Chrissy
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I think I may be receiving some grace. I have
a 12-year-old seventh grade son who has received
his First Communion, but is not in CCD for
his Confirmation. His father, we're divorced,
works at a Methodist church but is not a big
believer. However, my son likes attending
his church better than coming to the Catholic
Mass with me, albeit only on occasion — I
don't practice as I should and can't receive
Holy Communion because I didn't get my marriage
to his father annulled.
He likes that church because it's fun and
contemporary. I am drawn to the tradition
of the Catholic Church, but my family members
are not. My son is a very smart boy, a gifted
student, and has been showing me disrespect;
consumerism and my spoiling him has done me
no favors.
I want us to walk with God a little
more but struggle because I am worried I haven't
taught him as well as I should have. I was a
young mom the first time around. My husband
now does not want to go to church regularly,
but he is a loving man. I might be able to
twist his arm.
- Any suggestions for me on how I can convince
my modern family to want to go to Mass?
Chrissy
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{
Do you have any ideas on how to bring about a desire so my current family will want to go to Mass? }
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Eric
replied:
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Hi, Chrissy —
Read the book:
The main point to make is that the
goal of Mass is not to get
something out of it but to put something into it. The Mass
is not entertainment. It's an act
of worship where we offer ourselves
and our whole lives, with all our
struggles, sins, concerns, and so
forth, to God, the Father through
Jesus Christ. We enter into the one
sacrifice of Christ on the Cross,
making it present to us so that our
sins may be forgiven.
It may help to:
- study about the Eucharist and
gain an appreciation for it, and
- impart that appreciation to
him.
For example, 2 Peter 1:3-4 says that
we are made partakers of the divine
nature. This is accomplished through
the Eucharist, which we believe is
the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity
of Christ. You can't get that at
the Methodist church. Being the Flesh
and Blood of God Himself,
the Eucharist is more holy than anything
on the face of this earth ever could
be.
- That Indiana Jones movie about
the Holy Grail?
All that effort he went through to
get a stupid cup is worth nothing
whatsoever compared to what we receive
in the Eucharist every Sunday. You're
receiving God Himself. You not only
touch God, you consume God, and God
becomes a part of your being, going
into all the parts of your body,
your heart, your soul, making you
like Him, but only if you are properly
disposed to receive Him. You are
filled with all the fullness of God.
(Ephesians 3:19)
St. Ignatius of Antioch (107 A.D.)
called it the Medicine of Immortality.
- What boy would not be entranced
by that description?
When the Israelites were in the desert,
God miraculously fed them by raining
down manna from heaven. (Exodus 16:31)
Jesus gives us the new manna, a better
manna, in the Eucharist (John 6:31-33) — the
bread of angels (Psalm 78:25), just
like the manna.
- Remember the Tree of Life that
God forbade Adam and Eve to eat
from when they disobeyed him (Genesis
3:22)?
God has granted us access to This
Tree in the Eucharist (cf. Acts 5:30,
13:29, 1 Peter 2:24, Revelation 2:7,
22:14). The Eucharist is the Cup
of Salvation too. (Psalm 116:13)
Consuming the Eucharist is like the
angel touching your lips with a coal
from the altar in Heaven to cleanse
you, as what happened to Isaiah.
(Isaiah 6:6-7) The Eucharist washes
away our sins and unites us to God.
I cannot imagine that anyone who
does not meditate on these things
during the liturgy would not be fully
engaged and positively salivating
to receive the Eucharist.
If that's not enough, take him through Hebrews 12:18-29 which describes
the heavenly view of earthly worship.
Myriads of angels are present. The
souls of the saints, the just men
made perfect, are present. The Blood
of Christ is present. Even Revelation
describes the unseen element of Christian
worship; read Revelation 4 and 5.
I hope this will give you some ideas.
Eric
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Chrissy
replied:
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Hi, Eric —
Thank you for your reply!
I will read the book. I have always
had difficulty believing in transubstantiation,
but I try to!
I do try to have faith, but sometimes
I question certain issues like:
- birth control
- the Eucharist, and
- the Immaculate Conception.
I always figured that as long as
I believed in God, I'd be OK. I'm
afraid my own lukewarm approach to
Catholicism makes it hard to convince
anyone else to go! Still, I have
a desire to go, so I must definitely
be missing out on something.
I know faith will be so good for
my kids.
Chrissy
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Eric
replied:
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Well, Chrissy,
Faith is a gift, so
I encourage you to pray for it.
Open your heart to Christ; surrender
everything to Him and He will transform
your life. Be open to the truth,
for none of us, on our own, can know
the truth. Christ revealed it when
he came to Earth, and he entrusted
it to the Church to proclaim, which
she does, guided by the Holy Spirit.
It's important to believe the right
things because, as in our earthly
lives, ideas have consequences. If
you didn't believe in germs, you
wouldn't be OK, you'd
be sick all the time, and maybe dead,
No? Germs are there whether you believe
in them or not.
Likewise, certain spiritual principles
operate whether you believe in them
or not. Christ has the Words of Eternal
Life, and the Church has faithfully
preserved those teachings, so I encourage
you to be open and pray to know the
truth with an open heart!
Eric
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