Old with the new

[TheGirlOnFire]

Ok i was brought up a catholic, but fell away from it.

I've reconnected again with God and go to a non denominational, i love the worship and the teaching really help me understand and get closer to God. I also got bapisted

But i also like going into chapel and pray during the week, and do mass sometimes (And yes i do take it seriously) It brings me some sort of comfort maybe because it is a part of my childhood ? Their are many reasons why i don't want to go to chapel and be "part" of the catholic church. Even during my time when i fell away from God, i still believed in Jesus, prayed to him, saints etc and i had what i people call the catholic guilt. I don't believe in everything in the Catholic church, hence why i only go back some times and mainly because of my children.

So what am trying to get at, can i actually be part of my church but also go to chapel sometimes.

I know how odd this sounds.

 

[High Fidelity]

I'm not sure, but one observation I'd like to share is that religious ceremonies and even non-religious experiences can be inherently spiritual in how it affects you.

I'm not a Catholic, but I can certainly appreciate that they put on a good show, so it's no surprise you probably feel some connection or positivity from it.

 

[1watchman]

God says: "them that honor Me, I will honor". Does that apply in your case?

 

[faroukfarouk]

I think it's important to grasp hold of and stick to what God has clearly revealed in His Word, particularly about the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everywhere teaches the same thing.

 

[AGTG]

I, too, grew up Catholic and came to a saving knowledge as an adult outside of any church. The Lord led me into pentecostal churches and really set me on fire for the Word, so I'm kind of a nerd about doctrine. This is the main reason I avoid Catholic churches these days.

My suggestion to you is to make sure #1 that you have an established prayer life at home. My bet is you have prophetic tendencies, which are driving you to want to pray more. But you're religious sensibilities are trying to walk that out in a way you've been taught.

Make a place in your home your prayer closet. Put a nice coffee table in there and treat it like an altar, if you like. Don't spend all your time on your knees (God didn't design us to be continually prostrate for hours each week). Pace while you pray. Lay on the couch or on a bed. Dance around the room while singing along to praise and worship music. Sing Him simple hymns acapella.

#2: Start a prayer journal and write down the scriptures He gives to you. Ask Him for understanding about scriptures, and expect to get an answer. Write down your dreams in it as soon as you awake. Put your visions in there. Get in your quiet place and just listen for Him to speak to you. Ask Him to help you write poems to glorify Him. Fill your prayer closet with sketches and doodles for Christ. Pray the psalms out loud. Listen to an audio Bible online and pray in tongues (woops, did that just come out?) I am a pentecostal, after all. And if you have a prophetic calling, you won't be satisfied until you have established that place of intimacy with the Lord.

Then, if you still hunger to pray more, find others who are of like mind and meet up with them. You can go to multiple church fellowships, but should regularly attend at least one place to call home. Many churches have an extra night of praise and worship on Friday nights. Many churches will have prayer meetings throughout the week.

You don't have to go to these and interact with the others, necessarily, but it will be a quiet place to seek God.

The most important thing, however, is your own, private, intimate prayer closet at home. God refers to this place as the "Secret place of the Most High" because it's where are sure to encounter Him.

 

[Albion]

Ok i was brought up a catholic, but fell away from it.

I've reconnected again with God and go to a non denominational, i love the worship and the teaching really help me understand and get closer to God. I also got bapisted

But i also like going into chapel and pray during the week, and do mass sometimes (And yes i do take it seriously) It brings me some sort of comfort maybe because it is a part of my childhood ? Their are many reasons why i don't want to go to chapel and be "part" of the catholic church. Even during my time when i fell away from God, i still believed in Jesus, prayed to him, saints etc and i had what i people call the catholic guilt. I don't believe in everything in the Catholic church, hence why i only go back some times and mainly because of my children.

What you are describing is common among those who were raised as Catholics but later adopted another variety of Christianity. We all have fond remembrances of certain things from our childhoods and there is undeniably something reverent, colorful, impressive about the Catholic worship services, all else aside. Taking it in occasionally--or attending the services of a similar church like an Anglican or Lutheran church--is nothing to feel conflicted about.

What I am trying to get at, can i actually be part of my church but also go to chapel sometimes.

Certainly. And it's not something to feel uneasy about. Many people will occasionally visit a church other than their own--sometimes because friends invite them, or they like the way that pastor preaches, or simply out of curiosity--and there's nothing unusual or wrong about doing so. Nor do the churches being visited feel that every stranger is looking to change churches and join theirs just because they show up.

 

[TheGirlOnFire]

Thanks points have been noted and taken.

As said i think it's because i was taught way it feels strange doing it a other way, though it is setting me on fire.

