I to was a protestant. When I was a young child I attended mass with my Catholic friends. l know something happened to me at that mass that changed me. I went home and told my mother that when I turned 16 I wanted to become a Catholic, she gave her approval. I am 89 years old now and a devoted Catholic. Thanks be to God.
@@conniepinto3027 cool opposites for me became a adult questioned the Catholic history and leadership and left knowing they are just one of many Churches
I was raised Protestant and when I was 21, I attended a Catholic Mass and the Holy Spirit told me, right when I walked into the Church, that this was where I needed to be. I became Catholic in 1993 and love the Faith. Really enjoyed this video!
//..WHERE'S MARY...A GROWN MAN BOWING DOWN TO AN IDOL OF MARY...THATS DEAD AND BURIED...SHOW VERSES WHERE MARY IS IN HEAVEN...YOU CAN'T.... BECAUSE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH LIES ABOUT HER...ITS A CHURCH THAT LIES ABOU EVERYTHING FOR POWER AND MONEY !!
//..A GROW MAN BOWING DOWN TO AN IDOL.OF MARY...LIKE AN OLD WOMEN COUNTING BEADS ..A DISGRACE TO MANHOOD ....MARY'S DEAD AND BURIED LIKE ALL THE SO CALLED CATHOLIC SAINTS...
You dont need to sat Catholic Mass. It is just Mass. Anglo Catholics who are part of the Anglican Communion use the term as well which is annoying as they are not Catholic.
As a former Protestant myself, I love watching this video! I am the Son of a Protestant Pastor who became Roman Catholic in 1995......Having been a Catholic since then has made my life more beautiful and meaningful than ever!!
Roman Catholics, Mike Gendron was a Devout Roman Catholic for over 30 years. To my Catholic neighbors, I desperately implore you; to please take the time to watch this video. Your salvation comes by faith in Christ alone. Not of works. Meaning that no indulgence, not the mass, not the rosary, not prayers to Mary, not purgatory. This determines your eternity. It is so clear in the Bible. That there is nothing man can do to earn his salvation. Good works are a result of salvation not a means by which to obtain it. Please read your Bible for your selves. May God bless you all with peace and perseverance understanding and wisdom.🕊 ua-cam.com/video/PGHTiHpiAF4/v-deo.html Friends you can have assurance of salvation. Jesus said “IT IS FINISHED!” He came to die for us. For our sin. In our place. What does; “it is finished” mean to you in respect to his whole purpose for coming to earth? He didn’t say it is partially paid. And that you would have to continue atonement in purgatory. Or through masses or indulgences. These are a means of obtaining grace by works. Which is clearly on biblical. For it is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone that you receive salvation. It is a free gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. How can you merit unmerited favor?
@speaking truth, of course salvation comes from Jesus alone... That's why we're Catholic... 😊 Pls watch the other videos of Austin. He really sheds light on what non catholics don't understand about our faith.
@@drangeldeguzman68 thank you for your thoughts. Though I have studied Romanism extensively. I am aware of how you see salvation friend. You see, or your faith teaches that Jesus put a down payment on your salvation. And that you must spend time in purgatory finishing the atoning process that Jesus said was finished, Just before he died for our sin. As the complete atonement for it. The Bible says that in a moment we will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. If I am incorruptible that means there is no more corruption in me. That means I don’t need to spend time in purgatory getting rid of temporal sin, which would be considered corruption. and also considered a work to finish the atoning process to achieve my salvation through my own efforts along with Jesus. 😊
Hi Brother, I am Roman Catholic and a Seminarian studying to become Priest. I really enjoy watching your videos and I learned a lot thanks for your deep understanding and respect in our Faith May God Bless you always. I am From Philiplines🇵🇭
Hello. It puts a smile on my face to see seminarians from the Philippines here. Just want to throw it out there that in case you seek a true Catholic formation as priests, please check out Our Lady of Victories in New Manila or ask advice from Fr. Jojo Zerrudo from Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Araneta Ave., QC. Praying for you and al the seminarians out there.
Oh wow. That is amazing. I think it is so beautiful that you are doing that and sacrificing pleasures of the world. It brings tears of joy to my eyes when people like you devote themselves to God. Can I ask what it was like for you in the moment you realized you were meant to be a priest? I myself feel very empty and numb in my relationship with God so I love hearing peoples personal experiences. Even though I feel numb, it always makes me proud and joyous to hear of peoples profound experiences with the Lord🙌😄 I hope you are doing well on your way to the priesthood☺
this will explains every question you asked in this video as to why mass is the way it is. Mostly because of Jewish tradition and what Jesus said in the new testament ua-cam.com/video/P45BHDRA7pU/v-deo.html not to mention the new testament scripture that Jesus mentioned so seriously many times read it carefully and you see what i mean john 6: 25-70
@@ulti8106 spot on! Gotta appreciate Dr. Pitre! Give all Glory to the Lord Our God. I thank God for the great gift of Jesus Christ and His Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Attention: Clare B 1John2:5 But whoever keeps His WORD, the Love of GOD is truly PERFECTED in him. This is the way we may know that we are in UNION with Him: Revelation 19:13 ...and His Name is called The WORD of GOD. Jeremiah 15:16 When I found YOUR WORDS, I DEVOURED them; they became my JOY and the happiness of my heart, Because I bore YOUR Name, O LORD, GOD of hosts. Colossians 1:17-18 He(JESUS) is BEFORE all things,... ...He(JESUS) is the BEGINNING,... John 1:1 In the BEGINNING was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD. Romans 1:25 They exchanged the TRUTH of GOD for a LIE and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the CREATOR, who is BLESSED FOREVER. Amen. Romans 10:3-4 For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from GOD and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of GOD. For Christ is the END of the law for the JUSTIFICATION of everyone who has FAITH. Ephesians 3:17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through FAITH. John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him,"Whoever loves Me will keep My WORD, and My FATHER will love him, and WE will come to him and make our dwelling with him. John 10:30 The Father and I are ONE. 1John 1:3 ...and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. 1John 3:23 And His commandment is this: we should believe in the Name of His Son, JESUS CHRIST,... John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him,"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of GOD without being born from ABOVE." 1Peter1:23 You have been born ANEW(AGAIN,ABOVE), not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the LIVING and ABIDING WORD of GOD. John 17:3 Now this is ETERNAL LIFE, that they should know YOU, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and the ONE whom you sent, JESUS CHRIST. 1John1:10 If we say,"We have NOT sinned," we make Him a liar and His WORD is NOT in us. (WORD, JESUS, GOD). John 1:1-2,14 In the BEGINNING was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD. He(JESUS) was in the BEGINNING with GOD. John 1:14 And the WORD(Jesus) became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the FATHER'S ONLY SON, full of grace and TRUTH. John 14:6 Jesus said to him,"I AM the Way and the TRUTH and the Life(Eternal Life). 1John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: GOD gave us ETERNAL LIFE, and this Life is in His Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life;... 1John 5:5 Who[indeed] is the victor over the world but the one who believes that JESUS is the Son of GOD? Son of Mary, mother of God or SON of the FATHER??? Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth of GOD for a LIE and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the CREATOR, who is BLESSED FOREVER. Luke 1:46 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD; my spirit rejoices in GOD my SAVIOR. John1:14 ...the glory as of the FATHER'S ONLY SON, full of grace and TRUTH. John 14:6 Jesus said to him,"I AM the Way and the TRUTH and the Life. Matthew 16:15-16 He(Jesus) said to them, "But who do you say that I AM?" Simon Peter said in reply,"You are CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD." SON of the FATHER or Son of Mary, mother of God??? Matthew 7:13,21 ...for the gate is WIDE and the road BROAD that leads to DESTRUCTION, and those who enter through it are MANY. Not everyone who says to Me,'LORD, LORD,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My FATHER in heaven. John 3:3 ...no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from ABOVE. 1Peter1:23 You have been born anew(again, above), not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the LIVING and ABIDING WORD of GOD. 1John 2:5 But whoever KEEPS His WORD, the LOVE of GOD is TRULY PERFECTED in him. This is the way we may know that we are in UNION(CONNECTION) with Him(JESUS,GOD):
Transubstantiation is a main difference between Catholics and Baptist’s. We believe the elements are symbolic and that we do it because Christ ordained it. Hence, it is called the ordinance of the lord’s supper.
I’ve attended mass for the first time last week and the experience was incredible beautiful and welcoming! I’m now looking into converting to catholicism.
We really do receive Jesus alive at mass. I feel his presence in my soul after receiving each time. And mother Mary is very present with Jesus bringing us all to Jesus and so loving x
Hey brother, I'm humbled by your openness and willingness to learn about our faith. I'd like to answer some of your questions/critiques. He first thing is attend an English mass and you'll follow along a lot better. Secondly, the mass is divided into two parts. The liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. And regardless of hoe it appears to anyone the church has adamantly affirmed that they're equal as both are Jesus. Jesus is the word made flesh. So, there will be an old testament reading, a new testament reading, a psalm verse that's sung by the congregation and lastly the gospel. Eventually, the priest makes a homily around those verses. If you attend mass every single day for 3 years, you'd have read the whole entire bible from front to back. The verses are selected in such a way to show us that the old testament foreshadowed the new and that the new fulfilled it. So, the old and the new testament readings are for the most part parallel. This is to say for the Catholic that intently listens at mass and knows what's going on, they will hear and receive the word. There are plenty of youth groups eith youth monsters and classes for children, camps etc...to engage them about the love Christ has for them. However, the mass is where we worship as Catholicism and Orthodoxy emphasizes sacrifical worship like the temple worship of the ancient Israelites. This means we worship at mass and nothing else. The attention can't be on the priest or a band or lights, it's a solemn time with the creator. There's nothing wrong with the aforementioned things, we do have those but there's a time and a place for them. Where the Eucharist dwells is a temple and in a temple where Christ dwells, nothing shall compete for his time and space. I encourage you to keep asking and seeking to further extend this dialogue between all of us. Christ be with us all. Much love, From your Catholic Sister.
I am a devout Catholic and hearing these non-toxic remarks from a protestant created a sense of deeper understanding of my faith. It's really interesting. I have attended Baptist and JW's gatherings in the past too. And it was nice that though I have constantly held into my Catholic faiths and beliefs, I got to see and understand theirs too. These kinds of peaceful discussions would be very refreshing to the soul.
I’m glad that this was refreshing for you! It’s great to hear that you are willing to step outside your comfort zone to learn about others. That’s wonderful. God bless!
I agree!! My mom is Catholic and my dad is Protestant, so when I was little I would go to both churches. Also, most of my friends are Protestant and I've been on a protestant retreat. I love discussing (or respectfully debating) with my friends and dad about our views and beliefs :)
I’m a Catholic who grew up Baptist. You’re what we wish all Protestants would be in recognizing and respecting that we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. You’re close to the Kingdom! Hope you keep learning from us and helping us learn from you. I liked your video about your experience with the Catholic Bible Study too.
Brother, I LOVED this. I understand everything you said. Thank you for your open heart. I was a Protestant pastor for 22 years before converting to Catholicism. I felt many of the things you did.
Keith, thank you so much for your kind words. I came across your content a few months ago and have really been challenged by it and have enjoyed it thoroughly. I’m honored you’d take the time to watch and comment. I’d love to chat some day about your story if that’s something you’d be open to. God bless
@Scott Bair By that type of logic one could claim that the NT is not mentioned in the Bible either ;-). You should study the practice of the early Church which is the same as today's regarding the understanding of of the Eucharist and Communion. A good book to get started is "The Mass of the Early Christians" by Mike Aquilina. One of the best I've read on the subject. PS. You are wrong about your theology just as you are wrong about John. In John 6:53 the truth of the Eucharist is confirmed. Jesus Himself says, " 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you." Remember, in this chapter Jesus has been explaining the meaning of the "Bread of Life and many listeners are already offended by the time He reaches 6:53 and with it, drives everyone into a frenzy. That the Jews were so heavily offended confirms entirely that they understood that He meant it literally ... and many left Him then. God Bless.
@@frankcioppa Yes. It comes from the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215, where the doctrine of the Transubstantiation was affirmation. Look it up. All Christians believed in this doctrine until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century.
@Scott Bair I have no doubt that people have their reasons for what they believe, yet for us Jesus seems to clearly rebuke them in John 6 (a talk about the Eucharist)
You are so precious ~ it’s wonderful to hear a Protestant be so loving, open, honest, and so respectful .... like a fresh drink of cold water ~ thank you for this ~
Don’t worry about being confused or not understanding, there are many Catholics yet that don’t understand the church either. But I’m telling you once you understand the mass, you fall in love with it. Thanks for going to the mass, loved this video. You went to a daily mass so it’s a bit different than a Sunday mass so there’s not as much preaching, on Sunday’s there’s much more liturgy and a longer homily, but maybe a novus ordo mass would be more your style, it’s more modern sometimes (depending on your church) but it’s all in English and the priest faces the congregation. St. John Cantius is more of a traditional Latin church (Catholics are very divided about this issue some say we should do away with the novus ordo and only have the Latin mass and vice versa) but the Eucharist is always our main focus, we believe it’s our means to salvation, it’s our “spiritual food” and gives us strength in this life and prepares us for the next. “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” ~ Jn 6: 52-58 So part of that is why we have such an emphasis on the Eucharist. If you ever go back you can get what’s called a Sunday missal and it guides you through the mass and explains it, and then you know what to respond to when the priest is saying what he’s saying. Sorry I said way more than I thought lol, thanks again for the video!
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm glad that you enjoyed the video. I appreciate the recommendation of the missal. It sounds like those are quite useful.
@@GospelSimplicity They are! I LOVE my missals! Depending on what missal you get, you can learn a lot from them. Also, in the missal includes the readings and prayers of the day in English, so you can read ahead and know exactly what is being said and meditate on them. Good video, by the way! I really appreciate how open you are. It's quite nice and refreshing from what all else I've seen and experienced with some other protestants (and non-Christians).
Austin, you were brave to go to mass alone for the first time, especially a Latin one ! Nick D. Did a good job of saying what I would say, so I'll just add that some parishes have children's liturgies, at least at the Novis Ordo churches. Again, kudos to you!
You're so right. I grew up Catholic but I never understood it growing up. I read a book about how to live the Mass and it has completely changed the way I see Mass.
The thing to remember about "Catholic Calisthenics" :) the standing, kneeling, and standing, is that it is directly related to royalty. Here in America we've abandoned every notion of respect coming out of royalty. In Catholicism, we believe that Jesus Christ, our King, becomes present on the altar at the consecration. So in the first part of the Mass (Liturgy of the Word), where Scripture is read and explained (homily), we stand at the beginning NOT for the priest, but for the Bible that the priest or deacon is carrying. We sit for the readings except we stand for the Gospel, as it is a royal proclamation (as it were) from our King. We sit for the sermon, then stand for a series of prayers. When those are done, we kneel in preparation for the arrival of the King. We stand during the Lord's Prayer, and then we kneel for the rest of the service (as one does in the presence of the King). Hope this helps, and I am so very glad that you treated the Mass with respect!
Jim, that is my idea precisely. The idea of Jesus as a king has always struck me as problematic. You know, King (George III) = bad guy. To really und e r stand the liturgy it helps to understand that we are in a Renaissance European court and its ceremony.
@@GospelSimplicity WE can not agree with catholism because it is NOT A DENOMINATION nor a religion BUT A CULT. .THEY HAVE A FORM of God and mimic Christ and Christianity THEY ARE DELUSIONAL AND SOLD DELUSIONS.....they are false
@Monica Merino it explains it in the BIBLE ..and of course protestants will not undrstand it since those that wrote it are buried in our church and our church compiled it in the year 382 by Pope Damuses 1. Protestants took it from us and tore out 7 books from it and twist the word of God..sadly but true. Thats why they do not understand the babtism of babies, purgatory, confessing to a priest, the priest celebacy, the Holy Eucharist,the IMPORTANCE of Mary( secret of the BIBLE) etc..etc.and all these I can prove it with the Bible. Before you call the Church of Crist "crazy" ..please do some research. God bless you
@Monica Merino ok..let's do CONFESSION first..and I will show you in THE BIBLE where Jesus gave the power to men to forgive our sins so we can confess to them and you will send me the verses where it says "confess to God only" ( and trust me , it's not there because it is man made doctrine from a church founded by man) God already knows our sins 😁 Once I'll get off from work..I'll send you the verses tonight. And tommorow another topic. Etc. Meanwhile since you brought out this topic about the EUCHARIST...explain this....and note: the first one happened 1,200 years ago and the blood matches and it is from the SAME PERSON..JESUS! ua-cam.com/video/ttdcfZyQrs4/v-deo.html
The worship in the Catholic Church involves all of our senses - eyes, ears, tongue, touch... all of our actions- kneeling, standing, responding, silence, prayer, etc are all aimed and focused on Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Sometimes, even out of necessity, silence before our Lord in the Eucharist is enough. If Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, I will not exchange it with any Protestant pastor’s preaching or the best homily of a priest. Jesus very presence is enough - more than enough - for us to be transformed.
How have you thought of this wise interpretation of the Eucharist.... I truly appreciate you .... I regret out of hate to have read this from someone else than me.... Truly beautiful thought.... Greetings from India...
@@GospelSimplicity If you are interested, Blessed Carlo Acutis created a website dedicated to Eucharistic miracles. The Eucharist has been what keeps me anchored to the Catholic Church.
As a catholic can you please consider these questions: Why pray for the dead (everyone is responsible for their own salvation) Why believe in pur gatory (Jesu.s's shed blood on the cross was sufficient to atone for all sins if you repent and choose him).Jesus mentioned hell about 70 times biblereasons.com/hell/ There's only heaven or hell. Why pray to mary? 👉1 Timothy 2:5👈 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Je.sus. Same with saints and saying ritualistic repetitive prayers like the rosary -👉Matthew 6:7👈 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. The 'our Father' is biblical, the rosary is not. Only Jes.us is infallible, perfect and worthy of all our praise. mary is lifted up as much as Jesu.s and our eyes should only be on him. I respect her for bringing Jesus into the world but only Jesus 🐑🩸🦁✝️hung on the cross and suffered and died an agonising death for our sins You need to be born again as adult or from age where you understand what sin is, a baby is pure and innocent so should not be ba.ptised into the faith or of they are it should be for like a naming celebration or ceremony. I know there are a lot of earnest Catholics but unless one is born again you can never get the understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit. That is why so many can't see how unbiblical 'some' of the catholic prayers are. Please read your bible and discover the full truth for yourself. Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Go.d. Check this great website out too www.aocnetwork.org/ Please understand I say this with love and grave concern for your eternal soul nothing else. You can be a true Chris.tian irrespective of denomination (but it can be hard to grow in a non full-bible believing and teaching church) but you must be born again #john316
In the Catholic Faith we often speak about the sacraments, transformation, and restoration. What does it men to live inside the sacramental life? Are the sacraments necessary for our eternal salvation? Absolutely 100% Yes! Almost 80% of Catholics Christians and 100% of Protestant Christians don’t understand the Catholic faith. St. Peter said: we are all here to become partakers of the Divine Nature. What does that mean? Our nature is fallen because of original sin, we struggle with “Concupiscence”, our intellects are all malformed, and we have a natural desire and inclination towards sin, and the pleasures that sinning brings us. Our moral compasses are all off about fifteen degrees from north, because of our inheritance of original sin. If we were to pass in this state of being, it would be absolutely impossible for us to live or enter into Heaven. Our transformation and restoration is found in obedience to Gods word, and living out a holy and devout life, inside the Holy! Sacramental life. Jesus Christ instituted seven sacraments for a reason; to give us sanctifying grace. “Supernatural, Sanctifying Grace” Is the kind of grace all the Saint were in constant pursuit of, they understood with their intellect, which is our likeness to God, that every time they entered into the sacrament of reconciliation and partook worthily! of the most holy sacrament of the alter: The Most Holy Eucharist, they were having a radical encounter with the Most Blessed Trinity. They understood every time they participated in the sacrament they were being infused with God the Fathers” very own Divine Nature. Wow! we are being infused with the Divine Nature and divine life of God our Father. Inside of this Divine mystery is we’re our Divinity is being transformed and restored overtime, back into its original design which was divine, before the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve. No one can come to the Father unless the Father calls them, and No one can come to the Father except through the Son. The Homy Eucharist, The true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Blessed are those who are called to the Super of The Lamb. We need to say yes to Gods call and obey His Church and all His Commandments. Jesus said: if you truly loved Me then you would “obey” all that I’ve commanded you, and then Ny Father and I will come and live inside of you. Great Protestants become Catholics and weak Catholics become Protestants. God Bless!
@@anyefood-heaven1782 Wow ......i thought Jesus made one a child of God by the supernatural born again from above and of the Lord. The spirit of the Lord does not BECOME present in what one or eat .....but in the supernatural birth. It is a false DOCTRINE and makes man bypass the baptism John the Baptist spoke of the ONE WHO COMES AFTER HIM...... Horrible
New subscriber here. The Holy Eucharist is the center of the mass celebration... it's more on the worshipping of the body of Christ in the Eucharist. We Catholic believe that we partake in the Body blood soul and divinity of God... ThAnk you very much for sharing your experience... God bless
@@TriciaRP Hi Trisha, I think you might have misunderstood what Anye said. We as Catholics believe in becoming a child of God through baptism and the Holy Spirit.
As a lifelong protestant I felt I had missed something.I have been Catholic now for nearly 20 years.My Catholic faith has gotten me through many hardships in these last few years.God calls us where he wills to where our faith in him grows.You are welcome anytime to Mass at our parish.I am Roman Catholic so most of our Mass are in English or Spanish.But we do use Latin as well.God Bless 🙏
I love your comments about the large family and children. We have a saying, “A church that isn’t crying is dieing.” You are correct, we attend Mass, as a community, for our encounter with Christ through the Eucharist. As family, it is our job to get each other to heaven. Mass is heaven on earth...we bring our children. Slowly, they learn reverence as they mature and learn content. Parents often wonder, briefly, why we went to Mass with our squirrelly children. Then we remember our purpose. Jesus told us how He feels about children. He wants them there so we bring them and we learn as we teach them. Thank you for these videos. Your honesty and respect is beautiful.
I went to Mass for the first time as a Protestant and was surprised the little ones all stayed for the service. And grateful, too, I could watch the parents giving instruction and follow along, lol! I think it's a wonderful practice!
Austin, you are a very special young man. I believe God has something special for you in your life. I will pray that you will find (or perhaps have already found) peace in the truth. I look forward to hearing more about your journey in the future!
