As I sat through my first Mass, I noticed that it was much more structured and traditional than church services at my home church. It was a lot more formal and there were more steps to complete in the service. The relationship between the congregation and God was much more formal and sacred in the Catholic Church. The relationships between the congregation and the priest were also formal and revered. At my nondenominational megachurch, we had many pastors who also happened to be the dads of some of my friends. It was a lot more casual and one's individual relationship with God was emphasized more than one's relationship with the pastor.
However, despite these differences, I noticed that it was all the same faith. Catholics and Protestants alike loved and revered God and turned to Him for help and consolation. It's interesting that so many denominations fight with each other over the nitty gritty details of faith. Many ignore that at the end of the day, God is God and faith is faith. They get so caught up in the small details that they forget how much they have in common with other denominations of Christianity.
Thanks for sharing Joyce! And I'm so glad you were able to experience a Catholic Mass! It is something I look forward to every week and I even try to go more than once a week if I am able to. I was born and raised Catholic and actually attended a Church of Christ service that same morning in the same Elon Community Church. I also noticed what you mentioned; in a Catholic Mass, the prayers are more formal and structured while the prayers I heard during the COC service seemed less formal.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I was thinking about the same thing. Sometimes people get so worked up about which Christian denomination is right or the best or true. But if Jesus came and was asked which denomination was the right one, I have a hard time believing he would identify one as true. I feel like he would say something about looking past our disagreements and working towards the unity of all Christians. I believe that there may be many paths that all lead towards one final destination. It's obviously very difficult when there are so many different opinions and beliefs, even just within Christianity. However, I think it would be beneficial for people to work toward reaching something more important than agreeing on specifics about practicing Christianity, and that's recognizing the beauty and dignity of all other people and treating them with love and respect.
Hey Joyce! This is a realization that I have had myself! I've attended a handful of Catholic masses, Baptist services, and non-denominational Christian services growing up with different family members and friends; what I've concluded on my own is that though the denomination names are different, the faith is the same.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest difference that I have noticed in the different services is the order and structure in which the service is set up. Generally all Catholic masses that I've attended have been conducted in the same order. Baptist services, however, have varied from church to church. Nondenominational services vary even more in the order of events within the service. However I can find more things in common between these services than differences.
In all, each denomination gives praise and reverence to God. Sometimes specific services have a narrower focus on other Christian figures, like Christ or his Apostles. However overall, I have found it evident that the faith is the same and it is expressed in similar ways.