By "You" I mean you the reader; you who have not been attending Mass for a long time; you who does not feel a connection with the faith so fully professed by the Catholic Church. Yes, you are still part of The Church, just not actively participating in Mass.
There are a myriad of reasons why we "fall away," but whatever the reason or reasons may be you are still part of The Church.
The work of God in our world depends on our willingness to share God's love with our neighbor, our spouses, our sons and daughters, coworkers, fellow shoppers,... everyone.
In this feast of Pentecost, when we celebrate the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to be with us until the end of time, I could not help but notice the importance of community. St. Paul reminds us that we are members of One Body and that as such we have a specific function that is important to The Body.
In today's second reading we listened to what St. Paul had to say to the community in Corinth:
"As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." (1 COR 12: 3B-7, 12-13)
So if you can imagine for one moment the effects a missing one of your big toes, or a kidney, or one of your ears, then imagine how much better The Church would be if you could help to restore its fullness by returning to Mass.
Help the Divine Healer do its job. He needs you and is ready to welcome you back.
Fear of rejection? Have no fear! The God of love - the God Who IS Love - will never reject you.
"Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord, and my Father will love him and we will come to him." (JN 14:23).
"we will come to him..."
I didn't understand the desire that grew in me to return to Mass; at least not at the time. I was afraid of not knowing what to say at Mass and of getting funny looks. But something inside of me kept tugging at me. There was something greater than people's stares or fumbled prayers that gave me the courage to give it a go.
I now know, and after much prayer and meditation, that the "something" stirring in me was God Himself. He didn't care about where I had been or what turns my life took; all He wanted for me was to return to Him.
He is also anxiously waiting for you. He wants you to bring everything - EVERYTHING - with you and share it with Him. Don't leave anything behind for He wants to share your happiness, your sorrows, and you fears.
Do not be afraid for Jesus' promise is that the Father will love you.
"The reason I stopped going to Mass is because God never heard my prayers. I prayed very hard but God somehow chose to ignore my pleas during a very rough patch me and my family went through."
This is one of the many reasons I hear people give for not going to Mass anymore. There are variations to the theme: "God punished me," "why does He allow me to go thorough this?"
I asked similar questions whenever my wife offered words of hope as we were in danger of losing our home. "What good is prayer and doing all these Catholic things if I am still have to deal with no income and a bunch of creditors on my back?"
Well... Yeah! Why?
I couldn't help but remember how I felt during those endless days, weeks and months as I listened to the Gospel this past Sunday. This is from the Gospel of John where Jesus describes Himself as the True Vine. "I am the vine... Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."
What really got me thinking was right at the beginning of the reading: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit." (emphasis mine).
Fruit growers will selectively and very carefully prune their trees regularly. Pruning ensures that the tree grows correctly, that fruit-producing buds receive the right amount of sunshine, and that the branches holding the fruit are strong enough to hold them.
If the tree looks unpromising or fails to yield any fruit is removed to make space for one that does.
When you go through your rough patches consider that the Father is pruning you. He sees so much potential in you that He wants to make sure you get just enough sunshine, that your spiritual growth is on the right path, and that your heart will be able to sustain all the good fruit that you will eventually yield for His greater glory.
