Luke 15:25-32 Mass Attendance

Luke 15:25-32 Mass Attendance

"Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, `Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!' And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

Comment

The ‘Mass attendance issue’

Many attend Mass only for Christmas and Easter.

We are happy they are there during those times but I think those of us who take our faith a little bit more seriously, thanks be to God, may want to nudge them in the direction to go to Mass a little more frequently. And they would attend Mass twice a year as if nothing is wrong.

One priest friend made this point when he said “I’m surprised at the number of people who get angry at these twice a year attendees.”
They would say:
“They’re taking up our seats.”
“We are the loyal sons, they are the prodigals.”
“You know this son of yours. You throw a feast for him.”

The priest then said: What we need to do is to let them sit up front.
Let them have those places, even if they are culturally coming to mass.

They may hear something there.
They may smell the incense and go ‘you know I have been away for way too long’.

Many have said I went to midnight Mass or the Easter vigil and I was moved again.
There are many people who also have said that they don’t go to church because nobody has invited them.

Source: Christmas Day Special – Catholic Answers Live radio show with Dr Ray Guarendi.