A while ago I sat with a Protestant friend who came to Mass with me. To help him understand what was going on I wrote this short Primer on the Mass for him in advance.
The Mass can be very confusing, even intimidating
I wanted to make sure he understood how the Mass was tied to the Old Testament and that the first Christians considered teh Divine Liturgy a Sacrifice and the Real Presence of Christ. I explained that it was not just a priest up there “doing his thing” but that it was the “work of the people” — a lot was going on that was not immediately apparent to the five senses or the untrained eye.
This may be helpful for you — or for a friend who does not understand the beauty and depth of the Mass. Click here for the whole article.
Here is another article I wrote on “What Did the First Christians Do on Sunday Morning?“
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Mr. Ray, your primer is *awesome*! I will definitely share this with my Protestant friends! Thanks for taking the time to post it!
Peace + blessings 2 U in Christ Jesus!
–the Woman at the Well :-)
Steve your work is admirable, thank you very much..just finished listening to you in catholic answers live through ewtn in Tanzania, East Africa!,,be blessed steve..you are making many people come back home..
Thank you so much for posting this. I was listening intently to Catholic Answers yesterday, and as a protestant about to begin RCIA, I wanted to come and read this. What a great intro to mass!
Blessings to you.
Heard you mention the Mass primer on Catholic Answers. What a great idea to help non-Catholic folks to overcome their natural discomfort with the unknown.
The meaning of the Mass as told to me by a senior cloistered carmelite nun aged 65 years old…
Your short primer on the mass is truly “short-sighted” from what the nun describe it to be :(