Mass--my First In Five Years (other Than Funerals, Baptisms, And Weddi

[Nihil Obstat]

bully for you. no community is perfect though, and acting like everything will be fixed just by switching, is turning a blind eye to the problems that develop in any community.

:detective: I thought we were talking about the Mass.

[Gabriela]

Empress Marie, I do not think you could be harsh or mean if you tried. I have read your posts, you sound like Jesus.

 

1. Point taken.

2. I disagree. She's exercising public ministry and her sins are not secret she lives in a house and maintains a sexual relationship with a man who is married to her mother's brother's daughter. The Bible is clear about such.

3. There's only one Mass. But point taken again.

4. No Christian community comes together primarily to interact with each other (or at least this should be the case). But "community" is not some hippy dream, it is one of the proofs that the Lord dwells among us.

 

I'm impressed. You're pretty Catholic for someone who hasn't been to Mass in ages! ;-) What's your story (if you care to share)?

You are correct, parishioners should not have to worry about things like this in an ideal world, or even in a world where the pastors of the Church possess common sense.  After all, it should be the job of the priest to avoid scandal, but many Catholic parishes are ineptly run in these sad times.

 

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

 

On the day my mother - a recent convert to Byzantine Catholicism - died, she asked for me to arrange her final reception of holy communion, and sadly I could not get the Byzantine Catholic priest to come and give her communion because his parish is more than 3 hours away from the hospital, and so I had to ask that the Roman Catholic hospital ministry to have someone bring her holy communion.  The woman who arrived to give my mother her viaticum put my mother and my family through a horrendous experience.  I will begin by saying that the woman arrived inappropriately dressed for someone charged with carrying the sacred body of Jesus Christ, and by this I mean she was basically wearing a see through shirt (thankfully she was also wearing a black lace bra).  After coming into the room, she proceeded to spout anti-patriarchal comments about how evil the Church is for not ordaining women, and how the Church's hierarchy oppresses women and has brought about the deaths of uncounted women through its ban on abortion.  It got to wear my mother, who - because she had advanced emphysema - had difficulty speaking, went out of her way to begin asking me in a low breathy voice to tell the woman to "just leave!"  I refused to do that, because I knew this would be my mother's last chance to receive holy communion prior to her death, and so I finally interrupted the woman in order to remind her that she had been asked to come into the room in order to distribute holy communion.  She was visibly upset by the fact that I interrupted her diatribe against the pope and the hierarchy in general, but then proceeded to ask who wanted communion (n.b., only my mother and I received that morning), she then proceeded to give communion without a word of prayer or any sign that what we were doing was a sacred act.  Moreover, even after I told her that my mother could not consume an entire host, she still tried - no doubt because she did not listen to a word I was saying, that is, unless I raised my voice in an aggressive manner - to give my mother a complete host, but I was able to prevent her from doing so and in the end had to take communion twice.  She - at my instruction - gave my mother a small piece (about a quarter of the host) and I had to consumed the rest. Now as I already indicated, the woman did all this without a word of prayer or any indication that what we were doing was a pious act of love and devotion to Christ.  Worst of all, once she had given us holy communion she resumed her attack on the Church, at which point I again interrupted her, and told her "THANK YOU . . . I am so grateful that you brought the precious body of our Lord and Savior to my mother in her last hours."  At that point the woman asked, "Do you want me to leave?"  And I said, "Yes, thank you so much for your help."  Now taking into account what happened to my mother on that morning, you would think that the parish would be interested to know about my families experience, but when I contacted them and told them what occurred, I was made to feel as if I had somehow done something wrong.  My mother's finally reception of holy communion was made into something that was visibly uncomfortable for her, and no one can change that or give my mother another chance to receive the Lord's body in a more devout manner.  She is dead, and that final sacred moment was turned into something it should not have been, and I will have to live with that fact for the rest of my life.  I suppose it would have been better for me to simply ignore the scandal that this woman caused to my family, but in good conscience I could not.

 

For what it's worth (and I know it's not much), I am so, SO sorry.  :sad:

[Lil Red]

:detective: I thought we were talking about the Mass.

 

i'm talking about the Mass and the community and the priest. problems happen.

[Nihil Obstat]

i'm talking about the Mass and the community and the priest. problems happen.

Probably. I was talking about Mass. And my experience. Which has been lovely.

[Lil Red]

Probably. I was talking about Mass. And my experience. Which has been lovely.

 

again. bully for you. not everyone's experience is looked at through such rose-colored glasses.

[Nihil Obstat]

again. bully for you. not everyone's experience is looked at through such rose-colored glasses.

Indeed. Some prefer to stick their heads in the ground. Iunno who, but some do.

