Why do non-Catholic Christians gather on sunday?

[1beleevr]

I know that; this thread and subsequently this conversation is really about,“Why do you gather on Sunday if you don’t do the eucharist?” Correct me if I’m wrong, but catholics, as well as many other denominations gather on Sunday! And to tell the truth, only thin skinned people would see this as judgement. You know as well as I do that there are people out there who go to church, attend church functions, and serve because they feel they have to! I serve in a ministry called “Feed My Sheep,” which is comprised of Christians of all faiths, including Mormons! Everyone who comes is always joyful, and not moaning about,“Well, my pastor wants us to serve.” I will take your suggestion under advisement!

 

[1beleevr]

Kind of amazing how we can see different viewpoints(even if we don’t agree with them), when we open our eyes and our hearts! I guess the bottom line is this: that many Christians, catholic or not, gather on Sunday for the same reason; to worship our Lord!

 

[1beleevr]

You’d be amazed; in many cases, non-Christians show more Christ-like behavior than Christians! And Christians on many occasions tend to be the worst hypocrites, condemners, and ones standing in judgement! Sad, but true, holier-than-thou is alive and well in the Christian community! You’re obliged as a catholic to designate who is abeliever and who is not?

 

[4Squarebaby]

I just took it that if we don’t participate in the way you believe/participate your eucharist, they is no reason to gather…We all live by faith in Christ’s words…Just we don’t believe your way doesn’t mean we don’t believe at all…

Of course that begs the question why do remarried Catholics or those who have missed a confession… attend Church on Sunday without the Eucharist validly, if that is the correct terminology, available to them? just an obligation or

Kind of amazing how we can see different viewpoints(even if we don’t agree with them), when we open our eyes and our hearts! I guess the bottom line is this: that many Christians, catholic or not, gather on Sunday for the same reason; to worship our Lord!

 

[TEPO]

Geeeeez, Louise, do you think that people really enjoy doing something out of duty, or obligation, rather than desire, or joy?

No. When did I say that?

Like serving Christ; if you do it out of a feeling of obligation rather than tremendous joy, then you are an oppressed servant, and of no use to anyone! Geeeeez!

Why not stick to the topic and stop making-up these weird arguments. Who on earth would serve Christ out of a “feeling of obligation”? Catholics…?

 

[TEPO]

Is that a word, catholocity?

: the character of being in conformity with a Catholic church
merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catholicity

And aren’t we supposed to be temples of the Holy Spirit?

Catechism of the Catholic Church

**III. ****THE CHURCH IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT **
797 "What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church."243 "To this Spirit of Christ, as an invisible principle, is to be ascribed the fact that all the parts of the body are joined one with the other and with their exalted head; for the whole Spirit of Christ is in the head, the whole Spirit is in the body, and the whole Spirit is in each of the members."244 The Holy Spirit makes the Church “the temple of the living God”:245

Indeed, it is to the Church herself that the “Gift of God” has been entrusted. . . . In it is in her that communion with Christ has been deposited, that is to say: the Holy Spirit, the pledge of incorruptibility, the strengthening of our faith and the ladder of our ascent to God. . . . For where the Church is, there also is God’s Spirit; where God’s Spirit is, there is the Church and every grace.246

798 The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body."247 He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity:248 by God’s Word “which is able to build you up”;249 by Baptism, through which he forms Christ’s Body;250 by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ’s members; by “the grace of the apostles, which holds first place among his gifts”;251 by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called “charisms”), by which he makes the faithful "fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church."252

scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p2.htm

 

[1beleevr]

No. When did I say that?

Why not stick to the topic and stop making-up these weird arguments. Who on earth would serve Christ out of a “feeling of obligation”? Catholics…?

I guess when I initially read the title of this thread, I was thinking,“Why do they want to know why we gather on Sunday?” And I know people who think if they gather on Sunday, they will go to Heaven! And believe it or not, there are those who serve out of obligation or duty!