Thank you so much for your honest opinion about Catholic Church and Mass. Last year around this time, I was a Protestant. My husband is Catholic and I had learned about Catholic faith a lot from him and Catholic speakers and priests who my husband introduced me to. I love the Catholic Church we go to and when the priest said to the congregation in August 2019, "If you would like to know more about Catholicism, come to RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults)." I thought God spoke to me through the priest and decided to attend RCIA. This year on Pentecost (it was supposed to be on Easter) I became Catholic. I took about 7 years to come to that point. Just as you said in the video, I so appreciate Eucharist and seeing Jesus on the cross and being able to receive Him whenever we go to Mass. During the RCIA, as the priest told us things I didn't know before, sometimes, I struggled to accept them as truth. However, with God's help, my heart was opened and now I believe in Eucharist and many other things I didn't know as a Protestant. My husband and I have been praying for the unity of all Christians. Your video encouraged us very much. Thank you for your open heart and love for Jesus. If you are interested, here is our church videos. There are Sunday Mass videos as well in English. lourdesdenver.org/videos/ May God continue to bless you!
I so appreciate your support and I’m so glad to hear that this video video was encouraging for you and your husband. Thanks for sharing your story! Sounds like quite the journey and I’m sure much more discovery is ahead. Thanks for the link! God bless
Christian unity but not at the expense of ditching parts of the Catholic Faith which is central despite what you might have been told, to the Faith. True belief and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, proper prayer devotion to Our Lady through the Rosary and hymns and many more...
Two cents from a Catholic who stumbled on this via algorithm: 1. The church has programs for kids. Both full Catholic Schools and Sunday-School style classes. You're right that the mass, while about teaching the word in the first half, is not primarily focused on that. The focus is receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. Anyone can preach the word at any time. Only a Priest in the mass can consecrate the Eucharist. 2. If you go to an English mass, you'll have a much easier time following along. You'll recognize many bible quotes and paraphrases in the liturgy, particularly from the Revelation of John. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. I like listening to what Protestants have to say. You guys have some excellent qualities that we Catholics could learn from.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate your charitable perspective about how Catholics can learn from Protestants (and I'm assuming you'd agree, vice-versa). Those are helpful points that you make. Thanks! Glad the UA-cam algorithms sent you my way.
Melissa Eberhart 100% agree. Both the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form are spiritually beneficial. We should not be putting down any form of the mass as it has Christ’s presence both spiritually and physically in the Eucharist. Saints have used both forms.
I was born in Africa of a deeply Catholic Irish family, priests and all. However we lived in remote areas resulting in my being very poorly catechised although I did receive all the sacrements. During my military service I was drawn into Protestantism that eventually bored me. Long story short I discovered my Catholicism after 30 years of lukewarm Protestant faith. God knows what he is doing 'cos without Protestantism I would have been lost to the faith. Protestantism kept me safe until I rediscovered my Catholicism. There, a far deeper pool of spiritual knowledge cured my spiritual bordom, exposed my hubris, taught me real worship and the reality of Christ in this world via his presence in Eucharist. I so understand this video. Thank you.
@@GospelSimplicity a catholic that becomes protestant, becomes protestant because of ignorance, a protestant becomes catholic, because they found the right church through knowledge.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith as Catholics. So glad you went to mass. When you learn more about what is happening it is truly beautiful.
I'm a practicing Catholic and currently going through a deeper conversion in my faith. I enjoyed your video and thanks for your honest and objective views of the Mass and the Catholic Church, in general. God bless you on your journey.
“What a privilege that would be” - about the Eucharist. That’s exactly how we Catholics feel. You should definitely read a bit about the Church history and Saint’s life, hope you come back home. All the best
@@GospelSimplicity Chatholic mass is a sacrifice of christ. the sacrifice repeats over and over. And only the ineficient saceifices repeat. The book of hebrews tells us the sacrifice was made just one time and it tells us that when a sacrifice is perfect theres no need for repetitions. In the old covenant people sined and offered a lamb they sinned agsin and offered a lamb those were sacrifices that didnt made people walk away from sin. They kept on sinning. And made the sacrifice. It had to be repeatead because it was ineficient. Nobody cared about those lambs so they kept on sinning. But the scripture says that the sacrifice of christ was perfect it makes people walk away from sin. And theres no need for repetitions, we sin we sacrifice christ we sin again and we sacrifice christ. Because we cannot walk away from sin. No. That is equating the sacrifice of christ to the ineficient sacrifices of rhe past. Watch fred tarsitanos video about catholic mass putting chist sacrifice to shame.
@@saramolina8911 I can appreciate what you are trying to say. However, please understand, a sacrifice is not simply repeated over and over. Rather it is the memorial being the same sacrifice that Christ did on the night of the Last Supper. It isn't another sacrifice, but the same, we're transported, supernaturally to unite with our sins and offerings to our time. In fact, I'm 48 years old. My participation in the "Once for all Sacrifice" is the same as last week, the same as when I was 30, and the same as when I was 12. To your point about the Old Testament Lamb during the Passover, the yearly Passover is a memorial of the original Passover, where the Jews celebrating it are transported, supernaturally to the original Passover, when the Lord brought "me" out of Egypt. God bless 🙏
@@michaelverde4844 hello, thanks for your bessings and the same to you. no. Its not a memorial, we have a memorial, we dont have a sacrifice. You have a sacrifice the catechism says in every mass there is a victim. The same sacrifice and that cannot be. If christ has to do his sacrifice over and over agsin or we have to repeat the same sacrifice its because its ineficient. Christ sacrifice doesnt repeat in any way because repetition of sacrifices is a characteristic of ineficiency. Thats why they had to be repeated. The book of hebrews says that if the sacrifices would have been eficient they would have ceased to do them. We have a cinmemoration of the sacrifice, not the sacrifice itself. Because it can not be repeated, it can be remembered but not repeated. Christ doesnot sacrifices many times and the liturgy of the sacrifice is not done many times he did the liturgy on time and then he just sat to wait. He doesnt do the sacrifice anymore snd he doesnt perform the liturgy anymore. He is the priest and the liturgy of that sacrifice cannot be done in terrenal tabernacle or temple, the book of hebrews says this and that if christ had remained in earth he wouldnt even be priest (hebrews 8) cause the early priest are the levites, so the liturgy of his sacrifice csn not be done here. The sacrifice of christ was perfect it makes people wslk away from sin, so he doesnt have to be victimized again and again. God bless you too
@@saramolina8911 Hello. I do not intend to go back and forth. I do not look to "win" any particular point. My experience on Social media is that these topics will escalate. Yes you and I agree the Mass is truly a Sacrifice, an unbloody, Order of Melchizedek, New Passover Sacrifice, where Christ is the victim and the high Priest. When He told His disciples to 'Do' this, He instituted the new Priesthood with His new 'once-for-all' sacrifice as the Jewish men would have undertood that Priests offer sacrifices. This is what Christians understood the "Breaking of Bread", the "giving of thanks (aka. Eucharist)", "The Lamb's Supper" to mean for over 1500 yrs. until different perspectives were introduced. I can understand, not everyone grasps this in today's splintered Post-Christian world. I thank you for a respectful dialogue. May peace of Christ continue to be with you. Peace.
The One,Holy,Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ has ever been alive and active in the world. The world doesn't like it. Modernism seeps in but the Church finally wins. Wishes from India.
As a catholic can you please consider these questions: Why pray for the dead (everyone is responsible for their own salvation) why believe in pur gatory (Jesu.s's shed blood on the cross was sufficient to atone for all sins if you repent and choose him). The biggest error or false doctrine to me is purgatory, it's not biblical biblereasons.com/hell/ There's only heaven or hell. Why pray to mary? 👉1 Timothy 2:5👈 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Je.sus. Same with saints and saying empty ritualistic repetitive prayers like the rosary -👉Matthew 6:7👈 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. The 'our Father' is biblical, the rosary is not. The scripture regarding calling others 'rabbi/father' always stood out to me as being wrong when Je.sus is the head of the church. Only Jes.us is infallible, perfect and worthy of all our praise. mary is lifted up more than Jesu.s and our eyes should only be on him. You need to be born again as adult or from age where you understand what sin is, a baby is pure and innocent so should not be ba.ptised into the faith or of they are it should be for like a naming celebration or ceremony. Why is canon law needed, the bible doesn't need any addition? You are denying the finished work of the cross. 👉Proverbs 30:5-6 👈 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Jes.us alone and being born again only way to heaven. I know there are a lot of earnest Catholics but unless one is born again you can never get the understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit (which should come from one's own volition not a scheduled school calendar confirmation). That is why so many can't see how unbiblical it is. Please read your bible and discover the full truth for yourself. Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Go.d. Check this great website out too www.aocnetwork.org/ Please understand I say this with love and grave concern for your eternal soul nothing else. You can be a true Chris.tian irrespective of denomination but you must be born again #john316
@Tania No where in the bible were innocent babies baptised. True conversion is a repentance and a change of heart not a religious tradition. chucketate.com/2014/12/16/4-reasons-you-should-not-pray-to-mary/ Jesus is the head of the true Christian church not the Pope or Luther). I admire Martin Luther for challenging the domineering institution of the Catholic Church at the time. It was the selling of indulgences in particular that made him realise it was not of the true God. The Popes of that time will have a lot to answer for. It was a false doctrine from the pit of hell to think you could buy your way into heaven and now they have the audacity to say they are the one true church. Religion never sent anyone to heaven only a true relationship with the living God of the Holy Inspired inerrant Word of God. The Pope is not infallible only God is, he is not alligned with the bible. He appears to be trying to unite all religions into a One World religion like Chrislam which contradicts Jesus's teaching, also this is predicted in the bible as being one of the signs of the end times before Jesus returns. There won't be just a few days of darkness like Padre Pio referred to but there will be 7 years of tribulation on earth when the #antichrist will deceive many, Jesus will be our only hope not Budha, hindu Gods, religion or other false gods. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in 👉HIM 👈should not perish but have eternal life. Notice it doesn't say mary and saints. If there was a purgatory why would Jesus refer to hell about 70 times in the New Testament. It's blasphemy to think that Jesus's death on the cross wasn't sufficient despite him saying 'It is finished'. We can go direct to Jesus we don't need priests to confess our sins to: 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, 👉HE👈 is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No one should be beyond correction just like the 7 churches in Revelations. Eternity is a long time so I would urge you to check your own heart and conscience only God and you know if you really know him as a Father, Lord and Saviour not just a religion. If you really knew and fully understood the depths of what Jesus did on the cross for you, you would be convicted it's wrong (although I respect her as an important woman in history) to pray to mary and saints (in bible all God's children are saints). God alone deserves all the glory, worship, respect and honour
I am Catholic too but in that creed, the word Catholic doesn't actually relate to the Catholic church it means universal and that the word is universal and spread wide and that we all believe that Jesus is the Messiah
The center of the Church/Mass is not the Priest, it is Jesus - The Eucharist. I would say Catechism should help everyone to understand more and also studying the Early Church Fathers, of course, the history of Christianity when it comes to the Catholic(Universal) Church. I would emphasize a point from a Catholic point of view (I am not a theologian, I am still studying) when it comes to Protestant services: you know, I feel like the Pastor is the center of the gathering, but instead, it should be Jesus and all the worshiping by thanking Him for the Salvation by his Sacrifice for all of us. And how is this done? By respecting His teachings and the Apostles teachings. Why? If we do not respect this, how we are suppose to believe in Him? I mean, so many things Jesus told us and if we, as Christians don't obey that, then how am I supposed to believe in Him when we do not believe His words - The Word Himself? A beautiful thing that Apostles did is when They went from home to home and going up with the most beautiful thing that goes with the Mass: The Eucharist (most highest Sacrament). This, people. Adopt the same view as our Christian ancestors! The Early Church Fathers! Peace and Blesses to All of you, my brothers and sisters! :)
Thanks for sharing your perspective! While I would agree that often times the preacher can become the center of the service, I think very few Protestants would say that is their intention. I think they would agree that Jesus should be the center. They might just disagree on the best way to make Jesus the center.
Gospel Simplicity Pax et Bonum, brother and thank you for your reply! The intention may not be there, but unfortunately that is happening. "Take and eat; this is my body." ... (Matthew 26:26-28), He is clearly saying that THAT IS HIS BODY, not a SYMBOL of His body, BUT HIS BODY - JESUS HIMSELF. He was clear, then why should we question Him, why re-interpreting His words? How are we living without Him?!?! Why do we need a Mass when Jesus physically is not there with us? We could call it Bible studies session, but a Mass?!?! My Christian brother, I wish you all the best on your journey finding your Way as it is there, you just need to open your heart and mind for it! This mesage is for all us, too! #staysafe 😊🙏
The purpose of the mass is to re-present the sacrifice in a unbloody way to the world for all eternity. Thus we become co-redeemers of ourselves and of the whole universe as our prayers are lifted together to heaven.
You converted through catholic history? Just curious, did your study of history include the catholic inquisitions, where millions of non-Catholic saints were brutally murdered as "heretics" by the "holy" Roman Catholic papacy? Did your study include the Jesuit extreme oath of induction, wherein jesuit priests must swear to kill Protestants whenever the pope gives the orders? Did your study include how Constantine brought in many pagan customs into his catholic church state, to unify the empire, including Mary as queen of heaven, and lent to replace 40 days of weeping for Tammuz? Just historical facts to consider.
@@TIJoe-te9qu The Inquistion barely killed anyone in 3 centurys. Matter of fact criminals would often cause some sort of blasphemy so they could be tried by priests instead of a secular court. Christian haters would inflate the number because they added the deaths from natives from small pox in Central and South America. Also a million dead in Europe would have been noticed in 1400s. The Crusades were a justified responses to 400 years of Muslim invasions and aggressions. Constantine was almost outnumbered in all his battles against Roman Pagans and Barbarian Pagans was all ways victorious, built hundred Churches, made Chirstianity legal with the edict of Milan, had the first ecumenicals council of Bishops in Nicea where the first heresys like gnostics and arians were rooted out and exiled. And he was the moderator not someone who participated. Also his mother Saint Helena went on a pilgramige to Jerusalem, found the True Cross and founded one of the most holy of all Churches, The Church of the Holy Spelchuer
The Eucharist is the Mass, and the Mass in a sense is the Eucharist. The Mass is the most important form of prayer in the Church. One thing I have noticed a lot of my protestant family and friends don't know or fully understand is that while Catholics do pray in the way most protestants do, we also have prayers that are made up of multiple, traditional in a sense, prayers. The point of the Mass is to partake of the Holy Eucharist, or the communion rite. Every Mass reaches its zenith with the consecration of the Host and the Wine. Partaking of the Eucharist is the most important thing a Catholic does in their life, it is deeply personal. During the Mass, the faithful on earth, and the faithful who rest in the glory of God, come together to partake of the Last Supper, and celebrate the perpetual sacrifice that cleansed us all. It is a moment that transcends time and space, where Christ himself invites us to eat with him and his disciples, to spiritually be present in that moment of his life. I only very recently came back to my faith, so this all is extremely meaningful to me, the Eucharist is why I love being Catholic. I find it beautiful that, every day, regardless of city, country, or time zone, all the faithful come together in a timeles moment to remember, and honor, that sacrifice for us all. Regardless of language the Mass is the same in every parish, with only the Homily after the readings differing doe each local body. I was a bit worried watching this, but was pleasantly surprised. Unlike a lot of people even if you don't understand it all you don't immediately attack or even condem. So many people online, and especially on UA-cam, don't endeavor to understand, but instead, in their efforts to disprove, or stoke their superiority complexs, misrepresent, or downright falsify the Doctrine and Dogma of the Church. This video was something I really needed with everything going on in the world right now. Thanks for sharing your experience. Also don't worry about the terminology, I'm technically a cradle Catholic and even I forgot sometimes.
I was born catholic, but in college I started going to a Protestant church (in addition to evening mass) because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay catholic. The Eucharist is what brought me back. I’m glad we both found our way back home ❤️ God bless you!
Another thought about kids in Mass: The Mass is a family dinner, the ultimate Feast. So just like any family dinner, you will see some who are bored, some who are engaged, some who are quiet and contemplative, some who are struggling to sit still, etc. Everyone is present in their own capacity and that capacity will vary depending on where they are in life. Just like being welcomed into a family dinner, there are nuances and traditions that seem strange and unfamiliar at first. Over time, familiarity develops and you find yourself participating as if you’ve been a part of it your whole life. It’s important for kids to be a part of this feast because they are a part of the family of God. Jesus forbade us from keeping the children from Him, so we bring them into His physical presence in the Mass. We love Jesus, and we love our children, so we want them to be together, physically, in the Mass. ❤️
"Everyone is present in their own capacity...". I bless you for saying that . Your words give me such hope for good ways to interact with my family. Sometimes these days my children tend to not understand the behaviors of each other and say things that are not uplifting . This phrase will go a long way in my conversations. God bless you.
@@J.J.V YES! I think of all of the times when I'm distracted by my kids, my own thoughts, someone sitting next to me, etc. To be honest, if we were 'fully aware' of what is happening in Mass, we would fall on our faces and never be able to get up again, so not a one of us is 'fully present.' Thankfully, since God gave us our nature, He fully understands it and gives us grace. It's hard to give it to ourselves sometimes though!
I also just wanted to add, if it hasn’t already be said so; The children in my prish community are taught at a separate time, separate from the Mass. We (I) teach faith formation classes ranged from K- High School and Sacramental prep. We do the “fun things” during these classes to learn and then go to Mass to grow. I cannot wait to catch up on all your videos! Thank you!
Former protestant here...you're experiences were the exact same as mine, which led me to Catholicism...im Catholic now and absolutely love the Mass and the center of Christ that the mass brings forth...
@@TIJoe-te9quEvery part of the mass is from the Bible. There are 3 scripture readings at each mass as well as the Eucharist which comes from the Last Supper.
The word “Mass” as used in the Roman Catholic Church was taken from the Latin phrase (commonly used - sometimes paraphrased - by Jesus in the Bible) “Ite, missa est” Translated, this means “you have been sent”. It’s beautiful to think of how many meanings this has in the Christian faith: Jesus was sent to heal and save us; the disciples were sent to spread the teachings of Jesus; all of us attend Mass and receive the True Presence of Jesus. We are then sent out to bring that love and sacrifice to the communities in which we live.
So something that hit me with your feelings around kids being in Mass. Mass is about being in the literal presence of God, and the Eucharist is the gospel, Jesus being given up for us sinners. Children deserve to be in that intimate presence. They also learn to act appropriately by being there. The church also has equivalent to Sunday school where children learn about church teachings. However, the family is considered the domestic church and it is the parents job to teach the faith, not just the Church's. I also think you would enjoy a reverent NO mass. You will find that almost all the words in the Mass are actually from scripture.
Amen they deserve to be there. I brought my children to mass since they were born, they haven't missed anything. Also, Catholic children go through religious schooling it is called Catechesis not Sunday School cause it is typically on Wednesdays for 2 hours. In addition, they went to religious school for the first 12 years of their lives, the children go to separate religious studies based on their grade levels. I can say my kids are baptized, confirmed, and very reverent young men of faith.
-Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church... so Latin will never be separated from the church. -You can get a missal which outlines absolutely everything that happens in a mass. There’s for Latin mass (which even has translation to English) and the novos as well. -mass is centered on liturgy and more on the Eucharist as it’s the most divine & important part of the mass. You went to a low mass I believe which is not so much on homily, you can go to high mass, or novos one and there is slightly more teaching. But it’s definitely not like a Protestant teaching for hours. - there are catechism classes that all Catholics went through before even becoming catholic so they know exactly what is going on and what means what.. so it may be confusing for a non-catholic who doesn’t know about the faith. But the faithful usually do.. And this applies to kids as well, they attend catechism and even there are other classes suitable for in-depth teaching but they too MUST attend mass as it’s very very important. Mass is for all, even new borns. I think you can just start by learning about the catholic faith or catechism cause all your questions are actually answered. I enjoyed your video.. looking forward to more..
Thanks for providing some background information! Glad you enjoyed the video. Grateful to have you as a part of the community here at Gospel Simplicity
When Catholics kneel before setting in the pew, what is actually happening is this; they are kneeling before the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the small box on the wall behind the alter, near the crucifix. When the red light is lit in the tabernacle it means that the tabernacle contains the blessed host, or for us, literally Jesus. So we are not kneeling out of mere reverence out of being in a church or something like that, we are literally kneeling at the feet of Jesus
I was a cradle Catholic, left the Church for evangelical Protestantism, became “on-fire” for The Lord and to my surprise as I learned why I was doing what I was doing... everything led me back to the Catholic Church!!! I was a product of “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” It actually shocked me, but I am a better Christian because of it. God bless you my Christian brother in Christ!!! BTW, after Mass I still attend a Protestant service with my wife, it’s like Sunday school for me 😁😁😁
@@joethebro3965 Well, I love my Protestant brothers and sisters and am very strong in my faith. I understand your premise, but I think that if we Christians came together we could really strike down satan whereas our Christian bickering is doing the work for him.
I enjoyed your video and hearing your impressions- I think it’s your humility and respect that comes through clearly. I am not familiar myself with the Latin Mass but am a fully practicing Catholic and attend the “New” Mass. A good homily is supposed to explain all the readings and tie them together. Perhaps if you try an English Mass at some point it will be easier to follow - or as you say- you could go with a Catholic friend who can explain the different parts. At daily Mass there are just two readings - one from the Gospels and the priest may or may not do a short, short homily. On Sundays and Feast days there are three readings and there is always a homily that is longer - in my parish it can be 15 minutes more or less but the time will vary based on the priest. You are right in that the main point of the Mass is the Eucharist where we enter into the eternal sacrifice and are witnesses to His death and resurrection. It is amazing when you come understand this even to the slightest degree.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate that. I think you're right that it would be a good deal easier for me to follow along in a Novus Ordo (I think I got that right) service.
I have holy envy of you. As a cradled Catholic, I still have not attended a Latin Mass. Not that it is a necessity, but I had never thought of filming myself in my way to church and share that experience with others. I understand now why God led me to your channel. I will be praying for your official immersion to the Catholic Church. Thank you for reminding me why I love being Catholic!
I left the Catholic Church about 16 years ago and went to nondenominational. Plan on going back but growing up my church parish had a Slovak mass every Sunday
@@jasonmakara4524 I encourage you to attend English and Slovak and any other foreign language Mass service. One of the beauties of the Catholic Church is that it is indeed the universal church. My wife is Filipino and we have attended services in English, Spanish and her language. It so amazing how the dynamics, being the same during every Mass, allows you to focus on God despite not knowing the language being spoken during Mass.
