Catholic Rituals: From Burden to Blessing
Two years ago:
I had just moved to a new city and, after years of neglecting my Catholic faith, decided that it was time for a fresh start. My oldest was old enough to enroll in classes for First Communion. I decided that it was time I get my faith back on track.
It started out rough. I struggled to go to Mass every Sunday. My husband does not go to church, so going to Mass meant me dragging three unruly young boys to church by myself. I nearly walked out during the middle of Mass several times in tears and frustration (it only actually happened once). I did not attend regularly. The option of staying in my warm bed on lazy Sunday mornings often won out over the option of wrestling with three feral cats (er, boys) in church.
And so I started to make excuses for myself. They usually went something like this: I don't REALLY have to go to Mass every Sunday. God will forgive me. Going once in a while is good enough. God knows my heart. And what is in the heart is what really matters.
I started to apply these same excuses to all Catholic rituals. Not eating meat on Friday during Lent? Sure, it's good to do, but does it really matter? If I don't follow all the rules and the regulations, that doesn't lessen my faith or my love. Those things are just churchy red tape, right?
The Catholic rituals and pillars felt like unnecessary hurdles. Sure, they were helpful to some...but not REALLY necessary right? As long as I love God and care for his people, I can skip the rest of the extra stuff once in a while. I mean, I gave up my Saturday to do some volunteer work. I'm a good person. I can "skip" Mass this week. God understands. Right?
It was SO EASY to believe all these things. Because I SO wanted them to be true.
And then I started to attend Mass more regularly. I got to know our priest better. And it seemed like he began to speak as if he had created his homilies just for me. His messages touched me and often answered questions that I did not realize I was even asking. For the first time in my life I actually began to look forward to Mass.
And then one day, Father Mark gave a homily that struck me right between the eyes. He began to preach about the importance of going to Mass every Sunday. At first, I braced myself. "Here we go. Another guilt trip about giving just one hour a week to God." But what followed was an entirely new, and Mass-changing message.
He said (much more eloquently than my paraphrasing), "God does not need you to come to Mass every Sunday. Whether you come to Mass or not, God is the same. He does not change. If you come to Mass, it does not affect Him...but when you come to Mass, it changes YOU. We are not doing it for His benefit. We do it for our own benefit."
When we are in church, we hear the beautiful music of the choir. We see the Stations of the Cross on the wall, the Crucifix, the shining Tabernacle. We are surrounded by not only symbols and reminders of God, but his actual presence. We become more reverent. We are better able to focus on Him. We are (hopefully) distraction free. We receive His special Grace.
The same is also true with all our rituals. They are not burdens or hurdles. They are opportunities. They are stepping stones to help lead us to Him in a real way everyday. Our human form has to try to understand and experience the divinity of God within the limitations of our own senses. Being physically present in church, experiencing hunger from fasting, singing along with the choir, genuflecting, kneeling in prayer, the visual reminders of God. These are things that CHANGE us. They help us experience God on a personal level. They make Him real for us and help us achieve a personal relationship with Him.
But we can't just go through the motions. We can't just show up at Mass Sunday after Sunday. Yes, that's the first step. But we need to go one step further. When it comes to our Catholic rituals, we get what we put in. The more we engage, the more we are Blessed. When we just see these rituals as obligations and hurdles, that's all they ever are to us. But if we embrace them and fully participate, they have real meaning and bring our faith to life.
I had just moved to a new city and, after years of neglecting my Catholic faith, decided that it was time for a fresh start. My oldest was old enough to enroll in classes for First Communion. I decided that it was time I get my faith back on track.
It started out rough. I struggled to go to Mass every Sunday. My husband does not go to church, so going to Mass meant me dragging three unruly young boys to church by myself. I nearly walked out during the middle of Mass several times in tears and frustration (it only actually happened once). I did not attend regularly. The option of staying in my warm bed on lazy Sunday mornings often won out over the option of wrestling with three feral cats (er, boys) in church.
And so I started to make excuses for myself. They usually went something like this: I don't REALLY have to go to Mass every Sunday. God will forgive me. Going once in a while is good enough. God knows my heart. And what is in the heart is what really matters.
I started to apply these same excuses to all Catholic rituals. Not eating meat on Friday during Lent? Sure, it's good to do, but does it really matter? If I don't follow all the rules and the regulations, that doesn't lessen my faith or my love. Those things are just churchy red tape, right?
The Catholic rituals and pillars felt like unnecessary hurdles. Sure, they were helpful to some...but not REALLY necessary right? As long as I love God and care for his people, I can skip the rest of the extra stuff once in a while. I mean, I gave up my Saturday to do some volunteer work. I'm a good person. I can "skip" Mass this week. God understands. Right?
It was SO EASY to believe all these things. Because I SO wanted them to be true.
And then I started to attend Mass more regularly. I got to know our priest better. And it seemed like he began to speak as if he had created his homilies just for me. His messages touched me and often answered questions that I did not realize I was even asking. For the first time in my life I actually began to look forward to Mass.
And then one day, Father Mark gave a homily that struck me right between the eyes. He began to preach about the importance of going to Mass every Sunday. At first, I braced myself. "Here we go. Another guilt trip about giving just one hour a week to God." But what followed was an entirely new, and Mass-changing message.
He said (much more eloquently than my paraphrasing), "God does not need you to come to Mass every Sunday. Whether you come to Mass or not, God is the same. He does not change. If you come to Mass, it does not affect Him...but when you come to Mass, it changes YOU. We are not doing it for His benefit. We do it for our own benefit."
When we are in church, we hear the beautiful music of the choir. We see the Stations of the Cross on the wall, the Crucifix, the shining Tabernacle. We are surrounded by not only symbols and reminders of God, but his actual presence. We become more reverent. We are better able to focus on Him. We are (hopefully) distraction free. We receive His special Grace.
The same is also true with all our rituals. They are not burdens or hurdles. They are opportunities. They are stepping stones to help lead us to Him in a real way everyday. Our human form has to try to understand and experience the divinity of God within the limitations of our own senses. Being physically present in church, experiencing hunger from fasting, singing along with the choir, genuflecting, kneeling in prayer, the visual reminders of God. These are things that CHANGE us. They help us experience God on a personal level. They make Him real for us and help us achieve a personal relationship with Him.
But we can't just go through the motions. We can't just show up at Mass Sunday after Sunday. Yes, that's the first step. But we need to go one step further. When it comes to our Catholic rituals, we get what we put in. The more we engage, the more we are Blessed. When we just see these rituals as obligations and hurdles, that's all they ever are to us. But if we embrace them and fully participate, they have real meaning and bring our faith to life.
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