Also i do take communion at mass which i actually like doing (With the acception of it as a catholic view) as my church i go to every sunday, don't do it at all rarely.

Yeah i just felt conflicted because like i know non-catholics can't take communion ? etc just seemed a bit like cheating lol

thanks for the advice.

 

[Albion]

Thanks points have been noted and taken.

As said i think it's because i was taught way it feels strange doing it a other way, though it is setting me on fire.

Also i do take communion at mass which i actually like doing (With the acception of it as a catholic view) as my church i go to every sunday, don't do it at all rarely.

Yeah i just felt conflicted because like i know non-catholics can't take communion ? etc just seemed a bit like cheating lol thanks for the advice.

Yes, it probably is. You know that the Roman Catholic Church does not invite non-Catholics to commune and that she expects that those who ARE Catholic parishioners will receive the sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation on some sort of regular basis prior to communing.

I wouldn't tell you what to do, but I get the idea that you may have separated yourself from both of those standards and are, therefore, defying the church's spiritual policies by communing. Attending Mass is one thing, but communing is another.

 

[TheGirlOnFire]

Yes, it probably is. You know that the Roman Catholic Church does not invite non-Catholics to commune and that she expects that those who ARE Catholic parishioners will receive the sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation on some sort of regular basis prior to communing.

I wouldn't tell you what to do, but I get the idea that you may have separated yourself from both of those standards and are, therefore, defying the church's spiritual policies by communing. Attending Mass is one thing, but communing is another.

Oh i've done this, i knew i couldn't taken communing without it...


Maybe it's a funny old thing here but even if i dead tomorrow i would still get a catholic funeral, same as my family like my mum who hasn't been to chapel since probably my cousin funeral.

Hence why i said i take it serious in that regard, but i also like my church that i attended on sunday and get involved in it, it has brought me to a better understanding of GOD.

 

[Albion]

Oh i've done this, i knew i couldn't taken communing without it...


Maybe it's a funny old thing here but even if i dead tomorrow i would still get a catholic funeral, same as my family like my mum who hasn't been to chapel since probably my cousin funeral.

Hence why i said i take it serious in that regard, but i also like my church that i attended on sunday and get involved in it, it has brought me to a better understanding of GOD.

Yes, it's definitely a tricky issue. For one thing, you may still (from what I read in the OP) be a Catholic in the eyes of the Catholic Church but just not practicing it. That would make you eligible to commune, but there would still be the expectation of you receiving sacramental Confession at some time. But on the other hand, if you actually joined the church you normally attend, that would change things in another respect.

When you say that you'd be eligible for a Catholic funeral, that suggests to me that you have not formally broken all ties with the Catholic Church, but that would still make Confession a requirement. Still, many Catholics don't do that as often as is expected...and no one seems to keep score or think that they are "beating the system." So it's sort of a doctrinal minefield that you'll have to decide on for yourself.

In my own opinion, it's unkind and disrespectful when non-Catholics commune in a Catholic church in defiance of what they know to be the church's rules, but it's not a big deal when nominal Catholics do so, regardless of how often they confess.

 

[1watchman]

Reasoning may sound good, but Bible-only is our authority for the Christian faith --not religious men and their ideas (no matter how old their religion is or how ornate with ceremonies and/or fun times, etc.

 

[AGTG]

Thanks points have been noted and taken.

As said i think it's because i was taught way it feels strange doing it a other way, though it is setting me on fire.

Also i do take communion at mass which i actually like doing (With the acception of it as a catholic view) as my church i go to every sunday, don't do it at all rarely.

Yeah i just felt conflicted because like i know non-catholics can't take communion ? etc just seemed a bit like cheating lol

thanks for the advice.

Remember, the priest-hood of every believer is crucial. That means you can take communion on your own with your husband or amongst other believers in very informal manner (outwardly) while still being very reverent in heart (emphasis mine):

1Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Jesus, of course, is our High Priest:

Heb 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

My wife and I will sometimes take communion at home together, other times with a congregation.

 

[parsley]

Their are many reasons why i don't want to go to chapel and be "part" of the catholic church.
So what am trying to get at, can i actually be part of my church but also go to chapel sometimes.

I get a similar feeling when I have listened to too many sermons or audio readings of the Bible. I like to be certain that the Word is pure, and my relationship with God is one-on-one.

If too many voices are stirred in, I feel like I can't be sure. Or as though they own something they shouldn't.

It's important to have other people to pray with, and nice to have others to talk about scriptures and life with. But cutting back on services is not a sin listed in scriptures.

Sometimes my motivation for involvement in church, is what I want to accomplish in the lives of kids and newcomers-- wanting others to know of His goodness.