I love Catholic mass, it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be, a memorial and sacrifice. For the kids’ learning we have CCD (Sunday school) and adults can go to bible studies or retreats. As far as the homily goes, it can depend on the priest, some give long ones and some are short. One fact I love is that all Catholic Churches all over the world have the same readings on any given day.
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth - a book by Scott Hahn is probably one of the better books out there explaining exactly why Catholics do what they do...
I'll have to disagree with that point my sister. Its we primarily go for worship but we do have qualities of entertainment. The priest from time to time has ice breaker jokes homilies aren't meant to be boring. Even Jesus was entertaining. Remember the time at cana. The creation met the C reator and blushed. Then everyone partook of that blush and was entertained.
Well, if you look waaaay back in history, like 30 years or more, there were no mega churches. The mega churches came about because Protestants demanded to be entertained and celebrity pastors decided they need a rock band, and a theater and a stage. They don't have an altar because nothing is being sacrificed in a Protestant church service. Catholic churches are typically very ornate, and large and grand and opulent and yes, even sometimes intimidating BECAUSE the entire Mass is about God. God commanded the Hebrews to build an extremely ornate arc out of rare shittah (acacia) wood and gold. God loves AND deserves precious and near perfect, and we spend a lot of time and money and energy, and effort to respect God.
I'm a protestant who goes to a Presbyterian church in Buckland Chicago. You inspired me to go down the street to St. John Cantius for Latin mass and it was definitely an experience. I had a lot of the same thoughts
My mother-in-law and father in law are Baptist, but they love going to Mass with us. They like the reverence, which they say is lacking in many of the churches they have attended.
Im a baptized catholic but then former Protestant now going back to the Catholic church! The church is not what the media shows and also not the people, when you focus on the church teachings you are blown away with the truth and beauty of it and how everything is about Jesus
Hi there! Been following your journey here, and I think its awesome that you chose a Traditional Latin mass (definitely my favorite of the options). I know you said you were overwhelmed with book recommendations, but... I'd really suggest getting a traditional Roman Missal (the Baronius Press 1962 version is the one I use). It has the latin right beside the English translation, and explains what exactly the priest is doing and what's happening. Helped me out a lot when I made the switch from the English to the Latin mass! In any event, I'd really just encourage you to keep looking at it!
Thanks for following along with the journey! Haha, I have received quite a few book recommendations, but I have a great love for reading so I appreciate it. Thanks for the recommendation of the missal! It sounds like that would be really helpful if I were to go back.
As a first generation Canadian who is Catholic, and the son of a proud Irish Catholic from Northern Ireland; I found you and your video to be a breath of fresh air. Both Catholics and Protestants alike, would benefit from learning from your experience here. I was also lead here by the UA-cam algorithm and I am grateful to have watched this video. I clicked on the Subscribe button and look forward to viewing more of your videos.
Liam Mac, how are the tensions between the Protestants and Catholics in NI these days? From everything I’ve read, it’s much more calm than it was during the Troubles but that it’s a sort of fragile peace. I also wonder how much of the friction is actually theological vs political affiliation. I’d be curious to hear your take!
@@impasse0124 First off. I have family on both sides sides of "The Troubles". Cousins that grew up going to school together and playing together who won't even speak to each other now. Yet today it is very true, that things are much better than they have been from the not too distant past. Yet it is very much still there. Like it has been laid to rest; albeit, in a shallow grave; easy to claw your way out of and still very much alive. But hope is just as much alive and well among the people. I can remember, not long after the peace accord took hold, my one cousin saying to me; "Pray that this peace will last. Most of the people have never known what it was like to actually live without the fear that violence would erupt at any moment. And now that the people have gotten a taste of what it is like to live without fear; they don't want to let it go." Peace is such a precious gift that remains very fragile to this day. In the late 1990's, I can remember seeing a news report that mentioned that more than 80% of the marriages in Northern Ireland that year were mixed marriages between a Catholic and a Protestant. That may just be the change that is needed. May God continue to bless the good people of Northern Ireland with peace and much love. I could go on and tell you many stories from my experiences while being there. They still play up the religious war battle because that is what gets the worlds attention, but it really is much more of a political battle these days. The religious war is what sells the papers. I can remember back when I was there in 87; listening to the news and the reporter spoke of a story that started with her saying; "Two Catholic bricklayers were shot off of a roof in Catholic West Belfast today". It was only a couple of days after a Protestant man had been killed in a similar way. This reporting was what angered so many people because to them, the media was keeping score; adding fuel to the fire. Yet it sells their papers.
Liam Mac thanks for the reply! I certainly pray that the peace will Not only continue but that the tensions just beneath the surface will also fizzle out. God bless!
I love Northern Ireland and I agree... the Irish experience teaches you a lot, I remember my visit to a Benedictine Community in Rostrevor where they live praying for Christian Unity, it was such a learning experience.
I’m a Catholic who loves praise and worship, loves learning, loves sharing and studying the Word, loves serving. If we live in our faith there is room for all elements all week long. We don’t have to get that all in one hour a week along with the source and summit of our faith, the Eucharist. Thank you so much for sharing your faith journey and encouraging thoughtful dialogue! Peace and prayers.
Hey man, excited for you to try and experience this. My advice to you would just have an open heart and mind and really feel the presence of Christ as the mass goes on. Let me know your insights!
I agree with you on the part where you said that we do not get enough details on the Bible during the Holy Mass due to the limited time and the flow of rites. However, we do have Bible study and we have small groups in a parish where we tackle more details about the Holy Bible. We have seminars as well. Though it depends on each parish on how they organize it. In a Catholic family, it is also the responsibility of the parents to teach their children with basic catechism. And lastly, we treat the Holy Mass as the highest form of prayer wherein we focus on the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the partaking of His Most Precious Body and Blood through the Holy Eucharist. God bless you brother.
This was a wonderful video. Thank you so much for your insight into the Mass. As a Seminarian, I love to hear the opinions of others and what helps them see Christ in the Mass. I appreciate your commentary on elements of the Mass that you both loved and you would like to see. I hope I can help young families and many others in my parish one day to better understand the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Once again, thank you and may God Bless You!
Thanks, Austen. Great sharing on your experience going to a Catholic Latin Mass. I deeply appreciated your thoughtful and insightful reflections. Also as a Catholic priest, I deeply appreciated your overall respectful tone and openness to learning from other traditions. As a charismatic Catholic who also has a deep appreciation for reverent, solemn and sacred liturgy celebrated in the vernacular I hope, as the Church, that we can eventually find ways to foster and incorporate reverent ritual worship with openness to charismatic praise and expression.
It’s my pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts! I think the blending of reverence and spiritual vibrancy of charismatics could be really interesting
I grew up catholic, but I left the church to attend protestant services. It was there that I really learned a lot about Jesus and began to really love Jesus for the first time. I had gone through some difficult things in my life and going to this church changed my life. Before this, I learned about Jesus and his life and how to participate in the mass, but I never really knew Jesus personally. I also started to read scripture for the first time in my life and doing this really fall in love with Jesus even more. I felt that the services were a lot more relatable too. I fell in love with worship music and even started leading worship at the church I attended. I fell in love with Jesus very quickly in realizing what he did for me. I grew up never really understanding what the mass was about and why the mass was celebrated. There were so many other things about the Catholic Church that I was perplexed by as well such as gender roles in the church and why Catholics believed in things like purgatory or why they seemed to worship Mary. When I went away to college, there was a Catholic student center on campus. I started to really try to figure out the questions that I had about what I practiced for most of my life. I felt that the more I learned, the more I wanted to return back to the Catholic Church. I also watched a lot of Lizzie Answers videos and I watched her videos all of the time when I was attending protestant services and when she was protestant. She really helped me to understand how to have a relationship with Jesus and to help me accept him as my savior. And when I was thinking about returning to the catholic church, that was when she started creating videos about catholicism which is kind of weird but cool at the same time. I ultimately came back to the catholic faith and really fell in love with the faith when I learned about Fatima and learned that the Eucharist was Jesus truly present, body blood, soul and divinity. I never knew this even though I was receiving the Eucharist every Sunday which is crazy. I think one of the other things that made me come back was learning about the lives of the saints, the sacraments and really seeing the beauty of the mass for the first time. I know that I am never going to look back. I know without a doubt that this is the faith for me. When I was at this student center, I participated in adoration, retreats, and many other events that really helped me to better understand the catholic faith. They also had talks about living out the faith and they had a part at the end where they sang worship songs which were really awesome since I love worship songs and they remind of my experiences as a person who used lead in singing worship songs at protestant services. I got confirmed just last year during the Easter Vigil at the student center which was a defining moment for me in my faith. I found that my love for Jesus grew deeper when I really started to understand the catholic faith. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to go to and be a part of this student center. It was really great for someone like me since I still felt intimidated by catholicism and didn't ever really understand it. I would recommend trying to connect with a young adult group or a catholic bible study. If you are able to, there may be opportunities for retreats for young adults and/or men as well and I would also recommend this even if you are just wanting to see if you want to be catholic or not. Trust me, they are life-changing if you get to do this. These things really helped me grow in my faith. I watched a lot of Focus talk videos and they really helped me a lot as well and did a lot of my research by using Catholic Answers. Hope this helps :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story! This was a joy and privilege to read. It sounds like Protestant and Catholic Churches have helped you grow in your faith, but ultimately you have found your home in the Catholic Church. I really appreciate that you are able to see positives in Protestantism still, even if you feel it is not the fullness of the church. I appreciate your recommendations, and you might be pleased to find out that I actually have a video on my experience attending a Catholic men’s group!
I have been attending the Catholic church every Sunday for 2 years now and my relationship with Jesus seems dead. In church I feel dead and everything about it feels dead. I knoe that's not the case and the feelings are coming from Satan. But reading your comment have me hope.
Austin - just stumbled on your video. Very well done, thanks for making it. As a lifelong Catholic, (63 years), I am still learning and growing in my faith. You seem like a very special young man. Always ask questions, keep seeking the truth, never be afraid of where God might be leading you. God bless you !!!
You are strongly on point when you said that the center of the Mass is the Eucharist. And you have somewhat stated the theology a bit clearly that in partaking the body and blood of Christ, He becomes a part of you ontologically. If a person truly surrenders to the spiritual reality of being one with Christ as he partakes in the Eucharist, the presence of Christ in him becomes truly transformative. This can only be truly appreciated if the Eucharist is approached in a mystical way because it is essentially a mystical experience. You will appreciate the Mass and Eucharist more when you come to understand its root in the Second Temple Judaism. Dr. Brant Pitre wrote a beautiful book explaining how the Mass and Eucharist relates to Second Temple Jewish Liturgy and Theology especially in the context of replacing the Temple sacrifice mandated in the Torah. Though the Temple sacrifice has ceased with the destruction of the Temple in 70AD but in reality, as I understand Dr. Pitre, the Temple sacrifice has morphed into the Eucharist as fulfillment of the messianic prophecy. The Mass and Eucharist becomes more meaningful when we come to understand its grounding in Second Temple Judaism.
I'm glad I represented the Catholic stance here with some accuracy. I appreciate you providing further background. Several others have recommended Dr. Pitre's book on my other Catholic video, so I might have to look into it. Thanks!
Sounds like you enjoyed it. I used to only go to Mass out of habit. Ever since I learned about the early church fathers and how scriptural the Mass is, I love going to Mass. These days, I can feel Christ’s presence when the Eucharist is lifted up and I look at it.
Here is a 2 part outline so you can follow Scripture throughout the Mass. The Entire Catholic Mass Comes Directly From The Bible Part 1 The structure of the Mass is strictly Biblical. The entire 73 book Bible is read in the Catholic Mass ever 3 years. The Catholic Church is a liturgical Church. It’s calendar is on a repeating 3 year cycle. WHO SAYS THE CATHOLIC MASS IS NOT BIBLICAL? The entire Catholic Mass and all of the prayers in the Mass completely come from Scriptures. Those who leave the Church never really understand the meaning and essence of the Mass. Here's a summary of the Parts of the Mass, with their corresponding Biblical foundation: THE INTRODUCTORY RITES Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ( Mt. 28:19). Congregation: Amen (1 Chr. 16:36). Greeting by Priest [Form A] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor.13:13). [Form B] The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Pet. 1:3). [Form C] The Lord be with you (Ruth 2:4). PENITENTIAL RITE Priest and Congregation: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault (cf. James 5:16) in my thoughts and in my words (Rom. 12:16; James 3:6) in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; (James 4:17) and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God (1 Thess. 5:25). Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and bring us to everlasting life (1 Jn. 1:9). Priest and Congregation: Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy (Tob. 8:4; 1 Tim. 1:2). GLORIA Priest and Congregation: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth (Lk. 2:14). Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, (Rev. 19:6) we worship you (Rev. 22:9), we give you thanks (Eph. 5:20), we praise you for your glory (Rev. 7:12). Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father (2 Jn. 3), Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us (cf. Jn. 1:29); you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer (Rom. 8:34). For you alone are the Holy One (cf. Lk. 4:34), you alone are the Lord (Rev. 15:4), you alone are the most High, Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:32), with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen (Jn. 14:26). LITURGY OF THE WORD: First Reading (Taken from the Old Testament) Responsorial Psalm Second Reading (Taken from the Epistles, Acts of the Apostles & parts of the New Testament) Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia Gospel Reading (Taken from any of the Four Gospels, on a three-year cycle.) HOMILY (The Priest expounds the Scripture readings and their application to our daily life.) PROFESSION OF FAITH Priest and Congregation: We believe in God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19), of all that is seen and unseen (Col. 1:16). We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father (Lk. 1:35), God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father (Heb. 1:3). Through him all things were made (Jn. 1:1-4). For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven (Jn. 3:13): by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man (Mt. 1:18). For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate (Jn. 19:16); he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3); he ascended into heaven (cf. Lk. 24:51) and is seated at the right hand of the Father ( Col. 3:1). He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1), and his kingdom will have no end (Lk. 1:33). We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life (Acts 2:17), who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified (Jn. 14:16). He has spoken through the Prophets (1 Pet. 1:10-11). We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church (Rom. 12:5). We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen (Rom. 6:5). LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST Priest: Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made (Qo 3:13). It will become for us the bread of life (Jn. 6:35). Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink (Lk. 22:17-18). Congregation: Blessed be God forever (Ps. 68:36). Priest: Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father (Heb. 12:28). Congregation: May the Lord accept this sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church (Ps. 50:23). EUCHARISTIC PRAYER Priest: Lift up your hearts. Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord (Lam. 3:41). Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God (Col. 3:17). Congregation: It is right to give him thanks and praise (Col. 1:3 PREFACE ACCLAMATION Priest and Congregation: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest (Is. 6:3; Mk. 12:9-10).
Part 2. Eucharistic Prayer I We come to you, Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ your Son (Eph. 5:20). Through him we ask you to accept and bless these gifts we offer in you in sacrifice (2 Macc. 1:26). We offer them for your holy Catholic Church, watch over it, Lord, and guide it; grant it peace and unity throughout the world. We offer them for N. our pope, for N. our bishop, and for all who hold and teach the Catholic faith that comes to us from the apostles (Jn. 17:21; Acts 2:42). Remember, Lord, your people, especially those for whom we now pray, N. and N. Remember all of us gathered here before you. You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you. We offer you this sacrifice of praise for ourselves and those who are dear to us. We pray to you, our living and true God, for our well-being and redemption (Ps. 106:4; Heb. 13:15). In union with the whole Church, we honor Mary, the ever-virgin mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God. We honor Joseph, her husband, the apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew…and all the saints. May their merits and prayers gain us your constant help and protection (Mt. 1:2-16; Lk. 16:9; 1 Cor. 12:12, 20f; Rev. 5:8). Father, accept this offering from your whole family. Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen (Col. 1:11). Bless and approve our offering; make it acceptable to you, an offering in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24). Let it become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord. The day before he suffered he took bread in his sacred hands and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father, he gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you (Mt. 26:26-28). When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me (Mt. 26:26-28). MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION: Let us proclaim the mystery of faith (1 Tim. 3:16): Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again (1 Cor. 15:3-5). Father, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. We, your people and your ministers, recall his passion, his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension into glory; and from the many gifts you have given us we offer to you, God of glory and majesty, (1 Pet. 1:18-21) this holy and perfect sacrifice (Heb. 9:13-14): the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation (Jn. 6:54). Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel (Gen. 4:4), the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith (Gen. 22:12), and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchisedech (Gen. 14:18). Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven (Rev. 8:3-4). Then, as we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of your Son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing (Eph. 1:3). Remember, Lord, those who have died and have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, especially those for whom we now pray, N. and N. May these, and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness, and peace (1 Thess. 4:13, 14). For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs, with John the Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas…Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha… and all the saints (Col. 1:12). Though we are sinners, we trust in your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve, but grant us your forgiveness (Ps. 25:7). Through him you give us all these gifts. You fill them with life and goodness, you bless them and make them holy (Ps. 104:27-28). *The following Eucharistic prayers find their expressions in the following Scripture passages: Eucharistic Prayer II (2 Macc. 14:36; Phil. 2:8; Jn. 10:17-18; Mk. 14:22-25; Heb. 2:14-15; Jn. 6:51; 1 Cor. 10:17; 2 Macc. 12:45-46; 2 Thess. 1:4-5) Eucharistic Prayer III (Tob. 8:5; Jn. 1:3; Ps. 113:3; Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:26; Mk. 13:33; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 4:3; Eph. 5: 25-27; Jn. 17:22, 23; Col. 1:4-5) Eucharist Prayer IV (Gen. 1:26; Is. 55:6; 55:3; Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 4:15; Lk. 4:18; 1 Cor. 15:54-57; Jn. 14:16; Heb. 9:15; Jn. 13:1; 1 Cor. 11:23-25; Jn. 4:42; 1 Pet. 3:18, 19; Eph. 1:19-20; Mt. 25:31; 1 Cor. 12:12, 27; Acts 10:35; Rom. 8:20-21) DOXOLOGY Priest: Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. AMEN (Rom. 11:36). COMMUNION RITE The Lord's Prayer: Priest and Congregation: “Our Father” (Mt. 6:9-13). Priest: Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ (Jn. 17:15). Congregation: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. SIGN OF PEACE Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live and reign for ever and ever (Jn. 14:27). The peace of the Lord be with you always (Jn. 20:19). BREAKING OF THE HOST Lamb of God: Priest and Congregation: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us…. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace (Jn. 1:29). COMMUNION Priest: This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper (Rev. 19:9). Priest and Congregation: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed (Mt. 8:8). CONCLUDING RITES: FINAL BLESSING & DISMISSAL Priest: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And also with you (Ruth 2:4). Priest: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:51). Go in the peace of Christ (Lk. 7:50; 2 Chron. 35:3). Congregation: Thanks be to God (2 Cor. 9:15).
The liturgical calendar is in a one year cycle. It is the Novus Ordo Sunday lectionary that is in three year cycle, while the traditional Roman lectionary has always been one year.
I want to make one correction to an often repeated claim, the 73 books of the bible are in fact not covered throughout the 3 year (in the new calendar) or the 1 year (in the old calendar) cycles, just a lot of scripture. But the mass isn't supposed to be primarily to learn the bible, which is why we have bible studies and other extraliturgical events. From the catholic point of view, worship isn't for learning the bible, the bible is for learning how to worship
Wow dude! What a cool experience! I grew up as a 1689 reformed baptist and I am becoming Catholic after getting into Patristics and other jazz. I still remember my first mass a really nice old lady told me I should come in and sit with her and she helped explain what was going on...it sort of helped haha. I am 22 and my journey into changing denominations started at 18. It was really hard deciding between becoming Orthodox or Catholic. Great video I'm about to binge watch your experiences!
Excellent video and sharing! I love your spirit of good will! Having grown up Methodist and non-denominational and now being Catholic I can really connect with all the perspectives in your sharing. God bless you brother.
4 years ago I was not a practising Catholic, I attended a Pentecostal church and really enjoyed the music. I had this complain about the eucharist being boring because of the music. until I learnt it's not about me it's about Jesus and all that He has done. The liturgy is not supposed to be us by God alone. So I can resonate with you. Now, that I've studied John 6 I loooooove the eucharist, I get teary-eyed almost at every mass. Thank you for being this humble and open in your approach. I'm watching from India and I loooove your channel
I gotta say, I laughed a little when I heard the kind of Mass you attended. That's the most Catholic-y, traditional type of Mass we have, and a very interesting homily for a Protestant, I'd imagine. It's even more beautiful with a full-voiced choir. Thank you, my friend, for going. You're right, in some ways you are asking the Mass to do things it's not really meant to, but that's okay. Just to offer a little insight: Mass is the highest form of worship we have on Earth. You are coming to the celebration to give yourself in obedience and to receive Jesus in the Sacrament. The other things like preaching and helping believers understand Church doctrine and enriching the kids' understanding of the Mass is meant to happen as a supplement in the home, schools, retreats, youth groups, etc. The Mass is the summit of all of that. You spend time doing all your Bible reading, prayer, etc so that you're ready to go to Mass. I am glad that you enjoyed the architecture of the church so much. The really traditional churches are meant to feel like a fortress and many times in medieval Europe they were built to withstand invading armies. The altar, as you may have noticed, would be in the most protected spot to keep the Eucharist safe. And there's no better place to pray than in a darkened, candle-lit church with the smell of incense in the air. Everything in the building is meant to draw you back to Christ. All the art, music, even what the priest wears, is meant to remind us of why we really gather there. As a Catholic I really love seeing people such as yourself being open to the Church. if I was in Chicago I'd happily be your "tour guide" lol. And Matt Fradd is an awesome guy :)
Haha, I’m glad you share this perspective. I have to say, I was trying to be as open as possible, and when the homily was on Mary I thought, alright, let’s put my charity to the test here. I also recognize that going to a Latin Mass, while winning me bonus points with the large contingent of TLM only folks, might’ve been a bit of a stretch for the first time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Even though you’re not in Chicago, I really appreciate the offer. God bless
I walked in to St John Cantius on a Sunday in 1992 after having wandered in the liturgical Post Vatican II desert for 20 years. I knew before the end of Mass that I had FINALLY found the Holy Mass and was home!
I randomly found this video and was shocked that you went to the church where I made my first communion. It’s truly beautiful and moving. I wish you knew more about the mass to know what you just took part in. Such a blessing. Thank you for this video.
