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It's amazing how you've made this a personal attack. Again, most of my single Catholic friends, with whom I went through parochial school, don't go. Even when I did go to church, my mind was wandering half the time. Maybe you can analyze that, too. That's the way I feel right now. Evidently you don't respect that. I need to work it out, and will do so one way or another.
Sorry if you think it is personal but some people think everything said to them is a personal attack. Oh well.
Hey, my mind wanders when I am in Mass too, I would bet most people's do. So what? I don't worry about working it out, it's just something not to worry about. People have short attention spans, I am sure God understands. Just as long as you try to pay attention and don't bring a novel to read or something silly like that, who cares?
You mention your single friends a lot. Being single should not bother anyone at Mass, I see lots of single people there. I find it sad single people won't go to Mass for that reason. There are single clubs that are Catholic, maybe finding one of those would help you or maybe talking to your priest about starting one. I was in one before I married.
People use many excuses for not going to Mass----my grandfather used the excuse that he didn't own a suit. We all know it's just an excuse and those who want to be there, are there.
Sorry if you think it is personal but some people think everything said to them is a personal attack. Oh well.
People use many excuses for not going to Mass----my grandfather used the excuse that he didn't own a suit. We all know it's just an excuse and those who want to be there, are there.
Well, if you're grandfather was a good, kind man, then he's in Heaven, and it's all good. God looks into people's hearts.
You mention your single friends a lot. Being single should not bother anyone at Mass, I see lots of single people there. I find it sad single people won't go to Mass for that reason. There are single clubs that are Catholic, maybe finding one of those would help you or maybe talking to your priest about starting one. I was in one before I married.
Sometimes I wonder where you practice Catholicism and if pies with lattice crusts are habitually on the table in your part of the country. Just kidding. Just a visual, based on a German Catholic friend whose family roots were from Cincinnati.
Single Catholic clubs? I can tell you about those. Moderator cut: edit
With the Catholics, there are usually 21-35 clubs in parishes, and then 35+ groups. The dynamics in the latter groups are, for lack of a better word, interesting. What you get is a ratio of 40:60 men:women. The guys are in these groups are largely never-marrieds, with a vast majority of them socially awkward. The majority of the women are single moms, who sit together and talk about their kids, and some socially awkward women as well. A few yuppified guys walk in, look around, help themselves to the pot luck, and then either come to a few events or bolt immediately thereafter. They are probably wondering the same thing: "Where are the yuppified single women?"
A couple of stories:
a) I once went to one of these groups, since there was food after a home Mass. There was a woman there who I would BS with, who was a month younger than me. She would remember my birthday. She had 2 young daughters that she would BRING to events. One time, after a home Mass, she asks me "Are you seeing anyone?" Me: "No." Her: "What's wrrroooonnngggg?" I refrained from giving her the answer I would have liked to have given her, and walked away toward the food table.
b) I was once on an out-of-town interview in a major warm weather American city. I looked around beforehand for parishes and to see if they had such groups. A parish near an area I was considering had one, and happened to have a get together when I was in town, so I went to the happy hour. There were about 10 people out of a much larger membership. Everybody was nice, except one rough-around-the-edges girl. The most attractive woman there sat next to me, and showed me pictures of her cats, which was cool with me. People were talking about everything: house prices, the Super Bowl, weather, and church. They started talking about the parish priest and one of them was relaying the priest's general point of view, referring to group members in general, in a cautious tone: "Fr. (what's his name) wants you married." That's just great. Maybe Fr. (what's his name) can force pairings of the mismatched socks that were present at that event. The job went to a local, so I didn't have an opportunity to explore that group further.
Bottom line: these groups work for very few, and better for the 21-35 segment. Regardless, many single Catholics don't go to Mass or those groups, especially with the crap described in a) and b) above, and similar experiences.
They think they need "new ways of teaching" to bring back the lapsed catholics.
The Church is suffering desertions from its practising flock in former strongholds in Europe, North America and Latin America due to sex abuse scandals, increasing secularism, rival faiths and open dissent against Church teachings on homosexuality and its ban on a female priesthood.
^ yeah, I'd say its mostly due to these issues rather than a "materialistic world".
Well, apparently supporting abortion and homosexuality are NOT grounds for being kicked out of the Catholic Church just as they are not grounds for being kicked out of the Baptist or Methodist or any other of the mainstream churches.
Know of a lady who brings Communion to shut-in folks. Part of her time is spent talking about people in the parish, most of it apparently benign. However, she went on to relay the story of a funeral Mass, where the wife preceded the husband in death. The husband was apparently starting to lose it, in the senile sense and NOT the grief sense, and she recounted his inappropriate remarks throughout the service as if it was humorous. Ain't that great?
All these related stories just prove we are all sinners and in need of redemption. Church is a hospital for the sinners, look at it that way. Nothing is perfect----not in this life.
All these related stories just prove we are all sinners and in need of redemption. Church is a hospital for the sinners, look at it that way. Nothing is perfect----not in this life.
I have heard this analogy before and agree with it. I repped you.
Excommunication is not necessarily the inability to receive communion. One should never receive communion if they are aware of a mortal sin they have committed, which frankly most of us have. If one is certain they have committed mortal sin and receives communion anyway, they commit another mortal sin of sacrilege. Mortal sins can be forgiven with a contrite heart and good confession when possible (e.g. one has to be truly sorry for his sin and resolve to never commit it again, even if they are likely to).
Excommunication is rather an ecclesiastical penalty, spelled out in Canon Law and subject to change. An excommunication can be public, but it also can be latae sententiae, which is incurred by the actor as soon as they freely and willingly carry out an act for which excommunication is the penalty. These include heresy (denying something of faith, e.g. that Mary was not a virgin), apostasy (complete abandonment of the faith), and procuring an abortion. From what I have read, one must know that excommunication is the penalty for the act in question.
This penalty should not be equated with "shunning" or condemning a soul to hell. Excommunicated people can still enter churches, etc. Rather it is often described as a tool of love. Uplifting excommunications is often not a very "bureaucratic" process. From what I know, uplifting excommunication is, according to Canon Law, often reserved to the Bishop and perhaps Roman Pontiff (Pope), but is a power that may be granted by a diocese to pastors. So in many places, a Catholic doctor who fell away from the Church and performed abortions, knowing full well that it is an excommunicable offense, but has stopped and wishes to return can be both absolved of his sins and have the penalty of excommunication lifted in many or most places by a sincere confession to his parish priest.
Ok as an ex-catholic I dealt with this process of excummuniation until I did soul searching and realized that I just need
to walk as they would never monitor me nor do they know I existed. There is no tracking,excommunication is manmade
part of church dogma and to proceed if you have met the protocol simply do an internet search as there are many seaches that explain excommunication.
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I can tell you about those. Moderator cut: edit
