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If God is everywhere, why do we have to go to church?
Can I not just pray at home? I find Mass boring.
Answer:
The Catholic Church was founded by Christ himself in order to guide and direct us through life to our eternal salvation. "Whatever you shall bind on earth, it shall be bound also in heaven, " he told the apostles, who were the first bishops of our Church. From the earliest times, Christians met together in community, often at great risk to their lives, in order to celebrate the Mass and in this way fulfill Jesus' command at the Last Supper to "Do this in memory of me."
The Catholic Church is not just some scheme dreamt up by men and women, but is the will and the creation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows our needs better than we do. It is true that 'God is everywhere' and that he can be present to us at any time and in any place through prayer; but God desired to give us the gift of his presence in a very special way through the Church and through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. In an incredible way, he actually becomes physically present in the Eucharist when the bread is changed into his own body and the wine into his own blood. He himself said so and actually did it at the Last Supper for the first time. Through Holy Communion, he offers us a share in his own life in order to strengthen our souls to do his will and walk his way rather than our own.
It is one thing to say we can pray at home and do not need the Church, but the reality might be quite different. Despite the best intentions, our faith can very quickly become neglected, tucked away in the back of our minds or even forgotten. The demands of work or school, the distractions of a busy life or the pressures of those around us might make our faith secondary, less important or "un-cool." This is why we need the 'holy routine' of the Church like Mass on Sunday and other religious celebrations.
Right now you can do a few things to make your experiences in church more enjoyable and meaningful. You might want to join other young people in your parish and attend Mass together or even get involved in some of the Church's ministries. The more you are involved in the Church, the more you will learn and appreciate what the Church has to offer, espically at Mass. There are many ways to see how great and awesome our faith actually is, and you might be surprised how much more there is to know. Just ask, as Jesus himself said: "Seek and you shall find."
The Church is a living community of people, and this community can be a source of great support and encouragement as we meet other Christians who share our beliefs and our values. At the last World Youth Day (WYD) here in Toronto, there were many thousands of young people from all over the world who endured hardship and expense to celebrate their faith together with the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. On television, in interview after interview, young people said the same thing: that until the experience of WYD they had not realized how many of their peers shared the same beliefs, and how much fun they had celebrating their faith together. This experience had strengthened them in their faith and made them more committed to the living it more fully when they returned home. This is the experience of a Church fully alive that we all need, and although you may not always experience it with such intensity on a regular basis in your home parish, you will still benefit beyond what you can possibly imagine from going to Mass where you meet Christ personally.
God bless,
Father Norbert