It’s my pleasure! You might enjoy a tour video I have out with Fr. Joshua, the pastor of this church. He goes into a lot of the symbolism and history. We also did an interview together!
Another good video, some perspective from a Roman Catholic: Dress code: As a Catholic, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. The question I generally put to people is how would you dress to go to a job interview? A wedding? A funeral? That's probably the way to dress for Mass; if you'd want to show respect to a potential future employer, the bride & groom, or the deceased, its probably how you'd want to go for the Lord Himself..... That's what a proper church should look like! To your point, the architecture is deliberate and refined by something like 2,000 years of practice. It was also consciously designed as a foretaste of Heaven, at least as much as our feeble humanity can do. The reverential nature is also something that's consciously done, at least it was before Vatican II..... A Catholic Mass is divided into 2 principle parts; the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word includes a reading from the OT, a recitation from the Psalms, a reading from the Acts of the Apostles or one of the Epistles, and then a reading from the Gospel followed by a homily. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the prayers and consecration of the bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Christ. Up until Vatican II, the bulk of the Liturgy of the Eucharist was celebrated 'Ad Orientum' or 'to the East'. Almost all early Christian churches were aligned with the altar facing to the east and the priest faced the same way which is what you observed with him having his back to the congregation most of the time. Reason being is that the priest is praying to God, not addressing the congregation. With regards to the vestments, my priest brother once made the observation that if done properly, the cause the priest to somewhat blend in with the rest of the surroundings. Good job on observing that the focus was on the Eucharist!!!! No offense but hearing that you only do the Eucharist once every so often is like an out of body experience; the only day that the Eucharist isn't consecrated in Catholicism is on Good Friday..... The observation about how repetition can shape us is a great point! For example, prior to Vatican II, the only way you would receive the Eucharist was on your knees on the tongue. In this case the symbolism pointed to the reality of the Real Presence in the Eucharist. In order to better understand the Mass, you might want to get a Roman Missal; it would have the prayers translated, some explanation of the kneeling, standing, etc. About the Latin and the Mass; its important to remember that the Catholic Church is a truly global operation and has been for centuries. Prior to Vatican II, you could go to Mass anywhere from Germany to America to Brazil to Japan and hear the same Mass. If you had a Roman Missal, you'd be able to understand everything except for the homily which would be in the vernacular. Also worth noting is that the liturgical readings go through nearly the whole Bible on a 3 year cycle so while I get your point about not quite getting the message, its also important to remember that it was never intended to go through the entire Bible in one sitting.... I get your point about the kids in Mass but worth remembering is that until a generation or 2 ago, virtually every Catholic attended Catholic schools and much of the deeper insight you discuss was given there. I think as well that the primary focus of the Mass, as you earlier noted, isn't educating the laity as much as it is the worship of Christ.
This was really thorough, thanks! You brought up a lot of excellent points. This past Sunday I went to a high mass, but this time I had a missal and was able to get a lot more out of it. Video coming soon!
@@GospelSimplicity absolutely, Austin. What I like most is your interest in finding truth about other churches/religions "from the horse's mouth" rather than relying on what detractors on the outside have claimed about them. I honestly believe you're following the Holy Spirit's lead. He will, indeed, as the Good Book says, lead you to all truth, but only if you follow Him. Keep doing so, my friend. Truth is truth, regardless of where it is (which is NOT to say "That's your truth, but it's not my truth." If it's truth, it's truth. Period.) Continue to follow God, and you won't be disappointed (except maybe by the thoughtlessness of people who refuse to understand).
@@GospelSimplicity Being a Roman Catholic, this video was very informative in a way. I gotta give you credit for being super understanding of us Catholics and our priorities during mass, your respect and gentleness when approaching a very different set of ideas than your norm is very much appreciated. Being raised a Catholic, I do have to say that us children had plenty of opportunities to further understand the concept of God and the Church. Don’t get me wrong, it really depends on the Church that you’re involved with, but my Church and neighboring Churches as well had offered camps, schools, and programs. The sad part is that most of these helpful tools within the Church have little light shined upon them by society, but they do exist, I can promise you that. Touching up a bit on your comment on how much we present the word of God in our masses, I understand where you’re coming from completely, especially from a Protestant perspective, yet it’s truly the Eucharist that makes the mass what it is. Without the Eucharist, the Church would fail to be bound together. The Eucharist allows us to be one body. You said it yourself, if us Catholics truly believe what the Church teaches the Eucharist is, we’d have no problem getting up for mass. And that’s exactly why so many people attend mass. Anybody could present scripture, but the priest is the only one who could present the Eucharist, Christ’s body, what binds us together. Again, amazing video! I look forward to your future content, you earned a subscriber. P.S., you should attend an English Catholic mass next, it’ll help you better understand what’s going on and such! God bless✝️
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide you and your ministry. I was enchanted with your sincerity, openess and kindness. Cradle Byzantine Catholic deacon here. Please let me know if I can be of any help.
I just found your channel, this is awesome! I enjoyed seeing your take on my faith; I love it when Catholics and Protestants are able to get along and learn together. English Mass is definitely easier to understand, and I think you'd appreciate seeing all of the scripture that is included in the Mass. Don't worry if you don't understand it all, that's normal, and we'd be happy to help ya out!
I'm so glad you found the channel! Welcome to the community here at Gospel Simplicity. I'm grateful to have you as a part of it. I really appreciate your kind words and advice. I think going to an English service would be a good idea.
Gospel Simplicity Yes you’ll definitely understand everything so much better in English- and it’s all around Jesus. Everything centers around him and what he did for us. And I don’t know if you’ve thought about giving a missal you can read the liturgy of the mass and the Bible readings for each mass. I am a recent convert. I just finished RCIA well we were supposed to finish around Easter time but the pandemic had other ideas for our group being brought into full communion with the Catholic Church. God’s timing. I love it and I know that God led me to the place where I’m supposed to be. God bless you.
The priest facing the altar is called “ad orientum”. The reason is the total focus on Jesus being offered in an unbloody sacrifice. It is said that choirs of angels are summoned to the altar at the time of transubstantiation and heart and mind should be totally absorbed in adoration. The mass, for the most part is about one hour, is the greatest prayer and belongs to God alone. Fellowship is just fine when done in the other 23 hours
As a Catholic, in my early 60's, I was more than interested in your analysis of the Catholic Mass. Firstly, thank you for being so open-minded and making the effort to see what our Mass is all about. Our mass is a celebration of the Eucharist, which is central to our mass. I have never attended a Latin mass, and I believe I would not feel as passionate about the Latin mass, as I do with the Mass in English. in the past, I attended mass in different European churches, where I did not understand the foreign language masses, and I couldn't get involved in those, e.g. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. I worked in Africa (Zambia) where I attended a lot of Anglican Church services and while the music of the passionate churchgoers was really uplifting, I found the main emphasis at those services was always on the Bible readings, which went on too long and wasn't reverent overall. I applaud your commitment to your faith, and great to see your discussion on inter-church commonalities, rather than inter-church differences. Keep up your commitment to our common Father (Christ)
I’m not Catholic or Protestant (I’m a Jewish Believer in Yeshua/Jesus) but I commend you for your willingness to learn and explore things for yourself. Great video!
HI CAMILLE IVE BEEN ON A SITE THAT FEATURES WOMEN FROM BRAZIL IM LOOKING FOR A CATHOLIC WOMAN HERE IN MY PART OF THE WORLD IN THE AREA I AM THERE IS NOT A GOOD AMOUNT OF CHOICES , THE WOMEN IN BRAZIL AND THE AREA ARE BEAUTIFUL.BUT I WANT MORE THAN THAT AND THAT BEAUTY CAN SCARE YOU BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THEIR HEART ❤️ I S 😁😁🌹🙏🙏
This was a beautiful witness, brother. Your openness to learn about our faith is honestly very humbling. At one point you mentioned that maybe you were "expecting the mass to do something it's not designed to do", and I think you're on the right track there. That sentiment in particular may help guide you in resolving some of your criticisms from this experience. Much encouragement and prayer, brother, thanks!
@@GospelSimplicity A book which was recommended to me and which I now am reading is, "The Hidden Treasure - Holy Mass" written by St. Leonard of Port Maurice. I recommend purchasing a recent printing from 2012, Tan Publishers.
Hey Austin, I just finished watching your video, that was quite educational. I never knew a lot about Catholicism and hearing your perspective and approach to it was very beneficial, It's compelling me to open up my mind towards the different denominations and how I should approach them. Your video was so well made and I loved the new production style, I'm really looking forward to more videos like this!
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Andrew. I really appreciate that. Glad you enjoyed the different style! It was definitely more work, but I had a lot of fun making it.
hello Andrew, I'm super glad you see a benefit in opening up on Catholisism :). Just a quick observation on your comment, the Catholic and Orthodox Church are not a denomination (a sub-group within a religious group; this term is mostly known/applied within protestantism).
Wow, great honest reflection. I had no idea you are in Chicago. I would recommend you check out St. Joseph in Old Town for just a traditional (non-Latin) Mass. The priests who give the homily (sermon) are some of the most heart-felt reflection of how to apply the Gospels to our life. And the choir is amazing! (especially when in full-form, although that will likely be a while due to the pandemic, as they are now only using one cantor). Beautiful church too. Although I appreciate the Latin Mass, I also feel I need to connect with the Gospel readings and hear the homilies, and be able to connect to the music and everything. To be honest with you, you went to the type of Mass that is much more rare, and wouldn't be representative of the "typical" Catholic Mass experience. Definitely check out a traditional (non-Latin) mass, as that will give you a more representative experience. During those Masses, many kids attend Religious Education during Mass. Glad you got a new experience. As a millennial age Catholic, I think I have only ever attended a Latin Mass once or twice in my life.
Thank you for the kind words and the recommendation! Unfortunately the pandemic certainly does complicate some of those things. I think you bring up a good point that this isn't a representative service of the majority of Catholicism (at least post-Vatican II). Part of that made it interesting, but to get a better picture of Catholicism I should probably try a Novus Ordo as well. Thanks for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts!
If you’re looking for a good primer on Catholicism, read “Catholicism for Dummies” by Fr. Ken Brighenti and Fr. John Trigilio. It’s structured just like the other (pick a topic) dummies books and it’s meant for not just non-Catholics, but adult Catholics who need a refresher course on their faith. If you can find a Catholic companion to explain why we do certain things, that’s great. I am glad you approach things with an open mind. By the way, try the Mass spoken in English, it probably should make more sense. Also, the word Mass( we don’t call it a “service “) comes from the Latin “missa” which means to send. When the priest finally dismisses the congregation, he says “ go in peace, the Mass has ended “ etc.
That sounds like a great book for me! I've found the dummies books surprisingly good despite their horridly ugly covers. It's my pleasure to have an open mind. That's how we learn! Thanks for the clarification and suggestion!
Austin, if I didn't put this across in my comments please forgive me. You might be one of the most open protestants I have come across in like forever.
God bless you for being so opened and honest about your experience. You just made me realised how bless I am to be part of the one true Catholic church and to be part of the Eucharist every time I attend the Holy Mass.
For Protestants watching this video to decide if you want to go to mass: I recommend that you go to an ordinary form mass. While the extraordinary form is beautiful, and is the form that I prefer, it is more difficult for a convert, especially from Protestantism, to understand, as explained in the video. Meanwhile, the ordinary form is in the vernacular (local) language, has a more simple structure, and focuses more on active participation rather than contemplative prayer. After you have become well acquainted with the ordinary form, I suggest looking into the extraordinary form.
Thank you so much for your video. Well thought out, very respectful and kind. I am Catholic and so appreciate my Protestant brothers and sisters seeking to understand. Bless you!
The reason why Protestants go off the rail is because: the day of the Lord, was meant WORSHIP not to learn. For that we have “Bible study” That is the reason, all the reverend, quietness, knelling, sitting, standing, genuflecting and so on. Reverence, reverence, reverence
Amen! A day to be solely attending to the things of Our Lord.. to be reverential , quiet and listening, meditating on the scriptures read at Mass, being especially attentive to and enjoying our families. To be Joyfully alive because you know who you made you, why He made you , why He loves you and redeemed you and how He keeps you secure and all that pertains to your life in His Providential care from day to day.
Understanding as humans is nice and not unimportant but my critique of Protestantism is that they think their understanding is what they see as all important.
I’m absolutely LOVING these videos showing your viewpoint on all things Catholic.. your desire to learn is second to none. I am keeping you in my prayers!!
The mass is primarily a thanks giving service where catholics go to praise God for what He's done for mankind, and feed their soul to become what they eat: Christ-like. To learn more about the Word of God, we attend Bible study. Charles Lake, from the Netherlands 👏🙋♂️
@@GospelSimplicity we engage into small group where we hear more preaching, bible study and sharing. There we experience what protestant do in their regular service. Whilst in mass Holy Eucharist is the center of celebration.. More power and God bless us all.
@@GospelSimplicity I hate to inform you but... the greatest Priests of all time have said those exact same words you did before becoming priests😬 God calls who he calls 🙏🏽
@@GospelSimplicity nothing deep and dark! Just being a young man searching for your place in the world... I watched earlier your testimony video and I also thought that God is calling you to the priesthood... I could be wrong, time will tell.. the reply below... many many great priest had thought exactly as you do now 😅😅😅😉
@@GospelSimplicity All Catholics are "called" to the royal priesthood of Christ. Don't confuse the "royal priesthood" of all Christ's elect [which is universal to the Church] with the "ministerial priesthood" [which pertains to some but not all]. Both are calls to radical holiness. Many Catholics unfortunately treat the "ministerial priesthood" as if it is the only way young men are called to be holy.
@@GospelSimplicity Not to worry, friend. The Holy Spirit guides us, and respects our free will. That said, when we seek Him, the triune Godhead, nothing else matters, and all conflicts fall away.
When I started attending a liturgical church, I used to be critical of what just seemed like dead ritual on the outside. But then one day I realized that the liturgy and all the bells and whistles had penetrated my heart and my thinking and had become a deeper form of worship than the 'free form' I had experienced in other churches. Sometimes I think people are afraid that if they do something too often, like having communion, it will becomes less meaningful and will just mean going through the motions. However, counterintuitively, the more I partook of the 'rituals' and the Eucharist which go along with liturgical worship, the more meaningful they became to me.
I am eight minutes into this guys video and I truly appreciate his openness to Catholicism. He is being truthful, honest, and seeking truth. I pray his journey will be fruitful.
Thank you for this excellent video and your thoughts. I returned to the Catholic faith after more than 50+ years as a Protestant, charismatic and Pentecostal. As someone stated below, the Mass is not meant as entertainment, but a solemn worship of Christ and participating in His Last Supper. I love the liturgy - as you stated that by doing things repetitively you become formed; there is a deep respect for the Lord, and preparing one's self to receive the Eucharist by self-examination or going to confession prior to Mass. Having been a Protestant for so long, it has made my Catholic experience rich and meaningful.
Did you go to a low mass? It sounds like there wasn’t a choir singing or incense being used and despite this you still got so much out of it that’s amazing. If you can you should try to find a well done High Latin Mass. Its breathtaking.
Those are the 2 parts of the Novus Ordo Mass, not the Mass that he attended. In the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM or Extraordinary Form), the Mass is separated into the "Mass of the Catechuments" and the "Mass of the Faithful". I'm not wanting him to get bogged down with technicalities and differences since he's a total newcomer and it's just such a blessing that he experienced his first Catholic Mass and with such open-mindedness and respect.
Thank you for starting the conversation! I am Catholic and grew up in an area which was very anti-Catholic. I appreciate what you are doing to improve the relationship and knowledge between Protestants and Catholics!
As a Catholic, I thank you for the respectful way in which you spoke about the Mass, the parts you loved and not loved so much. New subscriber here 👋🏻 I am so excited for seeing this movement of brothers and sisters who are willing to open conversation with other faiths 🙏🏻 God is so good and I am convinced that as Christians with differences we have much more in common than we think. And this is the perfect time to explore our similarities since we do live in a time where persecution doesn’t care whether one is Catholic or Protestant. The persecution is coming for all believers and this is our time to be united 🙏🏻♥️
It’s my pleasure! I’m excited to have you as a part of the community here at Gospel Simplicity. We’ll be better off as a community for having your voice here, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on future videos. God bless!
As a convert to Catholicism, I understand Austin's confusion about the Mass and it's purpose. He is comparing it to a church service which the Mass is not. A protestant service is mostly a minister delivering his views of the Bible and Christian life in general, with some music. The focus is on the minister. The Mass is worshipping God. The entire Mass is centered around worshipping God. We are in the presence of God and our behavior, demeanor, and focus is on Him. As far as education, that is the purpose of going Sunday School, studying the Catechism, Bible study, and a host of other opportunities. The Church and magisterium play an important role is shaping our spiritual lives. Many Catholic kids go to Catholic schools where Catholic teaching is incorporated into everything they do. Children learn solemn reverence for God in his presence in the Mass. Austin, if you go to another Mass know you are in the presence of God. Take it all in as you have done already. Follow along in the missal but more importantly, just sit in His presence and worship Him.
@@rsnowden Loved all that you shared here with Austin! As a convert, you were able to give him a unique perspective from both sides, and a beautiful and spot on explanation of what happens at a Catholic Mass vs a Protestant worship service. I thought it was great, and I’m sure it cleared up a lot of things for Austin. Also you came across in a very open and positive way, unlike some of my fellow Catholics here who, to me, didn’t sound very charitable. Great insight. 👍
I to was a protestant. When I was a young child I attended mass with my Catholic friends. l know something happened to me at that mass that changed me. I went home and told my mother that when I turned 16 I wanted to become a Catholic, she gave her approval. I am 89 years old now and a devoted Catholic. Thanks be to God.
What a charming story!
Wow, you're mom is awesome!
God bless you
BLESSED 🙌
@@conniepinto3027 cool opposites for me became a adult questioned the Catholic history and leadership and left knowing they are just one of many Churches
I was raised Protestant and when I was 21, I attended a Catholic Mass and the Holy Spirit told me, right when I walked into the Church, that this was where I needed to be. I became Catholic in 1993 and love the Faith. Really enjoyed this video!
//..WHERE'S MARY...A GROWN MAN BOWING DOWN TO AN IDOL OF MARY...THATS DEAD AND BURIED...SHOW VERSES WHERE MARY IS IN HEAVEN...YOU CAN'T.... BECAUSE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH LIES ABOUT HER...ITS A CHURCH THAT LIES ABOU EVERYTHING FOR POWER AND MONEY !!
Imagine discovering Orthodoxy ☦️
//..A GROW MAN BOWING DOWN TO AN IDOL.OF MARY...LIKE AN OLD WOMEN COUNTING BEADS ..A DISGRACE TO MANHOOD ....MARY'S DEAD AND BURIED LIKE ALL THE SO CALLED CATHOLIC SAINTS...
My bredrin.. God Bless you
You dont need to sat Catholic Mass. It is just Mass. Anglo Catholics who are part of the Anglican Communion use the term as well which is annoying as they are not Catholic.
As a former Protestant myself, I love watching this video! I am the Son of a Protestant Pastor who became Roman Catholic in 1995......Having been a Catholic since then has made my life more beautiful and meaningful than ever!!
Glad you’re enjoying the videos!
Justin you rule, proud of you. I too had a Protestant background.
Roman Catholics, Mike Gendron was a Devout Roman Catholic for over 30 years. To my Catholic neighbors, I desperately implore you; to please take the time to watch this video. Your salvation comes by faith in Christ alone. Not of works. Meaning that no indulgence, not the mass, not the rosary, not prayers to Mary, not purgatory. This determines your eternity. It is so clear in the Bible. That there is nothing man can do to earn his salvation. Good works are a result of salvation not a means by which to obtain it. Please read your Bible for your selves. May God bless you all with peace and perseverance understanding and wisdom.🕊
ua-cam.com/video/PGHTiHpiAF4/v-deo.html
Friends you can have assurance of salvation. Jesus said “IT IS FINISHED!” He came to die for us. For our sin. In our place. What does; “it is finished” mean to you in respect to his whole purpose for coming to earth? He didn’t say it is partially paid. And that you would have to continue atonement in purgatory. Or through masses or indulgences. These are a means of obtaining grace by works. Which is clearly on biblical. For it is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone that you receive salvation. It is a free gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. How can you merit unmerited favor?
@speaking truth, of course salvation comes from Jesus alone... That's why we're Catholic... 😊 Pls watch the other videos of Austin. He really sheds light on what non catholics don't understand about our faith.
@@drangeldeguzman68 thank you for your thoughts. Though I have studied Romanism extensively. I am aware of how you see salvation friend. You see, or your faith teaches that Jesus put a down payment on your salvation. And that you must spend time in purgatory finishing the atoning process that Jesus said was finished, Just before he died for our sin. As the complete atonement for it. The Bible says that in a moment we will be changed from corruptible to incorruptible. If I am incorruptible that means there is no more corruption in me. That means I don’t need to spend time in purgatory getting rid of temporal sin, which would be considered corruption. and also considered a work to finish the atoning process to achieve my salvation through my own efforts along with Jesus. 😊
Hi Brother,
I am Roman Catholic and a Seminarian studying to become Priest. I really enjoy watching your videos and I learned a lot thanks for your deep understanding and respect in our Faith May God Bless you always.
I am From Philiplines🇵🇭
That's great to hear! Thanks for watching!
@@GospelSimplicity Hi my brother. I’m also Catholic seminarian:)
Hello. It puts a smile on my face to see seminarians from the Philippines here. Just want to throw it out there that in case you seek a true Catholic formation as priests, please check out Our Lady of Victories in New Manila or ask advice from Fr. Jojo Zerrudo from Most Holy Redeemer Parish in Araneta Ave., QC. Praying for you and al the seminarians out there.
Oh wow. That is amazing. I think it is so beautiful that you are doing that and sacrificing pleasures of the world.
It brings tears of joy to my eyes when people like you devote themselves to God. Can I ask what it was like for you in the moment you realized you were meant to be a priest? I myself feel very empty and numb in my relationship with God so I love hearing peoples personal experiences. Even though I feel numb, it always makes me proud and joyous to hear of peoples profound experiences with the Lord🙌😄
I hope you are doing well on your way to the priesthood☺
@@imadelr oh yes Po! I know that Parish, I used to watch online Latin Mass there.
Praying for you too.
