Do I have to go to Church

The Lantern Vol 9

When I was a child I was forced to go to church, and I was also forced to eat good foods and get proper sleep. Our parents gave us what was best for us and as children we begrudgingly followed their directives. Today I hear all of the reasons people do not go to church and I realized they are all a product of decades of deceit, improper catechists and perverted theology.

I go to a wedding on Saturday and people ask if they still have to go to church the next day.

We have lost our perspective and have regressed to the logic of children. "I go because I have to or the church says I must." Based on this ideology there are endless reasons for not going to mass. They molest our children, they hid their crimes, I don't feel welcome, I don't like my pastor, my kids don't like the parish, etc.

Many of the changes that were forced upon us by perverted Bishops, priests and theologians were done in the name of Vatican II. The focus was on us not on God, it was about changing the liturgy, giving the impression that as Catholics we need to feel good and participate in the liturgy in order to be fulfilled.

An adult with a proper understanding should grasp one simple basic concept. We go to church for the love of God. Period, end of story.

In the Catholic Mass, Jesus Christ the Son of God appears before us in a physical form. He presents Himself in a form that is digestible to us creatures so we many be transformed by His physical presence and grace. Beside us, kneel the angels in awe of this gift.

I love the song Holy Holy Holy, where we sing, though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see. Our eyes blinded by our sins, fail to see Him in all of His glory.

We see how people respond to things and people they love. They wait in lines, they pay anything to be up front at a concert. As a society we go out of our way to interact with those things we love and believe in.

I have had the privilege to attend a Latin Mass in the past year. It is such a strong contradiction to the Mass I have grown up with. The anti catholic establishment in the church was very successful in making sure the Latin mass and the Novus Ordo mass have little in common. Case in point, just a few years ago we had several revisions in the new mass in order to provide a better translation of the Latin. What the heck happened? How does it take 50 years to fix a translation? Why do all the recent "clarifications" by recent popes show our understanding of Vatican II was terribly misunderstood? I am just pointing out that the translation process and theological thought was so thoroughly corrupted that we see the effects to this day.

The focus of the mass is a constant worship of God. We do not have to be "playing along" but rather we are the recipients of the great gift of His son. The Latin mass is like showing up to a fine dining establishment where you eat off of the best china and gold utensils while the new mass gives the feeling you are at a picnic and paper plates are fine.

How many times at mass are we clapping for the people participating? We pat ourselves on the back for doing what we are commanded to do as God's children. I see parishes modify their liturgies to keep people amused, entertained, and involved. People worry their children are not enjoying or understanding the mass.

The Mass is a sacrifice we offer to God through the priest. Our only participation should be to wrap ourselves in the event, the mystery. We are there to say thank you, I love you. We should desire to go, not just on Sundays but every day. Being in His presence is all we should desire. It is a reward and much more than we deserve. It is about Him, not us. Never think you have to do something and never think you are not getting something out of the mass. Its riches and gifts are beyond our comprehension. It is life changing, no matter what we do or say. We are in the physical presence of our Lord. His light, His radiation, His goodness, His mercy, all pour upon us like a wave on the beach. We need to do nothing to receive these gifts. If you feel you get nothing out of the Mass, you do not understand why you are there or who is there with you.