EXCUSES WHY PEOPLE DO NOT ATTEND MASS and my reponse
Mass is too long!
Come on! How can so many people sit and watch a football game on television for almost three hours and never complain that it is too long? The fact of the matter is: Jesus hung on a cross for three hours because of our sins. One hour out of our busy week is not asking too much, now, isn’t it? (Remember, there are total of 168 hours in a week, one hour is 1/168th of your total time!)
I don’t like the priest.
The Mass is not nor should not be centered on the priest. It is to be centered on Jesus, hearing His word and receiving Him in the Eucharist! Perhaps we don’t like our boss at work, does that mean we stop going to work? Please remember that priests are human beings too, with all kinds of faults and failings. Maybe we don’t like the priest because we don’t like to see ourselves in him?
We sing too much.
St. Augustine said that the person who sings actually prays twice! What would a birthday party be if we didn’t sing “Happy Birthday.” Or what would Christmas be like if we didn’t sing the Christmas carols? Music is part of our lives and music can and will lift our hearts and souls to God if we allow it to happen. Some people don’t like to sing because they can’t or they feel they don’t sing very well. An old priest once said, “God gave you the voice you have; if you can sing like an opera singer, then sing like an opera singer. If can only croak like a frog, then croak like a frog!”
There are “better” things to do, like fish, golf, go to camp, go shopping.
While being in nature can remind us of God's ever-presence and we perhaps can feel that presence when we are surrounded by the beauty of nature, however, can any of these give us the spiritual help we need to gain Eternal Life in heaven? We need to hear God’s Word proclaimed in the Scriptures to help us follow Jesus and just as our bodies need food to be strong and healthy, our spirits/souls need the Food of the Eucharist to be strong and healthy spiritually as well. Also, we need each other! We are God's family and the family that gathers together can grow in his love, grace, strength and peace.
My Church was closed or torn down.
Was it really “your” Church? Did you “own” it? Shouldn’t the Church be more than just a building? How long ago did this happen? When will be time to get over it and get back into practicing your faith? Don’t you really miss receiving Holy Communion and celebrating the Mass? Yes, admittedly closing or tearing down a church building is a traumatic event. It would be comparable to witnessing the tearing down our childhood home or the home where we grew up. However, as adults we have learned that things are always changing in life. Sometimes, we have no control over this. It just happens. Such moments can help us grow and accept what is and not what we think things should be. Our faith does not reside in a building.
Mass is boring! It’s always the same! We do the same thing Sunday after Sunday!
Oh really? Each Sunday, the Scripture readings and homily are different from the week before and the week after. Why is it we can do the same things over and over again in our homes and at work and it isn’t boring to us? Don’t we brush our teeth or comb our hair every day? We brush our teeth to keep them healthy and strong. We comb our hair so we are presentable to those around us. Shouldn’t we want to be strong spiritually and presentable to God? You know some day God will call us home to himself. Shouldn’t we be ready at a moments’ notice?
I don’t need a Church to pray.
This is true, we don’t need a Church to pray in, but our Catholic Faith is a communal faith. It is not just a “me and God” faith. We need to worship and pray with others in order to receive the full benefit of our prayer. Praying with others actually strengthens our prayer. Jesus himself said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”
What’s the big deal about a piece of bread and a sip of wine?
We believe that after the Consecration at Mass, the bread and wine are no longer bread and wine; they are the true Body and Blood of Jesus Himself. Having Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, come down on the altar under the forms of bread and wine is one of the greatest of all miracles in our world today! To be able to receive Jesus into our hearts, souls and bodies allows His Body and Blood to become a real part of us. He gives Himself to us to nourish us and strengthen us to become more like Him in our daily life.
A priest yelled at me in the confessional. No one from my Church visited me when I was in the hospital. I am disgusted with the recent scandals in the Church. They aren’t very welcoming at my local parish. The Church is so full of hypocrites.
It is very upsetting when anyone is hurt or scandalized by the Church, however, we cannot allow these injuries or frustrations to become an obstacle to our relationship with God. The Church, it’s leaders and member are human just as we all are humans. Too often we would rather criticize and complain. Perhaps the Lord is calling you to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
I am not allowed to receive Holy Communion because I am divorced.
Being divorced does not stop you from going to Holy Communion. Years ago there was a misconception that if someone was divorced they were excommunicated from the Church. That has never been the case! The only thing that prevents someone from receiving the Eucharist is if they have divorced and remarried outside of the Church. That marriage would be considered invalid and thus would prevent someone from receiving the Eucharist until such a time that the previous marriage is annulled and the new marriage blessed in the Church.
There are no Mass times that are convenient for me. Masses are either too early or too late for me to attend.
Our society today has lost all concept of the word “sacrifice.” We do or don’t do things because they are or are not “convenient” for us. Was it “convenient” for Jesus to come down from heaven, walk the face of the earth and suffer and sacrifice his life on the cross for us? No! Why is it we can find all kinds of time to do the things we want and the things we should do or need to do get put off? Years ago, Masses on Sunday only were allowed to fulfill a person’s obligation to attend Mass. Now, we can fulfill that obligation by attending Mass on Saturday evening or sometimes, even on a Sunday evening (here at OLOP, we will be having a Sunday evening Mass once a month!) There are probably other Catholic Churches in the area that have different Mass times, perhaps one of those would fit your schedule. Whatever the case, please remember God's Commandment, “Keep holy the Lord’s Day” and attend Mass each weekend. It may not be convenient, but it is something we know we should do!
All they want is my money.
Yes, it is true we take up a collection, but that money is used to pay our bills. Like a most people, we have the water bill. We have heating fuel and electric bills. We have property insurances. We must pay salaries to the people who work for the church. Sometimes we need money to repair our buildings or furnace. The Church gets no money from the diocese or the state/federal government. There is no other way for us to pay our bills if we didn’t have a weekly collection. Contributing to the church helps us keep our financial commitments
If you would like to discuss any of these remarks or other concerns you may have, please feel free to email me at olop@charterinternet.com or call the Parish Office at (906) 932-0174.