 

[1beleevr]

: the character of being in conformity with a Catholic church
merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catholicity

Catechism of the Catholic Church

**III. ****THE CHURCH IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT **
797 "What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church."243 "To this Spirit of Christ, as an invisible principle, is to be ascribed the fact that all the parts of the body are joined one with the other and with their exalted head; for the whole Spirit of Christ is in the head, the whole Spirit is in the body, and the whole Spirit is in each of the members."244 The Holy Spirit makes the Church “the temple of the living God”:245

Indeed, it is to the Church herself that the “Gift of God” has been entrusted. . . . In it is in her that communion with Christ has been deposited, that is to say: the Holy Spirit, the pledge of incorruptibility, the strengthening of our faith and the ladder of our ascent to God. . . . For where the Church is, there also is God’s Spirit; where God’s Spirit is, there is the Church and every grace.246

798 The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body."247 He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity:248 by God’s Word “which is able to build you up”;249 by Baptism, through which he forms Christ’s Body;250 by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ’s members; by “the grace of the apostles, which holds first place among his gifts”;251 by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called “charisms”), by which he makes the faithful "fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church."252

scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p2.htm

I guess mine would be non-denominationalocity, then!

 

[1beleevr]

And many other Protestant denominations have valid baptisms, and celebrate Communion, as the disciples did with Christ in Matthew 26(as often as you do this, do it in remembrance of Me). Most noncatholics however, believe that Christ can be found in places other than the eucharist! Many people dismiss Mormonism, because of the Book of Mormon, and because the Mormons disregard the deity of Christ, and they believe that we can all be gods!

 

[philokalia7]

Interesting. I’m a cradle Catholic and have never attended any other church but the CC, and just wanted to know some things.

So why not just read ones own bible instead of going out to hear someone preach? I know this has been going on for some time now, so -whats so good about it?

TEPO, You need to get in the habit of reading the Bible, brother, Converts are made by preaching, according to God, who inspired the Bible, this is normative for both Catholics, and Protestants

1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.
1Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness.
1Co 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Preaching is the God ordained method by which souls are won to Christ.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching?

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Rom 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

In context here the Apostle means the Word of God preached,

 

[1beleevr]

TEPO, You need to get in the habit of reading the Bible, brother, Converts are made by preaching, according to God, who inspired the Bible, this is normative for both Catholics, and Protestants

1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.
1Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness.
1Co 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Preaching is the God ordained method by which souls are won to Christ.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching?

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Rom 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

In context here the Apostle means the Word of God preached,

And not to be forgotten, one of the most famous, if not the most famous altar call of all time: Acts 2:38; Peter exhorting the crowd to turn back to God for forgiveness of sins, to be baptized in the name of Jesus, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! I know many people who only attend “home churches”, or Bible studies in their homes, but are still considered strong Christians! Being in church, does bring you into contact with other Christians, who can lift you up when your faith is sagging, or you need prayer! Can anyone say edificaton?

 

[TEPO]

TEPO, You need to get in the habit of reading the Bible, brother, Converts are made by preaching, according to God, who inspired the Bible, this is normative for both Catholics, and Protestants

1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.
1Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness.
1Co 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Preaching is the God ordained method by which souls are won to Christ.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching?

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Rom 10:17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

In context here the Apostle means the Word of God preached,

I do appreciate the time you put into researching the bible quotes… But, were’nt these verses written at a time when bibles were’nt being mass produced? I mean realistically, we have the internet with streaming video, books, and probably a bible in every home.

Besides that, I think logically, it would be safer for a non-Catholic/non-heirarchial Christian to interactively navigate his own faith, free from the direct contact of preachers, who often impose their spin onto people… So why are’nt we seeing more of this? Or is this something we can expect in the future?

 

[cooterhein]

Besides that, I think logically, it would be safer for a non-Catholic/non-heirarchial Christian to interactively navigate his own faith, free from the direct contact of preachers, who often impose their spin onto people… So why are’nt we seeing more of this? Or is this something we can expect in the future?

I think the future of Christianity as a whole includes a strong move away from highly centralized authority. That doesn’t mean everyone will start acting selfishly and become incredibly self-involved. To the contrary, it means the majority of Christians will, in the relatively near future, begin with the assumption that God didn’t establish a particular kind of authority structure for His worldwide Church and that we are responsible for coming up with the best kinds of leadership structures that we can. That means moving away from highly centralized authority to less centralized authority on the basis of more accountability for the leadership, a more effective system of checks and balances, a system of governance that is more just, and a greater diffusion of responsibility to the laity along with church leadership.