“The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life” Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324.
this will explains every question you asked in this video as to why mass is the way it is. Mostly because of Jewish tradition and what Jesus said in the new testament ua-cam.com/video/P45BHDRA7pU/v-deo.html not to mention the new testament scripture that Jesus mentioned so seriously many times read it carefully and you see what i mean john 6: 25-70
@@ulti8106 spot on! Gotta appreciate Dr. Pitre! Give all Glory to the Lord Our God. I thank God for the great gift of Jesus Christ and His Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Yes, that bread is Christ himself. Thank you.
Attention: Clare B
1John2:5
But whoever keeps His WORD, the Love of GOD is truly PERFECTED in him. This is the way we may know that we are in UNION with Him:
Revelation 19:13
...and His Name is called The WORD of GOD.
Jeremiah 15:16
When I found YOUR WORDS, I DEVOURED them; they became my JOY and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore YOUR Name, O LORD, GOD of hosts.
Colossians 1:17-18
He(JESUS) is BEFORE all things,...
...He(JESUS) is the BEGINNING,...
John 1:1
In the BEGINNING was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD.
Romans 1:25
They exchanged the TRUTH of GOD for a LIE and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the CREATOR, who is BLESSED FOREVER. Amen.
Romans 10:3-4
For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from GOD and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of GOD.
For Christ is the END of the law for the JUSTIFICATION of everyone who has FAITH.
Ephesians 3:17
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through FAITH.
John 14:23
Jesus answered and said to him,"Whoever loves Me will keep My WORD, and My FATHER will love him, and WE will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
John 10:30
The Father and I are ONE.
1John 1:3
...and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
1John 3:23
And His commandment is this: we should believe in the Name of His Son, JESUS CHRIST,...
John 3:3
Jesus answered and said to him,"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of GOD without being born from ABOVE."
1Peter1:23
You have been born ANEW(AGAIN,ABOVE), not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the LIVING and ABIDING WORD of GOD.
John 17:3
Now this is ETERNAL LIFE, that they should know YOU, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and the ONE whom you sent, JESUS CHRIST.
1John1:10
If we say,"We have NOT sinned," we make Him a liar and His WORD is NOT in us.
(WORD, JESUS, GOD).
John 1:1-2,14
In the BEGINNING was the WORD,
and the WORD was with GOD,
and the WORD was GOD.
He(JESUS) was in the BEGINNING with GOD.
John 1:14
And the WORD(Jesus) became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the FATHER'S ONLY SON, full of grace and TRUTH.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him,"I AM the Way and the TRUTH and the Life(Eternal Life).
1John 5:11-12
And this is the testimony: GOD gave us ETERNAL LIFE, and this Life is in His Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;...
1John 5:5
Who[indeed] is the victor over the world but the one who believes that JESUS is the Son of GOD?
Son of Mary, mother of God or SON of the FATHER???
Romans 1:25
They exchanged the truth of GOD for a LIE and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the CREATOR, who is BLESSED FOREVER.
Luke 1:46
And Mary said:
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD;
my spirit rejoices in GOD my SAVIOR.
John1:14
...the glory as of the FATHER'S ONLY SON, full of grace and TRUTH.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him,"I AM the Way and the TRUTH and the Life.
Matthew 16:15-16
He(Jesus) said to them, "But who do you say that I AM?"
Simon Peter said in reply,"You are CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD."
SON of the FATHER or Son of Mary, mother of God???
Matthew 7:13,21
...for the gate is WIDE and the road BROAD that leads to DESTRUCTION, and those who enter through it are MANY.
Not everyone who says to Me,'LORD, LORD,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My FATHER in heaven.
John 3:3
...no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from ABOVE.
1Peter1:23
You have been born anew(again, above), not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the LIVING and ABIDING WORD of GOD.
1John 2:5
But whoever KEEPS His WORD, the LOVE of GOD is TRULY PERFECTED in him. This is the way we may know that we are in UNION(CONNECTION) with Him(JESUS,GOD):
Transubstantiation is a main difference between Catholics and Baptist’s. We believe the elements are symbolic and that we do it because Christ ordained it. Hence, it is called the ordinance of the lord’s supper.
I’ve attended mass for the first time last week and the experience was incredible beautiful and welcoming! I’m now looking into converting to catholicism.
You are in the right path in the Catholic Church....this is only the church founded by God our Lord Jesus Christ
God bless you
We really do receive Jesus alive at mass. I feel his presence in my soul after receiving each time. And mother Mary is very present with Jesus bringing us all to Jesus and so loving x
Hey brother,
I'm humbled by your openness and willingness to learn about our faith. I'd like to answer some of your questions/critiques.
He first thing is attend an English mass and you'll follow along a lot better. Secondly, the mass is divided into two parts. The liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. And regardless of hoe it appears to anyone the church has adamantly affirmed that they're equal as both are Jesus. Jesus is the word made flesh. So, there will be an old testament reading, a new testament reading, a psalm verse that's sung by the congregation and lastly the gospel. Eventually, the priest makes a homily around those verses. If you attend mass every single day for 3 years, you'd have read the whole entire bible from front to back. The verses are selected in such a way to show us that the old testament foreshadowed the new and that the new fulfilled it. So, the old and the new testament readings are for the most part parallel. This is to say for the Catholic that intently listens at mass and knows what's going on, they will hear and receive the word.
There are plenty of youth groups eith youth monsters and classes for children, camps etc...to engage them about the love Christ has for them. However, the mass is where we worship as Catholicism and Orthodoxy emphasizes sacrifical worship like the temple worship of the ancient Israelites. This means we worship at mass and nothing else. The attention can't be on the priest or a band or lights, it's a solemn time with the creator. There's nothing wrong with the aforementioned things, we do have those but there's a time and a place for them. Where the Eucharist dwells is a temple and in a temple where Christ dwells, nothing shall compete for his time and space.
I encourage you to keep asking and seeking to further extend this dialogue between all of us. Christ be with us all.
Much love,
From your Catholic Sister.
Very good introduction
Amen Sister
That's very well explained🙏
Beautifully said ❤️❤️
Thank you sister for the very clear explanation.
I am a devout Catholic and hearing these non-toxic remarks from a protestant created a sense of deeper understanding of my faith. It's really interesting. I have attended Baptist and JW's gatherings in the past too. And it was nice that though I have constantly held into my Catholic faiths and beliefs, I got to see and understand theirs too. These kinds of peaceful discussions would be very refreshing to the soul.
I’m glad that this was refreshing for you! It’s great to hear that you are willing to step outside your comfort zone to learn about others. That’s wonderful. God bless!
I agree!! My mom is Catholic and my dad is Protestant, so when I was little I would go to both churches. Also, most of my friends are Protestant and I've been on a protestant retreat. I love discussing (or respectfully debating) with my friends and dad about our views and beliefs :)
I’m a Catholic who grew up Baptist. You’re what we wish all Protestants would be in recognizing and respecting that we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. You’re close to the Kingdom! Hope you keep learning from us and helping us learn from you. I liked your video about your experience with the Catholic Bible Study too.
That is such a beautiful compliment and I'm very grateful for your kindness. Thank you so much
X2
It is time for all Churches of the world to come back to Unity. Thank you for the humble way you approached our Catholic Church. The Lord bless you.
We are brothers n sisters in Christ.
Orthodox, Katholik n Protestant are all children of Christ.
Love is the highest law.
Vito Andolini07 yes! Faith, Hope, and love, and the greatest is love!
Brother, I LOVED this. I understand everything you said. Thank you for your open heart. I was a Protestant pastor for 22 years before converting to Catholicism. I felt many of the things you did.
Keith, thank you so much for your kind words. I came across your content a few months ago and have really been challenged by it and have enjoyed it thoroughly. I’m honored you’d take the time to watch and comment. I’d love to chat some day about your story if that’s something you’d be open to. God bless
Hey Keith nester, your content is great ! Both of your guys’s content is great, keep up the good work ( :
Gospel Simplicity I would love that. Thank you for your kind words.
McSpankey thank you so much!
Aw. Happy you did. Congratulations. 😊
The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ- He is truly present in the host/Eucharist -
Does anyone know the origin of the formulaic foursome "Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity"?
@Scott Bair By that type of logic one could claim that the NT is not mentioned in the Bible either ;-). You should study the practice of the early Church which is the same as today's regarding the understanding of of the Eucharist and Communion. A good book to get started is "The Mass of the Early Christians" by Mike Aquilina. One of the best I've read on the subject. PS. You are wrong about your theology just as you are wrong about John. In John 6:53 the truth of the Eucharist is confirmed. Jesus Himself says, " 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you." Remember, in this chapter Jesus has been explaining the meaning of the "Bread of Life and many listeners are already offended by the time He reaches 6:53 and with it, drives everyone into a frenzy. That the Jews were so heavily offended confirms entirely that they understood that He meant it literally ... and many left Him then. God Bless.
@@frankcioppa Yes. It comes from the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215, where the doctrine of the Transubstantiation was affirmation. Look it up. All Christians believed in this doctrine until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century.
@Scott Bair I have no doubt that people have their reasons for what they believe, yet for us Jesus seems to clearly rebuke them in John 6 (a talk about the Eucharist)
ua-cam.com/video/soCkftBBsBo/v-deo.html
You are so precious ~ it’s wonderful to hear a Protestant be so loving, open, honest, and so respectful .... like a fresh drink of cold water ~ thank you for this ~
Glad this was refreshing! God bless
Joining the Catholic Church..started translating Faure Requiem, it threw me down like judo. It is the mass.
Don’t worry about being confused or not understanding, there are many Catholics yet that don’t understand the church either. But I’m telling you once you understand the mass, you fall in love with it. Thanks for going to the mass, loved this video. You went to a daily mass so it’s a bit different than a Sunday mass so there’s not as much preaching, on Sunday’s there’s much more liturgy and a longer homily, but maybe a novus ordo mass would be more your style, it’s more modern sometimes (depending on your church) but it’s all in English and the priest faces the congregation. St. John Cantius is more of a traditional Latin church (Catholics are very divided about this issue some say we should do away with the novus ordo and only have the Latin mass and vice versa) but the Eucharist is always our main focus, we believe it’s our means to salvation, it’s our “spiritual food” and gives us strength in this life and prepares us for the next.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” ~ Jn 6: 52-58
So part of that is why we have such an emphasis on the Eucharist.
If you ever go back you can get what’s called a Sunday missal and it guides you through the mass and explains it, and then you know what to respond to when the priest is saying what he’s saying.
Sorry I said way more than I thought lol, thanks again for the video!
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm glad that you enjoyed the video. I appreciate the recommendation of the missal. It sounds like those are quite useful.
@@GospelSimplicity They are!
I LOVE my missals! Depending on what missal you get, you can learn a lot from them.
Also, in the missal includes the readings and prayers of the day in English, so you can read ahead and know exactly what is being said and meditate on them.
Good video, by the way! I really appreciate how open you are. It's quite nice and refreshing from what all else I've seen and experienced with some other protestants (and non-Christians).
Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It will be very helpful.
Austin, you were brave to go to mass alone for the first time, especially a Latin one ! Nick D. Did a good job of saying what I would say, so I'll just add that some parishes have children's liturgies, at least at the Novis Ordo churches. Again, kudos to you!
You're so right. I grew up Catholic but I never understood it growing up. I read a book about how to live the Mass and it has completely changed the way I see Mass.
Also, a Latin high mass, with a choir, is truly incredible to see
I think I would enjoy that
I'll ty to add a link to one on youtube
ua-cam.com/video/aqIl7IB3n4g/v-deo.html
Here's one that I found. I know it's long, but it's quite beautiful
@Gospel Simplicity
The words you said it was great
@Gospel Simplicity
The mass is worshiping God in the holy Eucharist. Not about the speech,
The thing to remember about "Catholic Calisthenics" :) the standing, kneeling, and standing, is that it is directly related to royalty. Here in America we've abandoned every notion of respect coming out of royalty. In Catholicism, we believe that Jesus Christ, our King, becomes present on the altar at the consecration. So in the first part of the Mass (Liturgy of the Word), where Scripture is read and explained (homily), we stand at the beginning NOT for the priest, but for the Bible that the priest or deacon is carrying. We sit for the readings except we stand for the Gospel, as it is a royal proclamation (as it were) from our King. We sit for the sermon, then stand for a series of prayers. When those are done, we kneel in preparation for the arrival of the King. We stand during the Lord's Prayer, and then we kneel for the rest of the service (as one does in the presence of the King).
Hope this helps, and I am so very glad that you treated the Mass with respect!
Haha, I love the way you put that! Thanks!
Good Catholics around the world.... Thank you jee.... Greetings from India...
Jim, that is my idea precisely. The idea of Jesus as a king has always struck me as problematic. You know, King (George III) = bad guy. To really und e r stand the liturgy it helps to understand that we are in a Renaissance European court and its ceremony.
Another excellent explanation of our beloved Catholic mass. Well done!
Another way to think of kneeling is making yourself small in the Lord’s presence
I was very touched by your reverence. As a Catholic you are my brother in Christ 🙏🏼💜
I’m glad that impacted you. Happy to call you my sister in Christ. God bless!
@@GospelSimplicity WE can not agree with catholism because it is NOT A DENOMINATION nor a religion BUT A CULT.
.THEY HAVE A FORM of God and mimic Christ and Christianity THEY ARE DELUSIONAL AND SOLD DELUSIONS.....they are false
Communion is the reason for mass
That was the impression I got
Thank God its only until Jesus comes again in Glory.
Its a calling so your feelings really are stupid.
@@GospelSimplicitythe early Christians were all about the Eucharist.God bless
Not completely accurate. The very essence of the Holy Mass is the Sacrifice.
The Mass is worship of God
The mass is not entertainment
We don’t got to Mass to be entertained.
We got to praise Him
Dave Smietanski thanks!
We go not only to worship we go to meet Jesus ,just as h3 promised.
AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!!!!!
@Monica Merino it explains it in the BIBLE ..and of course protestants will not undrstand it since those that wrote it are buried in our church and our church compiled it in the year 382 by Pope Damuses 1. Protestants took it from us and tore out 7 books from it and twist the word of God..sadly but true. Thats why they do not understand the babtism of babies, purgatory, confessing to a priest, the priest celebacy, the Holy Eucharist,the IMPORTANCE of Mary( secret of the BIBLE) etc..etc.and all these I can prove it with the Bible. Before you call the Church of Crist "crazy" ..please do some research. God bless you
@Monica Merino ok..let's do CONFESSION first..and I will show you in THE BIBLE where Jesus gave the power to men to forgive our sins so we can confess to them and you will send me the verses where it says "confess to God only" ( and trust me , it's not there because it is man made doctrine from a church founded by man) God already knows our sins 😁
Once I'll get off from work..I'll send you the verses tonight. And tommorow another topic. Etc. Meanwhile since you brought out this topic about the EUCHARIST...explain this....and note: the first one happened 1,200 years ago and the blood matches and it is from the SAME PERSON..JESUS!
ua-cam.com/video/ttdcfZyQrs4/v-deo.html
The worship in the Catholic Church involves all of our senses - eyes, ears, tongue, touch... all of our actions- kneeling, standing, responding, silence, prayer, etc are all aimed and focused on Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Sometimes, even out of necessity, silence before our Lord in the Eucharist is enough. If Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, I will not exchange it with any Protestant pastor’s preaching or the best homily of a priest. Jesus very presence is enough - more than enough - for us to be transformed.
As I said in the video, if transubstantiation or even just real presence is true, then that certainly should be the center of the service.
How have you thought of this wise interpretation of the Eucharist.... I truly appreciate you .... I regret out of hate to have read this from someone else than me.... Truly beautiful thought.... Greetings from India...
@@GospelSimplicity If you are interested, Blessed Carlo Acutis created a website dedicated to Eucharistic miracles. The Eucharist has been what keeps me anchored to the Catholic Church.
As a catholic can you please consider these questions: Why pray for the dead (everyone is responsible for their own salvation)
Why believe in pur gatory (Jesu.s's shed blood on the cross was sufficient to atone for all sins if you repent and choose him).Jesus mentioned hell about 70 times
biblereasons.com/hell/
There's only heaven or hell.
Why pray to mary?
👉1 Timothy 2:5👈
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Je.sus.
Same with saints and saying ritualistic repetitive prayers like the rosary -👉Matthew 6:7👈
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
The 'our Father' is biblical, the rosary is not. Only Jes.us is infallible, perfect and worthy of all our praise.
mary is lifted up as much as Jesu.s and our eyes should only be on him. I respect her for bringing Jesus into the world but only Jesus 🐑🩸🦁✝️hung on the cross and suffered and died an agonising death for our sins
You need to be born again as adult or from age where you understand what sin is, a baby is pure and innocent so should not be ba.ptised into the faith or of they are it should be for like a naming celebration or ceremony.
I know there are a lot of earnest Catholics but unless one is born again you can never get the understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit. That is why so many can't see how unbiblical 'some' of the catholic prayers are.
Please read your bible and discover the full truth for yourself.
Romans 10:17 -
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Go.d.
Check this great website out too www.aocnetwork.org/
Please understand I say this with love and grave concern for your eternal soul nothing else. You can be a true Chris.tian irrespective of denomination (but it can be hard to grow in a non full-bible believing and teaching church) but you must be born again #john316
In the Catholic Faith we often speak about the sacraments, transformation, and restoration. What does it men to live inside the sacramental life? Are the sacraments necessary for our eternal salvation? Absolutely 100% Yes! Almost 80% of Catholics Christians and 100% of Protestant Christians don’t understand the Catholic faith. St. Peter said: we are all here to become partakers of the Divine Nature. What does that mean? Our nature is fallen because of original sin, we struggle with “Concupiscence”, our intellects are all malformed, and we have a natural desire and inclination towards sin, and the pleasures that sinning brings us. Our moral compasses are all off about fifteen degrees from north, because of our inheritance of original sin. If we were to pass in this state of being, it would be absolutely impossible for us to live or enter into Heaven. Our transformation and restoration is found in obedience to Gods word, and living out a holy and devout life, inside the Holy! Sacramental life. Jesus Christ instituted seven sacraments for a reason; to give us sanctifying grace. “Supernatural, Sanctifying Grace” Is the kind of grace all the Saint were in constant pursuit of, they understood with their intellect, which is our likeness to God, that every time they entered into the sacrament of reconciliation and partook worthily! of the most holy sacrament of the alter: The Most Holy Eucharist, they were having a radical encounter with the Most Blessed Trinity. They understood every time they participated in the sacrament they were being infused with God the Fathers” very own Divine Nature. Wow! we are being infused with the Divine Nature and divine life of God our Father. Inside of this Divine mystery is we’re our Divinity is being transformed and restored overtime, back into its original design which was divine, before the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve. No one can come to the Father unless the Father calls them, and No one can come to the Father except through the Son. The Homy Eucharist, The true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Blessed are those who are called to the Super of The Lamb. We need to say yes to Gods call and obey His Church and all His Commandments. Jesus said: if you truly loved Me then you would “obey” all that I’ve commanded you, and then Ny Father and I will come and live inside of you. Great Protestants become Catholics and weak Catholics become Protestants. God Bless!
The Mass is always centered in the Eucharist.
Thanks!
The Eucharist made me Catholic. ❤️
@@anyefood-heaven1782 Wow ......i thought Jesus made one a child of God by the supernatural born again from above and of the Lord. The spirit of the Lord does not BECOME present in what one or eat .....but in the supernatural birth. It is a false DOCTRINE and makes man bypass the baptism John the Baptist spoke of the ONE WHO COMES AFTER HIM...... Horrible
New subscriber here. The Holy Eucharist is the center of the mass celebration... it's more on the worshipping of the body of Christ in the Eucharist. We Catholic believe that we partake in the Body blood soul and divinity of God... ThAnk you very much for sharing your experience... God bless
@@TriciaRP Hi Trisha, I think you might have misunderstood what Anye said. We as Catholics believe in becoming a child of God through baptism and the Holy Spirit.
"Blessed are those called to the supper of the lamb"
Amen
"Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."
@@SquirrellyFries Austin was literally in the Presence of the Lamb of God! 😮
Amen.
@@SquirrellyFries Amen
As a lifelong protestant I felt I had missed something.I have been Catholic now for nearly 20 years.My Catholic faith has gotten me through many hardships in these last few years.God calls us where he wills to where our faith in him grows.You are welcome anytime to Mass at our parish.I am Roman Catholic so most of our Mass are in English or Spanish.But we do use Latin as well.God Bless 🙏
Thank you for sharing your story!
I love your comments about the large family and children. We have a saying, “A church that isn’t crying is dieing.” You are correct, we attend Mass, as a community, for our encounter with Christ through the Eucharist. As family, it is our job to get each other to heaven. Mass is heaven on earth...we bring our children. Slowly, they learn reverence as they mature and learn content. Parents often wonder, briefly, why we went to Mass with our squirrelly children. Then we remember our purpose. Jesus told us how He feels about children. He wants them there so we bring them and we learn as we teach them. Thank you for these videos. Your honesty and respect is beautiful.
Well we do have catechism.....can't say it's real fun but ya lol
I went to Mass for the first time as a Protestant and was surprised the little ones all stayed for the service. And grateful, too, I could watch the parents giving instruction and follow along, lol! I think it's a wonderful practice!
Austin, you are a very special young man. I believe God has something special for you in your life. I will pray that you will find (or perhaps have already found) peace in the truth. I look forward to hearing more about your journey in the future!
Thank you so much for your honest opinion about Catholic Church and Mass. Last year around this time, I was a Protestant. My husband is Catholic and I had learned about Catholic faith a lot from him and Catholic speakers and priests who my husband introduced me to. I love the Catholic Church we go to and when the priest said to the congregation in August 2019, "If you would like to know more about Catholicism, come to RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults)." I thought God spoke to me through the priest and decided to attend RCIA. This year on Pentecost (it was supposed to be on Easter) I became Catholic. I took about 7 years to come to that point. Just as you said in the video, I so appreciate Eucharist and seeing Jesus on the cross and being able to receive Him whenever we go to Mass. During the RCIA, as the priest told us things I didn't know before, sometimes, I struggled to accept them as truth. However, with God's help, my heart was opened and now I believe in Eucharist and many other things I didn't know as a Protestant. My husband and I have been praying for the unity of all Christians. Your video encouraged us very much. Thank you for your open heart and love for Jesus. If you are interested, here is our church videos. There are Sunday Mass videos as well in English. lourdesdenver.org/videos/ May God continue to bless you!
I so appreciate your support and I’m so glad to hear that this video video was encouraging for you and your husband. Thanks for sharing your story! Sounds like quite the journey and I’m sure much more discovery is ahead. Thanks for the link! God bless
Christian unity but not at the expense of ditching parts of the Catholic Faith which is central despite what you might have been told, to the Faith. True belief and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, proper prayer devotion to Our Lady through the Rosary and hymns and many more...