[Lil Red]

Indeed. Some prefer to stick their heads in the ground. Iunno who, but some do.

 

:hehe: LOL.

[Nihil Obstat]

:hehe: LOL.

 

It gives us an advantage, at the end of the day. They cannot hear us coming.

 

[MissyP89]

Just a couple quick thoughts to the OP:

 

1) Some priest are just terrible preachers. It's really a shame, and sometimes we groan and shake our heads at the corner jokes and watered down theology. The unfortunate thing is that is all many of us have access to. 

 

2) Community-building and fellowship: every church is different. No one really talks at mine, but I've found that my boyfriend's church 20 minutes north of me is much warmer and talkative. More of us need to work together to foster this. It's one of the things I feel called to.

 

3) As weird as it sounds, even in a small town, the pastor may not know what's going on with that Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. And even if he did know, even if she confessed it to him, he wouldn't be able to use that knowledge in church. It would violate the seal of confession. (I may be wrong on the details here, so someone feel free to correct me.)

[Evangetholic]

Apotheoun I missed your post on this thread. Words cannot say how horrible I feel. I'll be praying for the person who intruded on your mother's birth into glory with her deeply anti-Biblical actions. Be comforted in knowing that your Mother rests in the Lord and please, if you are able, join me in praying for the offending woman (I do not call her sister).

[GeorgiiMichael]

Empress Marie, I do not think you could be harsh or mean if you tried. I have read your posts, you sound like Jesus.

 

She's going to be impossible to talk to after this. Thanks Evangetholic!

 

:hehe2:

[Groo the Wanderer]

haters gonna hate

[Kateri89]

Just a couple quick thoughts to the OP:

 

1) Some priest are just terrible preachers. It's really a shame, and sometimes we groan and shake our heads at the corner jokes and watered down theology. The unfortunate thing is that is all many of us have access to. 

 

Isn't it so unfortunate?  The priest at the parish I attend now gives really informative, orthodox homilies with a little added humor but it's rare to find such a priest like that in my hometown.  My advice to anyone who finds priests willing to preach true Catechesis: go out of your way to thank them.  I emailed my priest once just to tell him how much I appreciated that he didn't skirt around the hot button issues but gave great sermons.  I should also add that he became my spiritual director for this very reason.

:bike:   <--- This emoticon has nothing to do with my post but it's making me laugh!

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

I accompanied my grandmother to Mass today (she and my New Age aunt are the last Catholics in my family). The liturgy was beautiful, almost as well done as the Episcopal church my immediate family attends (the prayers are different than what I remember from childhood). I always get teary eyed in churches that won't allow me communion.

 

Some concerns:

 

1. The homily was not a Christian sermon on doctrine or right-living, it was a tangential ramble about getting old. Did not even say the word "God" or reference the readings.

2. One of the women who was giving people communion is a known and public sinner who lives in concubinage with her cousin's husband (Lord love a small town).

3. I was the only peron under thirty and over ten in the building--and I have not been Catholic since my mother took us out of the Catholic Church in response to the clergy sex-abuse scandal.

4. Church normally feels like family, especially small churches, this church is in a small town in the South and has very few active members. My grandmother goes every week, but no one spoke to her afterwards (or anyone else for that matter). No fellowship, community building, etc. At the end of the Mass everyone just got into their cars and went away.

 

Glad to have you back, help us with grace to clean up the mess.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Glad to have you back, help us with grace to clean up the mess. The
hippy revolution or after ww1 and 2 party or wake or whatever it was has
impacted much of western society, it is time we got back to the
threshing floor in faith,hope,love and true peace. And even though the
homily may have been off point and the server is a wretched sinner (as i
was for approx 3 and a half years,in a very ferocious storm.) whom may
not use the confessional often enough,pray that she will more often if
needed., and you are there and know the truth so like st francis you can
help rebuild the church,your parish and diocease and whom knows where
your travels may go. We must get the holy catholic church ready for the
great trial the world is headed to, a great blaze to seperate the weeds
from the wheat, to call the world back to righteousness. God maybe be
patient kind and slow to wrath/discipline but he will eventually and the
way it's going with abortion,euthanasia and assisted suicde which are
all murder, where in for a bigger blaze than ever and there will be much
suffering and many coming home to holy mother church some for the first
time looking for GOD and healing.

 

God bless you.

Onward christian souls.

JESUS is LORD.

 

P.S.
Jesus is still fully present for the faithfull in the most precious
body and blood even if the homily is poor or even heretical. And yes
some of the prayers have been altered,when the priest says peace be with
you we say 'and with your spirit' like in the old latin rite instead of
'and also with you.' You will learn them in time. It is so awesome your
back. Hip Hope Hooray lets start the new day.