It will also mean a greater number of congregations per X number of people, and while there will still be some megachurches, you won’t see as much of the 2,000+ people per parish and you’ll see something more like an average of 300-500 people per congregation. Within each of these congregations (as stated earlier), there will be a greater diffusion of responsibility to the laity and more will depend on each individual. In a parish of over 2,000 where only a half-dozen people are truly essential, the other 2,000 people have less to do. In a church of about 300 people that has a greater diffusion of responsibility to begin with, a much higher percentage of those people will be needed and they will have something to do. They may not have the Eucharist waiting for them at church, but there’s going to be quite a few other reasons for them to be there. It won’t have as much to do with what someone else is going to give you, either- it’ll have more to do with different groups of people that are depending on you to do something for them.

 

[JohnnyReb]

I do appreciate the time you put into researching the bible quotes… But, were’nt these verses written at a time when bibles were’nt being mass produced? I mean realistically, we have the internet with streaming video, books, and probably a bible in every home.

Besides that, I think logically, it would be safer for a non-Catholic/non-heirarchial Christian to interactively navigate his own faith, free from the direct contact of preachers, who often impose their spin onto people… So why are’nt we seeing more of this? Or is this something we can expect in the future?

I don’t think anyone would disagree that prior to the writing of the scriptures of the New Testament, that oral teaching and the Old Testament scriptures are what the church taught from. But early on it was recognized that by Peter that Paul’s writings were scripture or at least in equal authority of the scriptures. Paul also urges churches to share letters.

The non Catholic praxis of Sola Scriptura states that all that is needed for salvation is in the scriptures, but that Christians are also accountable to them. That is both laity and those in leadership. So if a preacher tries to impose something upon people that clearly violates the scriptures, they are not to obey it.

 

[SunshineRose1]

I want to know why people gather if not to celebrate the Eucharist?

I imagine that most non-Catholics gather on Sundays to worship God as a group, since the Bible does require that we keep keep holy the Sabbath and it does state that God is present in a special way wherever people gather in His name. I also suppose that they might feel a similar spiritual boost as we do by praying or singing as a group to the glory of God. They also might find that the homily of their preacher provides them with valuable insight into living as a good Christian throughout the week.

I also think that some branches of Protestants do gather to take communion either in the symbolic or Real Presence, and I think to those Protestants that sort of communion would be as significant or almost significant to them as the Eucharist is to us Catholics, but I could be wrong about that.

Really, I think this kind of thing would vary from denomination to denomination and from person to person. It’s a good question, but there are probably thousands of different answers to it.

 

[Indyann]

One reason my Protestant family go is the social aspect. They all go to “services” and then go out to eat.

This is a “non-denom” church that has a coffee shop and pastry shop in the lobby and I think they sometimes go to just “fellowship”.

They also have several “praise” bands, and I think the young ones go for the music. Now, I could be wrong on all counts, but this is what I get from some of their conversations.

So glad I am Catholic!

 

[mackbrislawn]

We gather to praise and worship our Lord and savior.

See the Eucharist is the main part of your services and I respect that.
Just because we don’t have the Eucharist as our main part of our services don’t mean we don’t keep the sabbath holy. We keep it holy in a different way through song, prayer and worship.

But Sunday isn’t the Sabbath.

 

[Esdra]

But Sunday isn’t the Sabbath.

Of course not!
But Sunday has been the “new Sabbath” since the First Christians!

On Sunday our Lord Christ Jesus resurrected! And I would say this is far more important than the “jewish Sabbath” because without Jesus we would still be lost and away from God!
You see, we are no Jews, but Christians!

Esdra

 

[djd83]

Idk if this has been mentioned already, but hebrews 10:25 says: “let us not give up .eeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (niv, and yes, i know i need a different bible lol). Here, paul is instructing christians to go to mass/church, so that is why they do, to “encourage one another.”

 

[mackbrislawn]

Of course not!
But Sunday has been the “new Sabbath” since the First Christians!

On Sunday our Lord Christ Jesus resurrected! And I would say this is far more important than the “jewish Sabbath” because without Jesus we would still be lost and away from God!
You see, we are no Jews, but Christians!

Esdra

That’s right, Sunday has been considered the Christian Sabbath. Although that is probably more Protestant thinking than Catholic. In reality, there is no Christian Sabbath even though the earliest Christians met on Sunday for the Eucharist and to hear the Word preached. Scripture enjoins Christians to meet together but doesn’t explicitly say when or how often. It is Catholic tradition to meet on Sunday. Seventh Day Adventists find it odd that Protestants, who reject Catholic tradition, continued to meet on Sunday, and even to pass laws requiring it.