Finding the church
Someone asked me on some Wednesday why I was so tired. I told him that I was a little behind on sleep because I got up for 6:30am mass. I was told that that was ridiculous. His reasoning is somewhat logical. I mean, Wednesday mass isn't obligatory, and it's also really early in the morning which takes away an hour I could have with sleep. But have you ever done something for your parents or another friend that you weren't obligated to do, but you did it anyway because it made them happy? Well, it isn't necessarily the same case here, as I do it in order to keep myself happy; as close to God as I can get.
You've had the feeling before. A mission trip, The Pines, or a retreat. You get that faith high and feel like going to church and praising your heart out. You even feel like going to Wednesday mass. At least for the first three weeks.
And we've all had another feeling. Like God has left us. Many months after said faith high, our enthusiasm for Christ begins to diminish. We start to continue old sinful habits. We start to blame God for turning His back on us, but in the end, we realize that we have left Him. We then try to turn back, but the effort is mostly futile. At least until the next retreat.
I realized this after the Mexico trip this spring. You see, on these retreats, there are numerous people gathered in God's name, and His presence among the people is incredible. People begin to shout the praises instead of lip-syncing the words. They become best friends with people they've only known for a couple of days, and normally, that could be called foolish, to throw your life into the heart of someone else's like that. But in the presence of God, you are somehow able to see into their heart, and you are able to love them as God wants us to love any man on Earth. With so much love in one place, among so many people, it would be nearly impossible for one not to be enlightened and absolutely joyful that we have a God such as ours. If only life in the real world was that way...
On those retreats, the love of God and the peace of the Holy Spirit is basically handed to everyone. They don't have to look far. But here we are back in the city. Back in the high school, where people are praised for drinking and having sex, and take that pride to their hearts. Back to real life, where there is pain, death, and anxiety. The question is why we think that we are able to keep the same relationship with God in such a contradicting atmosphere. It is impossible to do that when you are only in the presence of God once a week. It is impossible to do that with a tainted soul from the lack of Reconciliation. It is impossible to do that if you don't work for it. And that work includes choices that most people aren't generally excited about; daily mass, weekly/monthly reconciliation, daily Scripture, and weekly rosary.
When it comes to choices, as Men, we typically choose the choice with the more immediate benefit. That is how Satan captures so many. Shoplifting; immediate goods. Drugs/getting drunk; immediate feeling. Lust/sex; immediate pleasure. Pride; immediate, shallow gratification. People wonder why there's so much crime...Man is susceptible to the promise of immediate gratification, and the way life was made, that typically weighs on the side of sin. That's the pits. The reason why we increase our faith so much on retreats is because other people do all of the work and they bring God to us. Because there isn't too much work involved to get to Him.
Well, that's not the case in the city. No one's going to help you unless you ask. And even then, they won't be able to help you all of the time. You are going to have to work for that lasting relationship with God that you experienced a taste of. You will have to find it yourself. And dragging yourself to church every Sunday to text on your phone isn't going to help you.
It is why the church offers daily mass and reconciliation. It is why they try to get people to pray a Rosary thirty minutes before Sunday mass. It is why they have so many clubs and groups during the week.
Because the world is a difficult place to live in.
You've had the feeling before. A mission trip, The Pines, or a retreat. You get that faith high and feel like going to church and praising your heart out. You even feel like going to Wednesday mass. At least for the first three weeks.
And we've all had another feeling. Like God has left us. Many months after said faith high, our enthusiasm for Christ begins to diminish. We start to continue old sinful habits. We start to blame God for turning His back on us, but in the end, we realize that we have left Him. We then try to turn back, but the effort is mostly futile. At least until the next retreat.
I realized this after the Mexico trip this spring. You see, on these retreats, there are numerous people gathered in God's name, and His presence among the people is incredible. People begin to shout the praises instead of lip-syncing the words. They become best friends with people they've only known for a couple of days, and normally, that could be called foolish, to throw your life into the heart of someone else's like that. But in the presence of God, you are somehow able to see into their heart, and you are able to love them as God wants us to love any man on Earth. With so much love in one place, among so many people, it would be nearly impossible for one not to be enlightened and absolutely joyful that we have a God such as ours. If only life in the real world was that way...
On those retreats, the love of God and the peace of the Holy Spirit is basically handed to everyone. They don't have to look far. But here we are back in the city. Back in the high school, where people are praised for drinking and having sex, and take that pride to their hearts. Back to real life, where there is pain, death, and anxiety. The question is why we think that we are able to keep the same relationship with God in such a contradicting atmosphere. It is impossible to do that when you are only in the presence of God once a week. It is impossible to do that with a tainted soul from the lack of Reconciliation. It is impossible to do that if you don't work for it. And that work includes choices that most people aren't generally excited about; daily mass, weekly/monthly reconciliation, daily Scripture, and weekly rosary.
When it comes to choices, as Men, we typically choose the choice with the more immediate benefit. That is how Satan captures so many. Shoplifting; immediate goods. Drugs/getting drunk; immediate feeling. Lust/sex; immediate pleasure. Pride; immediate, shallow gratification. People wonder why there's so much crime...Man is susceptible to the promise of immediate gratification, and the way life was made, that typically weighs on the side of sin. That's the pits. The reason why we increase our faith so much on retreats is because other people do all of the work and they bring God to us. Because there isn't too much work involved to get to Him.
Well, that's not the case in the city. No one's going to help you unless you ask. And even then, they won't be able to help you all of the time. You are going to have to work for that lasting relationship with God that you experienced a taste of. You will have to find it yourself. And dragging yourself to church every Sunday to text on your phone isn't going to help you.
It is why the church offers daily mass and reconciliation. It is why they try to get people to pray a Rosary thirty minutes before Sunday mass. It is why they have so many clubs and groups during the week.
Because the world is a difficult place to live in.
posted by Ant at
8:07 PM
|
5 comments
