Fellas I went to my first mass last Sunday and Wednesday mass for the assumption of Mary. They were both beautiful but I noticed compared to the baptist services I went to as a kid there was very little preaching. Is this always the case?

yes

preaching is not the focus of the mass whatsoever it is ancillary

But why

@Polybius What do you think the mass *is*?

I have no idea that’s why I’m asking

The mass is a sacrfice

It is not a service

The mass is the coming together of the people under direction of a Priest acting in persona Christi to offer a sacrifice which is propitiatory and offered for the sins of all those present.

@Polybius Make sense?

I think so.

So whereas a baptist service is more about congregating and worshipping the mass is more about forgiveness of sin and spiritual healing in a sense?

Sorry my lack of understanding is probably borderline offensive. This is all so new to me.

A baptist service is about a public expression of faith and worship where you read the word of God, pray publicly and learn moral lessons. You may even eat some bread and drink some wine (or grape juice.)

A Catholic Mass (or Orthodox Mass) is about approaching God in the holy sacrament and offering the unbloodied body and blood of Christ for the sins of those present. Which isn't to say it is not a public prayer (in fact we say it is the highest form of prayer) it is not to say it is not a community gathering, it is not to say we do not learn moral lessons, it is not to say we don't hear the word of God. It is to say rather that these are not of primary importance, the calling down of Christ onto the altar and offering him to the Father as sacrifice is the primary reason for gathering. If you ever participate in a low Latin mass for instance the scirptures won't even be read audibly to the congregation, there will be no homily (sermon) and only a handful of prayers will even be said jointly after the mass if at all.

fellas i remember somebody on here writing awhile ago that if you "leave" the church youre automatically excommunicated and need to have that lifted.
So if I was an atheist when I was a teenager does that constitute apostasy and excommunication? I was baptized and had first communion but not confirmed, recently when i returned i went to confession, but am i technically still excommunicated or something?

yeah it was me lol

if you at some point decide you aren't Catholic anymore for whatever reason that's apostasy

i thought it was, thats probably what jogged my memory of it

if you for some reason or another still considered yourself a Catholic but doubted God's existence or something that would be mortal sin but not apostasy as far as I can tell

i considered myself ex catholic

then that's apostasy

so does going to confession lift it or is it more complicated than that

you have to have that lifted before you can receive any of the sacraments

also what if i join something like SSPX or go autism sede mode, would it matter then

uh

yeah

that comes with it's own set of problems but it's no way to get around an excommunication

so how do I have the excommunication lifted

talk to the priest

i think you said something about a bishop needing to do it

probably a couple phone calls

Yeah I'm pretty sure the Bishop has to lift the excommunication

okay this is epic

ill probably call next weekend and get it all sorted out

just say *Look Father So and So I was raised Catholic but I left the Church when I was a teenager and I was told that apostates are automatically excommunicated so I want to have that lifted if that's the case."

I can't honestly guarantee he is going to have any idea of what the fuck you are talking about but it will get the ball rolling

thats along the lines of what ill say yeah, and haha its probably a very autistic conversation to have, but if its what you technically need to do then so be it

Ive also heard women who get abortions are automatically excommunicated

can they ever get it lifted?
And also what the hell is the church doing then by not making all of this clear if its still technically what's supposed to be done. Like if the abortion thing is true, im pretty sure they had some councilling thing at my church for women trying to come back to the church after aborting their children

that is also true

dude the Church believes in a lot of things that are not made clear lol