Two cents from a Catholic who stumbled on this via algorithm:
1. The church has programs for kids. Both full Catholic Schools and Sunday-School style classes. You're right that the mass, while about teaching the word in the first half, is not primarily focused on that. The focus is receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. Anyone can preach the word at any time. Only a Priest in the mass can consecrate the Eucharist.
2. If you go to an English mass, you'll have a much easier time following along. You'll recognize many bible quotes and paraphrases in the liturgy, particularly from the Revelation of John.
I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. I like listening to what Protestants have to say. You guys have some excellent qualities that we Catholics could learn from.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate your charitable perspective about how Catholics can learn from Protestants (and I'm assuming you'd agree, vice-versa). Those are helpful points that you make. Thanks! Glad the UA-cam algorithms sent you my way.
Andy Polasek agreed! And also, dear trads who hate on Novus Ordo, this is why it has a place in the church too.
Melissa Eberhart 100% agree. Both the Extraordinary Form and the Ordinary Form are spiritually beneficial. We should not be putting down any form of the mass as it has Christ’s presence both spiritually and physically in the Eucharist. Saints have used both forms.
Conservative Catholic Amen and thanks be to God!
Don't go to an English mass. Stick with the traditional latin mass, which has no protestant after taste.
I was born in Africa of a deeply Catholic Irish family, priests and all. However we lived in remote areas resulting in my being very poorly catechised although I did receive all the sacrements. During my military service I was drawn into Protestantism that eventually bored me. Long story short I discovered my Catholicism after 30 years of lukewarm Protestant faith. God knows what he is doing 'cos without Protestantism I would have been lost to the faith. Protestantism kept me safe until I rediscovered my Catholicism. There, a far deeper pool of spiritual knowledge cured my spiritual bordom, exposed my hubris, taught me real worship and the reality of Christ in this world via his presence in Eucharist. I so understand this video. Thank you.
Now you should give back and teach others about your faith
@@bellanitocortez-rodriguez9235
Why do you say that? You have made an assumption that I am curious about.
Thank you for sharing your story! I'm glad that you can appreciate what God is doing in Protestant churches as well.
@@GospelSimplicity a catholic that becomes protestant, becomes protestant because of ignorance, a protestant becomes catholic, because they found the right church through knowledge.
I never would have become Catholic if my parents hadn't told me to read the Bible and pray.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith as Catholics. So glad you went to mass. When you learn more about what is happening it is truly beautiful.
It was my pleasure! Thanks for watching the video and leaving a comment
I'm a practicing Catholic and currently going through a deeper conversion in my faith. I enjoyed your video and thanks for your honest and objective views of the Mass and the Catholic Church, in general. God bless you on your journey.
My pleasure!
“What a privilege that would be” - about the Eucharist. That’s exactly how we Catholics feel. You should definitely read a bit about the Church history and Saint’s life, hope you come back home. All the best
Glad I expressed your views well.
@@GospelSimplicity
Chatholic mass is a sacrifice of christ. the sacrifice repeats over and over. And only the ineficient saceifices repeat. The book of hebrews tells us the sacrifice was made just one time and it tells us that when a sacrifice is perfect theres no need for repetitions.
In the old covenant people sined and offered a lamb they sinned agsin and offered a lamb those were sacrifices that didnt made people walk away from sin. They kept on sinning. And made the sacrifice. It had to be repeatead because it was ineficient. Nobody cared about those lambs so they kept on sinning. But the scripture says that the sacrifice of christ was perfect it makes people walk away from sin. And theres no need for repetitions, we sin we sacrifice christ we sin again and we sacrifice christ. Because we cannot walk away from sin. No. That is equating the sacrifice of christ to the ineficient sacrifices of rhe past. Watch fred tarsitanos video about catholic mass putting chist sacrifice to shame.
@@saramolina8911 I can appreciate what you are trying to say. However, please understand, a sacrifice is not simply repeated over and over. Rather it is the memorial being the same sacrifice that Christ did on the night of the Last Supper. It isn't another sacrifice, but the same, we're transported, supernaturally to unite with our sins and offerings to our time. In fact, I'm 48 years old. My participation in the "Once for all Sacrifice" is the same as last week, the same as when I was 30, and the same as when I was 12. To your point about the Old Testament Lamb during the Passover, the yearly Passover is a memorial of the original Passover, where the Jews celebrating it are transported, supernaturally to the original Passover, when the Lord brought "me" out of Egypt.
God bless 🙏
@@michaelverde4844 hello, thanks for your bessings and the same to you.
no. Its not a memorial, we have a memorial, we dont have a sacrifice.
You have a sacrifice the catechism says in every mass there is a victim. The same sacrifice and that cannot be. If christ has to do his sacrifice over and over agsin or we have to repeat the same sacrifice its because its ineficient. Christ sacrifice doesnt repeat in any way because repetition of sacrifices is a characteristic of ineficiency. Thats why they had to be repeated. The book of hebrews says that if the sacrifices would have been eficient they would have ceased to do them. We have a cinmemoration of the sacrifice, not the sacrifice itself. Because it can not be repeated, it can be remembered but not repeated. Christ doesnot sacrifices many times and the liturgy of the sacrifice is not done many times he did the liturgy on time and then he just sat to wait. He doesnt do the sacrifice anymore snd he doesnt perform the liturgy anymore. He is the priest and the liturgy of that sacrifice cannot be done in terrenal tabernacle or temple, the book of hebrews says this and that if christ had remained in earth he wouldnt even be priest (hebrews 8) cause the early priest are the levites, so the liturgy of his sacrifice csn not be done here.
The sacrifice of christ was perfect it makes people wslk away from sin, so he doesnt have to be victimized again and again.
God bless you too
@@saramolina8911 Hello. I do not intend to go back and forth. I do not look to "win" any particular point. My experience on Social media is that these topics will escalate.
Yes you and I agree the Mass is truly a Sacrifice, an unbloody, Order of Melchizedek, New Passover Sacrifice, where Christ is the victim and the high Priest. When He told His disciples to 'Do' this, He instituted the new Priesthood with His new 'once-for-all' sacrifice as the Jewish men would have undertood that Priests offer sacrifices. This is what Christians understood the "Breaking of Bread", the "giving of thanks (aka. Eucharist)", "The Lamb's Supper" to mean for over 1500 yrs. until different perspectives were introduced. I can understand, not everyone grasps this in today's splintered Post-Christian world. I thank you for a respectful dialogue. May peace of Christ continue to be with you. Peace.
The One,Holy,Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ has ever been alive and active in the world. The world doesn't like it. Modernism seeps in but the Church finally wins. Wishes from India.
Thanks for tuning in from India!
As a catholic can you please consider these questions: Why pray for the dead (everyone is responsible for their own salvation) why believe in pur gatory (Jesu.s's shed blood on the cross was sufficient to atone for all sins if you repent and choose him).
The biggest error or false doctrine to me is purgatory, it's not biblical biblereasons.com/hell/
There's only heaven or hell.
Why pray to mary?
👉1 Timothy 2:5👈
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Je.sus.
Same with saints and saying empty ritualistic repetitive prayers like the rosary -👉Matthew 6:7👈
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
The 'our Father' is biblical, the rosary is not.
The scripture regarding calling others 'rabbi/father' always stood out to me as being wrong when Je.sus is the head of the church. Only Jes.us is infallible, perfect and worthy of all our praise.
mary is lifted up more than Jesu.s and our eyes should only be on him.
You need to be born again as adult or from age where you understand what sin is, a baby is pure and innocent so should not be ba.ptised into the faith or of they are it should be for like a naming celebration or ceremony.
Why is canon law needed, the bible doesn't need any addition? You are denying the finished work of the cross.
👉Proverbs 30:5-6 👈
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
Jes.us alone and being born again only way to heaven.
I know there are a lot of earnest Catholics but unless one is born again you can never get the understanding that comes from the Holy Spirit (which should come from one's own volition not a scheduled school calendar confirmation). That is why so many can't see how unbiblical it is.
Please read your bible and discover the full truth for yourself.
Romans 10:17 -
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Go.d.
Check this great website out too www.aocnetwork.org/
Please understand I say this with love and grave concern for your eternal soul nothing else. You can be a true Chris.tian irrespective of denomination but you must be born again #john316
@Tania
No where in the bible were innocent babies baptised. True conversion is a repentance and a change of heart not a religious tradition. chucketate.com/2014/12/16/4-reasons-you-should-not-pray-to-mary/
Jesus is the head of the true Christian church not the Pope or Luther).
I admire Martin Luther for challenging the domineering institution of the Catholic Church at the time. It was the selling of indulgences in particular that made him realise it was not of the true God. The Popes of that time will have a lot to answer for. It was a false doctrine from the pit of hell to think you could buy your way into heaven and now they have the audacity to say they are the one true church.
Religion never sent anyone to heaven only a true relationship with the living God of the Holy Inspired inerrant Word of God. The Pope is not infallible only God is, he is not alligned with the bible. He appears to be trying to unite all religions into a One World religion like Chrislam which contradicts Jesus's teaching, also this is predicted in the bible as being one of the signs of the end times before Jesus returns. There won't be just a few days of darkness like Padre Pio referred to but there will be 7 years of tribulation on earth when the #antichrist will deceive many, Jesus will be our only hope not Budha, hindu Gods, religion or other false gods. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in
👉HIM 👈should not perish but have eternal life. Notice it doesn't say mary and saints.
If there was a purgatory why would Jesus refer to hell about 70 times in the New Testament. It's blasphemy to think that Jesus's death on the cross wasn't sufficient despite him saying 'It is finished'.
We can go direct to Jesus we don't need priests to confess our sins to:
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, 👉HE👈 is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
No one should be beyond correction just like the 7 churches in Revelations.
Eternity is a long time so I would urge you to check your own heart and conscience only God and you know if you really know him as a Father, Lord and Saviour not just a religion.
If you really knew and fully understood the depths of what Jesus did on the cross for you, you would be convicted it's wrong (although I respect her as an important woman in history) to pray to mary and saints (in bible all God's children are saints).
God alone deserves all the glory, worship, respect and honour
Not founded by Jesus, I would say satan
I am Catholic too but in that creed, the word Catholic doesn't actually relate to the Catholic church it means universal and that the word is universal and spread wide and that we all believe that Jesus is the Messiah
The center of the Church/Mass is not the Priest, it is Jesus - The Eucharist. I would say Catechism should help everyone to understand more and also studying the Early Church Fathers, of course, the history of Christianity when it comes to the Catholic(Universal) Church. I would emphasize a point from a Catholic point of view (I am not a theologian, I am still studying) when it comes to Protestant services: you know, I feel like the Pastor is the center of the gathering, but instead, it should be Jesus and all the worshiping by thanking Him for the Salvation by his Sacrifice for all of us. And how is this done? By respecting His teachings and the Apostles teachings. Why? If we do not respect this, how we are suppose to believe in Him? I mean, so many things Jesus told us and if we, as Christians don't obey that, then how am I supposed to believe in Him when we do not believe His words - The Word Himself? A beautiful thing that Apostles did is when They went from home to home and going up with the most beautiful thing that goes with the Mass: The Eucharist (most highest Sacrament). This, people. Adopt the same view as our Christian ancestors! The Early Church Fathers! Peace and Blesses to All of you, my brothers and sisters! :)
Thanks for sharing your perspective! While I would agree that often times the preacher can become the center of the service, I think very few Protestants would say that is their intention. I think they would agree that Jesus should be the center. They might just disagree on the best way to make Jesus the center.
Gospel Simplicity Pax et Bonum, brother and thank you for your reply! The intention may not be there, but unfortunately that is happening. "Take and eat; this is my body." ... (Matthew 26:26-28), He is clearly saying that THAT IS HIS BODY, not a SYMBOL of His body, BUT HIS BODY - JESUS HIMSELF. He was clear, then why should we question Him, why re-interpreting His words?
How are we living without Him?!?!
Why do we need a Mass when Jesus physically is not there with us? We could call it Bible studies session, but a Mass?!?!
My Christian brother, I wish you all the best on your journey finding your Way as it is there, you just need to open your heart and mind for it!
This mesage is for all us, too! #staysafe 😊🙏
The purpose of the mass is to re-present the sacrifice in a unbloody way to the world for all eternity. Thus we become co-redeemers of ourselves and of the whole universe as our prayers are lifted together to heaven.
I was a Protestant that converted to Catholicism through Catholic History. JS. :)
Thanks for sharing!
You converted through catholic history? Just curious, did your study of history include the catholic inquisitions, where millions of non-Catholic saints were brutally murdered as "heretics" by the "holy" Roman Catholic papacy?
Did your study include the Jesuit extreme oath of induction, wherein jesuit priests must swear to kill Protestants whenever the pope gives the orders?
Did your study include how Constantine brought in many pagan customs into his catholic church state, to unify the empire, including Mary as queen of heaven, and lent to replace 40 days of weeping for Tammuz?
Just historical facts to consider.
@@TIJoe-te9qu The Inquistion barely killed anyone in 3 centurys. Matter of fact criminals would often cause some sort of blasphemy so they could be tried by priests instead of a secular court. Christian haters would inflate the number because they added the deaths from natives from small pox in Central and South America. Also a million dead in Europe would have been noticed in 1400s. The Crusades were a justified responses to 400 years of Muslim invasions and aggressions. Constantine was almost outnumbered in all his battles against Roman Pagans and Barbarian Pagans was all ways victorious, built hundred Churches, made Chirstianity legal with the edict of Milan, had the first ecumenicals council of Bishops in Nicea where the first heresys like gnostics and arians were rooted out and exiled. And he was the moderator not someone who participated. Also his mother Saint Helena went on a pilgramige to Jerusalem, found the True Cross and founded one of the most holy of all Churches, The Church of the Holy Spelchuer
The Eucharist is the Mass, and the Mass in a sense is the Eucharist.
The Mass is the most important form of prayer in the Church. One thing I have noticed a lot of my protestant family and friends don't know or fully understand is that while Catholics do pray in the way most protestants do, we also have prayers that are made up of multiple, traditional in a sense, prayers.
The point of the Mass is to partake of the Holy Eucharist, or the communion rite. Every Mass reaches its zenith with the consecration of the Host and the Wine.
Partaking of the Eucharist is the most important thing a Catholic does in their life, it is deeply personal. During the Mass, the faithful on earth, and the faithful who rest in the glory of God, come together to partake of the Last Supper, and celebrate the perpetual sacrifice that cleansed us all. It is a moment that transcends time and space, where Christ himself invites us to eat with him and his disciples, to spiritually be present in that moment of his life.
I only very recently came back to my faith, so this all is extremely meaningful to me, the Eucharist is why I love being Catholic.
I find it beautiful that, every day, regardless of city, country, or time zone, all the faithful come together in a timeles moment to remember, and honor, that sacrifice for us all.
Regardless of language the Mass is the same in every parish, with only the Homily after the readings differing doe each local body.
I was a bit worried watching this, but was pleasantly surprised. Unlike a lot of people even if you don't understand it all you don't immediately attack or even condem.
So many people online, and especially on UA-cam, don't endeavor to understand, but instead, in their efforts to disprove, or stoke their superiority complexs, misrepresent, or downright falsify the Doctrine and Dogma of the Church.
This video was something I really needed with everything going on in the world right now. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Also don't worry about the terminology, I'm technically a cradle Catholic and even I forgot sometimes.
I was born catholic, but in college I started going to a Protestant church (in addition to evening mass) because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay catholic. The Eucharist is what brought me back.
I’m glad we both found our way back home ❤️
God bless you!
What an awesome young man you are! As a Aussie Catholic listening to you, you were very respectful! So nice to see this UA-cam. Thank you!
Thank you for the encouragement!
Another thought about kids in Mass: The Mass is a family dinner, the ultimate Feast. So just like any family dinner, you will see some who are bored, some who are engaged, some who are quiet and contemplative, some who are struggling to sit still, etc. Everyone is present in their own capacity and that capacity will vary depending on where they are in life. Just like being welcomed into a family dinner, there are nuances and traditions that seem strange and unfamiliar at first. Over time, familiarity develops and you find yourself participating as if you’ve been a part of it your whole life. It’s important for kids to be a part of this feast because they are a part of the family of God. Jesus forbade us from keeping the children from Him, so we bring them into His physical presence in the Mass. We love Jesus, and we love our children, so we want them to be together, physically, in the Mass. ❤️
Both my children when they were young loved mass. God wants them there!
"Everyone is present in their own capacity...". I bless you for saying that . Your words give me such hope for good ways to interact with my family. Sometimes these days my children tend to not understand the behaviors of each other and say things that are not uplifting . This phrase will go a long way in my conversations. God bless you.
@@lovelettknight9344 The Holy Spirit is so good! I'm so glad those words helped. God bless you and your family!
@@J.J.V YES! I think of all of the times when I'm distracted by my kids, my own thoughts, someone sitting next to me, etc. To be honest, if we were 'fully aware' of what is happening in Mass, we would fall on our faces and never be able to get up again, so not a one of us is 'fully present.' Thankfully, since God gave us our nature, He fully understands it and gives us grace. It's hard to give it to ourselves sometimes though!
I also just wanted to add, if it hasn’t already be said so; The children in my prish community are taught at a separate time, separate from the Mass. We (I) teach faith formation classes ranged from K- High School and Sacramental prep. We do the “fun things” during these classes to learn and then go to Mass to grow.
I cannot wait to catch up on all your videos! Thank you!
Former protestant here...you're experiences were the exact same as mine, which led me to Catholicism...im Catholic now and absolutely love the Mass and the center of Christ that the mass brings forth...
Where's MASS in the Bible?
Not there? Right. So where did it come from?
@@TIJoe-te9quEvery part of the mass is from the Bible. There are 3 scripture readings at each mass as well as the Eucharist which comes from the Last Supper.
@@TIJoe-te9qu Where is Sola Scriptura in the Bible? Oh, that's right its not in there. So where did it come from?
Touche! @@vcreps9434
The word “Mass” as used in the Roman Catholic Church was taken from the Latin phrase (commonly used - sometimes paraphrased - by Jesus in the Bible) “Ite, missa est” Translated, this means “you have been sent”. It’s beautiful to think of how many meanings this has in the Christian faith: Jesus was sent to heal and save us; the disciples were sent to spread the teachings of Jesus; all of us attend Mass and receive the True Presence of Jesus. We are then sent out to bring that love and sacrifice to the communities in which we live.
So something that hit me with your feelings around kids being in Mass. Mass is about being in the literal presence of God, and the Eucharist is the gospel, Jesus being given up for us sinners. Children deserve to be in that intimate presence. They also learn to act appropriately by being there. The church also has equivalent to Sunday school where children learn about church teachings. However, the family is considered the domestic church and it is the parents job to teach the faith, not just the Church's.
I also think you would enjoy a reverent NO mass. You will find that almost all the words in the Mass are actually from scripture.
Thanks for sharing this perspective!
Amen they deserve to be there. I brought my children to mass since they were born, they haven't missed anything. Also, Catholic children go through religious schooling it is called Catechesis not Sunday School cause it is typically on Wednesdays for 2 hours. In addition, they went to religious school for the first 12 years of their lives, the children go to separate religious studies based on their grade levels. I can say my kids are baptized, confirmed, and very reverent young men of faith.
-Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church... so Latin will never be separated from the church.
-You can get a missal which outlines absolutely everything that happens in a mass. There’s for Latin mass (which even has translation to English) and the novos as well.
-mass is centered on liturgy and more on the Eucharist as it’s the most divine & important part of the mass. You went to a low mass I believe which is not so much on homily, you can go to high mass, or novos one and there is slightly more teaching. But it’s definitely not like a Protestant teaching for hours.
- there are catechism classes that all Catholics went through before even becoming catholic so they know exactly what is going on and what means what.. so it may be confusing for a non-catholic who doesn’t know about the faith. But the faithful usually do..
And this applies to kids as well, they attend catechism and even there are other classes suitable for in-depth teaching but they too MUST attend mass as it’s very very important. Mass is for all, even new borns.
I think you can just start by learning about the catholic faith or catechism cause all your questions are actually answered.
I enjoyed your video.. looking forward to more..
Thanks for providing some background information! Glad you enjoyed the video. Grateful to have you as a part of the community here at Gospel Simplicity
When Catholics kneel before setting in the pew, what is actually happening is this; they are kneeling before the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the small box on the wall behind the alter, near the crucifix. When the red light is lit in the tabernacle it means that the tabernacle contains the blessed host, or for us, literally Jesus. So we are not kneeling out of mere reverence out of being in a church or something like that, we are literally kneeling at the feet of Jesus
Thanks!
It is not kneeling it is genuflecting which is showing reverence of were you are.
When we genuflect before entering the pew, we are showing reverence to Jesus Christ present in tabernacle.
@@ginaquinn3299 but it is not......Jesus. the holy spirit is in you
Made up.. falsehood
I was a cradle Catholic, left the Church for evangelical Protestantism, became “on-fire” for The Lord and to my surprise as I learned why I was doing what I was doing... everything led me back to the Catholic Church!!! I was a product of “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” It actually shocked me, but I am a better Christian because of it. God bless you my Christian brother in Christ!!! BTW, after Mass I still attend a Protestant service with my wife, it’s like Sunday school for me 😁😁😁
Thanks for sharing your story!
Amen
It may not be too good for your soul to attend a Protestant wors
@@joethebro3965
Well, I love my Protestant brothers and sisters and am very strong in my faith. I understand your premise, but I think that if we Christians came together we could really strike down satan whereas our Christian bickering is doing the work for him.
Time to convince your wife
I enjoyed your video and hearing your impressions- I think it’s your humility and respect that comes through clearly. I am not familiar myself with the Latin Mass but am a fully practicing Catholic and attend the “New” Mass. A good homily is supposed to explain all the readings and tie them together. Perhaps if you try an English Mass at some point it will be easier to follow - or as you say- you could go with a Catholic friend who can explain the different parts. At daily Mass there are just two readings - one from the Gospels and the priest may or may not do a short, short homily. On Sundays and Feast days there are three readings and there is always a homily that is longer - in my parish it can be 15 minutes more or less but the time will vary based on the priest. You are right in that the main point of the Mass is the Eucharist where we enter into the eternal sacrifice and are witnesses to His death and resurrection. It is amazing when you come understand this even to the slightest degree.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate that. I think you're right that it would be a good deal easier for me to follow along in a Novus Ordo (I think I got that right) service.
