So As Not To Offend?
I told my husband that I wasn’t getting what I needed from Mass. He asked me what my needs were. Instead of thinking it out, I just said that I didn’t know.
I do know the Eucharist is the sacrifice of the Church. Jesus is there in the tabernacle. The consecrated bread and wine becomes the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ. It is the blessed sacrament of the Church. And, I do know we go to Church to receive Christ in the Eucharist. Christ told us to “Do this in remembrance of me”.
I have left the Church many times and have come back in hope that my heart will burn and want for more. Again, recently, I have felt an emptiness and I feel something is missing. I have silently thought that Church was pandering to our Protestant brothers and sisters.
Tridentine Mass
Then yesterday, during the liturgy, the congregation broke out in applause for the fine work that the piano player and the singers were doing. My nine year old grandson was applauding and that is when I gently put my hand on top of his clapping hands and quietly told him “No, don’t do that.” Later, on the drive home, I explained to him why I stopped him. I more or less cited the quote below-
Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades quickly – it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation (Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy).
That wasn’t the first time that a round of applause broke out. Another time is when the ladies auxiliary was handing out small scholarships to the newly graduated high school seniors. My inner peace and my sanctuary quickly left me.
I have tried and I keep trying to fit into the new ways. Even though the new ways are over 40 years old. Everything that I was taught during my Catholic education was pushed to the back of my mind. I had to learn the new ways. When actually, I have never forgotten the true beauty of the Tridentine Latin Mass. I made my first Holy Communion in 1961. The Church was still in the Tridentine tradition. Now, the Church follows Novus Ordo Missae-New Order of the Mass.
One website I found has a full page on The Evils of the New Liturgy. Also if you click Old Mass vs. New Mass you will find comparisons to the Traditional Latin Mass with the Modern Mass.
I pray that we find our way back to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Dear Liz,
I know what you are saying as I have had the same feelings many times myself. I understand what you are saying regarding the “emptiness after leaving Mass” and feeling “something was missing.” Of course it goes back to the traditions and rituals of the Church which are to take us back to the actions of Christ.
But I had to look inside of myself one day and ask myself, “Even if some of the traditions and rituals are not there, why do I feel so empty inside when I go and receive Jesus in The Eucharist?” From that question I came up with the most honest answer I could. “Going to Mass had become about me and not about what I was there for.” That was to worship and receive our Lord.
By this statement I mean I wanted what I wanted in Mass, but I had forgotten Mass is not about me, it is about Jesus and us coming together to receive Him and to offer ourselves also to Him. By that I mean everything about us in our entirety. Good and bad alike. That is all we have to give to Christ.
So now when I go to Mass and kneel to pray I always ask Jesus to, “Help me remember this is about Him and not about me.” That has helped a whole lot, as my focus needs to be on The Eucharist and all Christ did for me.
The traditions and rituals to me enhance the beauty of Mass no doubt. I want them also, and feel they need to be there. I feel personally when some of the changes were made they threw the baby out with the bath water. It was done and we must do the best that we can.
The first step for me again, was realizing Mass was about Jesus. I keep myself planted there from the moment I enter the Church.
Thank you for correcting your child, as it is up to the parents also to teach. You did no wrong there.
I hope this helps you, as we do not even receive the Blood of Christ from the Chalice. It is done in a dip form which really aggravated me. This was supposed to be a temporary thing and is still going on, and has been for years.
When I became aggravated to the point of really making my views known to the Bishop, (which changed nothing) I really had to tell Jesus I was sorry. Again it became about what I wanted when I should have been ever so grateful to our Lord for giving us this beautiful gift in the first place. I still do not like the “dip” but, I try to be so thankful to our Lord, as there is nothing about me which is worthy enough to receive Him.
We are Catholic and that in itself is a wonderful gift as we have so much other Churches do not have. Man gets it in their heads things must change and the changes come. Good or bad we are stuck with them. The one thing which can never change and no one can change it, is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ in the Bread and Wine. Keep focused on that and I hope this will help you not to feel the emptiness anymore, as it surely helped me.
Peace be with You, Love, Sandy
Dear Sandy,
What a lovely comment. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to me.
You are absolutely right-Mass is not about me and being Catholic is truly a gift from God. I thank the Lord everyday for these gifts.
I am just going to have to pray a little harder and get focused on what is important.
God Bless you.
Love
Liz
Dear Liz,
You are very welcome. This is why we need our Catholic Brothers and Sisters. We need to uphold one another as best as we can.
Do not feel like the Lone Ranger though on your feelings. Many have them, myself included. (Many have them in my Church as you would not believe what is left out)
It is truly a shame.
I learned a great lesson though regarding these feelings, that was how quickly I can become very selfish regarding my wants. I was empty because I focused more on myself than on what I was receiving which of course is Jesus.
Yes Liz, if Jesus called me out of the boat as Peter I would sink also. I would do this because I would be thinking, “I am standing on water and there is no floor beneath me.” I would turn it again to me, and not walk towards Jesus. Truly that is what Mass is about, is us walking towards Jesus and letting Him engulf us in His heart.
Some changes needed to be in the Church but as I said, “to me they threw the baby out with the bath water.” Our Lord is still there though, and that is what matters.
Take care and love to you always, Sandy
Hello Liz,
Just checking in with you to see how things are going? I hope better for you. Have been thinking about and praying for you.
You have no idea how I had the “wondering mind” in Mass last night. I realized today I did not hear one thing the Priest said. The thing of it is, I do not even know what I was thinking about:>)
I always say, “The older I get the thing I miss the most is my mind.”
I did have out of town family come in at Mass, so maybe I just became anxious. Lord help me. I am so thankful He sent Jesus for us, I would be sooooo doomed:>(
So see like I told you we all go through it. I think it was you I read about being born in 1954. So was I. It amazes me sometimes the people I meet things I have common with them.
Take care and hope all is well for you and yours. God Bless, Sandy
Hi Sandy,
Aww. That is awfully nice of you to check in on me. I am doing well. Yes, I was born in 1954. It is amazing to find others with the same things in common. I am a New Englander who now lives in Georgia. I have been here almost 20 years. I still long for my hometown. I struggle each day to find my niche here.
My mind is still wondering. I guess that is a good thing in itself-maybe.
I hope you had a lovely visit with your out of town family.
Hugs and blessing to you and yours.
Hey Liz,
I live in Texas so I can only imagine what you are going through. I would hate to know I would have to go up north. For one thing, no one could understand me:>) Yes I do so have the “twang” and “southern drawl.” It took my husband almost two years to understand what I was saying. He says I swap out my o’s and a’s. He is from Kansas, so who is he to come down here and tell us how to talk?:>) I call him a “refugee.”
Maybe our mine wondering is a “good thing in itself.” I do not know how, but that is our story and we are sticking to it:>)
Visit was wonderful.
Hugs and blessing to you and yours also. Sandy
oops Sorry for typo on the “mine.” Just when I was thinking I was perfect, yeah right?