Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Back to bribery you clearly have not read through the other posts

If you have to force yourself and your family to do something, do you think you are losing the meaning of doing it?

I don’t believe it is bribery. Instead, it is making the whole experience a positive family event. I remember growing up and getting donuts after mass. In high school, my mom and I went to Farrells. In my 20s, I went to dinner with my grandparents after meeting them for mass on a Saturday night.

Do you remember the sermons? Do you practice what was preached every moment of every day?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Back to bribery you clearly have not read through the other posts

If you have to force yourself and your family to do something, do you think you are losing the meaning of doing it?

I don’t believe it is bribery. Instead, it is making the whole experience a positive family event. I remember growing up and getting donuts after mass. In high school, my mom and I went to Farrells. In my 20s, I went to dinner with my grandparents after meeting them for mass on a Saturday night.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Back to bribery you clearly have not read through the other posts

If you have to force yourself and your family to do something, do you think you are losing the meaning of doing it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Back to bribery you clearly have not read through the other posts

If you have to force yourself and your family to do something, do you think you are losing the meaning of doing it?

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do not have to sit in church to be religious. It’s more a way of life.

No...

Agree. This view is wrong on some many levels. While there is no explicit command demanding a certain frequency of church attendance, the consistent testimony of the Bible is that it is a healthy and expected practice for believers. Choosing to regularly neglect communal fellowship goes against the clear pattern and instruction provided in Scripture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do not have to sit in church to be religious. It’s more a way of life.

No...

Anonymous wrote:You do not have to sit in church to be religious. It’s more a way of life.

Anonymous wrote:Enough said.

We work all week and have 2 precious days at home as a family.

With church, we have one morning together (Saturday). Sunday is spent yelling to get out the door, even though I try really hard not to.

We get home and everyone is hungry and grumpy. Going out to eat is too expensive and packing lunch or a snack is time consuming…I pack food all week!

What I wouldn’t give for a Wednesday night church.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, lapsed Catholics. Can we get back to OP’s question, which did not state their exact faith/church preference?

I agree with other posters - find a good church close to you (our church makes a point of welcoming visitors with the note that we are glad to help them find a church closer to their home if they are traveling a long way/time). Make dressing easier - one of my friends has one “church” outfit for her boys and they practice getting dressed themselves. The girls know what is church appropriate for their family. She literally had them all practice on a weekday. Growing up, Saturday evenings everyone showered so getting ready Sunday was quicker.
You can decide what works best for meals for your family in this season. It can be super simple or more complicated. Ask the other moms at church how they manage Sunday mornings. It can be challenging, but it’s a non-negotiable for our family and our kids know that.
I do know the feeling of wanting more relaxing family time. We have teens and Saturdays get busy with sports and social stuff.

LOL - church outfit. Who is judging what you wear to church, other congregants or God? (hint - God doesn't care what you wear).

God might not care what you wear, but he cares why you wear it. Wearing a great "church outfit" to show off or being sloppy because you don't respect God - both will matter. Being casual because you think God wants you to come as you are or dressing up because you think church is important all matter.

It's not what you wear, it's why.

Wrong. What matters is in your heart and belief in Jesus. Nothing else matters. Are you judging a family that is poor that can't afford a "church outfit"? And the meek shall inherit the Earth.

OK so there's a big difference between what is required of us for salvation (very, very little - the Trinity does all the heavy lifting there) and what it looks like to follow Jesus.

And I explicitly said it matters what's in your heart. A family that can't afford a "church outfit" isn't like "Oh, I won't wear a nice suit because I just don't care about Jesus." In fact their hearts might well be MUCH more honoring to God than some dude showing off his $$$ suit and $$$ loafer or something.