday night, one of the friars said something like, “If I offered $50 to everyone who came to Sunday mass, how many people would show up? How about if I offered $500 to each person? Yet, how much more valuable is the Eucharist that is freely offered to all?”

God bless,
Dan
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top