Remember when the only excuse you had for not attending church was that you were too busy?
Those we the days.
Now, how about we name all of the reasons you don’t go anymore
- The sex abuse scandal
- Church corruption
- Your spouse isn’t Catholic
- The church’s stance on Abortion and/or Gay Marriage
- You don’t believe, but you’re spiritual. Essentially, Agnostic
- You hated going when younger, because mass is boring
- You don’t see the point in going, God doesn’t need you there
- You’re a good person, and that’s enough
- You’ve done wrong, and you’re scared to ask forgiveness for your sins
- You hold a grudge against God because you lost a loved one, or something traumatic occurred in your life
One of those, if not a few, likely resonate with you. That’s good. You’re like most Catholics. But, look at it differently. You and your family are an individual unit. You are no more than that to God. In fact, to God you are one. You, and only you are just as special and important as the last. God loves you just as he does the next. God forgives you just as he does the next.
This is likely the problem you face in your relationship with God. You aren’t approaching it as an individual. You’re letting the noise and distractions swirling around you take you away from the special individual experience.
One thing that helps is attending daily mass. Most churches have realized this, and in turn, have offered many options. You can likely find a church that has mass before work, during lunch, or soon after work. These masses are only thirty minutes at most. They are quick, tell stories from the Gospel you likely haven’t heard, and more often than not, have a very low attendance. It’s an intimate setting allowing you to find God through quiet prayer. You have to start somewhere. It’s to mix it up, and make it easy on yourself. Don’t try to find joy in something by embracing the same schedule that turned you away.
Another way to rediscover God is through daily prayers. There are a lot of books, and subscriptions that can offer you daily scripture, prayers, short stories of people in the past, and humble antidotes to think about. They typically consume 5-10 minutes of your day, but they’ll reopen your eyes to something new. You’ll read a story from the Bible you forgot about, and hear it with a new spin. You will be able to pray by yourself and talk to God about your personal strife. You can read a short paragraph making light of scripture and relate to it in your own way. You can hear about a person in the past who endured struggles similar to what you are facing today, and you can read how they overcame it. This will do you well.
The only way to reconnect with God is to try it out in a different manner, and personalize the way you worship and make it your own. You’ll feel empowered and renewed. Give it a try.
Phil Your Day 