Less than one week away! In less than one week, we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. When we do, I welcome all of you- friends, family, and acquaintances to join us in Mass. In the Greater Denver area, find Christmas mass times at ArchDen.org. In Grand County, go to GrandCatholic.com
When I come to Christmas Eve mass next Saturday, or if I were to come next Sunday, I am sure to note a bulging in the pews beyond our usual congregation. Of course, you might consider this due to extra travelers into our county- this is a ski town, after all. This is a time for families to come from near and far to visit each other and they also add to the numbers. But every Catholic will tell you that each and every year for Christmas and Easter; their Churches are full beyond capacity. A good portion of these additional congregants are cradle-Catholics and other Christian and Non-Christian seekers. I say a resounding WELCOME to you all! I am so glad you will be joining us for the birth of our Lord.!!
This extra presence tells me something. It tells me that the Holy Spirit is outside the walls of our churches and working in our communities. It tells me that although the Spirit has been unwelcomed and even nearly banished in our secular culture, it is still engaged with the culture. Christianity is still getting through! The great Saint John Paul II, stated, ““The Gospel lives in conversation with culture, and if the Church holds back from the culture, the Gospel itself falls silent. Therefore, we must be fearless . . .”Or to quote Christ himself, I say, “Be not afraid!”
If you are a seeker, either a cradle Catholic or a Christian or Non-Christian who isn’t sure where to go or what to do for this celebration of our Lord’s birth, but feel a whisper in your life that there is some spiritual call for you; some nudge for something more than this life can offer, and if you find yourself sitting in the pew of a Catholic Church this year, it is because the Holy Spirit is calling you. We welcome you to join us.
But Christmas and Easter are just a start. If you’ve been coming to Christmas and Easter every year out of duty, or confusion or you aren’t really sure why you are still there, the spark of faith you’ve received in baptism is slowly, slowly, slowly working in your life. Help it out! But how do you do that?
- Ask for help. Is there someone in your life you can ask to pray for you? Can you ask someone in the Church on Christmas or Easter to pray for you? There are many older people in our Churches, in particular, who would love to add you to their prayer list. You can also ask for help if this is the first Catholic service you’ve attended and you have questions.
- Come back. Regularly if possible. If making a Sunday mass every week seems too daunting, take baby steps. First you might try adding a few more holy days. Did you know January 1st is also a Holy Day? You may also enjoy Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. If you enjoy Easter, come back in 40 days for Pentacost (for the Descent of the Holy Spirit). When you come to these masses, pray to be led. God will lead you back to him if you are willing. Click Here is a list of other Holy Days you may enjoy.
- Think outside the box. Is Sunday Morning aspect of Church what is keeping you away? Maybe you work. Maybe you are a night owl and stay up late. Maybe you are really, really into football. The good news is that if you live in a major metropolitan area, there are a variety of mass times available both on weekends and throughout the week. For instance, the Archdiocese of Denver has mass listings from Saturday at 4 pm to 8 pm. On Sunday from 6 am to 6 pm; nearly every half hour has a mass in Denver Metro;(Some hours in the afternoon are not represented). Weekday morning and evening masses are also available and if social anxiety is a barrier for you to attend mass, you may enjoy the feeling of a daily mass in a nearly empty church. If the length of mass deters you (most catholic masses are between 1 and 1.5 hours- Christmas and Easter are the exceptions here), weekday masses may be as brief as a half hour.
- Ask yourself: What is keeping me away? Frequently when you look at things closely, you find it isn’t a practical reason at all, but a spiritual one. Perhaps there is some barrier in your life. Perhaps you feel fear. Perhaps you feel shame for some past mistake. Perhaps you had a conflict with someone within the Church (Christians are Humans, too- we all make mistakes!) Maybe there is a feeling of indifference or disbelief that you struggle with. Christ has an answer to all challenges. Spend some time in prayer or meditating with the Bible for help. Pray that Christ may remove your barriers and pray for a deepening in your faith, which is a gift from God. If you have received your first Holy Communion, you can get the Sacrament of Reconciliation and return to the sacramental life more fully.
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Many fallen away Catholics come to mass at Christmas, get inspired and decide- this year is the one- I’m really going to start going to mass again! Then, middle of February hits and they oversleep and miss their regular mass time one week and slowly slip back into their old habits. If this happens, just start back up again when you get a chance. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help as you establish more regular habits.
- Discuss fundamental disagreements with a devout Catholic. If you can’t get beyond the differences that you have, find a way to follow Christ anyway. I speak to many people who tell me that they loved the beauty and traditions of their Catholic upbringing, but found as adults that they disagreed with the Church’s teachings on X,Y, or Z. Bringing those disagreements to light and discussing them with a priest or another devout Catholic can help you discover if you have any misunderstandings about Church teachings (many do!) Pray for understanding. Also, I encourage you to find some way to follow Christ. If you feel that, no matter what, you will not be able to come back to the Catholic Church because of fundamental differences, this does not mean Christ has abandoned you! You can continue to follow him as one of many non-Catholic Christians. Pray that he will reveal the way for you.
- I went to mass but I didn’t feel anything, so why should I go back? Sometimes, if we’ve fallen away, we come back hoping to feel some special spark, some special calling just for us. Then we get into a crowded church for Christmas mass, and that special feeling just doesn’t come. Remember- this is just a feeling- pure emotion! We don’t decide whether or not we go to the dentist based on our feelings of fear. We go because we need to. We fundamentally need God in our lives, too! Many Christians feel the touch of the Holy Spirit moving about in their lives, but frequently, it is after they’ve gotten in the practice of looking. If you are beginning a habit of prayer and the sacramental life, you can be assured that God is working in your life whether or not you get a special feeling. You can see this over time when you examine changes in your life over the course of a whole year.
Fellow congregants, please remember to welcome those who join us this year! Your words of encouragement and welcome may allow the Holy Spirit to work more profoundly in a person’s life. We are all called to be Christ for one another. Look around you at mass on Christmas. Find one person or a family you don’t recognize and welcome them. (Make this a weekly habit, too). Who can you reveal Christ to?
For those of you who are still seeking, remember the words to “Go Tell It On The Mountain”:
When I was a seeker,
I sought both night and day;
I asked the Lord to help me,
And He showed me the Way!
Do you have questions about the Catholic faith? About Christ? About me? Feel free to comment below or send me a private message on Facebook.
