The Great Communion

[Veridicus]

[quote name='kafka' date='08 November 2009 - 10:52 PM' timestamp='1257738769' post='1998625']
As my bishop said the Church is not a Christo-philonthropic enterprise.
[/quote]

I wish your bishop would tell some of the priests (and nuns) in my diocese that fact.

[little_miss_late]

[quote name='kafka' date='08 November 2009 - 10:37 PM' timestamp='1257737873' post='1998620']
I think you have misread me a bit.

I was suggesting that the Catholic community as a whole should offer a silent and solemn thanksgiving after Mass because of the event of Holy Communion. I am grieving and angry because this is a lost practice. I would feel much better if I were not the only one after my Sunday Mass. It is not a matter of personal feelings or personal devotion. It is a practice that acknowledges the reality that the glorified Christ is present within you and there is a certain way one should act toward this stupendous gift. This practice is a transmission of Sacred Tradition practiced by many Catholics, and Saints for centuries probably dating right back to the Apostles.

I also suggested that buying and selling soon after Communion and/or while a Mass is being celebrated should cease based on the event of Christ cleansing the Temple.

I was also indirectly suggesting that perhaps some Catholics (perhaps more than some) do not believe in the Real Presence anymore. I cannot account for everyone's belief and conscience however there was a poll done recently and the results of the participants was a majority of Catholics who do not believe in the Real Presence anymore. And the actions of the majority after the Holy Communion is received seems to express this.
[/quote]


Hi,

I certainly may have misread you. I read this last post of yours and feel grieved and angry for you, that the "social" actions of others are causing you to feel alone in the practice of your own faith at your own Sunday Mass. I hope that the people doing this are just ignorant and maybe they would stop if they understood that it was a cause for grief. I've never seen or heard of some of the things you are describing (buying/selling in the church building, etc).

I can't receive Holy Communion, and I've also heard of the poll that you're talking about, and it hurts my heart to think about all of these people who don't care about this sacrament, which they are eligible to receive while I am not. Honestly I just have to try not to think about it. For me, to spend energy being upset about this would be the ungrateful act. I just want to be thankful for the gifts I've been given, most of all for the people and experiences that have brought me to Christ, and I want to be still and see what others have to show me, even if I am puzzled or annoyed by some of their behaviors.

My response was based on the words you used like "frivolous" and "as if nothing happened" because I read that as an implication that people who don't share your feelings on this one subject, are at Mass only for frivolous reasons. Also to your statement about wanting to set an example, which I may also have misread.

Thank you for responding to me.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Veridicus' date='09 November 2009 - 02:44 PM' timestamp='1257738250' post='1998622']
Add it to the list of lost practices.



I don't think you're far off. I think Sunday worship is a pizza party for a lot of catholics. You gather, sing tacky self-congratulatory songs, get to feel good about hearing a trite sermon acknowleding your efforts to be a decent person concerned with social justice, then you share some grub without ever having been called to think about doctrine or your own sinful existance, then before the silence actually could cause you to consider your own existence and relationshipt to God in a real significant way...the socializing begins on the way to buy scrip and talk about your kids sports team on the way out of the sanctuary.
[/quote]

I personally have had my conflicts about all of this because although I wish everyone were always reverent about the Real Presence and meaning of the Mass, I think to myself, even if not everyone understands or appreciates the enormity of what is happening at Mass, at least they are in attendance as faithful Catholics (obedience to the six precepts of the Church). They are following their faith to the best of their ability at the moment. I, too, was a sort of cafeteria Catholic for many years, and until I had a reconversion experience, I am sure that I was not as reverent or aware of what was happening as I am now. When I was a "Catholic parent" during my daughters school year, I know that much of my attendance at Mass was simply part of what was expected of me rather than a true understanding of the Lord's presence.

I have family members who are Catholics, who do not even attend Mass any more, and when they do go (like at Christmas), they receive Communion without being in a state of grace (no Confession for missing Mass). So when I see that there are those who at least attend the Mass, and try to follow the precepts, then I feel very happy. Yes, I would love for everyone to have an awe of the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament, so I pray that God will grant them this gift. I can't judge them for where they are at in their understanding though; because then I see very clearly the giant log that is in my own eye, for all those years of unconsciousness in myself! We just need to pray more, for the faithful, for religious and for priests, that all of us come to deeper understanding of the incredible gift that Our Lord has left us in the Mass and the Eucharist.

[Gregorius]

Solution: Coffee and donuts in the parish hall.
Builds community, gets the noise out of the church faster. Especially effective with noisy children.

But on the other hand, not all parishes can/want to fit social food in the budget.

[little_miss_late]

[quote name='StColette' date='08 November 2009 - 11:07 PM' timestamp='1257739662' post='1998630']
Are you referring to my post here or to Kafka's? I find this very confusing if you're responding to my post because I didn't even say I made a habit of staying after Mass. Either way feeling the need to "set an example" isn't a bad thing. I set an example for my husband and he sets an example for me in different areas of our life, including devotional practices. Setting an example can be a good thing as long as it is done with the correct intention, to help others grow in holiness not to make ourselves seem holier than thou.
[/quote]

I hope this is not more confusing because I can't figure out how to put nested quotes in a post. I'm sorry. I was not responding to anything you'd said. I was referring to a statement in the original post about wanting to stay in the church despite all of the noise, just to set an example. This statement struck me the wrong way, but I guess it was just me.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='little_miss_late' date='09 November 2009 - 03:56 PM' timestamp='1257742611' post='1998658']
I hope this is not more confusing because I can't figure out how to put nested quotes in a post. I'm sorry. I was not responding to anything you'd said. I was referring to a statement in the original post about wanting to stay in the church despite all of the noise, just to set an example. This statement struck me the wrong way, but I guess it was just me.
[/quote]

I don't have any problem with someone wanting to stay to set a good example, because we can all benefit from good examples, but not everyone CAN stay, because of children or other reasons, so there definitely shouldn't be any judgment associated with leaving right after Mass. On the other hand, those leaving would be more thoughtful if they did realize that some people NEED to stay afterwards and try to be quiet on the way out.