Janette Davis Pls ignore this comment @Gospel Simplicity
I have holy envy of you. As a cradled Catholic, I still have not attended a Latin Mass. Not that it is a necessity, but I had never thought of filming myself in my way to church and share that experience with others. I understand now why God led me to your channel. I will be praying for your official immersion to the Catholic Church. Thank you for reminding me why I love being Catholic!
I’m glad this video was helpful!
Raul Ramirez check out Latin Mass directory or especially the FSSP locations. I attend Regina Caeli parish in Houston and they are online.
I left the Catholic Church about 16 years ago and went to nondenominational. Plan on going back but growing up my church parish had a Slovak mass every Sunday
@@jasonmakara4524 I encourage you to attend English and Slovak and any other foreign language Mass service. One of the beauties of the Catholic Church is that it is indeed the universal church. My wife is Filipino and we have attended services in English, Spanish and her language. It so amazing how the dynamics, being the same during every Mass, allows you to focus on God despite not knowing the language being spoken during Mass.
@@RaulRamirez-nx5sb i will definitely do so if the opportunities come.
As a catholic i enjoy your openness and sincerity . You remind me a Little of 10 min bible hour
Thank you so much! Matt is one of my favorite UA-camrs, so I'll take the comparison as a supreme compliment.
TMBH is probably why UA-cam recommended this to me! It's an apt comparison.
I love Catholic mass, it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be, a memorial and sacrifice. For the kids’ learning we have CCD (Sunday school) and adults can go to bible studies or retreats. As far as the homily goes, it can depend on the priest, some give long ones and some are short. One fact I love is that all Catholic Churches all over the world have the same readings on any given day.
Thanks for sharing!
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth - a book by Scott Hahn is probably one of the better books out there explaining exactly why Catholics do what they do...
Thanks for the recommendation!
@@GospelSimplicity It was one of the first books I read when I was considering baptism in the Catholic Church; it's a wonderful book! God bless.
Second this recommendation!
That’s a great book.
Scott Hahn is a *convert to Catholicism & explains things beautifully!
There's always Bible passages and the priest has a homily. Church is not entertaining its worship
Thanks!
Eastern Catholic masses worship is beautiful.
I'll have to disagree with that point my sister. Its we primarily go for worship but we do have qualities of entertainment. The priest from time to time has ice breaker jokes homilies aren't meant to be boring. Even Jesus was entertaining. Remember the time at cana. The creation met the C
reator and blushed. Then everyone partook of that blush and was entertained.
Well, if you look waaaay back in history, like 30 years or more, there were no mega churches. The mega churches came about because Protestants demanded to be entertained and celebrity pastors decided they need a rock band, and a theater and a stage. They don't have an altar because nothing is being sacrificed in a Protestant church service.
Catholic churches are typically very ornate, and large and grand and opulent and yes, even sometimes intimidating BECAUSE the entire Mass is about God. God commanded the Hebrews to build an extremely ornate arc out of rare shittah (acacia) wood and gold. God loves AND deserves precious and near perfect, and we spend a lot of time and money and energy, and effort to respect God.
@@arcmastergts8144 The Mass is the highest form of worship to God and should not be celebrated to entertain people but for the worship of God alone.
I'm a protestant who goes to a Presbyterian church in Buckland Chicago. You inspired me to go down the street to St. John Cantius for Latin mass and it was definitely an experience. I had a lot of the same thoughts
My mother-in-law and father in law are Baptist, but they love going to Mass with us. They like the reverence, which they say is lacking in many of the churches they have attended.
Im a baptized catholic but then former Protestant now going back to the Catholic church! The church is not what the media shows and also not the people, when you focus on the church teachings you are blown away with the truth and beauty of it and how everything is about Jesus
Sounds like quite the story! Thanks for sharing some of it here
Hi there! Been following your journey here, and I think its awesome that you chose a Traditional Latin mass (definitely my favorite of the options). I know you said you were overwhelmed with book recommendations, but... I'd really suggest getting a traditional Roman Missal (the Baronius Press 1962 version is the one I use). It has the latin right beside the English translation, and explains what exactly the priest is doing and what's happening. Helped me out a lot when I made the switch from the English to the Latin mass! In any event, I'd really just encourage you to keep looking at it!
Thanks for following along with the journey! Haha, I have received quite a few book recommendations, but I have a great love for reading so I appreciate it. Thanks for the recommendation of the missal! It sounds like that would be really helpful if I were to go back.
As a first generation Canadian who is Catholic, and the son of a proud Irish Catholic from Northern Ireland; I found you and your video to be a breath of fresh air. Both Catholics and Protestants alike, would benefit from learning from your experience here. I was also lead here by the UA-cam algorithm and I am grateful to have watched this video. I clicked on the Subscribe button and look forward to viewing more of your videos.
Thanks for your kind words! I'm grateful to have you as a part of the community here at Gospel Simplicity
Liam Mac, how are the tensions between the Protestants and Catholics in NI these days? From everything I’ve read, it’s much more calm than it was during the Troubles but that it’s a sort of fragile peace. I also wonder how much of the friction is actually theological vs political affiliation. I’d be curious to hear your take!
@@impasse0124 First off. I have family on both sides sides of "The Troubles". Cousins that grew up going to school together and playing together who won't even speak to each other now. Yet today it is very true, that things are much better than they have been from the not too distant past. Yet it is very much still there. Like it has been laid to rest; albeit, in a shallow grave; easy to claw your way out of and still very much alive. But hope is just as much alive and well among the people. I can remember, not long after the peace accord took hold, my one cousin saying to me; "Pray that this peace will last. Most of the people have never known what it was like to actually live without the fear that violence would erupt at any moment. And now that the people have gotten a taste of what it is like to live without fear; they don't want to let it go." Peace is such a precious gift that remains very fragile to this day. In the late 1990's, I can remember seeing a news report that mentioned that more than 80% of the marriages in Northern Ireland that year were mixed marriages between a Catholic and a Protestant. That may just be the change that is needed. May God continue to bless the good people of Northern Ireland with peace and much love. I could go on and tell you many stories from my experiences while being there. They still play up the religious war battle because that is what gets the worlds attention, but it really is much more of a political battle these days. The religious war is what sells the papers. I can remember back when I was there in 87; listening to the news and the reporter spoke of a story that started with her saying; "Two Catholic bricklayers were shot off of a roof in Catholic West Belfast today". It was only a couple of days after a Protestant man had been killed in a similar way. This reporting was what angered so many people because to them, the media was keeping score; adding fuel to the fire. Yet it sells their papers.
Liam Mac thanks for the reply! I certainly pray that the peace will
Not only continue but that the tensions just beneath the surface will also fizzle out. God bless!
I love Northern Ireland and I agree... the Irish experience teaches you a lot, I remember my visit to a Benedictine Community in Rostrevor where they live praying for Christian Unity, it was such a learning experience.
I’m a Catholic who loves praise and worship, loves learning, loves sharing and studying the Word, loves serving. If we live in our faith there is room for all elements all week long. We don’t have to get that all in one hour a week along with the source and summit of our faith, the Eucharist. Thank you so much for sharing your faith journey and encouraging thoughtful dialogue! Peace and prayers.
Hey man, excited for you to try and experience this. My advice to you would just have an open heart and mind and really feel the presence of Christ as the mass goes on. Let me know your insights!
Ben Cafe thanks! You’ll hear my insight when the video comes out Wednesday!
I agree with you on the part where you said that we do not get enough details on the Bible during the Holy Mass due to the limited time and the flow of rites. However, we do have Bible study and we have small groups in a parish where we tackle more details about the Holy Bible. We have seminars as well. Though it depends on each parish on how they organize it. In a Catholic family, it is also the responsibility of the parents to teach their children with basic catechism. And lastly, we treat the Holy Mass as the highest form of prayer wherein we focus on the Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the partaking of His Most Precious Body and Blood through the Holy Eucharist. God bless you brother.
This was a wonderful video. Thank you so much for your insight into the Mass. As a Seminarian, I love to hear the opinions of others and what helps them see Christ in the Mass. I appreciate your commentary on elements of the Mass that you both loved and you would like to see. I hope I can help young families and many others in my parish one day to better understand the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Once again, thank you and may God Bless You!
Thank you so much! It was truly my pleasure. God bless you in your studies and in your endeavor to help people understand the mass better
Thanks, Austen. Great sharing on your experience going to a Catholic Latin Mass. I deeply appreciated your thoughtful and insightful reflections. Also as a Catholic priest, I deeply appreciated your overall respectful tone and openness to learning from other traditions. As a charismatic Catholic who also has a deep appreciation for reverent, solemn and sacred liturgy celebrated in the vernacular I hope, as the Church, that we can eventually find ways to foster and incorporate reverent ritual worship with openness to charismatic praise and expression.
It’s my pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts! I think the blending of reverence and spiritual vibrancy of charismatics could be really interesting
I grew up catholic, but I left the church to attend protestant services. It was there that I really learned a lot about Jesus and began to really love Jesus for the first time. I had gone through some difficult things in my life and going to this church changed my life. Before this, I learned about Jesus and his life and how to participate in the mass, but I never really knew Jesus personally. I also started to read scripture for the first time in my life and doing this really fall in love with Jesus even more. I felt that the services were a lot more relatable too. I fell in love with worship music and even started leading worship at the church I attended. I fell in love with Jesus very quickly in realizing what he did for me. I grew up never really understanding what the mass was about and why the mass was celebrated. There were so many other things about the Catholic Church that I was perplexed by as well such as gender roles in the church and why Catholics believed in things like purgatory or why they seemed to worship Mary. When I went away to college, there was a Catholic student center on campus. I started to really try to figure out the questions that I had about what I practiced for most of my life. I felt that the more I learned, the more I wanted to return back to the Catholic Church. I also watched a lot of Lizzie Answers videos and I watched her videos all of the time when I was attending protestant services and when she was protestant. She really helped me to understand how to have a relationship with Jesus and to help me accept him as my savior. And when I was thinking about returning to the catholic church, that was when she started creating videos about catholicism which is kind of weird but cool at the same time. I ultimately came back to the catholic faith and really fell in love with the faith when I learned about Fatima and learned that the Eucharist was Jesus truly present, body blood, soul and divinity. I never knew this even though I was receiving the Eucharist every Sunday which is crazy. I think one of the other things that made me come back was learning about the lives of the saints, the sacraments and really seeing the beauty of the mass for the first time. I know that I am never going to look back. I know without a doubt that this is the faith for me. When I was at this student center, I participated in adoration, retreats, and many other events that really helped me to better understand the catholic faith. They also had talks about living out the faith and they had a part at the end where they sang worship songs which were really awesome since I love worship songs and they remind of my experiences as a person who used lead in singing worship songs at protestant services. I got confirmed just last year during the Easter Vigil at the student center which was a defining moment for me in my faith. I found that my love for Jesus grew deeper when I really started to understand the catholic faith. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to go to and be a part of this student center. It was really great for someone like me since I still felt intimidated by catholicism and didn't ever really understand it. I would recommend trying to connect with a young adult group or a catholic bible study. If you are able to, there may be opportunities for retreats for young adults and/or men as well and I would also recommend this even if you are just wanting to see if you want to be catholic or not. Trust me, they are life-changing if you get to do this. These things really helped me grow in my faith. I watched a lot of Focus talk videos and they really helped me a lot as well and did a lot of my research by using Catholic Answers. Hope this helps :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story! This was a joy and privilege to read. It sounds like Protestant and Catholic Churches have helped you grow in your faith, but ultimately you have found your home in the Catholic Church. I really appreciate that you are able to see positives in Protestantism still, even if you feel it is not the fullness of the church. I appreciate your recommendations, and you might be pleased to find out that I actually have a video on my experience attending a Catholic men’s group!
I have been attending the Catholic church every Sunday for 2 years now and my relationship with Jesus seems dead. In church I feel dead and everything about it feels dead. I knoe that's not the case and the feelings are coming from Satan.
But reading your comment have me hope.
Austin - just stumbled on your video. Very well done, thanks for making it. As a lifelong Catholic, (63 years), I am still learning and growing in my faith. You seem like a very special young man. Always ask questions, keep seeking the truth, never be afraid of where God might be leading you. God bless you !!!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate that. God bless!
You are strongly on point when you said that the center of the Mass is the Eucharist. And you have somewhat stated the theology a bit clearly that in partaking the body and blood of Christ, He becomes a part of you ontologically. If a person truly surrenders to the spiritual reality of being one with Christ as he partakes in the Eucharist, the presence of Christ in him becomes truly transformative. This can only be truly appreciated if the Eucharist is approached in a mystical way because it is essentially a mystical experience. You will appreciate the Mass and Eucharist more when you come to understand its root in the Second Temple Judaism. Dr. Brant Pitre wrote a beautiful book explaining how the Mass and Eucharist relates to Second Temple Jewish Liturgy and Theology especially in the context of replacing the Temple sacrifice mandated in the Torah. Though the Temple sacrifice has ceased with the destruction of the Temple in 70AD but in reality, as I understand Dr. Pitre, the Temple sacrifice has morphed into the Eucharist as fulfillment of the messianic prophecy. The Mass and Eucharist becomes more meaningful when we come to understand its grounding in Second Temple Judaism.
I'm glad I represented the Catholic stance here with some accuracy. I appreciate you providing further background. Several others have recommended Dr. Pitre's book on my other Catholic video, so I might have to look into it. Thanks!
Dr Pitre also has a good Bible study YT channel : Catholic Productions. Worth checking out
Sounds like you enjoyed it. I used to only go to Mass out of habit. Ever since I learned about the early church fathers and how scriptural the Mass is, I love going to Mass. These days, I can feel Christ’s presence when the Eucharist is lifted up and I look at it.
That's great to hear!
Here is a 2 part outline so you can follow Scripture throughout the Mass.
The Entire Catholic Mass Comes Directly From The Bible Part 1
The structure of the Mass is strictly Biblical. The entire 73 book Bible is read in the Catholic Mass ever 3 years. The Catholic Church is a liturgical Church. It’s calendar is on a repeating 3 year cycle.
WHO SAYS THE CATHOLIC MASS IS NOT BIBLICAL?
The entire Catholic Mass and all of the prayers in the Mass completely come from Scriptures. Those who leave the Church never really understand the meaning and essence of the Mass. Here's a summary of the Parts of the Mass, with their corresponding Biblical foundation:
THE INTRODUCTORY RITES
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ( Mt. 28:19).
Congregation: Amen (1 Chr. 16:36).
Greeting by Priest
[Form A] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor.13:13).
[Form B] The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you (1 Pet. 1:3).
[Form C] The Lord be with you (Ruth 2:4).
PENITENTIAL RITE
Priest and Congregation: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault (cf. James 5:16) in my thoughts and in my words (Rom. 12:16; James 3:6) in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; (James 4:17) and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God (1 Thess. 5:25).
Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and bring us to everlasting life (1 Jn. 1:9).
Priest and Congregation: Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy (Tob. 8:4; 1 Tim. 1:2).
GLORIA
Priest and Congregation: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth (Lk. 2:14). Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, (Rev. 19:6) we worship you (Rev. 22:9), we give you thanks (Eph. 5:20), we praise you for your glory (Rev. 7:12). Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father (2 Jn. 3), Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us (cf. Jn. 1:29); you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer (Rom. 8:34). For you alone are the Holy One (cf. Lk. 4:34), you alone are the Lord (Rev. 15:4), you alone are the most High, Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:32), with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen (Jn. 14:26).
LITURGY OF THE WORD:
First Reading (Taken from the Old Testament)
Responsorial Psalm
Second Reading (Taken from the Epistles, Acts of the Apostles & parts of the New Testament)
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia
Gospel Reading (Taken from any of the Four Gospels, on a three-year cycle.)
HOMILY (The Priest expounds the Scripture readings and their application to our daily life.)
PROFESSION OF FAITH
Priest and Congregation: We believe in God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19), of all that is seen and unseen (Col. 1:16). We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father (Lk. 1:35), God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father (Heb. 1:3). Through him all things were made (Jn. 1:1-4). For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven (Jn. 3:13): by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man (Mt. 1:18). For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate (Jn. 19:16); he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3); he ascended into heaven (cf. Lk. 24:51) and is seated at the right hand of the Father ( Col. 3:1). He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1), and his kingdom will have no end (Lk. 1:33). We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life (Acts 2:17), who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified (Jn. 14:16). He has spoken through the Prophets (1 Pet. 1:10-11). We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church (Rom. 12:5). We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen (Rom. 6:5).
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made (Qo 3:13). It will become for us the bread of life (Jn. 6:35). Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink (Lk. 22:17-18).
Congregation: Blessed be God forever (Ps. 68:36).
Priest: Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father (Heb. 12:28).
Congregation: May the Lord accept this sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church (Ps. 50:23).
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord (Lam. 3:41).
Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God (Col. 3:17).
Congregation: It is right to give him thanks and praise (Col. 1:3
PREFACE ACCLAMATION
Priest and Congregation: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest (Is. 6:3; Mk. 12:9-10).
Part 2.
Eucharistic Prayer I
We come to you, Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ your Son (Eph. 5:20). Through him we ask you to accept and bless these gifts we offer in you in sacrifice (2 Macc. 1:26). We offer them for your holy Catholic Church, watch over it, Lord, and guide it; grant it peace and unity throughout the world. We offer them for N. our pope, for N. our bishop, and for all who hold and teach the Catholic faith that comes to us from the apostles (Jn. 17:21; Acts 2:42).
Remember, Lord, your people, especially those for whom we now pray, N. and N. Remember all of us gathered here before you. You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you. We offer you this sacrifice of praise for ourselves and those who are dear to us. We pray to you, our living and true God, for our well-being and redemption (Ps. 106:4; Heb. 13:15).
In union with the whole Church, we honor Mary, the ever-virgin mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God. We honor Joseph, her husband, the apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew…and all the saints. May their merits and prayers gain us your constant help and protection (Mt. 1:2-16; Lk. 16:9; 1 Cor. 12:12, 20f; Rev. 5:8).
Father, accept this offering from your whole family. Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen (Col. 1:11).
Bless and approve our offering; make it acceptable to you, an offering in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24).
Let it become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your only Son, our Lord.
The day before he suffered he took bread in his sacred hands and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father, he gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you (Mt. 26:26-28).
When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me (Mt. 26:26-28).
MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION:
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith (1 Tim. 3:16):
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again (1 Cor. 15:3-5).
Father, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. We, your people and your ministers, recall his passion, his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension into glory; and from the many gifts you have given us we offer to you, God of glory and majesty, (1 Pet. 1:18-21) this holy and perfect sacrifice (Heb. 9:13-14): the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation (Jn. 6:54).
Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel (Gen. 4:4), the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith (Gen. 22:12), and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchisedech (Gen. 14:18).
Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven (Rev. 8:3-4). Then, as we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of your Son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing (Eph. 1:3).
Remember, Lord, those who have died and have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, especially those for whom we now pray, N. and N. May these, and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness, and peace (1 Thess. 4:13, 14).
For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs, with John the Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas…Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha… and all the saints (Col. 1:12).
Though we are sinners, we trust in your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve, but grant us your forgiveness (Ps. 25:7).
Through him you give us all these gifts. You fill them with life and goodness, you bless them and make them holy (Ps. 104:27-28).
*The following Eucharistic prayers find their expressions in the following Scripture passages:
Eucharistic Prayer II
(2 Macc. 14:36; Phil. 2:8; Jn. 10:17-18; Mk. 14:22-25; Heb. 2:14-15; Jn. 6:51; 1 Cor. 10:17; 2 Macc. 12:45-46; 2 Thess. 1:4-5)
Eucharistic Prayer III
(Tob. 8:5; Jn. 1:3; Ps. 113:3; Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:26; Mk. 13:33; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 4:3; Eph. 5: 25-27; Jn. 17:22, 23; Col. 1:4-5)
Eucharist Prayer IV
(Gen. 1:26; Is. 55:6; 55:3; Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 4:15; Lk. 4:18; 1 Cor. 15:54-57; Jn. 14:16; Heb. 9:15; Jn. 13:1; 1 Cor. 11:23-25; Jn. 4:42; 1 Pet. 3:18, 19; Eph. 1:19-20; Mt. 25:31; 1 Cor. 12:12, 27; Acts 10:35; Rom. 8:20-21)
DOXOLOGY
Priest: Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.
AMEN (Rom. 11:36).
COMMUNION RITE
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest and Congregation: “Our Father” (Mt. 6:9-13).
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ (Jn. 17:15).
Congregation: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever.
SIGN OF PEACE
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live and reign for ever and ever (Jn. 14:27). The peace of the Lord be with you always (Jn. 20:19).
BREAKING OF THE HOST
Lamb of God:
Priest and Congregation: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us…. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace (Jn. 1:29).
COMMUNION
Priest: This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper (Rev. 19:9).
Priest and Congregation: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed (Mt. 8:8).
CONCLUDING RITES:
FINAL BLESSING & DISMISSAL
Priest: The Lord be with you.
Congregation: And also with you (Ruth 2:4).
Priest: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Lk. 24:51). Go in the peace of Christ (Lk. 7:50; 2 Chron. 35:3).
Congregation: Thanks be to God (2 Cor. 9:15).
YAY thanks for putting this here!!! This serves proof that the Catholic Church is def in line with scripture and Tradition🤩
This was thorough, thanks!
The liturgical calendar is in a one year cycle. It is the Novus Ordo Sunday lectionary that is in three year cycle, while the traditional Roman lectionary has always been one year.
I want to make one correction to an often repeated claim, the 73 books of the bible are in fact not covered throughout the 3 year (in the new calendar) or the 1 year (in the old calendar) cycles, just a lot of scripture. But the mass isn't supposed to be primarily to learn the bible, which is why we have bible studies and other extraliturgical events. From the catholic point of view, worship isn't for learning the bible, the bible is for learning how to worship
Wow dude! What a cool experience! I grew up as a 1689 reformed baptist and I am becoming Catholic after getting into Patristics and other jazz. I still remember my first mass a really nice old lady told me I should come in and sit with her and she helped explain what was going on...it sort of helped haha. I am 22 and my journey into changing denominations started at 18. It was really hard deciding between becoming Orthodox or Catholic. Great video I'm about to binge watch your experiences!
Thanks for sharing your story!
Excellent video and sharing! I love your spirit of good will! Having grown up Methodist and non-denominational and now being Catholic I can really connect with all the perspectives in your sharing. God bless you brother.
