"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
My friend Fr. Stephanos posted this on Facebook yesterday. It shows rather well the relationship between the different rites and churches in the Catholic Catholic Church:
This is more detailed than an earlier image I posted concerning The Catholic Family Tree. If you would like to know more about the different rites of the Church, you might like to read an old post of mine, Know your Rites.
I came across this on a message board. While I’m happy to acknowledge the many areas where we agree with our separated brethren and hold much in common, this summary of Protestantism hits the nail on the head…
Protestantism: where everyone is a priest except priests, where everyone can bind and loose except bishops, where you can command angels but not ask their help, where you can talk to the devil but not to saints, where everyone gets a crown except the Virgin Mary, where everyone can interpret Scripture except the Church, where every church is a church except the Church…
– Theodosius Walker
This weekend, a friend of mine will be attending his first Catholic Mass. It got me thinking: What is the best way to prepare someone who will be attending Mass for the first time? What advice might be helpful?
Obviously you’d prepare someone to attend a Catholic Liturgy differently, depending upon the visitor’s religious background. If that person were Eastern Orthodox, he would already have a very good theological grounding to understand the Mass. Depending upon the particular denomination, a Protestant might also understand much, although that’s not guaranteed, particularly if she were from a non-Liturgical tradition. Those of different religions entirely and those with no real exposure to spirituality would likely have a harder time.
As a result of all this, it’s rather hard to write a general, suitable-for-all article for someone going to Mass for the first time. Fortunately, I’ve never let either a difficult challenge or my lack of ability hold me back from trying anything, therefore I’m going to give it a go! So, without further ado, here are my top ten tips for those of you attending Mass for the first time…
1. Turn up in good time
Speaking as someone who has often turned up late for Mass, I can tell you that there are few experiences more awkward than arriving late to church. So, if you don’t want to feel stressed, do yourself a favour and turn up a little early, perhaps fifteen minutes beforehand. Doing this will give you a chance to find a seat, settle in, admire the art, and take in your new surroundings, which may well be very unfamiliar.
Use the remaining time to calm your soul. After all, Catholics claim that, in the Mass, Heaven comes to earth, so it would be good to take a few minutes to quiet yourself and prepare for what you are about to experience.
Not sure where to sit? I’d suggest somewhere in the front third, so you can clearly see everything going on, but you’ve also got some folks in front of you so you can see what they do.
Oh, and don’t forget to turn off your phone as you enter the Church. You don’t want it to be your phone blaring Beyoncé’s “All the single ladies” during a quiet moment of prayer!
2. You won’t understand everything (but that’s okay)
At Mass, we Catholics do things and say things which are likely to seem rather alien to you. Don’t worry, it’ll all become less strange over time. The Mass is based on 2,000 years of Christian theology and practice, and this itself rests on the even older foundation of Judaism.
Things at the Mass are sometimes initially hard to understand because it is so rich and it has so many layers of meaning. For example, consider incense… Incense is used at Mass for a host of reasons. It is symbolic of our prayers rising to God, but it also harkens back to the incense which was offered in the Jerusalem Temple in Ancient Israel.
I can promise you that if you keep coming back each week and start digging into the roots of the Mass, it’ll all start to make sense and you’ll come to discover the profound richness which can be found there.
3. There’s a script
When you visit, you’ll soon notice that there’s a “script” for Mass. The priest and the people have prescribed parts. The priest will say something (e.g. “The Lord be with you!”) and then all the people will respond in unison (e.g. “And with your spirit”). These exchanges and prayers have been prayed by the Church for over 2,000 years and are worthy of a lifetime of meditation. Everything will probably be entirely in English, but there may be a few small parts sung in Latin or Greek.
If you’re at a Mass during the week, the service will likely be slightly simplified, with minimal music and with some of the optional parts dropped.
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When Mr. Bean went to Church…
“My parents’ generation left the Church without leaving the pews. And now they wonder why their kids find it silly to stand in the pews of a church they never really understood professing creeds they never really believed”
– Matthew Warner, Messy & Foolish
I began listening to talks by John Martignoni years ago. Recently on his mailing list, he posted a series of questions about the Church, as well as their Scriptural responses. Here it is:
1. Did Jesus found a church?
Yes; Matthew 16:18
2. How many churches did Jesus found?
One. The church is the Body of Christ and there is only one body of Christ.
Romans 12:5, Ephesians 4:4, Colossians 1:18
3. So, if Jesus founded a church, then when was it founded?
2000 years ago
4. Was that church guided by the Holy Spirit?
Yes; John 14:26, John 16:13; Acts 2:3-4
5. If the church was founded by Jesus Christ and was guided by the Holy Spirit, could it teach doctrinal error?
No; 1 Tim 3:15
6. So, could we say that the church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, taught doctrinal truth infallibly – without error – to the 1st century Christians?
Yes; Luke 10:16, John 14:16-17, 1 Peter 1:12
7. Did the church of the New Testament teach different doctrinal truths to different people in different areas?
No; 2 Timothy 1:12-14, Ephesians 4:14, Titus 1:9
8. Are there any denominations in the church of the New Testament?
No. The church in the New Testament is one, just as the Body of Christ is one – 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 11:18-19, Jude 19
9. Would a church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit still be in existence today?
Yes; Matthew 16:18, Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 3:21
10. How old would that church be?
2000 years old
11. Would that church still be guided by the Holy Spirit?
Yes; Matthew 28:20, John 14:16
12. Could that church founded by Jesus and still guided by the Holy Spirit teach doctrinal error?
No; 1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Corinthians 12:28
13. So we could say that the church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit would still teach doctrinal truth infallibly?
Yes; Luke 10:16, John 14:16-17, 1 Peter 1:12
14. Would that church founded by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit teach different doctrinal truths to different people in different areas?
No; Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, 1 Timothy 4:6
15. Would there be any denominations in that church?
No; 1 Corinthians 1:13
16. Can the Lutheran denomination be the church founded by Jesus in Israel 2000 years ago?
No; It was founded by Martin Luther in Germany in the 1500’s.
17. Q) Can the Anglican/Episcopalian denomination, or any of its offshoots, be the church founded by Jesus in Israel 2000 years ago?
No; It was founded by King Henry the VIII in the 1500’s because he wanted to divorce his wife.
18. Are there any Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Fundamentalist, or Non-Denominational denominations that were founded by Jesus in Israel 2000 years ago?
No.
19. So is there any Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Fundamentalist, or Non-Denominational denomination that could be the church founded by Jesus Christ in Israel 2000 years ago?
No.
20. So if Jesus founded a Church – one Church – in Israel 2000 years ago that was guided by the Holy Spirit and that Church is still in existence today and is still guided by the Holy Spirit, which means it teaches doctrinal truth infallibly, and there are no denominations of that Church now, just as there were no denominations of that Church 2000 years ago, then shouldn’t all Christians be in that one Church founded by Jesus?
Yes
21. Does it make sense to be in a church that was not founded by Jesus Christ in Israel 2000 years ago?
No.
22. How can we identify which Church – of the thousands upon thousands – is THE Church founded by Jesus?
The Church founded by Jesus, should at least claim to be THE Church founded by Jesus; it should be able to trace its leadership back 2000 years to the Apostles; and it should claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit and to thus teach doctrinal truth infallibly with the authority of Jesus Christ, its Founder.
23. How many churches fit that description?
One
24. Which Church is that?
The Catholic Church
Today’s funny comes from CollegeHumor with a wonderfully insightful video about a church for the “Spiritual, not religious”. Warning: contains some salty language.