Thank you so much for your kind words! God bless
4 years ago I was not a practising Catholic, I attended a Pentecostal church and really enjoyed the music. I had this complain about the eucharist being boring because of the music. until I learnt it's not about me it's about Jesus and all that He has done. The liturgy is not supposed to be us by God alone. So I can resonate with you. Now, that I've studied John 6 I loooooove the eucharist, I get teary-eyed almost at every mass. Thank you for being this humble and open in your approach. I'm watching from India and I loooove your channel
Thanks for sharing your story! I also really appreciate your kind words and support. God bless!
I gotta say, I laughed a little when I heard the kind of Mass you attended. That's the most Catholic-y, traditional type of Mass we have, and a very interesting homily for a Protestant, I'd imagine. It's even more beautiful with a full-voiced choir. Thank you, my friend, for going. You're right, in some ways you are asking the Mass to do things it's not really meant to, but that's okay. Just to offer a little insight: Mass is the highest form of worship we have on Earth. You are coming to the celebration to give yourself in obedience and to receive Jesus in the Sacrament. The other things like preaching and helping believers understand Church doctrine and enriching the kids' understanding of the Mass is meant to happen as a supplement in the home, schools, retreats, youth groups, etc. The Mass is the summit of all of that. You spend time doing all your Bible reading, prayer, etc so that you're ready to go to Mass.
I am glad that you enjoyed the architecture of the church so much. The really traditional churches are meant to feel like a fortress and many times in medieval Europe they were built to withstand invading armies. The altar, as you may have noticed, would be in the most protected spot to keep the Eucharist safe. And there's no better place to pray than in a darkened, candle-lit church with the smell of incense in the air. Everything in the building is meant to draw you back to Christ. All the art, music, even what the priest wears, is meant to remind us of why we really gather there.
As a Catholic I really love seeing people such as yourself being open to the Church. if I was in Chicago I'd happily be your "tour guide" lol. And Matt Fradd is an awesome guy :)
Haha, I’m glad you share this perspective. I have to say, I was trying to be as open as possible, and when the homily was on Mary I thought, alright, let’s put my charity to the test here. I also recognize that going to a Latin Mass, while winning me bonus points with the large contingent of TLM only folks, might’ve been a bit of a stretch for the first time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Even though you’re not in Chicago, I really appreciate the offer. God bless
I walked in to St John Cantius on a Sunday in 1992 after having wandered in the liturgical Post Vatican II desert for 20 years. I knew before the end of Mass that I had FINALLY found the Holy Mass and was home!
That's great!
@@ccbarr58 I most certainly am NOT a "dude" and I was born 12 years before the Vat II inane changes began to take hold in the USA.
Good for you! As a guy who converted to Catholicism in 1988, I think you’re amazing. God bless.
Thank you so much for your kind words. God bless
I randomly found this video and was shocked that you went to the church where I made my first communion. It’s truly beautiful and moving. I wish you knew more about the mass to know what you just took part in. Such a blessing. Thank you for this video.
It’s my pleasure! You might enjoy a tour video I have out with Fr. Joshua, the pastor of this church. He goes into a lot of the symbolism and history. We also did an interview together!
@@GospelSimplicity I absolutely would! I hope to return for mass soon. It’s been MANY years since I’ve been there.
,@Grace
YOUR GRACE IS NEEDED THERE!
I SURE WISH I COULD JOIN YOU TJERE FROM NEW MEXICO USA 🖖🙏🌹
Another good video, some perspective from a Roman Catholic:
Dress code: As a Catholic, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. The question I generally put to people is how would you dress to go to a job interview? A wedding? A funeral? That's probably the way to dress for Mass; if you'd want to show respect to a potential future employer, the bride & groom, or the deceased, its probably how you'd want to go for the Lord Himself.....
That's what a proper church should look like! To your point, the architecture is deliberate and refined by something like 2,000 years of practice. It was also consciously designed as a foretaste of Heaven, at least as much as our feeble humanity can do. The reverential nature is also something that's consciously done, at least it was before Vatican II.....
A Catholic Mass is divided into 2 principle parts; the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word includes a reading from the OT, a recitation from the Psalms, a reading from the Acts of the Apostles or one of the Epistles, and then a reading from the Gospel followed by a homily. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the prayers and consecration of the bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Christ.
Up until Vatican II, the bulk of the Liturgy of the Eucharist was celebrated 'Ad Orientum' or 'to the East'. Almost all early Christian churches were aligned with the altar facing to the east and the priest faced the same way which is what you observed with him having his back to the congregation most of the time. Reason being is that the priest is praying to God, not addressing the congregation.
With regards to the vestments, my priest brother once made the observation that if done properly, the cause the priest to somewhat blend in with the rest of the surroundings.
Good job on observing that the focus was on the Eucharist!!!!
No offense but hearing that you only do the Eucharist once every so often is like an out of body experience; the only day that the Eucharist isn't consecrated in Catholicism is on Good Friday.....
The observation about how repetition can shape us is a great point! For example, prior to Vatican II, the only way you would receive the Eucharist was on your knees on the tongue. In this case the symbolism pointed to the reality of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
In order to better understand the Mass, you might want to get a Roman Missal; it would have the prayers translated, some explanation of the kneeling, standing, etc.
About the Latin and the Mass; its important to remember that the Catholic Church is a truly global operation and has been for centuries. Prior to Vatican II, you could go to Mass anywhere from Germany to America to Brazil to Japan and hear the same Mass. If you had a Roman Missal, you'd be able to understand everything except for the homily which would be in the vernacular. Also worth noting is that the liturgical readings go through nearly the whole Bible on a 3 year cycle so while I get your point about not quite getting the message, its also important to remember that it was never intended to go through the entire Bible in one sitting....
I get your point about the kids in Mass but worth remembering is that until a generation or 2 ago, virtually every Catholic attended Catholic schools and much of the deeper insight you discuss was given there. I think as well that the primary focus of the Mass, as you earlier noted, isn't educating the laity as much as it is the worship of Christ.
This was really thorough, thanks! You brought up a lot of excellent points. This past Sunday I went to a high mass, but this time I had a missal and was able to get a lot more out of it. Video coming soon!
Austin, keep doing what you're doing the way you're doing it. Praise God.
Thank you so much for the encouragement
@@GospelSimplicity absolutely, Austin. What I like most is your interest in finding truth about other churches/religions "from the horse's mouth" rather than relying on what detractors on the outside have claimed about them. I honestly believe you're following the Holy Spirit's lead. He will, indeed, as the Good Book says, lead you to all truth, but only if you follow Him. Keep doing so, my friend. Truth is truth, regardless of where it is (which is NOT to say "That's your truth, but it's not my truth." If it's truth, it's truth. Period.) Continue to follow God, and you won't be disappointed (except maybe by the thoughtlessness of people who refuse to understand).
Catholic, here! Super excited for this video. :) God bless
I'm so glad to hear that! I would love to hear your thoughts when it comes out. God bless!
@@GospelSimplicity
Being a Roman Catholic, this video was very informative in a way. I gotta give you credit for being super understanding of us Catholics and our priorities during mass, your respect and gentleness when approaching a very different set of ideas than your norm is very much appreciated. Being raised a Catholic, I do have to say that us children had plenty of opportunities to further understand the concept of God and the Church. Don’t get me wrong, it really depends on the Church that you’re involved with, but my Church and neighboring Churches as well had offered camps, schools, and programs. The sad part is that most of these helpful tools within the Church have little light shined upon them by society, but they do exist, I can promise you that. Touching up a bit on your comment on how much we present the word of God in our masses, I understand where you’re coming from completely, especially from a Protestant perspective, yet it’s truly the Eucharist that makes the mass what it is. Without the Eucharist, the Church would fail to be bound together. The Eucharist allows us to be one body. You said it yourself, if us Catholics truly believe what the Church teaches the Eucharist is, we’d have no problem getting up for mass. And that’s exactly why so many people attend mass. Anybody could present scripture, but the priest is the only one who could present the Eucharist, Christ’s body, what binds us together. Again, amazing video! I look forward to your future content, you earned a subscriber.
P.S., you should attend an English Catholic mass next, it’ll help you better understand what’s going on and such! God bless✝️
May the Holy Spirit continue to guide you and your ministry. I was enchanted with your sincerity, openess and kindness. Cradle Byzantine Catholic deacon here. Please let me know if I can be of any help.
I just found your channel, this is awesome! I enjoyed seeing your take on my faith; I love it when Catholics and Protestants are able to get along and learn together. English Mass is definitely easier to understand, and I think you'd appreciate seeing all of the scripture that is included in the Mass. Don't worry if you don't understand it all, that's normal, and we'd be happy to help ya out!
I'm so glad you found the channel! Welcome to the community here at Gospel Simplicity. I'm grateful to have you as a part of it. I really appreciate your kind words and advice. I think going to an English service would be a good idea.
Gospel Simplicity Yes you’ll definitely understand everything so much better in English- and it’s all around Jesus. Everything centers around him and what he did for us. And I don’t know if you’ve thought about giving a missal you can read the liturgy of the mass and the Bible readings for each mass. I am a recent convert. I just finished RCIA well we were supposed to finish around Easter time but the pandemic had other ideas for our group being brought into full communion with the Catholic Church. God’s timing. I love it and I know that God led me to the place where I’m supposed to be. God bless you.
The priest facing the altar is called “ad orientum”. The reason is the total focus on Jesus being offered in an unbloody sacrifice. It is said that choirs of angels are summoned to the altar at the time of transubstantiation and heart and mind should be totally absorbed in adoration. The mass, for the most part is about one hour, is the greatest prayer and belongs to God alone. Fellowship is just fine when done in the other 23 hours
Thanks for sharing!
As a Catholic, in my early 60's, I was more than interested in your analysis of the Catholic Mass. Firstly, thank you for being so open-minded and making the effort to see what our Mass is all about. Our mass is a celebration of the Eucharist, which is central to our mass. I have never attended a Latin mass, and I believe I would not feel as passionate about the Latin mass, as I do with the Mass in English.
in the past, I attended mass in different European churches, where I did not understand the foreign language masses, and I couldn't get involved in those, e.g. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.
I worked in Africa (Zambia) where I attended a lot of Anglican Church services and while the music of the passionate churchgoers was really uplifting, I found the main emphasis at those services was always on the Bible readings, which went on too long and wasn't reverent overall. I applaud your commitment to your faith, and great to see your discussion on inter-church commonalities, rather than inter-church differences. Keep up your commitment to our common Father (Christ)
Thank you so much for your support and encouragement!
I recommend to read very slowly, and understand what happen in John 6, read the whole chapter very slow...and you will understand more Catholicism...
Pedro Garcia thanks for the recommendation
I’m not Catholic or Protestant (I’m a Jewish Believer in Yeshua/Jesus) but I commend you for your willingness to learn and explore things for yourself. Great video!
It's my pleasure! Thanks for the support
Jacob Rodriguez I cant deny, I am very interested. Pray for me, please.
John Citizen this is what I hear. The more I study history, the more I believe this claim.
John Citizen thank you for the resources. Catholic folks are always so willing to help me and provide resources. I really appreciate it!
Dear Austin, bless you for your open mind and spirit of brotherhood. Our world needs more people like you. Thank you from a Catholic sister in Christ.
Wow, thank you so much! It's truly my pleasure
So nice to know your expericence as a protestant! Thanks for share
God blessed u! Prayers from Brazil! 🇧🇷
My pleasure!
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This was a beautiful witness, brother. Your openness to learn about our faith is honestly very humbling.
At one point you mentioned that maybe you were "expecting the mass to do something it's not designed to do", and I think you're on the right track there. That sentiment in particular may help guide you in resolving some of your criticisms from this experience.
Much encouragement and prayer, brother, thanks!
Thanks!
@@GospelSimplicity A book which was recommended to me and which I now am reading is, "The Hidden Treasure - Holy Mass" written by St. Leonard of Port Maurice. I recommend purchasing a recent printing from 2012, Tan Publishers.
Hey Austin, I just finished watching your video, that was quite educational. I never knew a lot about Catholicism and hearing your perspective and approach to it was very beneficial, It's compelling me to open up my mind towards the different denominations and how I should approach them. Your video was so well made and I loved the new production style, I'm really looking forward to more videos like this!
Thank you so much for the encouragement, Andrew. I really appreciate that. Glad you enjoyed the different style! It was definitely more work, but I had a lot of fun making it.
Gospel Simplicity 🙌
hello Andrew, I'm super glad you see a benefit in opening up on Catholisism :). Just a quick observation on your comment, the Catholic and Orthodox Church are not a denomination (a sub-group within a religious group; this term is mostly known/applied within protestantism).
Wow, great honest reflection. I had no idea you are in Chicago. I would recommend you check out St. Joseph in Old Town for just a traditional (non-Latin) Mass. The priests who give the homily (sermon) are some of the most heart-felt reflection of how to apply the Gospels to our life. And the choir is amazing! (especially when in full-form, although that will likely be a while due to the pandemic, as they are now only using one cantor). Beautiful church too.
Although I appreciate the Latin Mass, I also feel I need to connect with the Gospel readings and hear the homilies, and be able to connect to the music and everything. To be honest with you, you went to the type of Mass that is much more rare, and wouldn't be representative of the "typical" Catholic Mass experience. Definitely check out a traditional (non-Latin) mass, as that will give you a more representative experience. During those Masses, many kids attend Religious Education during Mass.
Glad you got a new experience. As a millennial age Catholic, I think I have only ever attended a Latin Mass once or twice in my life.
Thank you for the kind words and the recommendation! Unfortunately the pandemic certainly does complicate some of those things. I think you bring up a good point that this isn't a representative service of the majority of Catholicism (at least post-Vatican II). Part of that made it interesting, but to get a better picture of Catholicism I should probably try a Novus Ordo as well. Thanks for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts!
If you’re looking for a good primer on Catholicism, read “Catholicism for Dummies” by Fr. Ken Brighenti and Fr. John Trigilio. It’s structured just like the other (pick a topic) dummies books and it’s meant for not just non-Catholics, but adult Catholics who need a refresher course on their faith. If you can find a Catholic companion to explain why we do certain things, that’s great. I am glad you approach things with an open mind. By the way, try the Mass spoken in English, it probably should make more sense. Also, the word Mass( we don’t call it a “service “) comes from the Latin “missa” which means to send. When the priest finally dismisses the congregation, he says “ go in peace, the Mass has ended “ etc.
That sounds like a great book for me! I've found the dummies books surprisingly good despite their horridly ugly covers. It's my pleasure to have an open mind. That's how we learn! Thanks for the clarification and suggestion!
Austin, if I didn't put this across in my comments please forgive me. You might be one of the most open protestants I have come across in like forever.
God bless you for being so opened and honest about your experience. You just made me realised how bless I am to be part of the one true Catholic church and to be part of the Eucharist every time I attend the Holy Mass.
Glad you enjoyed it! It's great to hear that this helped increase your appreciate for the mass. God bless!
For Protestants watching this video to decide if you want to go to mass: I recommend that you go to an ordinary form mass. While the extraordinary form is beautiful, and is the form that I prefer, it is more difficult for a convert, especially from Protestantism, to understand, as explained in the video. Meanwhile, the ordinary form is in the vernacular (local) language, has a more simple structure, and focuses more on active participation rather than contemplative prayer. After you have become well acquainted with the ordinary form, I suggest looking into the extraordinary form.
Thank you so much for your video. Well thought out, very respectful and kind. I am Catholic and so appreciate my Protestant brothers and sisters seeking to understand. Bless you!
My pleasure!
The reason why Protestants go off the rail is because: the day of the Lord, was meant WORSHIP not to learn.
For that we have “Bible study”
That is the reason, all the reverend, quietness, knelling, sitting, standing, genuflecting and so on.
Reverence, reverence, reverence
Amen! A day to be solely attending to the things of Our Lord.. to be reverential , quiet and listening, meditating on the scriptures read at Mass, being especially attentive to and enjoying our families. To be Joyfully alive because you know who you made you, why He made you , why He loves you and redeemed you and how He keeps you secure and all that pertains to your life in His Providential care from day to day.
I tend to agree. Mass is worship, not class. That is not to say that Liturgy of the Word is not an essential part of the Mass.
Understanding as humans is nice and not unimportant but my critique of Protestantism is that they think their understanding is what they see as all important.
To idols To idols To idols.
@@TriciaRP care to explain what you mean?
I’m absolutely LOVING these videos showing your viewpoint on all things Catholic.. your desire to learn is second to none. I am keeping you in my prayers!!
Thanks!
The mass is primarily a thanks giving service where catholics go to praise God for what He's done for mankind, and feed their soul to become what they eat: Christ-like.
To learn more about the Word of God, we attend Bible study.
Charles Lake, from the Netherlands 👏🙋♂️
Thanks!
@@GospelSimplicity we engage into small group where we hear more preaching, bible study and sharing. There we experience what protestant do in their regular service.
Whilst in mass Holy Eucharist is the center of celebration..
More power and God bless us all.
Maybe your being called to the Priesthood. You seem like a beautiful intelligent soul.
Does it say something deep and dark about me that I read that and thought, "I sure hope not!"? Probably. In any case, thanks for the kind words
@@GospelSimplicity I hate to inform you but... the greatest Priests of all time have said those exact same words you did before becoming priests😬 God calls who he calls 🙏🏽
@@GospelSimplicity nothing deep and dark! Just being a young man searching for your place in the world... I watched earlier your testimony video and I also thought that God is calling you to the priesthood... I could be wrong, time will tell.. the reply below... many many great priest had thought exactly as you do now 😅😅😅😉
@@GospelSimplicity All Catholics are "called" to the royal priesthood of Christ. Don't confuse the "royal priesthood" of all Christ's elect [which is universal to the Church] with the "ministerial priesthood" [which pertains to some but not all]. Both are calls to radical holiness. Many Catholics unfortunately treat the "ministerial priesthood" as if it is the only way young men are called to be holy.
@@GospelSimplicity Not to worry, friend. The Holy Spirit guides us, and respects our free will. That said, when we seek Him, the triune Godhead, nothing else matters, and all conflicts fall away.
When I started attending a liturgical church, I used to be critical of what just seemed like dead ritual on the outside. But then one day I realized that the liturgy and all the bells and whistles had penetrated my heart and my thinking and had become a deeper form of worship than the 'free form' I had experienced in other churches. Sometimes I think people are afraid that if they do something too often, like having communion, it will becomes less meaningful and will just mean going through the motions. However, counterintuitively, the more I partook of the 'rituals' and the Eucharist which go along with liturgical worship, the more meaningful they became to me.
I am eight minutes into this guys video and I truly appreciate his openness to Catholicism. He is being truthful, honest, and seeking truth. I pray his journey will be fruitful.
Thanks!
Thank you for this excellent video and your thoughts. I returned to the Catholic faith after more than 50+ years as a Protestant, charismatic and Pentecostal. As someone stated below, the Mass is not meant as entertainment, but a solemn worship of Christ and participating in His Last Supper. I love the liturgy - as you stated that by doing things repetitively you become formed; there is a deep respect for the Lord, and preparing one's self to receive the Eucharist by self-examination or going to confession prior to Mass. Having been a Protestant for so long, it has made my Catholic experience rich and meaningful.
Thanks for sharing! I appreciate you highlighting how Protestantism ahas enriched your Catholic faith
Did you go to a low mass? It sounds like there wasn’t a choir singing or incense being used and despite this you still got so much out of it that’s amazing. If you can you should try to find a well done High Latin Mass. Its breathtaking.
It was a low mass, but I have a follow up video where I go to both a High Mass and a Novus Ordo
@@GospelSimplicity Yes I see that now, Godbless!
Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist are the main parts of the Holy Mass.
Thanks!
Those are the 2 parts of the Novus Ordo Mass, not the Mass that he attended. In the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM or Extraordinary Form), the Mass is separated into the "Mass of the Catechuments" and the "Mass of the Faithful".
I'm not wanting him to get bogged down with technicalities and differences since he's a total newcomer and it's just such a blessing that he experienced his first Catholic Mass and with such open-mindedness and respect.
Thank you for starting the conversation! I am Catholic and grew up in an area which was very anti-Catholic. I appreciate what you are doing to improve the relationship and knowledge between Protestants and Catholics!
As a Catholic, I thank you for the respectful way in which you spoke about the Mass, the parts you loved and not loved so much. New subscriber here 👋🏻
I am so excited for seeing this movement of brothers and sisters who are willing to open conversation with other faiths 🙏🏻 God is so good and I am convinced that as Christians with differences we have much more in common than we think. And this is the perfect time to explore our similarities since we do live in a time where persecution doesn’t care whether one is Catholic or Protestant. The persecution is coming for all believers and this is our time to be united 🙏🏻♥️
It’s my pleasure! I’m excited to have you as a part of the community here at Gospel Simplicity. We’ll be better off as a community for having your voice here, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on future videos. God bless!
As a convert to Catholicism, I understand Austin's confusion about the Mass and it's purpose. He is comparing it to a church service which the Mass is not. A protestant service is mostly a minister delivering his views of the Bible and Christian life in general, with some music. The focus is on the minister. The Mass is worshipping God. The entire Mass is centered around worshipping God. We are in the presence of God and our behavior, demeanor, and focus is on Him.
As far as education, that is the purpose of going Sunday School, studying the Catechism, Bible study, and a host of other opportunities. The Church and magisterium play an important role is shaping our spiritual lives. Many Catholic kids go to Catholic schools where Catholic teaching is incorporated into everything they do. Children learn solemn reverence for God in his presence in the Mass.
Austin, if you go to another Mass know you are in the presence of God. Take it all in as you have done already. Follow along in the missal but more importantly, just sit in His presence and worship Him.
Thanks! You might be interested to watch my follow up where I go to both a High Mass (with a Missal and guide) and a Novus Ordo
@@GospelSimplicity I've been watching many of your videos and I love what you're doing! Sorry if I came across to strong.
@@rsnowden Loved all that you shared here with Austin! As a convert, you were able to give him a unique perspective from both sides, and a beautiful and spot on explanation of what happens at a Catholic Mass vs a Protestant worship service. I thought it was great, and I’m sure it cleared up a lot of things for Austin. Also you came across in a very open and positive way, unlike some of my fellow Catholics here who, to me, didn’t sound very charitable. Great insight. 👍
The mass is the highest form of worship. It’s not supposed to be a form of Bible Study.
You should check out St. John’s 12:30pm High Mass.
I would be open to that
If one day,you could attend a mass in a monastery. The mass is sung except the sermon.
I appreciate your honest, respectful and non-confrontational approach.. Thanks
My pleasure!